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Surah 27. An-Naml

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27:11
إِلَّا مَن ظَلَمَ ثُمَّ بَدَّلَ حُسْنًۢا بَعْدَ سُوٓءٍ فَإِنِّى غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ Ill a man th alama thumma baddala h usnan baAAda sooin fainnee ghafoorun ra h eem un
and neither10 need anyone who has done wrong and then has replaced the wrong with good:11 for, verily, I am much-forgiving, a dispenser of grace!
  - Mohammad Asad

For my rendering of illa, in this context, as "and neither", see note [38] on 4:29 .

I.e., by sincere repentance. Apart from its general significance, this may also be an allusion to the crime which Moses had committed in his youth bv slaying the Egyptian (see {28 :15-17}).

unless, of course, he is guilty of wrongdoing; even then, if he replaces that wrongdoing with a good deed, I am indeed Forgiving, Merciful.
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
'Fear is' only for those who do wrong. But if they later mend 'their' evil 'ways' with good, then I am certainly All-Forgiving, Most Merciful.
  - Mustafa Khattab
Save him who hath done wrong and afterward hath changed evil for good. And lo! I am Forgiving, Merciful.
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
"But if any have done wrong and have thereafter substituted good to take the place of evil truly I am Oft-Forgiving Most Merciful. 3248
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

His slaying the Egyptian (n. 3146 to xxvi. 14), however defensible from certain aspects, was yet something from his past that had to be washed off, and Allah, Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful, did it out of His abounding Grace. Nay, more; he was given a pure, Radiant Hand, as a Sign from Allah, as stated in the next verse.

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27:12
وَأَدْخِلْ يَدَكَ فِى جَيْبِكَ تَخْرُجْ بَيْضَآءَ مِنْ غَيْرِ سُوٓءٍ ۖ فِى تِسْعِ ءَايَـٰتٍ إِلَىٰ فِرْعَوْنَ وَقَوْمِهِۦٓ ۚ إِنَّهُمْ كَانُوا۟ قَوْمًا فَـٰسِقِينَ Waadkhil yadaka fee jaybika takhruj bay da a min ghayri sooin fee tisAAi a y a tin il a firAAawna waqawmihi innahum k a noo qawman f a siqeen a
"Now Dlace thy hand into thy bosom: it will come forth [shining] white, without blemish!12 "[And thou shalt go] with nine [of My] messages unto Pharaoh and his people13 - for, verily, they are people depraved!"
  - Mohammad Asad

See note [85] on 7:108 .

Cf. 17:101 -"We gave unto Moses nine clear messages" - and the corresponding note [119].

Now put your hand into your pocket, it will come out shining white without any harm. These two signs are from the nine signs that you will be given during your mission to Fir'on (Pharaoh) and his people; for truly, they are a people of transgressors."
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
Now put your hand through 'the opening of' your collar, it will come out 'shining' white, unblemished.1 'These are two' of nine signs for Pharaoh and his people.2 They have truly been a rebellious people.'
  - Mustafa Khattab

 See footnote for 20:22.

 See footnote for 23:45.

And put thy hand into the bosom of thy robe, it will come forth white but unhurt. (This will be one) among name tokens unto Pharaoh and his people. Lo! they were ever evil living folk.
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
"Now put thy hand into thy bosom and it will come forth white without stain (or harm): (these are) among the nine Signs (thou wilt take) to Pharaoh and his people: for they are a people rebellious in transgression. 3249 3250
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Cf. xx. 22. There the expression is: "Draw thy hand close to thy side." As far as the physical act is concerned, the expressions there and here mean the same thing. Moses had a loose-fitting robe. If he put his hand within the folds of the robe, it would go to his bosom on the side of his body opposite to that from which his hand came; i.e., if it was his right hand it would go to the left side of his bosom. The hand comes out white and radiant, without a stain. Ordinarily if the skin becomes white it is a sign of disease or leprosy. Here it was the opposite. It was a sign of radiance and glory from the higher Light.

The nine Signs: see n. 1091 to vii. 133.

