38.32. And he said: Lo! I have preferred the good things (of the world) to the remembrance of my Lord; till they were taken out of sight behind the curtain. (Pickthall)
38.32. Da sagte er: "lch habe mit Liebe das Gute geliebt statt des Gedenkens meines Herrn, bis sie sich hinter der Abtrennung verbarg, (Ahmad v. Denffer)
38.32. da sagte er: "Ich habe mich der Liebe der (irdischen) Güter hingegeben und es darüber unterlassen, meines Herrn zu gedenken, bis sie sich hinter dem Vorhang verbarg. (Bubenheim)
38.32. Er sprach: "Ich empfinde eine große Liebe für die Pferde, die vom Nachdenken über meinen Herrn herrührt, denn sie sind Mittel zum Guten", und betrachtete sie so lange, bis sie seinem Blick entschwunden waren. (Azhar)
38.32. so sagte er: „Gewiß, ich liebte die Neigung zum Guten nach dem Gedenken meines HERRN, bis sie (die Pferde) sich hinter dem Sichtschutz verbargen. (Zaidan)
38.32. Da sagte er: "Ich habe mich der Liebe zu den Gütern (dieser Welt) ergeben und darüber versäumt, meines Herrn zu gedenken bis zu dem Zeitpunkt, da die Sonne sich hinter dem Vorhang (der Nacht) verbarg. (Paret)
38.32. sagte er: "Ich habe die guten Dinge dieser Welt sehr lieb und habe dabei versäumt, meines Herrn zu gedenken" - bis sie (die Sonne) hinter dem Horizont verborgen war. (Rasul)
38.34. And verily We tried Solomon, and set upon his throne a (mere) body. Then did he repent. (Pickthall)
38.34. Und Wir haben Sulaiman schon geprüft, und Wir setzten auf seinen Stuhl einen Körper, dann wandte er sich in Reue um, (Ahmad v. Denffer)
38.34. Und Wir setzten ja Sulaiman der Versuchung aus und setzten eine Gestalt auf seinen Thron. Hierauf wandte er sich (Allah) reuig zu. (Bubenheim)
38.34. Wir prüften Salomo, ließen ihn, einem leblosen Körper gleich, auf seinem Stuhl sitzen. Er besann sich und fand dann reumütig zu Uns zurück. (Azhar)
38.34. Und gewiß, bereits unterzogen WIR Sulaiman einer Fitna und ließen auf seinem Thron einen Körper, dann bereute er. (Zaidan)
38.34. Wir unterwarfen Salomo ja auch einer Prüfung und setzten ein leibhaftiges Ebenbild (von ihm) auf seinen Thron. Daraufhin tat er Buße. (Paret)
38.34. Und wahrlich, Wir stellten Salomo auf die Probe, und Wir setzten einen Leib auf seinen Thron. Dann bekehrte er sich. (Rasul)
38.35. Qala rabbi ighfir lii wahab liimulkan la yanbaghii li-ahadin min baAAdii innakaanta alwahhabu
38.35. He said: My Lord! Forgive me and bestow on me sovereignty such shall not belong to any after me. Lo! Thou art the Bestower. (Pickthall)
38.35. Er sagte: "Mein Herr, verzeihe mir und schenke mir Herrschaft, die für keinen nach mir paßt, Du bist ja der Schenkende." (Ahmad v. Denffer)
38.35. Er sagte: "Mein Herr, vergib mir und schenke mir eine Königsherrschaft, die niemandem nach mir geziemt. Gewiß, Du bist ja der unablässig Schenkende." (Bubenheim)
38.35. Er sprach: "Mein Herr! Vergib mir und gib mir ein Reich, das niemandem nach mir gegeben werden soll! Du bist der Gnadenreiche." (Azhar)
38.35. Er sagte: „Mein HERR! Vergib mir und schenke mir eine Herrschaft, die niemandem nach mir möglich wird. Gewiß, DU bist Der reichlich Schenkende.“ (Zaidan)
38.35. Er sagte: "Herr! Vergib mir und schenk mir eine Königsherrschaft, wie sie nach mir niemandem (mehr) anstehen wird! Du bist gewohnt zu schenken (al-wahhaab)." (Paret)
38.35. Er sagte: "O mein Herr, vergib mir und gewähre mir ein Königreich, wie es keinem nach mir geziemt; wahrlich, Du bist der Gabenverleiher." (Rasul)
38.37. And the unruly, every builder and diver (made We subservient), (Pickthall)
