Surah Al-Anbiya >> Currently viewing Surah Al-Anbiya Ayat 79 (21:79)

Surah Al-Anbiya Ayat 79 in Arabic Text

فَفَهَّمۡنَٰهَا سُلَيۡمَٰنَۚ وَكُلًّا ءَاتَيۡنَا حُكۡمٗا وَعِلۡمٗاۚ وَسَخَّرۡنَا مَعَ دَاوُۥدَ ٱلۡجِبَالَ يُسَبِّحۡنَ وَٱلطَّيۡرَۚ وَكُنَّا فَٰعِلِينَ
Fafahhamnaahaa sulaimaan; wa kullan aatainaa hukmanw wa’ilmanw wa sakh kharnaa ma’a Daawoodal jibaala yusabbihna wattayr; wa kunnaa faa’ileen

English Translation

Here you can read various translations of verse 79

Sahih International
And We gave understanding of the case to Solomon, and to each [of them] We gave judgement and knowledge. And We subjected the mountains to exalt [Us], along with David and [also] the birds. And We were doing [that].

Yusuf Ali
To Solomon We inspired the (right) understanding of the matter: to each (of them) We gave Judgment and Knowledge; it was Our power that made the hills and the birds celebrate Our praises, with David: it was We Who did (all these things).

Abul Ala Maududi
We guided Solomon to the right verdict, and We had granted each of them judgement and knowledge. We made the mountains and the birds celebrate the praise of Allah with David. It was We Who did all this.

Muhsin Khan
And We made Sulaiman (Solomon) to understand (the case), and to each of them We gave Hukman (right judgement of the affairs and Prophethood) and knowledge. And We subjected the mountains and the birds to glorify Our Praises along with Dawud (David), And it was We Who were the doers (of all these things).

Pickthall
And We made Solomon to understand (the case); and unto each of them We gave judgment and knowledge. And we subdued the hills and the birds to hymn (His) praise along with David. We were the doers (thereof).

Dr. Ghali
So We made Sulayman to understand it, and to each We brought judgment and knowledge. And with Dawû‍d We subjected the mountains to extol, and the birds; and We were Performers.

Abdel Haleem
and made Solomon understand the case [better], though We gave sound judgement and knowledge to both of them. We made the mountains and the birds celebrate Our praises with David- We did all these things-

Muhammad Junagarhi
ہم نے اس کا صحیح فیصلہ سلیمان کو سمجھا دیا۔ ہاں ہر ایک کو ہم نے حکم وعلم دے رکھا تھا اور داؤد کے تابع ہم نے پہاڑ کر دیئے تھے جو تسبیح کرتے تھے اور پرند بھی۔ ہم کرنے والے ہی تھے

Quran 21 Verse 79 Explanation

For those looking for commentary to help with the understanding of Surah Al-Anbiya ayat 79, we’ve provided two Tafseer works below. The first is the tafseer of Abul Ala Maududi, the second is of Ibn Kathir.

Ala-Maududi

(21:79) We guided Solomon to the right verdict, and We had granted each of them[70] judgement and knowledge. We made the mountains and the birds celebrate the praise of Allah[71] with David. It was We Who did all this.


70. There is no mention of this event in the Bible, nor in the Jewish literature. According to the Muslim commentators, it happened like this: The goats of one person entered into the field of another person at night. The latter brought his complaint to Prophet David who decided that the strayed goats should be given to the owner of the field. Prophet Solomon, however, differed with this and opined that the goats should remain with the owner of the field up to the time that the former tilled and prepared the field as before. In regard to this Allah says: We led Solomon to the right decision. As regards the legal aspect of the matter, we cannot say with certainty what is the Islamic law in such a case nor is there any tradition of the Prophet (peace be upon him) to explain or support it. That is why the jurists have differed about it.

It should, however, be noted that in this context, the incident has been cited to show that the Prophets were after all human beings in spite of their God given powers and abilities. In this case, Prophet David committed an error of judgment because he was not guided by Allah as was Prophet Solomon, though both of them were Prophets. In the succeeding passage the wonderful powers of both have been mentioned to show that they were God given and did not make anyone a god.

Incidentally, we learn from this verse that if two judges give different decisions about one and the same case, both of them will be regarded as righteous, though the decision of only one of them will be correct, provided that both are duly qualified for sitting in judgment on the case. The Prophet (peace be upon him) has stated the same principle more elaborately. In a tradition of Bukhari, he is reported by Amar bin Aas to have said: If a judge does his very best to arrive at the right decision, he will get a double reward in case of a right judgment and a single reward if his judgment is wrong. According to another tradition, cited by Abu Daud and Ibn Majah, on the authority of Buraidah, he is reported to have said: Judges are of three kinds and only one of them will go to Paradise: the one who recognizes the truth and decides according to it. On the other hand, the one who recognizes the truth but gives his decision against it, will go to Hell, and he too, who sits in judgment on a case without the necessary knowledge (and competence).

71. From the wording of the text, it is clear that the mountains and the birds were subjected to join Prophet David (peace be upon him) with him in glorifying Allah. This is also supported by Surah Suad, Ayat 19: We had subdued the mountains by Our command so that they praised Us with him (David) in the morning and evening, and the birds too, which gathered together and repeated Our praise with him. And, according to Surah Saba, Ayat 10: We commanded the mountains to repeat Our praise with him and also the birds to do the same. We are of the opinion that it means this: When Prophet David (peace be upon him) sang hymns of Allah’s praise and glory, in his rich and sweet voice, the mountains echoed back his melodies and the birds gathered round him and the whole scene became charming. Our interpretation is supported by this tradition.

Once when Abu Musa Ashari, who had an extremely sweet voice, was reciting the Quran, the Prophet (peace be upon him) who was passing by, stood and listened to him for a long time. When he finished the recital, the Prophet (peace be upon him) remarked: This man has been granted a portion of the melody of David.

Ibn-Kathir

The tafsir of Surah Anbiya verse 79 by Ibn Kathir is unavailable here.
Please refer to Surah Anbiya ayat 78 which provides the complete commentary from verse 78 through 82.

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surah Anbiya ayat 79
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