سُوْرَةُ النَّمْلِ
Surah An-Naml (27) — Ayah 28
ٱذْهَب بِّكِتَـٰبِى هَـٰذَا فَأَلْقِهْ إِلَيْهِمْ ثُمَّ تَوَلَّ عَنْهُمْ فَٱنظُرْ مَاذَا يَرْجِعُونَ ﴿28﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
"Go you with this letter of mine, and deliver it to them, then draw back from them, and see what (answer) they return."
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
ٱذْهَب
idh'hab
Go
بِّكِتَـٰبِى
bikitābī
with my letter
هَـٰذَا
hādhā
this
فَأَلْقِهْ
fa-alqih
and deliver it
إِلَيْهِمْ
ilayhim
to them
ثُمَّ
thumma
Then
تَوَلَّ
tawalla
turn away
عَنْهُمْ
ʿanhum
from them
فَٱنظُرْ
fa-unẓur
and see
مَاذَا
mādhā
what
يَرْجِعُونَ
yarjiʿūna
they return
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran — Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran (Facilitation of the Quran) is a comprehensive Quran commentary by Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar from Pakistan. Known for his eloquent and accessible writing style, Kilani authored this tafsir with a focus on clarity — making Quranic meanings understandable to the common reader. The tafsir provides detailed historical context for verses related to battles and expeditions, and firmly refutes modernist ideologies using strong scriptural evidence. It is widely regarded as an invaluable resource for understanding the Quran and countering deviant interpretations. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
Take this letter of mine and deliver it to them, then step back and see what answer [28] they return.
[28]
Prophet Sulaiman’s (Solomon’s) Sending of a Letter to the Queen of Sheba Through the Hoopoe:
After hearing the hoopoe’s reply or excuse, Sulaiman (Solomon) said: I will write you a letter. Take this letter and drop it in the court before the queen and her courtiers. Then, move aside to wait. Then see what their reaction to this letter is. And after returning, inform me according to their reaction. From this, not only will it be known how truthful you are in delivering this certain news to us, but from their reaction, it will also be known what kind of mentality those people possess.
The Rational Interpretation of the Hoopoe and Its Response:
Some rationalists have tried to interpret the story of the hoopoe’s message delivery in accordance with reason. Those who have taken “Tair” (bird) to mean “airplane” say that this hoopoe was the pilot of that airplane. And those who considered it foolish to interpret “Tair” as airplane say that the hoopoe was the name of a military officer. And it is a common custom everywhere that people sometimes name humans after trees or birds. In this interpretation, up to this point, the matter is somewhat acceptable. Now, the difficulty arises that Sulaiman (Solomon) tells the hoopoe: Take my letter and throw it or drop it before them. ﴿فَاَلْقِهْ اِلَيْهِمْ﴾ This is something a bird can do. But if a human, in the capacity of an ambassador, goes and does such a thing, it would be extremely rude, and it is not unlikely that, as a result of this rudeness, he might be imprisoned or even killed. The second difficulty is that Prophet Sulaiman (Solomon) instructs the hoopoe to throw the letter before them, then move aside and see what their reaction to the letter is. Now, it is obvious that no government would consult on its internal affairs in front of a foreign ambassador. However, in the form of a bird, this is possible. In our opinion, these interpretations cannot even satisfy those who propose them, let alone others. Because the words of the Quran themselves openly refute such interpretations.
[28]
Prophet Sulaiman’s (Solomon’s) Sending of a Letter to the Queen of Sheba Through the Hoopoe:
After hearing the hoopoe’s reply or excuse, Sulaiman (Solomon) said: I will write you a letter. Take this letter and drop it in the court before the queen and her courtiers. Then, move aside to wait. Then see what their reaction to this letter is. And after returning, inform me according to their reaction. From this, not only will it be known how truthful you are in delivering this certain news to us, but from their reaction, it will also be known what kind of mentality those people possess.
The Rational Interpretation of the Hoopoe and Its Response:
Some rationalists have tried to interpret the story of the hoopoe’s message delivery in accordance with reason. Those who have taken “Tair” (bird) to mean “airplane” say that this hoopoe was the pilot of that airplane. And those who considered it foolish to interpret “Tair” as airplane say that the hoopoe was the name of a military officer. And it is a common custom everywhere that people sometimes name humans after trees or birds. In this interpretation, up to this point, the matter is somewhat acceptable. Now, the difficulty arises that Sulaiman (Solomon) tells the hoopoe: Take my letter and throw it or drop it before them. ﴿فَاَلْقِهْ اِلَيْهِمْ﴾ This is something a bird can do. But if a human, in the capacity of an ambassador, goes and does such a thing, it would be extremely rude, and it is not unlikely that, as a result of this rudeness, he might be imprisoned or even killed. The second difficulty is that Prophet Sulaiman (Solomon) instructs the hoopoe to throw the letter before them, then move aside and see what their reaction to the letter is. Now, it is obvious that no government would consult on its internal affairs in front of a foreign ambassador. However, in the form of a bird, this is possible. In our opinion, these interpretations cannot even satisfy those who propose them, let alone others. Because the words of the Quran themselves openly refute such interpretations.