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27:13
فَلَمَّا جَآءَتْهُمْ ءَايَـٰتُنَا مُبْصِرَةً قَالُوا۟ هَـٰذَا سِحْرٌ مُّبِينٌ Falamm a j a athum a y a tun a mub s iratan q a loo h atha si h run mubeen un
But when Our light-giving messages came unto them, they said, "This is clearly [but] spellbinding deception!"14
  - Mohammad Asad

See note [99] on 10:76 . The people referred to as "they" are Pharaoh and his nobles.

But, when our signs were shown to them, they said: "This is clear sorcery."
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
But when Our enlightening signs came to them, they said, 'This is pure magic.'
  - Mustafa Khattab
But when Our tokens came unto them, plain to see, they said: This is mere magic,
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
But when our Signs came to them that should have opened their eyes they said: "This is sorcery manifest!" 3251
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

The Signs should have clearly opened the eyes of any persons who honestly examined them and thought about them. Those who rejected them were perverse and were going against their own light and inner conviction. That was the aggravating feature of their sin.

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27:14
وَجَحَدُوا۟ بِهَا وَٱسْتَيْقَنَتْهَآ أَنفُسُهُمْ ظُلْمًا وَعُلُوًّا ۚ فَٱنظُرْ كَيْفَ كَانَ عَـٰقِبَةُ ٱلْمُفْسِدِينَ Waja h adoo bih a wa i stayqanath a anfusuhum th ulman waAAuluwwan fa o n th ur kayfa k a na AA a qibatu almufsideen a
- and in their wickedness and self-exaltation they rejected them, although their minds were convinced of their truth: and behold what hap-pened in the end to those spreaders of corruption!
  - Mohammad Asad
They were convinced in their hearts about the truth of those miracles, yet they denied those signs in their wickedness and pride. So you see, what was the end of those transgressors.
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
And, although their hearts were convinced the signs were true, they still denied them wrongfully and arrogantly. See then what was the end of the corruptors!
  - Mustafa Khattab
And they denied them, though their souls acknowledged them, for spite and arrogance. Then see the nature of the consequence for the wrong-doers!
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
And they rejected those Signs in iniquity and arrogance though their souls were convinced thereof: so see what was the end of those who acted corruptly!
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

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27:15
وَلَقَدْ ءَاتَيْنَا دَاوُۥدَ وَسُلَيْمَـٰنَ عِلْمًا ۖ وَقَالَا ٱلْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ ٱلَّذِى فَضَّلَنَا عَلَىٰ كَثِيرٍ مِّنْ عِبَادِهِ ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ Walaqad a tayn a d a wooda wasulaym a na AAilman waq a l a al h amdu lill a hi alla th ee fa dd alan a AAal a katheerin min AAib a dihi almumineen a
AND, INDEED, We granted [true] knowledge15 unto David and Solomon [as well]; and both were wont to say: "All praise is due to God, who has [thus] favoured us above many of His believing servants!"
  - Mohammad Asad

I.e., spiritual insight.

We bestowed knowledge on Dawood (David) and Sulaiman (Solomon). They both said: "Praise be to Allah Who has exalted us above many of His believing servants."
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
Indeed, We granted knowledge to David and Solomon. And they said 'in acknowledgment', 'All praise is for Allah Who has privileged us over many of His faithful servants.'1
  - Mustafa Khattab

 The privilege was their ability to communicate with members of the animal kingdom, control the wind, utilize the jinn for their service, etc.

And We verily gave knowledge unto David and Solomon, and they said: Praise be to Allah, Who hath preferred us above many of His believing slaves!
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
We gave (in the past) knowledge to David and Solomon: and they both said: "Praise be to Allah Who has favored us above many of His servants who believe!" 3252 3253
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Cf. xxi. 78-82. "Knowledge" means such knowledge as leads up to the higher things in life, the Wisdom that was shown in their decisions and judgments, and the understanding that enabled them to fulfil their mission in life. They were both just men and prophets of Allah. The Bible, as we have it, is inconsistent: on the one hand it calls David "a man after God's own heart" (I Samuel, xiii. 14, and Acts xiii. 22); and the Christians acclaim Christ as a son of David; but on the other hand, horrible crimes are ascribed to him, which, if he had committed them, would make him a monster of cruelty and injustice. About Solomon, too, while he is described as a glorious king, there are stories of his lapses into sin and idolatry. The Muslim teaching considers them both to be men of piety and wisdom, and high in spiritual knowledge.