38.37. Und die Teufel, jeden Bauenden und Perlenfischer, (Ahmad v. Denffer)
38.37. und auch die Satane, jeden Bauarbeiter und Taucher, (Bubenheim)
38.37. Und desgleichen die Satane, darunter solche, die bauten und solche, die unter Wasser tauchten, (Azhar)
38.37. sowie die Satane - jeden Bauenden und Tauchenden, (Zaidan)
38.37. Und die Satane (machten wir ihm dienstbar), die auf verschiedene Weise beim Bau (von Häusern und Palästen) oder als Taucher tätig waren (kulla bannaa'in wa-ghauwaasin), (Paret)
38.37. Und (Wir machten ihm) die Satane, all die Erbauer und Taucher (Rasul)
38.39. (Saying): This is Our gift, so bestow thou, or withhold, without reckoning. (Pickthall)
38.39. Dies ist Unsere Gabe, also erweise Wohltaten oder halte zurück, ohne Anrechnen. (Ahmad v. Denffer)
38.39. "Das ist Unsere Gabe. So erweise Wohltaten oder sei zurückhaltend, (und dies,) ohne zu rechnen." (Bubenheim)
38.39. "Das ist Unsere Gabe. Schenke großzügig oder geize (mit Gaben), du wirst nicht zur Rechenschaft gezogen werden!" (Azhar)
38.39. „Dies ist Unsere Gabe - also erweise Gaben oder halte zurück - ohne Rechnen. (Zaidan)
38.39. (Und wir sagten zu ihm:) "Das (alles) schenken wir (dir). Erweise dich nun (damit anderen gegenüber) als Wohltäter oder übe (im Austeilen) Zurückhaltung! (Du kannst frei darüber verfügen) ohne abzurechnen." (Paret)
38.39. "Dies ist Unsere Gabe, so erweise dich als Wohltäter oder sei zurückhaltend (im Geben), ohne abzurechnen." (Rasul)
38.40. And lo! he hath favor with Us, and a happy journey ' s end. (Pickthall)
38.40. Und für ihn gibt es ja bestimmt Nahesein bei Uns und einen schönen Ort der Heimkehr. (Ahmad v. Denffer)
38.40. Für ihn wird es fürwahr (den Zutritt in) Unsere Nähe und eine schöne Heimstatt geben. (Bubenheim)
38.40. Er stand Uns nahe und wird eine schöne Rückkehr bei Uns finden. (Azhar)
38.40. Und gewiß, für ihn gibt es bei Uns doch nähere Stellung und schöne Rückkehr. 3 (Zaidan)
38.40. Und bei uns (im Jenseits) steht er in einem nahen Verhältnis (zu uns) und hat eine schöne Einkehr. (Paret)
38.40. Und sicher hatte er nahen Zutritt zu Uns und eine herrliche Einkehr (bei Uns). (Rasul)
Tafsir von Maududi für die Ayaat 30 bis 40
And to David We gave (a son like) Solomon, ( 32 ) an excellent servant, who turned to his Lord over and over again. Worthy of mention is the occasion when, one evening, well-bred horses were presented before him, ( 33 ) and he said, "I have adopted the love of this wealth ( 34 ) because of the remembrance of my Lord." So, when the horses disappeared from sight, (he commanded:) "Bring them back to me. " Then he began to stroke their shanks and necks. ( 35 ) And (note that) We put Solomon too to the test and placed a mere body on his throne. Then he turned (to Allah), and said, "My Lord, forgive me and grant me a kingdom as may belong to no one else after me. Indeed, Thou art the real Giver. " ( 36 ) So, We subdued to him the wind, which blew gently at his bidding wherever he directed it; ( 37 ) and We subjected to him the satans: all kinds of builders and divers and others who were bound in chains. ( 38 ) (We said to him:) "This is Our gift: you may give to whomsoever you will and withhold from whomsoever you will, without reckoning. " ( 39 ) Surely, he has a place of nearness to Us and an excellent resort. ( 40 )
Desc No: 32 The Prophet Solomon has been mentioned already at the followings places: AI-Baqarah: 102, Bani Isra'il: 5, AI-Anbiya': 78-82, An-Naml: 15-44, Saba: 12-14.
