Surah Sad — Verse 33

Word Meanings:

• "Ruddūhā" (رُدُّوهَا): Bring them back, return them to me.
• "Faṭafiqa" (فَطَفِقَ): He began, he took to doing something repeatedly.
• "Masḥan" (مَسْحًا): Literally means wiping or passing the hand over something; here it refers to striking or cutting.
• "Al-Sūq" (السُّوق): The legs or shanks (of the horses).
• "Al-Aʿnāq" (الأَعْنَاق): The necks (of the horses).

Explanation of the Verse:

This verse continues the story of Prophet Sulaymān (Solomon, peace be upon him), a king and prophet endowed by Allah with immense power, wealth, and dominion. One afternoon, while he was reviewing his magnificent horses—a gift from Allah—he became so absorbed in admiring them that he missed the time of the afternoon prayer (ʿAṣr) until the sun had set. When he realized this, he was deeply regretful and turned to Allah in repentance.

He then commanded: "Bring them back to me!" — referring to the horses that had distracted him. When they were brought before him, he began to strike their legs and necks with his sword, slaughtering them as an act of sacrifice and devotion to Allah. This was not out of anger or cruelty, but rather a profound lesson: he was severing his attachment to anything that could divert him from the remembrance of Allah. By sacrificing these prized possessions, he demonstrated that nothing—no matter how valuable or beloved—should come between a believer and their Lord.

This act was a form of spiritual purification. Sulaymān (peace be upon him) chose to give up his most treasured worldly possession to prove that his love for Allah outweighed all else. It was a decisive break from anything that could compete with his devotion to his Creator.

A Call to Reflection:

This story carries a timeless message for every believer. How often do we let our worldly distractions—our wealth, our careers, our hobbies, even our families—cause us to neglect our obligations to Allah? The Prophet Sulaymān (peace be upon him) teaches us that true faith requires prioritizing the remembrance of Allah above all else. When we miss a prayer or neglect our duties due to worldly matters, we should be quick to repent and take decisive action to correct ourselves.

The Quran presents this narrative not merely as history, but as a living lesson: our hearts should never become so attached to the fleeting things of this world that we forget the eternal. Let us ask ourselves: what are the "horses" in our lives that distract us from our prayers and our purpose? And are we willing to sacrifice them for the sake of Allah's pleasure?

May Allah grant us the wisdom to love what He loves and to let go of what distances us from Him. Indeed, the sweetness of faith far surpasses any worldly pleasure, and the one who gives up something for Allah's sake will find that Allah replaces it with something far better.