Surah An-Naml >> Currently viewing Surah An-Naml Ayat 41 (27:41)

Surah An-Naml Ayat 41 in Arabic Text

قَالَ نَكِّرُواْ لَهَا عَرۡشَهَا نَنظُرۡ أَتَهۡتَدِيٓ أَمۡ تَكُونُ مِنَ ٱلَّذِينَ لَا يَهۡتَدُونَ
Qaala nakkiroo lahaa ‘arshahaa nanzur atahtadeee am takoonu minal lazeena laa yahtadoon

English Translation

Here you can read various translations of verse 41

Sahih International
He said, “Disguise for her her throne; we will see whether she will be guided [to truth] or will be of those who is not guided.”

Yusuf Ali
He said: “Transform her throne out of all recognition by her: let us see whether she is guided (to the truth) or is one of those who receive no guidance.”

Abul Ala Maududi
Solomon said: ” Set the throne before her casually, and let us see whether she gets to the Truth or is one of those who are not guided to what is right.”

Muhsin Khan
He said: “Disguise her throne for her that we may see whether she will be guided (to recognise her throne), or she will be one of those not guided.”

Pickthall
He said: Disguise her throne for her that we may see whether she will go aright or be of those not rightly guided.

Dr. Ghali
He said, “Disguise her throne for her, that we may look into whether she is guided, or she is of the ones who are not guided.”

Abdel Haleem
Then he said, ‘Disguise her throne, and we shall see whether or not she recognizes it.’

Muhammad Junagarhi
حکم دیا کہ اس کے تخت میں کچھ پھیر بدل کر دو تاکہ معلوم ہو جائے کہ یہ راه پالیتی ہے یا ان میں سے ہوتی ہے جو راه نہیں پاتے

Quran 27 Verse 41 Explanation

For those looking for commentary to help with the understanding of Surah An-Naml ayat 41, we’ve provided two Tafseer works below. The first is the tafseer of Abul Ala Maududi, the second is of Ibn Kathir.

Ala-Maududi

(27:41) Solomon said:[50]” Set the throne before her casually, and let us see whether she gets to the Truth or is one of those who are not guided to what is right.”[51]


50. As to how the queen reached Jerusalem and how she was received, has been omitted. The story is resumed from the time when she had arrived at the palace to see Prophet Solomon (peace be upon him).

51. This is a meaningful sentence, which means: (1) “Whether she understands or not that it is her own throne which has been fetched in no time from her capital to distant place like Jerusalem;” and also (2) “whether she is guided aright after seeing this wonderful miracle, or persists in her error.” This refutes the wrong idea of the people who say that the Prophet Solomon (peace be upon him) intended to take possession of the throne. Here he himself clearly says that he had done this in order to help the queen see guidance.

Ibn-Kathir

41. He said: “Disguise her throne for her that we may see whether she will be guided, or she will be one of those not guided.” 42. So when she came, it was said, “Is your throne like this” She said: “As though it were the very same.” And he said, “Knowledge was bestowed on us before her, and we had submitted to Allah (as Muslims).” 43. And Saddaha that which she used to worship besides Allah has prevented her (from Islam), for she was of a disbelieving people. 44. It was said to her: “Enter As-Sarh,” but when she saw it, she thought it was a pool, and she (tucked up her clothes) uncovering her legs. Sulayman said: “Verily, it is a Sarh Mumarrad of Qawarir.” She said: “My Lord! Verily, I have wronged myself, and I submit, together with Sulayman to Allah, the Lord of all that exits.”


The Test of Bilqis

When Sulayman brought the throne of Bilqis before she and her people arrived, he issued orders that some of its features should be altered, so that he could test her and see whether she recognized it and how composed she would be when she saw it. Would she hasten to say either that it was her throne or that it was not So he said:

﴿نَكِّرُواْ لَهَا عَرْشَهَا نَنظُرْ أَتَهْتَدِى أَمْ تَكُونُ مِنَ الَّذِينَ لاَ يَهْتَدُونَ﴾

(Disguise her throne for her that we may see whether she will be guided, or she will be one of those not guided.) Ibn `Abbas said: “Remove some of its adornments and parts.” Mujahid said: “He issued orders that it should be changed, so whatever was red should be made yellow and vice versa, and whatever was green should be made red, so everything was altered.” `Ikrimah said, “They added some things and took some things away.” Qatadah said, “It was turned upside down and back to front, and some things were added and some things were taken away.”