Desc No: 33 The words as-sefinat-ul- jiyad in the original imply the horses, which are very calm and quiet when they stand, and very fast-moving when they run.
Desc No: 34 The Arabic word khair in the Text is used for abundance of wealth as well as for horses metaphorically. As the Prophet Solomon had kept these horses for fighting in the way of Allah, he called them "khair".
Desc No: 35 There is a difference of opinion among the commentators about the translation and commentary of these verses. One section of them interprets them as follows: The Prophet Solomon became so absorbed in reviewing the horses and watching their races, that he forgot to offer his 'Asr Prayer, or according to some others, to perform certain devotions that he used to perform before the 1sunset. Then when the sun went down, he commanded that the horses be brought back, and when they came back, the Prophet Solomon started slashing them with the sword, or in other words, slaughtering them as a sacrifice to Allah, because they had caused him to become heedles: of the remembrance of Allah. Accordingly, the verses have been translated thus: "And he :aid: I so preferred the love of this wealth that I became heedless of the remembrance (the 'Asr Prayer, or the special devotions) of my Lord till (the sun) went down (behind the veil of the west). (Then he commanded : ) bring them back, (and when the horses came back) he began to stroke their shanks and necks (with the sword)." Although this commentary has been given by some major commentators, it is not plausible for the reason that in this the commenentator ha: to add three things from himself, which have no basis whatever. In the first place, he has to assume that the Prophet Solomon's 'Asr Prayer was lost in the occupation, or some special devotions that he used to perform at that time, whereas the words of the Qur'an are only to the effect: "I so preferred this wealth that I became heedless of the remembrance of my Lord. " In these there is no ground for taking any word for the `Asr Prayer or the special devotions. Secondly, he also assumes that the sun set where as there is no mention of the sun whatever. On the contrary, when one reads the words hatta tawarar bil-hijab (when they disappeared from sight) one's mind automatically turns to as-safinat ul jiyad (well-bred horses) which have been mentioned in the preceding verse. Thirdly, he also has to assume that the Prophet Solomon did not simply stroke the shins and necks of the horses with the hand but stroked them with the sword, whereas the Qur'an does not contain the words mashan-bis-saif or any other pointer from which stroking may be taken to mean stroking with the sword. We have a fundamental difference with this kind of the commentary. In our opinion, only in four cases it would be right to interpret the words of the Qur'an in other than their normally accepted meaning: (1) Either there should be a pointer to it in the words of the Qur'an itself; or (2) there should be an allusion to it at some other place in the Qur'an; or (3) an explanation of it should be afforded by some authentic Hadith; or (4) it should have some other reliable source, e.g., if it pertains to history, there should be an historical evidence to support it; if it pertains to the manifestations of the universe, there should be authentic scientific knowledge to substantiate it; and if it pertains to the Shari'ah values, the sources of Islamic law should explain it. In the absence of any of these, we do not think it is right to invent a story on the basis of one's own imagination and add it to the words of the Qur'an. One section of the commentators has differed a little from the about translation and commentary. They say that the pronoun in both hatta tawarat bil-hijab and ruddu-ha 'alayya turns only to the sun. That Is, when the `Asr Prayer was lost and the sun went down behind the veil of the west, the Prophet Solomon said to the workers of destiny: "Turn the sun back so that the `Asr time comes back for me to offer the Prayer." So, the sun retreated and he performed his Prayer. Hut this commentary is even more unacceptable than the previously mentioned one not because Allah is powerless to bring the sun back, but because Allah has made no mention of it anywhere. On the contrary, if such a wonderful miracle had actually been worked for the sake of the Prophet Solomon, it would certainly be worthy of mention. Moreover, if the extraordinary event of the returning of the sun after having set had actually taken place; the history of the would would never be without it. In support of this commentary these commentators _present some Ahadith also in order to prove that the returning of the sun after having set is not a rare event that happened only once, but it has happened several times. There is the mention of bringing the sun back in connection with the Holy Prophet's Ascension (mi'raj); the sun was also brought back on the occasion of the Battle of the Trench for the Holy Prophet, and also for Hadrat `Ali, when the Holy Prophet was sleeping with his head in Hadrat Ali's lap and his 'Asr Prayer was lost: then the Holy Prophet had prayed for the return of the sun and it had returned. But the