Tafseer of The Ant · An-Naml · 27:30
Indeed, it is from Solomon, and indeed, it reads: 'In the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful,
Important: The Arabic source text is always authoritative. This translation is a study aid and has not been verified by scholars — do not use it as a basis for religious proof or for deriving rulings (ahkam). When in doubt, always consult the Arabic text and a qualified scholar.
The hoopoe entered through a window, cast the writing down upon her, and she read it; in it was written: إِنَّهُ مِن سُلَيْمَانَ وَإِنَّهُ بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ * أَلَّا تَعْلُوا عَلَيَّ وَأْتُونِي مُسْلِمِينَ. Thus the prophets used to write — they did not expatiate but wrote in concise sentences.
He said: al-Ḥusayn related to us, saying: Ḥajjāj related to me, from Ibn Jurayj: Sulaymān added nothing to what Allah had mentioned in His Book — "innahu" and "innahu".
It was related to me from al-Ḥusayn, he said: I heard Abū Muʿādh say: ʿUbayd informed us, saying: I heard al-Ḍaḥḥāk say, concerning His word اذْهَب بِّكِتَابِي هَٰذَا فَأَلْقِهْ إِلَيْهِمْ: the hoopoe went with the letter until it hovered directly above the queen while she was sitting upon her throne, and it cast the letter to her.
And His word قَالَتْ يَا أَيُّهَا الْمَلَأُ إِنِّي أُلْقِيَ إِلَيَّ كِتَابٌ كَرِيمٌ — the Malaʾ are the nobles of her people. The Exalted says: the queen of Sabaʾ said to the nobles of her people: يَا أَيُّهَا الْمَلَأُ إِنِّي أُلْقِيَ إِلَيَّ كِتَابٌ كَرِيمٌ.
The people of knowledge differed concerning the reason why she described the letter as "noble" (karīm). Some of them said: she described it thus because it was sealed.
Others said: she described it thus because it came from a king; she qualified it as noble on account of the nobility of its sender. Ibn Zayd was among those who said this.
Yūnus related to me, he said: Ibn Wahb informed us, he said: Ibn Zayd said, concerning His word إِنِّي أُلْقِيَ إِلَيَّ كِتَابٌ كَرِيمٌ: he said: it is the letter of Sulaymān, because he wrote it to her.
And His word إِنَّهُ مِن سُلَيْمَانَ وَإِنَّهُ بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ — the first and second "inna" are read with kasra because they refer back to "innī" in His word إِنِّي أُلْقِيَ إِلَيَّ كِتَابٌ كَرِيمٌ. The meaning of the words is: she said: O nobles, a letter has been cast to me, and it is from Sulaymān.