They ascribed, as was proper, their knowledge, wisdom, and power to the only true Source of all good, Allah.

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27:16
وَوَرِثَ سُلَيْمَـٰنُ دَاوُۥدَ ۖ وَقَالَ يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلنَّاسُ عُلِّمْنَا مَنطِقَ ٱلطَّيْرِ وَأُوتِينَا مِن كُلِّ شَىْءٍ ۖ إِنَّ هَـٰذَا لَهُوَ ٱلْفَضْلُ ٱلْمُبِينُ Wawaritha sulaym a nu d a wooda waq a la y a ayyuh a a l nn a su AAullimn a man t iqa a l tt ayri waooteen a min kulli shayin inna h atha lahuwa alfa d lu almubeen u
And [in this insight] Solomon was [truly] David's heir; and he would say: "O you people! We have been taught the speech of birds, and have been given [in abundance] of all [good] things: this, behold, is indeed a manifest favour [from God]!"
  - Mohammad Asad
Sulaiman succeeded Dawood. He said: "O people! We have been taught the tongue of birds and given all sort of things. This is indeed a great blessing from Allah."
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
And David was succeeded by Solomon, who said, 'O people! We have been taught the language of birds, and been given everything 'we need'. This is indeed a great privilege.'
  - Mustafa Khattab
And Solomon was David's heir. And he said: O mankind! Lo! we have been taught the language of birds, and have been given (abundance) of all things. This surely is evident favor.
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
And Solomon was David's heir. He said: "O ye people! we have been taught the speech of Birds and on us has been bestowed (a little) of all things: this is indeed Grace manifest (from Allah)." 3254 3255 3256
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

The point is that Solomon not only inherited his father's kingdom but his spiritual insight and the prophetic office, which do not necessarily go from father to son.

Speech of Birds. The spoken word in human speech is different from the means of communication which birds and animals have between each other. But no man can doubt that they have means of communication with each other, if he only observes the orderly flight of migratory birds or the regulated behaviour of ants, bees, and other creatures who live in communities. The wisdom of Solomon consisted in understanding these things-in the animal world and in the lower fringes of human intelligence.

"Everything": Solomon was a king of power and authority; outside his kingdom he had influence among many neighbouring peoples; he had knowledge of birds, and beasts and plants; he was just and wise, and understood men; and above all, he had spiritual insight, which brought him near to Allah. Thus he had something of all kinds of desirable gifts. And with true gratitude he referred them to Allah, the Giver of all gifts.

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27:17
وَحُشِرَ لِسُلَيْمَـٰنَ جُنُودُهُۥ مِنَ ٱلْجِنِّ وَٱلْإِنسِ وَٱلطَّيْرِ فَهُمْ يُوزَعُونَ Wa h ushira lisulaym a na junooduhu mina aljinni wa a linsi wa al tt ayri fahum yoozaAAoon a
And [one day] there were assembled before Solomon his hosts of invisible beings,16 and of men, and of birds; and then they were led forth in orderly ranks,
  - Mohammad Asad

Apart from 114:6 , which contains the earliest Qur'anic reference to the concept of jinn, the above is apparently the oldest instance where this concept occurs in the personalized form of "invisible beings". (For a fuller discussion, see Appendix III.)

Sulaiman gathered an army comprised of Jinns, men and birds; they all were kept under strict discipline.
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
Solomon's forces of jinn, humans, and birds were rallied for him, perfectly organized.
  - Mustafa Khattab
And there were gathered together unto Solomon his armies of the jinn and humankind, and of the birds, and they were set in battle order;
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
And before Solomon were marshalled his hosts of Jinns and men and birds and they were all kept in order and ranks. 3257
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Besides the literal meaning, there are two symbolical meanings. (1) All his subjects of varying grades of intelligence, taste, and civilization, were kept in due order and cooperation, by his discipline, justice, and good government. (2) The gifts of various kinds, which he possessed (see last note), he used in proper order and coordination, as if they were a well disciplined army, thus getting the best possible results from them.

