سُوْرَةُ النَّمْلِ
Surah An-Naml (27) — Ayah 41
قَالَ نَكِّرُوا۟ لَهَا عَرْشَهَا نَنظُرْ أَتَهْتَدِىٓ أَمْ تَكُونُ مِنَ ٱلَّذِينَ لَا يَهْتَدُونَ ﴿41﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
He said: "Disguise her throne for her that we may see whether she will be guided (to recognise her throne), or she will be one of those not guided."
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
قَالَ
qāla
He said
نَكِّرُوا۟
nakkirū
Disguise
لَهَا
lahā
for her
عَرْشَهَا
ʿarshahā
her throne
نَنظُرْ
nanẓur
we will see
أَتَهْتَدِىٓ
atahtadī
whether she will be guided
أَمْ
am
or
تَكُونُ
takūnu
will be
مِنَ
mina
of
ٱلَّذِينَ
alladhīna
those who
لَا
lā
are not guided
يَهْتَدُونَ
yahtadūna
are not guided
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.
41. Then he said (to his courtiers), "Alter the appearance [39] of her throne. We shall see whether she recognizes it or is of those who cannot find the right way."
[39]
Prophet Sulaimanؑ Changing the Appearance of the Queen’s Throne:
Here, the word ﴿نَكِّرُوا﴾ has been used. In 'nakr', two things are fundamentally present: (1) unfamiliarity and (2) unpleasantness, and the opposite of tankir is ta’reef. Ta’reef means to recognize someone, and tankir means not to recognize someone and to feel unfamiliarity. Thus, the meaning of ﴿نَكِّرُوا﴾ is to bring such a change in the throne that it cannot be fully recognized, and through this, Prophet Sulaimanؑ wanted to test the intelligence of Bilqis to see how far her intellect would work. Then, he also wanted to deduce whether she was intelligent enough to distinguish between shirk and tawheed. Accordingly, his craftsmen made such changes in her throne that some jewels from one place were removed and fitted in another place.
[39]
Prophet Sulaimanؑ Changing the Appearance of the Queen’s Throne:
Here, the word ﴿نَكِّرُوا﴾ has been used. In 'nakr', two things are fundamentally present: (1) unfamiliarity and (2) unpleasantness, and the opposite of tankir is ta’reef. Ta’reef means to recognize someone, and tankir means not to recognize someone and to feel unfamiliarity. Thus, the meaning of ﴿نَكِّرُوا﴾ is to bring such a change in the throne that it cannot be fully recognized, and through this, Prophet Sulaimanؑ wanted to test the intelligence of Bilqis to see how far her intellect would work. Then, he also wanted to deduce whether she was intelligent enough to distinguish between shirk and tawheed. Accordingly, his craftsmen made such changes in her throne that some jewels from one place were removed and fitted in another place.
