Tafseer of The Ant · An-Naml · 27:41
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."
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.
Allah, exalted is His remembrance, says: Sulaymān said — when the throne of Bilqīs, the queen of Sabaʾ, had been brought and she herself had come to him — to his retinue: alter this woman's throne for her.
In accordance with what we have said about this, the commentators spoke.
*Mention of who said that:*
Al-Qāsim related to us, he said: al-Ḥusayn related to us, he said: Abū Sufyān related to us, on the authority of Maʿmar, on the authority of Qatāda, concerning His word نَكِّرُوا لَهَا عَرْشَهَا ('disguise her throne for her'): he said: alter it.
Muḥammad ibn Saʿd related to me, he said: my father related to me, he said: my uncle related to me, he said: my father related to me, on the authority of his father, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās: when she had arrived at his place, he said نَكِّرُوا لَهَا عَرْشَهَا. He said: and the disguising of the throne consisted in something being added to it and something being removed from it.
Muḥammad ibn ʿAmr related to me, he said: Abū ʿĀṣim related to us, he said: ʿĪsā related to us; and al-Ḥārith related to me, he said: al-Ḥasan related to us, he said: Warqāʾ related to us — both together — on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid, his word نَكِّرُوا لَهَا عَرْشَهَا: he said: alter it.
Al-Qāsim related to us, he said: al-Ḥusayn related to us, he said: Ḥajjāj related to me, on the authority of Ibn Jurayj, on the authority of Mujāhid, identically.
Yūnus related to me, he said: Ibn Wahb informed us, he said: Ibn Zayd said, concerning His word نَكِّرُوا لَهَا عَرْشَهَا: he said: her seat upon which she sits.
It was related to me on the authority of al-Ḥusayn, who said: I heard Abū Muʿādh say, ʿUbayd informed us, he said: I heard al-Ḍaḥḥāk say concerning His word نَكِّرُوا لَهَا عَرْشَهَا: he commanded them to add something to it and to remove something from it.
His word نَنْظُرْ أَتَهْتَدِي ('we shall see whether she recognizes it'): he says: we shall see whether she is intelligent and recognizes her throne as her own أَمْ تَكُونُ مِنَ الَّذِينَ لا يَهْتَدُونَ ('or whether she is among those who do not recognize it'): he says: among those who have no understanding and do not recognize her throne.
And it has been said: Sulaymān disguised her throne for her and commanded that the pavilion be built for her, because the jinn had informed him that she had no understanding and that her leg was like the hoof of a donkey. He therefore wished to ascertain the correctness of what he had been told.
In accordance with what we have said about the interpretation of His word أَتَهْتَدِي أَمْ تَكُونُ مِنَ الَّذِينَ لا يَهْتَدُونَ, the commentators spoke.
*Mention of who said that:*
Muḥammad ibn Saʿd related to me, he said: my father related to me, he said: my uncle related to me, he said: my father related to me, on the authority of his father, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās: نَنْظُرْ أَتَهْتَدِي أَمْ تَكُونُ مِنَ الَّذِينَ لا يَهْتَدُونَ: he said: something was added to her throne and something was removed from it, in order to test her understanding — and she was found to be of firm understanding.
Al-Qāsim related to us, he said: al-Ḥusayn related to us, he said: Ḥajjāj related to me, on the authority of Ibn Jurayj, on the authority of Mujāhid: نَنْظُرْ أَتَهْتَدِي: does she recognize it?
Muḥammad ibn ʿAmr related to me, he said: Abū ʿĀṣim related to us, he said: ʿĪsā related to us; and al-Ḥārith related to me, he said: al-Ḥasan related to us, he said: Warqāʾ related to me — both together — on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid, his word نَنْظُرْ أَتَهْتَدِي: he said: does she recognize it.
Ibn Ḥumayd related to us, he said: Salama related to us, on the authority of Ibn Isḥāq, on the authority of a number of the scholars, on the authority of Wahb ibn Munabbih: أَتَهْتَدِي أَمْ تَكُونُ مِنَ الَّذِينَ لا يَهْتَدُونَ — that is to say: does she have understanding, or is she among those who have no understanding? This he did in order to see whether she recognizes it or not.
