Tafseer of The Ant · An-Naml · 27:34
She said, "Indeed kings - when they enter a city, they ruin it and render the honored of its people humbled. And thus do they do.
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 Exalted says: the queen of Sabaʾ said to the nobles of her people, when they offered her their services for war against Sulaymān if she should command them to it: إِنَّ الْمُلُوكَ إِذَا دَخَلُوا قَرْيَةً by force and superior power أَفْسَدُوهَا: he says: they laid it waste. وَجَعَلُوا أَعِزَّةَ أَهْلِهَا أَذِلَّةً: and that comes about because they enslave the free (istirqāq) and hold them in slavery (riqq). At that point her account about the kings ended; and Allah said: وَكَذَٰلِكَ يَفْعَلُونَ: the Exalted says: just as the queen of Sabaʾ has said, so do the kings act when they enter a settlement by force (ʿanwa).
In accordance with what we have said concerning this, the people of interpretation also spoke.
Mention of who said that:
Abū Kurayb related to us, saying: Abū Bakr, concerning His word وَجَعَلُوا أَعِزَّةَ أَهْلِهَا أَذِلَّةً — Abū Bakr said: this is by force.
Abū Hishām al-Rifāʿī related to us, saying: Abū Bakr related to us, saying: al-Aʿmash related to us, from Muslim, from Ibn ʿAbbās, concerning His word إِنَّ الْمُلُوكَ إِذَا دَخَلُوا قَرْيَةً أَفْسَدُوهَا: he said: when they enter it by force, they lay it waste.
Al-Qāsim related to us, saying: al-Ḥusayn related to us, saying: Ḥajjāj related to me, from Ibn Jurayj: Ibn ʿAbbās said: قَالَتْ إِنَّ الْمُلُوكَ إِذَا دَخَلُوا قَرْيَةً أَفْسَدُوهَا وَجَعَلُوا أَعِزَّةَ أَهْلِهَا أَذِلَّةً — Ibn ʿAbbās said: Allah says: وَكَذَٰلِكَ يَفْعَلُونَ.
