Surah Naml ayat 18 Tafsir Quran 27:18

﴿حَتَّىٰ إِذَا أَتَوْا عَلَىٰ وَادِ النَّمْلِ قَالَتْ نَمْلَةٌ يَا أَيُّهَا النَّمْلُ ادْخُلُوا مَسَاكِنَكُمْ لَا يَحْطِمَنَّكُمْ سُلَيْمَانُ وَجُنُودُهُ وَهُمْ لَا يَشْعُرُونَ﴾
[ النمل: 18]

27:18 Until, when they came upon the valley of the ants, an ant said, "O ants, enter your dwellings that you not be crushed by Solomon and his soldiers while they perceive not."

When they came to the Valley of the Ants — which is located either in Tā’if or in Syria and whose ants are either small or large — an ant the queen ant who had seen Solomon’s hosts said ‘O ants enter your dwellings lest Solomon and his hosts crush you while they are unaware!’ — the ants are likened to rational beings in their use of the latter’s speech.

And when they reached the valley of the ants -where ants formed a great number of communities or colonies- one ant said to the rest: O you ants go back to your dwellings so that Sulayman and his hosts do not crush you unawares

Dawud and Sulayman ( peace be upon them ), the organization of Sulayman's Troops and His passage through the Valley of the Ants Here Allah tells us about the great blessings and favors which He bestowed upon two of His servants and Prophets, Dawud ( David ) and his son Sulayman ( Solomon ), peace be upon them both, and how they enjoyed happiness in this world and the Hereafter, power and authority in this world, and the position of being Prophets and Messengers.
Allah says: وَلَقَدْ ءَاتَيْنَا دَاوُودَ وَسُلَيْمَـنَ عِلْماً وَقَالاَ الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذِى فَضَّلَنَا عَلَى كَثِيرٍ مِّنْ عِبَادِهِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ ( And indeed We gave knowledge to Dawud and Sulayman, and they both said: "All the praises and thanks be to Allah, Who has preferred us above many of His believing servants!" ) وَوَرِثَ سُلَيْمَـنُ دَاوُودَ ( And Sulayman inherited from Dawud. ) means, in kingship and prophethood.
What is meant here is not wealth, because if that were the case, Sulayman would not have been singled out from among the sons of Dawud, as Dawud had one hundred wives.
Rather what is meant is the inheritance of kingship and prophethood, for the wealth of the Prophets cannot be inherited, as the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
«نَحْنُ مَعَاشِرَ الْأَنْبِيَاءِ لَا نُورَثُ، مَا تَرَكْنَاهُ فَهُوَ صَدَقَة»
( We Prophets cannot be inherited from; whatever we leave behind is charity. ) And Sulayman said: يأَيُّهَا النَّاسُ عُلِّمْنَا مَنطِقَ الطَّيْرِ وَأُوتِينَا مِن كُلِّ شَىْءٍ ( O mankind! We have been taught the language of birds, and we have been given from everything. ) Here Sulayman was speaking of the blessings that Allah bestowed upon him, by giving him complete authority and power, whereby mankind, the Jinn and the birds were subjugated to him.
He also knew the language of the birds and animals, which is something that had never been given to any other human being -- as far as we know from what Allah and His Messenger told us.
