سُوْرَةُ سَبَاٍ
Surah Saba (34) — Ayah 14
فَلَمَّا قَضَيْنَا عَلَيْهِ ٱلْمَوْتَ مَا دَلَّهُمْ عَلَىٰ مَوْتِهِۦٓ إِلَّا دَآبَّةُ ٱلْأَرْضِ تَأْكُلُ مِنسَأَتَهُۥ ۖ فَلَمَّا خَرَّ تَبَيَّنَتِ ٱلْجِنُّ أَن لَّوْ كَانُوا۟ يَعْلَمُونَ ٱلْغَيْبَ مَا لَبِثُوا۟ فِى ٱلْعَذَابِ ٱلْمُهِينِ ﴿14﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
Then when We decreed death for him [Sulaimân (Solomon)], nothing informed them (jinn) of his death except a little worm of the earth, which kept (slowly) gnawing away at his stick. So when he fell down, the jinn saw clearly that if they had known the Unseen, they would not have stayed in the humiliating torment.
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
فَلَمَّا
falammā
Then when
قَضَيْنَا
qaḍaynā
We decreed
عَلَيْهِ
ʿalayhi
for him
ٱلْمَوْتَ
l-mawta
the death
مَا
mā
not
دَلَّهُمْ
dallahum
indicated to them
عَلَىٰ
ʿalā
[on]
مَوْتِهِۦٓ
mawtihi
his death
إِلَّا
illā
except
دَآبَّةُ
dābbatu
a creature
ٱلْأَرْضِ
l-arḍi
(of) the earth
تَأْكُلُ
takulu
eating
مِنسَأَتَهُۥ ۖ
minsa-atahu
his staff
فَلَمَّا
falammā
But when
خَرَّ
kharra
he fell down
تَبَيَّنَتِ
tabayyanati
became clear
ٱلْجِنُّ
l-jinu
(to) the jinn
أَن
an
that
لَّوْ
law
if
كَانُوا۟
kānū
they had
يَعْلَمُونَ
yaʿlamūna
known
ٱلْغَيْبَ
l-ghayba
the unseen
مَا
mā
not
لَبِثُوا۟
labithū
they (would have) remained
فِى
fī
in
ٱلْعَذَابِ
l-ʿadhābi
the punishment
ٱلْمُهِينِ
l-muhīni
humiliating
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.
14. Then when We decreed death for Solomon, nothing indicated his death to the jinn except a creature of the earth that was eating away his staff. But when he fell down, it became clear to the jinn [23] that if they had known the unseen, they would not have remained in such humiliating torment.
[23]
The Jinn and the Construction of the Temple of Solomon:
When the time of the death of Hazrat Sulaiman (Solomon) ؑ drew near and he received a sign from Allah Almighty that you were about to depart from this world, at that time you had set the jinn to work on the construction of Bayt al-Maqdis, which is called the Temple of Solomon. At that time, a considerable amount of construction work was still remaining. You handed over the complete plan of the remaining work to the chief of the jinn and explained the entire work in detail. Then you came into your place of worship and stood in worship, leaning on your staff.
The Death of Sayyiduna Sulaiman and the Jinn Continuing to Work:
His place of worship was such that it had glass windows, and anyone looking from outside could see Hazrat Sulaiman engaged in worship. When he stood in worship, in that very state an angel seized his soul, and you remained standing, supported by your staff. The jinn and some other people would occasionally see you engaged in worship. In this state, nearly four months passed. After four months, the construction of Bayt al-Maqdis was completed, and the staff on which your body was leaning broke. Termites had eaten away the inside of the staff and destroyed it. When the staff broke, your body fell down. Then people and the jinn assigned to the construction realized that Hazrat Sulaiman had passed away a long time ago. At that time, the jinn greatly regretted that they had endured so much hard labor for nothing for such a long period. At that moment, the misunderstanding of the jinn was dispelled—that they knew the unseen—and also of those people who thought that the jinn knew the unseen and, based on this belief, performed various rituals and austerities to subjugate the jinn. Also, that Allah Almighty, for the completion of any task He wills, provides such means as He wishes.
[23]
The Jinn and the Construction of the Temple of Solomon:
When the time of the death of Hazrat Sulaiman (Solomon) ؑ drew near and he received a sign from Allah Almighty that you were about to depart from this world, at that time you had set the jinn to work on the construction of Bayt al-Maqdis, which is called the Temple of Solomon. At that time, a considerable amount of construction work was still remaining. You handed over the complete plan of the remaining work to the chief of the jinn and explained the entire work in detail. Then you came into your place of worship and stood in worship, leaning on your staff.
The Death of Sayyiduna Sulaiman and the Jinn Continuing to Work:
His place of worship was such that it had glass windows, and anyone looking from outside could see Hazrat Sulaiman engaged in worship. When he stood in worship, in that very state an angel seized his soul, and you remained standing, supported by your staff. The jinn and some other people would occasionally see you engaged in worship. In this state, nearly four months passed. After four months, the construction of Bayt al-Maqdis was completed, and the staff on which your body was leaning broke. Termites had eaten away the inside of the staff and destroyed it. When the staff broke, your body fell down. Then people and the jinn assigned to the construction realized that Hazrat Sulaiman had passed away a long time ago. At that time, the jinn greatly regretted that they had endured so much hard labor for nothing for such a long period. At that moment, the misunderstanding of the jinn was dispelled—that they knew the unseen—and also of those people who thought that the jinn knew the unseen and, based on this belief, performed various rituals and austerities to subjugate the jinn. Also, that Allah Almighty, for the completion of any task He wills, provides such means as He wishes.