reasoning from these traditions is even weaker than the commentary in support of which they have been presented. Ibn Taimiyyah has proved as fabricated the tradition about Hadrat `Ali after a detailed discussion of its chains and transmitters. Imam Ahmad says it has no basis, and Ibn Jauzi says that it is without any doubt a forged tradition. The tradition of the sun's being brought back on the occasion of the Battle of the Trench also is weak according to some traditionists and fabricated according to others. As far as the tradition regarding the event of the Ascension is concerned, the truth about it is that when, the Holy Prophet was describing what had happened in the Night of Ascension, before the disbelievers of Makkah, they asked for a proof of it. The Holy Prophet replied that on the way from Jerusalem he had seen a caravan at such and such a plce, which had met with such and such an accident. When asked as to when that caravan would reach Makkah, the Holy Prophet named the day. When the day came, the people of the Quraish waited for the caravan all day till the sun began to set. On this occasion the Holy Prophet prayed that the sun should not set till the caravan had arrived. So, the caravan actually arrived before the sunset. Some reporters even have stated that the day on that occasion had been enhanced by an hour, and the sun had stood still for that long. The question is: Are such traditions sufficient evidence for the proof of such an extraordinary event? As we have said above, the returning of the sun, or its standing still for an hour, is no ordinary event. Had such an event actually taken place, it would have become well known the world over. Its mention and narration could not remain restricted to only a few reporters. The third section of the commentators interprets these verses as any unbiased person would interpret them from these words. According to this commentary, what actually happened was this: When a squadron of fine, wellbred horses was presented before the Prophet Solomon, he said: "I love this wealth not for the sake of personal glory or desire but for the cause of raising the Word of my Lord." Then he ordered that the horses run a race, and they disappeared from sight. Then he ordered that they be brought back, and when they were brought back, according to Ibn `Abbas: "He started passing his hand on their necks and shanks with love." This same commentary is correct in our opinion, because it corresponds to the words of the Qur'an, and for the sake of the full meaning, nothing needs to be added to it, which may neither be in the Qur'an, nor in any authentic Hadith, nor in the Israelite history. Besides, one should also note that Allah has narrated this event immediately after using epithets like ni'm al-'abd, inna-hu awwab (an excellent servant, who turned to His Lord over and over again) for the Prophet Solomon. This clearly shows that the object is to relate this message: Behold, what a good servant of Ours he was! He loved the means of kingly pomp and glory not for the sake of the world but for Our sake! After watching - and reviewing his grand cavalry he did not boast of his power and grandeur like the worldly rulers but even at that time he remembered only Us.
Desc No: 36 In view of the contest, the real object here is to relate this event; the preceding verses are an introduction to it. Just as above this, first the Prophet David was praised, then the event narrated by which he was put to temptation, then it was said that Allah Almighty dces not spare even such a beloved servant from accountability, then about his noble nature it was said that as soon as he was warned of the temptation, he repented and bowed before Allah and withheld himself from the act, so also here the sequence is like this: First, the Prophet Solomon's high rank and his deep sense of devotion has been mentioned, then it is said that he also was put to the test, then it has been stated that when a mere body was placed on his throne, he immediately felt warned on his error, and pleading the forgiveness of his Lord, withdrew from the act, because of which he was involved in the temptation. In other words, Allah by means of these two stories wants to impress two things upon the reader simultaneously: (1) Not to speak of the common men, even high-ranking Prophets were not spared from His strict accountability; and (2) the right attitude for man is not to brag and feel proud after committing an error, but to bow down humbly before his Lord as soon as he realizes his sin. It was the result of this attitude that Allah not only forgave the mistakes of those illustrious men but blessed them with still more favours and kindness. Here, the question again arises as to what was the temptation in which the Prophet Solomon was involved; what is the meaning of placing a mere body on his throne, and what was the nature of the warning on the occurrence of which he repented? In reply to this the commentators have adopted four different points of view: One section of them has related a long story whose details are disputed, but their resume is this: The error committed by the Prophet Solomon was either that one of his wives continued to worship the idols