Allah enabled Sulayman to understand what the birds said to one another as they flew through the air, and what the different kinds of animals said.
Sulayman said: عُلِّمْنَا مَنطِقَ الطَّيْرِ وَأُوتِينَا مِن كُلِّ شَىْءٍ ( We have been taught the language of birds, and we have been given from everything. ) i.e., all things that a king needs. إِنَّ هَـذَا لَهُوَ الْفَضْلُ الْمُبِينُ ( This, verily, is an evident grace. ) means, `this is clearly the blessings of Allah upon us.' وَحُشِرَ لِسْلَيْمَـنَ جُنُودُهُ مِنَ الْجِنِّ وَالإِنْس وَالطَّيْرِ فَهُمْ يُوزَعُونَ ( And there were gathered before Sulayman his hosts of Jinn and men, and birds, and they all were set in battle order. ) means, all of Sulayman's troops of Jinn, men and birds were gathered together, and he rode with them in a display of might and glory, with people marching behind him, followed by the Jinn, and the birds flying above his head.
When it was hot, they would shade him with their wings. فَهُمْ يُوزَعُونَ ( and they all were set in battle order. ) The first and the last of them were brought together, so that none of them would step out of place.
Mujahid said: "Officials were appointed to keep each group in order, and to keep the first and the last together so that no one would step out of line -- just as kings do nowadays." حَتَّى إِذَآ أَتَوْا عَلَى وَادِى النَّمْلِ ( Till, when they came to the valley of the ants, ) meaning, when Sulayman, the soldiers and the army with him crossed the valley of the ants, قَالَتْ نَمْلَةٌ يأَيُّهَا النَّمْلُ ادْخُلُواْ مَسَـكِنَكُمْ لاَ يَحْطِمَنَّكُمْ سُلَيْمَـنُ وَجُنُودُهُ وَهُمْ لاَ يَشْعُرُونَ ( one of the ants said: "O ants! Enter your dwellings, lest Sulayman and his armies should crush you, while they perceive not." ) Sulayman, peace be upon him, understood what the ant said, فَتَبَسَّمَ ضَـحِكاً مِّن قَوْلِهَا وَقَالَ رَبِّ أَوْزِعْنِى أَنْ أَشْكُرَ نِعْمَتَكَ الَّتِى أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَىَّ وَعَلَى وَالِدَىَّ وَأَنْ أَعْمَلَ صَـلِحاً تَرْضَـهُ ( So he smiled, amused at her speech and said: "My Lord! Grant me the power and ability that I may be grateful for Your favors which You have bestowed on me and on my parents, and that I may do righteous good deeds that will please You, ) meaning: `inspire me to give thanks for the blessings that You have bestowed upon me by teaching me to understand what the birds and animals say, and the blessings that You have bestowed upon my parents by making them Muslims who believe in You.' وَأَنْ أَعْمَلَ صَـلِحاً تَرْضَـهُ ( and that I may do righteous good deeds that will please You, ) means, `deeds that You love which will earn Your pleasure.' وَأَدْخِلْنِى بِرَحْمَتِكَ فِى عِبَادِكَ الصَّـلِحِينَ ( and admit me by Your mercy among Your righteous servants. ) means, `when You cause me to die, then join me with the righteous among Your servants, and the Higher Companion among Your close friends.'