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27:18
حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَآ أَتَوْا۟ عَلَىٰ وَادِ ٱلنَّمْلِ قَالَتْ نَمْلَةٌ يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلنَّمْلُ ٱدْخُلُوا۟ مَسَـٰكِنَكُمْ لَا يَحْطِمَنَّكُمْ سُلَيْمَـٰنُ وَجُنُودُهُۥ وَهُمْ لَا يَشْعُرُونَ H att a i tha ataw AAal a w a di a l nnamli q a lat namlatun y a ayyuh a a l nnamlu odkhuloo mas a kinakum l a ya ht imannakum sulaym a nu wajunooduhu wahum l a yashAAuroon a
till, when they came upon a valley [full] of ants, an ant exclaimed: "O you ants! Get into your dwellings, lest Solomon and his hosts crush you without [even] being aware [of you]!"
  - Mohammad Asad
Once in an expedition he was marching with his army when they came across a valley of ants, one of the ants said: "O ants, get into your habitations lest Sulaiman and his army crush you under their feet without even noticing it."
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
And when they came across a valley of ants, an ant warned, 'O ants! Go quickly into your homes so Solomon and his armies do not crush you, unknowingly.'
  - Mustafa Khattab
Till, when they reached the Valley of the Ants, an ant exclaimed: O ants! Enter your dwellings lest Solomon and his armies crush you, unperceiving.
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
At length when they came to a (lowly) valley of ants one of the ants said: "O ye ants get into your habitations lest Solomon and his hosts crush you (under foot) without knowing it." 3258
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

This verse and the next, read together, suggest the symbolical meaning as predominant. The ant, to outward appearance, is a very small and humble creature. In the great pomp and circumstances of the world, she (generic feminine in Arabic) may be neglected or even trampled on by a people who mean her no harm. Yet, by her wisdom, she carries on her own life within her own sphere ("habitations") unmolested, and makes a useful contribution to the economy of the world. So there is room for the humblest people in the spiritual world.

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27:19
فَتَبَسَّمَ ضَاحِكًا مِّن قَوْلِهَا وَقَالَ رَبِّ أَوْزِعْنِىٓ أَنْ أَشْكُرَ نِعْمَتَكَ ٱلَّتِىٓ أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَىَّ وَعَلَىٰ وَٰلِدَىَّ وَأَنْ أَعْمَلَ صَـٰلِحًا تَرْضَىٰهُ وَأَدْخِلْنِى بِرَحْمَتِكَ فِى عِبَادِكَ ٱلصَّـٰلِحِينَ Fatabassama dah ikan min qawlih a waq a la rabbi awziAAnee an ashkura niAAmataka allatee anAAamta AAalayya waAAal a w a lidayya waan aAAmala sa li h an tar da hu waadkhilnee bira h matika fee AAib a dika a l ssa li h een a
Thereupon [Solomon] smiled joyously at her words, and said: "O my Sustainer! Inspire me so that I may forever be grateful for those blessings of Thine with which Thou hast graced me and my parentS,17 and that I may do what is right [in a manner] that will please Thee; and include me, by Thy grace, among Thy righteous servants!"
  - Mohammad Asad

In this instance, Solomon evidently refers to his own understanding and admiration of nature (cf. {38:31-33} and the corresponding notes) as well as to his loving compassion for the humblest of God's creatures, as a great divine blessing: and this is the Qur'anic moral of the legendary story of the ant.

So Sulaiman smiled, laughing at its statement, and said: "O Rabb! Inspire me to render thanks for Your favors, which You have bestowed on me and on my parents, to do such good deeds that will please You; and admit me, by Your mercy, among Your righteous servants."
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
So Solomon smiled in amusement at her words, and prayed, 'My Lord! Inspire me to 'always' be thankful for Your favours which You have blessed me and my parents with, and to do good deeds that please you. Admit me, by Your mercy, into 'the company of' Your righteous servants.'
  - Mustafa Khattab
And (Solomon) smiled, laughing at her speech, and said: My Lord, arouse me to be thankful for Thy favor wherewith Thou hast favored me and my parents, and to do good that shall be pleasing unto Thee, and include me in (the number of) Thy righteous slaves.
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
So he smiled amused at her speech; and he said: "O my Lord! so order me that I may be grateful for Thy favors which Thou hast bestowed on me and on my parents and that I may work the righteousness that will please Thee: and admit me by Thy Grace to the ranks of Thy righteous Servants." 3259 3260 3261
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

The counterpart to the position of the humble ant is the position of a great king like Solomon. He prays that his power and wisdom and all other gifts may be used for righteousness and for the benefit of all around him. The ant being in his thoughts, we may suppose that he means particularly in his prayer that he may not even unwittingly tread on humble beings in his preoccupations with the great things of the world.

