سُوْرَةُ صٓ
Surah Saad (38) — Ayah 32
فَقَالَ إِنِّىٓ أَحْبَبْتُ حُبَّ ٱلْخَيْرِ عَن ذِكْرِ رَبِّى حَتَّىٰ تَوَارَتْ بِٱلْحِجَابِ ﴿32﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
He said: "I did love the good (these horses) instead of remembering my Lord (in my ‘Asr prayer)" till the time was over, and (the sun) had hidden in the veil (of night).
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
فَقَالَ
faqāla
And he said
إِنِّىٓ
innī
Indeed, I
أَحْبَبْتُ
aḥbabtu
[I] preferred
حُبَّ
ḥubba
(the) love
ٱلْخَيْرِ
l-khayri
(of) the good
عَن
ʿan
over
ذِكْرِ
dhik'ri
(the) remembrance
رَبِّى
rabbī
(of) my Lord
حَتَّىٰ
ḥattā
Until
تَوَارَتْ
tawārat
they were hidden
بِٱلْحِجَابِ
bil-ḥijābi
in the veil
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.
32. He said: "I have loved the love of good things because of the remembrance of my Lord," until they disappeared from sight [40].
[40]
The Horses Presented to Sayyiduna Sulaiman:
So, to whom does the singular feminine pronoun in the verse refer? Due to the difference of opinion regarding this, there is considerable disagreement in the interpretation of this verse as well. Some commentators have understood from ﴿تَوَارَتْ بالْحِجَابِ﴾ that when the cavalry of horses disappeared from sight. Others have understood that when the sun set. According to the first meaning, the interpretation is that one day, in the late afternoon, Sayyiduna Sulaiman (peace be upon him) was inspecting his horses, then he made them run until they disappeared from sight. Since this entire activity was for the sake of jihad, he greatly enjoyed this occupation and said that it was due to the remembrance of my Lord that I preferred this activity. Then he called the horses to himself and affectionately stroked their necks and legs. According to the second meaning, the interpretation is that he became so engrossed in the activity with the horses that the sun set, and this occupation made him neglectful of the remembrance of Allah, i.e., the prayer. This incident caused him great distress. He called for the horses and began to cut their necks and legs, and after slaughtering a few horses, he distributed their meat among the needy. Since he did this out of love for Allah, Allah rewarded him by subjecting the winds to his command, and he no longer had as much need for the cavalry of horses as he had before.
[40]
The Horses Presented to Sayyiduna Sulaiman:
So, to whom does the singular feminine pronoun in the verse refer? Due to the difference of opinion regarding this, there is considerable disagreement in the interpretation of this verse as well. Some commentators have understood from ﴿تَوَارَتْ بالْحِجَابِ﴾ that when the cavalry of horses disappeared from sight. Others have understood that when the sun set. According to the first meaning, the interpretation is that one day, in the late afternoon, Sayyiduna Sulaiman (peace be upon him) was inspecting his horses, then he made them run until they disappeared from sight. Since this entire activity was for the sake of jihad, he greatly enjoyed this occupation and said that it was due to the remembrance of my Lord that I preferred this activity. Then he called the horses to himself and affectionately stroked their necks and legs. According to the second meaning, the interpretation is that he became so engrossed in the activity with the horses that the sun set, and this occupation made him neglectful of the remembrance of Allah, i.e., the prayer. This incident caused him great distress. He called for the horses and began to cut their necks and legs, and after slaughtering a few horses, he distributed their meat among the needy. Since he did this out of love for Allah, Allah rewarded him by subjecting the winds to his command, and he no longer had as much need for the cavalry of horses as he had before.