(27:18) (Once he was marching in an expedition with them) until when they came to the valley of the ants, an ant said, "O ants, get into your holes lest Solomon and his hosts should trample you down without even knowing it. " *24

Until, when they came upon the valley meaning

*24) This verse also has been greatly misconstrued by some commentators of the present day.
They say that wad-in naml does not mean " valley of the ants ", but it is the name of a valley that was in Syria, and namlah does not mean an ant but it is the name of a tribe.
Thus, according to them, the verse means this: " When the Prophet Solomon reached the valley of the ants, a Namilite said, 'O people of the Naml tribe ...... " But this also is an interpretation which is not supported by the words of the Qur'an.
Even if we took wad-in-naml to be the name of a valley and supposed that it was inhabited by the tribe of Bani an-Naml, it would be against the Arabic idiom and usage to speak of a member of the tribe as namlah.
Although there are many Arab tribes which have been named after the animals, e.g.
Kalb ( dog ), Asad ( lion ), etc" ., yet no Arab would ever say in respect of a member of the Kalb or the Asad tribe: "A dog said, or a lion said, etc.
Therefore, it would be against the Arabic idiom to say in respect of a member of the Naml tribe: " A namlah ( ant ) said this. " Then a member of the Naml tribe's warning the people of his tribe, saying, " O Namilites, get into your houses lest Solomon's hosts should trample you down without even knowing it, " becomes meaningless, It has never happened that an army of men should have trampled down a group of men without knowing it.
If the army has come with the intention of an attack, it would be useless for the other side to get into their houses, for in that case the invaders would follow them into their houses, and trample them more ruthlessly.
And if the army is only on the routine march, it is just enough to clear off the way for it.
Human beings may be harmed by the marching columns, but it can never happen that the soldiers on the march would trample down other men without knowing it.
Therefore, if Bani an-Naml were a tribe of human beings, and one of its members were to warn his people, then in case of an attack, he would have said, " O Namilites, flee your houses and take refuge in the mountains lest Solomon's armies should destroy you.
" And in case there was no danger of an attack, he would have said, " O Namilites, clear off the way lest one of you should be harmed by the marching columns of Solomon's armies. " This error in the interpretation is on account of the Arabic idiom and the subject-matter.
As for the name of the valley and the tribe of Bani an-Naml inhabiting it, it is a mere hypothesis for which there exists no scientific proof.
Those who hold that wad-in -naml was the name of a valley have themselves pointed out that it had been so named because of the abundance of ants in it.
Qatadah and Muqatil say, " It is a valley in the land of Syria where ants are found in abundance.
But in no book of history and geography and in no archaeological research it is mentioned that it was inhabited by a tribe called Bani an-Naml.
Thus, it is merely a concoction that has been invented to support one's own interpretation .
This story is also found in the Israelite traditions but its latter portion falls against the Qur'an as well as against the regal dignity of the Prophet Solomon.
According to it, when the Prophet Solomon was passing through a valley which abounded in ants, he heard an ant calling out to the other ants to say, "Get into your holes, otherwise you will be trampled down by Solomon's hosts." At this, Prophet Solomon displayed great vanity before the ant to which the ant rejoined, " What are you?-the product of a mere sperm-drop ! " Hearing this the Prophet Solomon felt greatly ashamed.
( Jewish Encyclopedia, Vol.
X1, p.
440 ).
This shows how the Qur'an corrects the wrong traditions of the Israelites, and cleanses the filthy spots with which they had themselves branded the characters of their Prophets.
It is these traditions about which the Western orientalists shamelessly claim that the Qur'an has plagiarized them for its narratives.
Rationally also it is not at all inconceivable that an ant should warn members of its' own species of an impending danger and tell them to get into their holes.
As for the question as to how the Prophet Solomon heard it, the answer is: It is not all difficult to understand the crude speech of an ant for a person whose senses can comprehend and receive a subtle message like the Word of Revelation
 