The righteousness which pleases the world is often very different from the righteousness which pleases Allah. Solomon prays that he may always take Allah's Will as his standard, rather than the standards of men.

In the Kingdom of Allah, righteousness is the badge of citizenship. And although there are great and noble grades (see n. 586 to iv. 69), the base of that citizenship is the universal brotherhood of righteousness. The greatest in that Kingdom are glad and proud to pray for that essential badge.

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27:20
وَتَفَقَّدَ ٱلطَّيْرَ فَقَالَ مَا لِىَ لَآ أَرَى ٱلْهُدْهُدَ أَمْ كَانَ مِنَ ٱلْغَآئِبِينَ Watafaqqada a l tt ayra faq a la m a liya l a ar a alhudhuda am k a na mina algh a ibeen a
And [one day] he looked in vain for [a particular one of] the birds; and so he said: "How is it that I do not see the hoopoe? Or could he be among the absent?
  - Mohammad Asad
He took a roll call of the birds and said: "I do not see the hoopoe, where is he? How could he be absent?
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
'One day' he inspected the birds, and wondered, 'Why is it that I cannot see the hoopoe? Or could he be absent?
  - Mustafa Khattab
And he sought among the birds and said: How is it that I see not the hoopoe, or is he among the absent?
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
And he took a muster of the Birds; and he said: "Why is it I see not the Hoopoe? Or is he among the absentees? 3262
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Solomon was no idle or easy-going king. He kept all his organisation strictly up to the mark, both his armies literally and his forces (metaphorically). His most mobile arm was the Birds, who were light on the wing and flew and saw everything like efficient scouts. One day he missed the Hoopoe in his muster. The Hoopoe is a light, graceful creature, with elegant plumage of many colours, and a beautiful yellow crest on his head, which entities him to be called a royal bird.

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27:21
لَأُعَذِّبَنَّهُۥ عَذَابًا شَدِيدًا أَوْ لَأَا۟ذْبَحَنَّهُۥٓ أَوْ لَيَأْتِيَنِّى بِسُلْطَـٰنٍ مُّبِينٍ LaoAAa thth ibannahu AAa tha ban shadeedan aw laa th ba h annahu aw layatiyannee bisul ta nin mubeen in
[If so,] I will punish him most severely or will kill him unless he bring me a convincing excuse!"18
  - Mohammad Asad

Lit., "a clear evidence". The threat of "killing" the hoopoe is, of course, purely idiomatic, and not to be taken literally.

I will certainly punish him severely or even slay him, if he does not offer me a reasonable excuse for his absence."
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
I will surely subject him to a severe punishment, or 'even' slaughter him, unless he brings me a compelling excuse.'
  - Mustafa Khattab
I verily will punish him with hard punishment or I verily will slay him, or he verily shall bring me a plain excuse.
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
"I will certainly punish him with a severe Penalty or execute him unless he bring me a clear reason (for absence)."
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

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27:22
فَمَكَثَ غَيْرَ بَعِيدٍ فَقَالَ أَحَطتُ بِمَا لَمْ تُحِطْ بِهِۦ وَجِئْتُكَ مِن سَبَإٍۭ بِنَبَإٍ يَقِينٍ Famakatha ghayra baAAeedin faq a la a hat tu bim a lam tu h i t bihi wajituka min sabain binabain yaqeen in
But [the hoopoe] tarried but a short while; and [when it came] it said: "I have encompassed [with my knowledge] something that thou hast never yet encompassed [with shine] - for I have come to thee from Sheba with a tiding sure!19
  - Mohammad Asad

Thus, we are parabolically reminded that even the most lowly being can - and on occasion does - have knowledge of things of which even a Solomon in all his wisdom may be ignorant (Razi) - a reminder which ought to counteract the ever-present danger (fitnah) of self-conceit to which learned men, more than anyone else, are exposed (Zamakhshari). - As regards the kingdom of Sheba, see note [23] on 34:15 .

