One day Prophet Sulayman (AS) checked on his birds and noticed someone missing. "Where is the hoopoe?" he asked. "Unless he has a good reason, I will punish him."
Soon the hoopoe arrived. "I have news you don't know," he said. "In the land of Saba, a queen rules the people. She has everything, and a magnificent throne. But she and her people bow down to the sun instead of Allah."
Sulayman said, "We will see whether you are telling the truth." He wrote a letter and told the hoopoe to drop it before the queen. The letter said: "In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Do not be proud towards me, and come to me as Muslims."
The wise queen asked her advisers what to do. She decided to send Sulayman a rich gift. But Sulayman sent it back, saying, "What Allah has given me is better than what He has given you."
The queen decided to visit Sulayman herself. Before she arrived, a man with knowledge from the Book brought her throne to Sulayman's palace in the blink of an eye. Sulayman said, "This is from the favour of my Lord, to test whether I will be thankful." When the queen came, she was shown her own throne, changed a little, and recognised it. Then she walked into a palace with a floor of smooth glass, so shiny she thought it was water!
The queen understood that Allah is greater than any kingdom. She said, "My Lord, I have wronged myself. I submit, with Sulayman, to Allah, the Lord of all the worlds."
Where this story comes from
Qur'an 27:20–44 · An-Naml
وَتَفَقَّدَ ٱلطَّيۡرَ فَقَالَ مَا لِيَ لَآ أَرَى ٱلۡهُدۡهُدَ أَمۡ كَانَ مِنَ ٱلۡغَآئِبِينَ 20 لَأُعَذِّبَنَّهُۥ عَذَابࣰا شَدِيدًا أَوۡ لَأَاْذۡبَحَنَّهُۥٓ أَوۡ لَيَأۡتِيَنِّي بِسُلۡطَٰنࣲ مُّبِينࣲ 21 فَمَكَثَ غَيۡرَ بَعِيدࣲ فَقَالَ أَحَطتُ بِمَا لَمۡ تُحِطۡ بِهِۦ وَجِئۡتُكَ مِن سَبَإِۭ بِنَبَإࣲ يَقِينٍ 22 إِنِّي وَجَدتُّ ٱمۡرَأَةࣰ تَمۡلِكُهُمۡ وَأُوتِيَتۡ مِن كُلِّ شَيۡءࣲ وَلَهَا عَرۡشٌ عَظِيمࣱ 23 وَجَدتُّهَا وَقَوۡمَهَا يَسۡجُدُونَ لِلشَّمۡسِ مِن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ وَزَيَّنَ لَهُمُ ٱلشَّيۡطَٰنُ أَعۡمَٰلَهُمۡ فَصَدَّهُمۡ عَنِ ٱلسَّبِيلِ فَهُمۡ لَا يَهۡتَدُونَ 24 أَلَّاۤ يَسۡجُدُواْۤ لِلَّهِ ٱلَّذِي يُخۡرِجُ ٱلۡخَبۡءَ فِي ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلۡأَرۡضِ وَيَعۡلَمُ مَا تُخۡفُونَ وَمَا تُعۡلِنُونَ 25 ٱللَّهُ لَآ إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ رَبُّ ٱلۡعَرۡشِ ٱلۡعَظِيمِ۩ 26 ۞ قَالَ سَنَنظُرُ أَصَدَقۡتَ أَمۡ كُنتَ مِنَ ٱلۡكَٰذِبِينَ 27 ٱذۡهَب بِّكِتَٰبِي هَٰذَا فَأَلۡقِهۡ إِلَيۡهِمۡ ثُمَّ تَوَلَّ عَنۡهُمۡ فَٱنظُرۡ مَاذَا يَرۡجِعُونَ 28 قَالَتۡ يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلۡمَلَؤُاْ إِنِّيٓ أُلۡقِيَ إِلَيَّ كِتَٰبࣱ كَرِيمٌ 29 إِنَّهُۥ مِن سُلَيۡمَٰنَ وَإِنَّهُۥ بِسۡمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ 30 أَلَّا تَعۡلُواْ عَلَيَّ وَأۡتُونِي مُسۡلِمِينَ 31 قَالَتۡ يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلۡمَلَؤُاْ أَفۡتُونِي فِيٓ أَمۡرِي مَا كُنتُ قَاطِعَةً أَمۡرًا حَتَّىٰ تَشۡهَدُونِ 32 قَالُواْ نَحۡنُ أُوْلُواْ قُوَّةࣲ وَأُوْلُواْ بَأۡسࣲ شَدِيدࣲ وَٱلۡأَمۡرُ إِلَيۡكِ فَٱنظُرِي مَاذَا تَأۡمُرِينَ 33 قَالَتۡ إِنَّ ٱلۡمُلُوكَ إِذَا دَخَلُواْ قَرۡيَةً أَفۡسَدُوهَا وَجَعَلُوٓاْ أَعِزَّةَ أَهۡلِهَآ أَذِلَّةࣰۚ وَكَذَٰلِكَ يَفۡعَلُونَ 34 وَإِنِّي مُرۡسِلَةٌ إِلَيۡهِم بِهَدِيَّةࣲ فَنَاظِرَةُۢ بِمَ يَرۡجِعُ ٱلۡمُرۡسَلُونَ 35 فَلَمَّا جَآءَ سُلَيۡمَٰنَ قَالَ أَتُمِدُّونَنِ بِمَالࣲ فَمَآ ءَاتَىٰنِۦَ ٱللَّهُ خَيۡرࣱ مِّمَّآ ءَاتَىٰكُمۚ بَلۡ أَنتُم بِهَدِيَّتِكُمۡ تَفۡرَحُونَ 36 ٱرۡجِعۡ إِلَيۡهِمۡ فَلَنَأۡتِيَنَّهُم بِجُنُودࣲ لَّا قِبَلَ لَهُم بِهَا وَلَنُخۡرِجَنَّهُم مِّنۡهَآ أَذِلَّةࣰ وَهُمۡ صَٰغِرُونَ 37 قَالَ يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلۡمَلَؤُاْ أَيُّكُمۡ يَأۡتِينِي بِعَرۡشِهَا قَبۡلَ أَن يَأۡتُونِي مُسۡلِمِينَ 38 قَالَ عِفۡرِيتࣱ مِّنَ ٱلۡجِنِّ أَنَا۠ ءَاتِيكَ بِهِۦ قَبۡلَ أَن تَقُومَ مِن مَّقَامِكَۖ وَإِنِّي عَلَيۡهِ لَقَوِيٌّ أَمِينࣱ 39 قَالَ ٱلَّذِي عِندَهُۥ عِلۡمࣱ مِّنَ ٱلۡكِتَٰبِ أَنَا۠ ءَاتِيكَ بِهِۦ قَبۡلَ أَن يَرۡتَدَّ إِلَيۡكَ طَرۡفُكَۚ فَلَمَّا رَءَاهُ مُسۡتَقِرًّا عِندَهُۥ قَالَ هَٰذَا مِن فَضۡلِ رَبِّي لِيَبۡلُوَنِيٓ ءَأَشۡكُرُ أَمۡ أَكۡفُرُۖ وَمَن شَكَرَ فَإِنَّمَا يَشۡكُرُ لِنَفۡسِهِۦۖ وَمَن كَفَرَ فَإِنَّ رَبِّي غَنِيࣱّ كَرِيمࣱ 40 قَالَ نَكِّرُواْ لَهَا عَرۡشَهَا نَنظُرۡ أَتَهۡتَدِيٓ أَمۡ تَكُونُ مِنَ ٱلَّذِينَ لَا يَهۡتَدُونَ 41 فَلَمَّا جَآءَتۡ قِيلَ أَهَٰكَذَا عَرۡشُكِۖ قَالَتۡ كَأَنَّهُۥ هُوَۚ وَأُوتِينَا ٱلۡعِلۡمَ مِن قَبۡلِهَا وَكُنَّا مُسۡلِمِينَ 42 وَصَدَّهَا مَا كَانَت تَّعۡبُدُ مِن دُونِ ٱللَّهِۖ إِنَّهَا كَانَتۡ مِن قَوۡمࣲ كَٰفِرِينَ 43 قِيلَ لَهَا ٱدۡخُلِي ٱلصَّرۡحَۖ فَلَمَّا رَأَتۡهُ حَسِبَتۡهُ لُجَّةࣰ وَكَشَفَتۡ عَن سَاقَيۡهَاۚ قَالَ إِنَّهُۥ صَرۡحࣱ مُّمَرَّدࣱ مِّن قَوَارِيرَۗ قَالَتۡ رَبِّ إِنِّي ظَلَمۡتُ نَفۡسِي وَأَسۡلَمۡتُ مَعَ سُلَيۡمَٰنَ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ ٱلۡعَٰلَمِينَ 44
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💬 What did you learn?
Talk about these together. There is no right or wrong answer.
- Sulayman did not punish the hoopoe before hearing his reason. Why is it fair to listen first?
- Sulayman was given amazing things and said "This is to test whether I will be thankful." How can your blessings be a test?