Dawud and Sulayman ( peace be upon them ), the organization of Sulayman's Troops and His passage through the Valley of the Ants Here Allah tells us about the great blessings and favors which He bestowed upon two of His servants and Prophets, Dawud ( David ) and his son Sulayman ( Solomon ), peace be upon them both, and how they enjoyed happiness in this world and the Hereafter, power and authority in this world, and the position of being Prophets and Messengers.
Allah says: وَلَقَدْ ءَاتَيْنَا دَاوُودَ وَسُلَيْمَـنَ عِلْماً وَقَالاَ الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذِى فَضَّلَنَا عَلَى كَثِيرٍ مِّنْ عِبَادِهِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ ( And indeed We gave knowledge to Dawud and Sulayman, and they both said: "All the praises and thanks be to Allah, Who has preferred us above many of His believing servants!" ) وَوَرِثَ سُلَيْمَـنُ دَاوُودَ ( And Sulayman inherited from Dawud. ) means, in kingship and prophethood.
What is meant here is not wealth, because if that were the case, Sulayman would not have been singled out from among the sons of Dawud, as Dawud had one hundred wives.
Rather what is meant is the inheritance of kingship and prophethood, for the wealth of the Prophets cannot be inherited, as the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: «نَحْنُ مَعَاشِرَ الْأَنْبِيَاءِ لَا نُورَثُ، مَا تَرَكْنَاهُ فَهُوَ صَدَقَة» ( We Prophets cannot be inherited from; whatever we leave behind is charity. ) And Sulayman said: يأَيُّهَا النَّاسُ عُلِّمْنَا مَنطِقَ الطَّيْرِ وَأُوتِينَا مِن كُلِّ شَىْءٍ ( O mankind! We have been taught the language of birds, and we have been given from everything. ) Here Sulayman was speaking of the blessings that Allah bestowed upon him, by giving him complete authority and power, whereby mankind, the Jinn and the birds were subjugated to him.
He also knew the language of the birds and animals, which is something that had never been given to any other human being -- as far as we know from what Allah and His Messenger told us.
Allah enabled Sulayman to understand what the birds said to one another as they flew through the air, and what the different kinds of animals said.
Sulayman said: عُلِّمْنَا مَنطِقَ الطَّيْرِ وَأُوتِينَا مِن كُلِّ شَىْءٍ ( We have been taught the language of birds, and we have been given from everything. ) i.e., all things that a king needs. إِنَّ هَـذَا لَهُوَ الْفَضْلُ الْمُبِينُ ( This, verily, is an evident grace. ) means, `this is clearly the blessings of Allah upon us.' وَحُشِرَ لِسْلَيْمَـنَ جُنُودُهُ مِنَ الْجِنِّ وَالإِنْس وَالطَّيْرِ فَهُمْ يُوزَعُونَ ( And there were gathered before Sulayman his hosts of Jinn and men, and birds, and they all were set in battle order. ) means, all of Sulayman's troops of Jinn, men and birds were gathered together, and he rode with them in a display of might and glory, with people marching behind him, followed by the Jinn, and the birds flying above his head.
When it was hot, they would shade him with their wings. فَهُمْ يُوزَعُونَ ( and they all were set in battle order. ) The first and the last of them were brought together, so that none of them would step out of place.
Mujahid said: "Officials were appointed to keep each group in order, and to keep the first and the last together so that no one would step out of line -- just as kings do nowadays." حَتَّى إِذَآ أَتَوْا عَلَى وَادِى النَّمْلِ ( Till, when they came to the valley of the ants, ) meaning, when Sulayman, the soldiers and the army with him crossed the valley of the ants, قَالَتْ نَمْلَةٌ يأَيُّهَا النَّمْلُ ادْخُلُواْ مَسَـكِنَكُمْ لاَ يَحْطِمَنَّكُمْ سُلَيْمَـنُ وَجُنُودُهُ وَهُمْ لاَ يَشْعُرُونَ ( one of the ants said: "O ants! Enter your dwellings, lest Sulayman and his armies should crush you, while they perceive not." ) Sulayman, peace be upon him, understood what the ant said, فَتَبَسَّمَ ضَـحِكاً مِّن قَوْلِهَا وَقَالَ رَبِّ أَوْزِعْنِى أَنْ أَشْكُرَ نِعْمَتَكَ الَّتِى أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَىَّ وَعَلَى وَالِدَىَّ وَأَنْ أَعْمَلَ صَـلِحاً تَرْضَـهُ ( So he smiled, amused at her speech and said: "My Lord! Grant me the power and ability that I may be grateful for Your favors which You have bestowed on me and on my parents, and that I may do righteous good deeds that will please You, ) meaning: `inspire me to give thanks for the blessings that You have bestowed upon me by teaching me to understand what the birds and animals say, and the blessings that You have bestowed upon my parents by making them Muslims who believe in You.' وَأَنْ أَعْمَلَ صَـلِحاً تَرْضَـهُ ( and that I may do righteous good deeds that will please You, ) means, `deeds that You love which will earn Your pleasure.' وَأَدْخِلْنِى بِرَحْمَتِكَ فِى عِبَادِكَ الصَّـلِحِينَ ( and admit me by Your mercy among Your righteous servants. ) means, `when You cause me to die, then join me with the righteous among Your servants, and the Higher Companion among Your close friends.'

( Till, when they reached the Valley of the Ants ) in Historic Syria, ( an ant exclaimed: O ants! Enter your dwellings lest Solomon and his armies crush you ) step on you, ( unperceiving ) unaware of you.

Till, when they came to the valley of the ants, one of the ants said: "O ants! Enter your dwellings, lest Sulaiman (Solomon) and his hosts crush you, while they perceive not."

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