The hoopoe, who did not take long in coming, said: I have just found out that which you do not know. I have brought you reliable information about the people of Sheba.
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
It was not long before the bird came and said, 'I have found out something you do not know. I have just come to you from Sheba with sure news.
  - Mustafa Khattab
But he was not long in coming, and he said: I have found out (a thing) that thou apprehendest not, and I come unto thee from Sheba with sure tidings.
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
But the Hoopoe tarried not far: he compassed (territory) which thou hast not compassed and I have come to thee from Saba with tidings true. 3263
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Saba may reasonably be identified with the Biblical Sheba (I Kings x. 1-10). It is further referred to in the Sura called after its name: xxxiv. 15-20. It was a city in Yemen, said to have been three days' journey (say 50 miles) from the city of San'a. A recent German explorer, Dr. Hans Helfritz, claims to have located it in what is now Hadhramaut territory. The famous dam of Maarib made the country very prosperous, and enabled it to attain a high degree of civilization ("provided with every requisite" in the next verse). The Queen of Sheba therefore rightly held up her head high until she beheld the glories of Solomon.

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27:23
إِنِّى وَجَدتُّ ٱمْرَأَةً تَمْلِكُهُمْ وَأُوتِيَتْ مِن كُلِّ شَىْءٍ وَلَهَا عَرْشٌ عَظِيمٌ Innee wajadtu imraatan tamlikuhum waootiyat min kulli shayin walah a AAarshun AAa th eem un
"Behold, I found there a woman ruling over them; and she has been given [abundance] of all [good] things, and hers is a mighty throne.
  - Mohammad Asad
I found that a woman is ruling over them, she has been given everything and she possesses a magnificent throne.
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
Indeed, I found a woman ruling over them,1 who has been given everything 'she needs', and who has a magnificent throne.
  - Mustafa Khattab

 The Queen of Sheba is known in Islamic tradition as Bilkis.

Lo! I found a woman ruling over them, and she hath been given (abundance) of all things, and hers is a mighty throne.
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
"I found (there) a woman ruling over them and provided with every requisite; and she has a magnificent throne. 3264 3265
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

The Queen of Sheba (by name Bilqis in Arabian tradition) came apparently from Yemen, but she had affinities with Abyssinia and possibly ruled over Abyssinia also. The Habasha tribe (after whom Abyssinia was named) came from Yemen. Between the southern coast of Yemen and the north-eastern coast of Abyssinia there are only the Straits of Bab-al-Mandab, barely twenty miles across. In the 10th or llth century B.C. there were frequent invasions of Abyssinia from Arabia, and Solomon's reign of 40 years is usually synchronised with B.C. 992 to 952. The Sabaean and Himyarite alphabets in which we find the south Arabian pre-Islamic inscriptions, passed into Ethiopic, the language of Abyssinia. The Abyssinians possess a traditional history called "The Book of the Glory of Kings" (Kebra Nagast), which has been translated from Ethiopic into English by Sir E.A. Wallis Budge (Oxford, 1932). It gives an account of the Queen of Sheba and her only son Menyelek I, as founders of the Abyssinian dynasty.

Provided with every requisite: I take this to refer not only to the abundance of spices and gems and gold in her country, but to sciences and arts, as well.