﴿فَلَمَّا جَآءَتْ قِيلَ أَهَكَذَا عَرْشُكِ﴾

(So when she came, it was said: “Is your throne like this”) Her throne, which had been altered and disguised, with some things added and others taken away, was shown to her. She was wise and steadfast, intelligent and strong-willed. She did not hasten to say that this was her throne, because it was far away from her. Neither did she hasten to say that it was not her throne, when she saw that some things had been altered and changed. She said,

﴿كَأَنَّهُ هُوَ﴾

((It is) as though it were the very same. ) This is the ultimate in intelligence and strong resolve.

﴿وَأُوتِينَا الْعِلْمَ مِن قَبْلِهَا وَكُنَّا مُسْلِمِينَ﴾

(Knowledge was bestowed on us before her, and we had submitted to Allah.) Mujahid said, “This was spoken by Sulayman.”

﴿وَصَدَّهَا مَا كَانَت تَّعْبُدُ مِن دُونِ اللَّهِ إِنَّهَا كَانَتْ مِن قَوْمٍ كَـفِرِينَ ﴾

(And Saddaha that which she used to worship besides Allah has prevented her, for she was of a disbelieving people.) This is a continuation of the words of Sulayman — according to the opinion of Mujahid and Sa`id bin Jubayr, may Allah be pleased with them both — i.e., Sulayman said:

﴿وَأُوتِينَا الْعِلْمَ مِن قَبْلِهَا وَكُنَّا مُسْلِمِينَ﴾

(Knowledge was bestowed on us before her, and we had submitted to Allah.) and what stopped her from worshipping Allah alone was

﴿مَا كَانَت تَّعْبُدُ مِن دُونِ اللَّهِ إِنَّهَا كَانَتْ مِن قَوْمٍ كَـفِرِينَ﴾

(that which she used to worship besides Allah, for she was of a disbelieving people.) What Mujahid and Sa`id said is good; it was also the view of Ibn Jarir. Then Ibn Jarir said, “It could be that the subject of the verb.

﴿وَصَدَّهَا﴾

(And Saddaha) refers to Sulayman or to Allah, so that the phrase now means:

﴿مَا كَانَت تَّعْبُدُ مِن دُونِ اللَّهِ﴾

(She would not worship anything over than Allah.)

﴿إِنَّهَا كَانَتْ مِن قَوْمٍ كَـفِرِينَ﴾

(for she was of a disbelieving people.) I say: the opinion of Mujahid is supported by the fact that she declared her Islam after she entered the Sarh, as we shall see below.

﴿قِيلَ لَهَا ادْخُلِى الصَّرْحَ فَلَمَّا رَأَتْهُ حَسِبَتْهُ لُجَّةً وَكَشَفَتْ عَن سَاقَيْهَا﴾

(It was said to her: “Enter As-Sarh” but when she saw it, she thought it was a pool, and she (tucked up her clothes) uncovering her legs.) Sulayman had commanded the Shayatin to build for her a huge palace of glass beneath which water was flowing. Anyone who did not know the nature of the building would think that it was water, but in fact there was a layer of glass between a person walking and the water.

Verily, it is a Sarh Mumarrad of Qawarir Sarh means a palace or any lofty construction.

Allah says of Fir`awn — may Allah curse him — that he said to his minister Haman:

﴿ابْنِ لِى صَرْحاً لَّعَـلِّى أَبْلُغُ الاٌّسْبَـبَ﴾

(Build me a Sarh that I may arrive at the ways.) (40:36-37) Sarh is also used to refer to the high constructed palaces in Yemen. Mumarrad means sturdily constructed and smooth.

﴿مِّن قَوارِيرَ﴾

(of Qawarir) means, made of glass, i.e., it was built with smooth surfaces. Marid is a fortress in Dawmat Al-Jandal. What is meant here is that Sulayman built a huge, lofty palace of glass for this queen, in order to show her the greatness of his authority and power. When she saw for herself what Allah had given him and how majestic his position was, she submitted to the command of Allah and acknowledged that he was a noble Prophet, so she submitted to Allah and said:

﴿رَب إِنِّى ظَلَمْتُ نَفْسِى﴾

(My Lord! Verily, I have wronged myself,) meaning, by her previous disbelief and Shirk and by the fact that she and her people had worshipped the sun instead of Allah.

﴿وَأَسْلَمْتُ مَعَ سُلَيْمَـنَ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَـلَمِينَ﴾

(and I submit, together with Sulayman to Allah, the Lord of all that exists.) meaning, following the religion of Sulayman, worshipping Allah alone with no partner or associate, Who created everything and measured it exactly according to its due measurements.

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surah an-naml ayat 41
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