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27:24
وَجَدتُّهَا وَقَوْمَهَا يَسْجُدُونَ لِلشَّمْسِ مِن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ وَزَيَّنَ لَهُمُ ٱلشَّيْطَـٰنُ أَعْمَـٰلَهُمْ فَصَدَّهُمْ عَنِ ٱلسَّبِيلِ فَهُمْ لَا يَهْتَدُونَ Wajadtuh a waqawmah a yasjudoona li l shshamsi min dooni All a hi wazayyana lahumu a l shshay ta nu aAAm a lahum fa s addahum AAani a l ssabeeli fahum l a yahtadoon a
And I found her and her people adoring the sun instead of God; and Satan has made these doings of theirs seem goodly to them, and [thus] has barred them from the path [of God], so that they cannot find the right way:
  - Mohammad Asad
Further I found that she and her people prostrate themselves before the sun instead of Allah. Shaitan has made their deeds fair-seeming to them and thus turned them away from the Right Way, so that they may not be guided
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
I found her and her people prostrating to the sun instead of Allah. For Satan has made their deeds appealing to them- hindering them from the 'Right' Way and leaving them unguided-
  - Mustafa Khattab
I found her and her people worshipping the sun instead of Allah; and Satan maketh their works fair seeming unto them, and debarreth them from the way (of Truth), so that they go not aright:
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
"I found her and her people worshipping the sun besides Allah: Satan has made their deeds seem pleasing in their eyes and has kept them away from the Path so they receive no guidance 3266
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

The ancient religion of the people of Saba (the Himyar or Sabaeans) consisted in the worship of the heavenly bodies, the sun, the planets, and the stars. Possibly the cult was connected with that of Chaldaea, the home-land of Abraham: see vi. 75-79 and notes thereon. Yemen had easy access to Mesopotamia and the Persian Gulf by way of the sea, as well as with Abyssinia. That accounts for the Christians of Najran and the Jewish dynasty of kings (e.g. Zu-Nuwas, d. 525 A.D.) who persecuted them in the century before Islam,-also for the Christian Abyssinian Governor Abraha and his discomfiture in the year of the Prophet's birth (S.cv.), say 570 A.D. Jewish-Christian influences were powerful in Arabia in the sixth century of the Christian era. The religion of these Sabaeans (written in Arabic with a Sin) should not be confounded with that of the Sabians (with a Sad), as to whom see n. 76 to ii. 62.

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27:25
أَلَّا يَسْجُدُوا۟ لِلَّهِ ٱلَّذِى يُخْرِجُ ٱلْخَبْءَ فِى ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ وَيَعْلَمُ مَا تُخْفُونَ وَمَا تُعْلِنُونَ All a yasjudoo lill a hi alla th ee yukhriju alkhabaa fee a l ssam a w a ti wa a lar d i wayaAAlamu m a tukhfoona wam a tuAAlinoon a
[for they have come to believe] that they ought not to adore God20 - [although it is He] who brings forth all that is hidden in the heavens and on earth,21 and knows all that you would conceal as well as all that you bring into the open:
  - Mohammad Asad

I.e., their own immoral impulses (which is the meaning of ash-shaytan in this context) had persuaded them that they should not submit to the idea of man's responsibility to a Supreme Being who, by definition, is "beyond the reach of human perception", but should worship certain perceivable natural phenomena instead.

An allusion to the appearance and disappearance of the sun and other celestial bodies which the Sabaeans - in common with almost all the Semites of antiquity - used to worship. (Cf. the story of Abraham's search for God in 6:74 ff.)

to prostrate themselves before Allah, the One Who brings to light all that is hidden in the heavens and the earth and knows exactly what you hide and what you reveal.
  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik
so they do not prostrate to Allah, Who brings forth what is hidden in the heavens and the earth, and knows what you 'all' conceal and what you reveal.
  - Mustafa Khattab
So that they worship not Allah, Who bringeth forth the hidden in the heavens and the earth, and knoweth what ye hide and what ye proclaim,
  - Marmaduke Pickthall
"(Kept them away from the Path) that they should not worship Allah Who brings to light what is hidden in the heavens and the earth and knows what ye hide and what ye reveal. 3267
  - Abdullah Yusuf Ali

The false worship of the Sabaeans is here exposed in three ways: (1) that they were self-satisfied with their own human achievements, instead of looking up to Allah; and (2) that the light of the heavenly bodies which they worshipped was only dependent on the true Light of Allah, which extends over heaven and earth; the Creator should be worshipped rather than His Creation; and (3) Allah knows the hidden secrets of men's minds as well as the objects which they openly profess: are false worshippers really only worshipping their own selves, or the "sins they have a mind to" and are therefore afraid to go to Allah, Who knows all?

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