in the palace for forty days and he remained unaware of it, or that he remained confined to his residence for a few days and did not attend to redressing of the oppressed people's grievances. For this he was punished as follows: A satan somehow made away with his ring by which he ruled over the jinns, men and wind. As soon as he lost the ring he was deprived of his powers and he remained wandering from place to place for forty days; in the interval the satan continued to rule in the guise of Solomon. The placing of a mere body on Solomon's throne implied this very satan, who had sat on his -throne. Some people have gone to the extent to say that during that period even the chastity of the women in the royal household did not remain safe from the satan. At last from his conduct the ministers and the chiefs and the scholars of the court began to doubt that he was not Solomon. Therefore, when they opened the Torah before him, he fled. On the way the ring fell from his hand in the sea, or he cast it into the sea himself, and a fish swallowed it. Then, somehow the Prophet Solomon came by the fish. When in order to cook it, he cut open its belly he found his ring in it. Then, no sooner did he get the ring than the jinns and men presented themselves humbly before him.--This whole story, from the beginning to the end, is nonsensical and absurd, which the converts from among the Jews and Christians took from the Talmud and other Israelite traditions and spread it among the Muslims. It is strange that some of our well known scholars took these traditions as authentic and cited them as the explanation of the allusions of the Qur'an, whereas neither is there any truth in Solomon's ring, nor could his glorious works be attributed to any ring, nor had the satans been given the power that they might disguise themselves as Prophets and mislead the people, nor can it be imagined about Allah that He would punish a Prophet for an error in such a manner as to enable a satan to corrupt and destroy a whole community, disguised as a prophet. The Qur'an itself repudiates this commentary. In the verses that follow Allah says: When Solomon met with the trial, and he asked Our forgiveness for it, then We subdued the wind and the satans to him. Hut, on the contrary, according to the above commentary, the satans were already under his control by virtue of the ring. It is strange that the scholars who have made this commentary did not care to consider what the subsequent verses say. The second section of them says that a son was born to the Prophet Solomon after twenty years. The satans feared that if he became king after Solomon, they would continue to remain slaves as they were under him. Therefore, they plotted to kill him. When Solomon came to know of this plot, he hid the child in the clouds so that he was brought up there. This was the temptation in which he was involved: he placed reliance on the protection of the clouds instead of having trust in Allah. For this he was punished in this way that the child died and fell on his throne as a mere body .... This tale also is baseless and is expressly against the Qur`an, for in this also it has been assumed that the winds and satans were already under the Prophet Solomon's control, whereas the Qur'an in clear words has stated their subjection to be an event that took place after the trial. The third section says that the Prophet Solomon one day swore that he would go in to his 70 wives that night, and from each a warrior would be born, who would fight in the cause of Allah, but while he said this he did not say: In sha A//ah: if Allah so wills. Consequently, only one wife conceived and from her also a defective child was born, whom the midwife brought and placed on his throne. This Hadith has been reported by Hadrat Abu Harairah from the Holy Prophet and it has been related by Bukhari and Muslim and other traditionists in several ways. In Bukhari itself this tradition has been related at different places in different ways. At one place the number of the wives has been stated as 60 and at others 70 or 90 or 99 or 100. As far as the chains of the transmitters are concerned, most of the traditions have strong chains, and their authenticity cannot be disputed from the point of view of the principles of reporting. But the subject-matter of the Hadith is patently against reason, and proclaims aloud that such a thing could not have been said by the Holy Prophet, as reported. But, on the contrary, he might have probably mentioned it as an example of the foolish and nonsensical tale-telling of the Jews, and the hearer might have misunderstood that the Holy Prophet himself had stated it as an event. To force the people to accept such traditions only on the strength of their chains of transmitters would be making religion a matter of mockery and jest. Everyone can calculate for himself that even in the longest night of winter the interval between the `Isha` and the Fajr Prayers cannot be of more than ten to cloven hours. If the minimum number of the wives be 60, it would mean that the Prophet Solomon (peace be upon him) went on having intercourse with them continuously for 10 to 11 hours that night at the rate of six wives per hour, without having a moment's rest. Is it practically possible? And can it be expected that the Holy Prophet might have related it as an event? Then in the Hadith nowhere has it been said that the body that had been placed on Solomon's throne, as stated in the Qur'an, implied the malformed child. Therefore, it cannot be claimed that the Holy Prophet had narrated this event as a commentary of this verse. Furthermore, though it is understandable why the Prophet Solomon asked for Allah's forgiveness on the birth of the child, one fails to understand why, along with the prayer for forgiveness, he prayed: "My Lord, grant me a kingdom as may belong to no one else after me. " Another commentary which Imam Razi has preferred is this: The Prophet Solomon was afflicted with a serious disease, or on account of an impending danger his body had been reduced to a mere skeleton. But this commentary also does not conform to the words of the Qur'an. The Qur'an says: "We put Solomon to the test and placed a mere body on his throne. Then he turned (to Allah). " From these words no one can understand that the mere body implied the body of the Prophet Solomon himself. They clearly show that putting to the test implied some error that. he happened to commit. On this, the way he was given the warning was that a mere body was placed on his throne, and when he realized his error he turned to Allah. As a matter of fact, this is one of the most difficult places of the Qur'an, and we do not find any indisputable ground for giving a definite and absolute commentary of it. But if the words of the Prophet Solomon's prayer: "My Lord, forgive me, and grant me a kingdom as may belong to no one else after me," are read in the light of the Israelite history, it appears that probably he cherished in his heart the desire that his son should succeed him on the throne so that His kingdom and sovereignty should continue in his own race after him. This same thing has been called a "temptation" for him by Allah, and he realized this when his heir Rehoboam grew up into an unworthy young man, whose ugly manners clearly foretold that he would not be able to sustain the mighty kingdom of the Prophets David and Solomon (peace be upon them) even for a few days. ¦Placing a mere body on his throne" probably means that the son whom he wanted to succeed him on the throne, was an unworthy person. Therefore, he restrained his desire, asked for Allah's forgiveness and prayed that the kingdom should end with him, and he would curb his desire to have it continued in his dynasty. The Israelite history also shows the same thing. The Prophet Solomon did not make any will about his successor, nor made it binding for the people to obey a particular person. After him his ministers put Rehoboam on the throne, but not long afterwards ten tribes of Israel took northern Palestine and broke away, and only the tribe of Judah remained loyal to the throne of Jerusalem.
Desc No: 37 For explanation, see Surah Al-Anbiya`: 81 and E.N. 74 thereof. However, there is one thing which requires further explanation here. In Surah Al Anbiya` where mention has been made of subjecting the wind for the Prophet Solomon, it has been described as `the strongly blowing wind, but here "which blew gently at his bidding" . This means that the wind in itself was strong and violent as is needed for moving the sailing-ships but it had been made gentle for the Prophet Solomon in the sense that it blew whither-so-ever he wanted it to blow for his commercial fleets.
Desc No: 38 For explanation, see Al-Anbiya': 82, An-Naml: 17, 39 and the E.N.'s thereof. "The satans" imply the jinns, and "the satans bound in chains" imply the serving satans, who were fettered and imprisoned as a punishment for making mischief. It is not necessary that the fetters and chains in which those satans were bound might be made of iron and they might appear as bound in them like the human prisoners. In any case, they were imprisoned in a manner that they could neither escape nor were able to commit further mischief.
Desc No: 39 This verse can have three meanings: (1) "This is Our unlimited gift: you have the authority to give of it freely w whomsoever you like and keep it from whomsoever you like;" (2) "this is Our gift: you may give of it to whomsoever you like and keep it from whomsoever you like: you will not be called to account for giving it or keeping it from the people;" and (3) Another meaning of it given by some commentators is: The satans have been placed entirely under your control: you may set free whomsoever you like and restrain whomsoever you like: you will not be held accountable for this."
Desc No: 40 Here, the object is to tell that just as a servant's arrogance causes Allah's displeasure and wrath, so does his humility earns Allah's pleasure and approval for him. If a servant commits an error and becomes even more arrogant when warned, he is led to the same fate as is being mentioned in connection with the story of Adam and Satan below. Contrary to this, if a servant happens to commit an error and he repents and bows down before his Lord humbly, he is blessed with such bounties as the Prophets David and Solomon were blessed with. The prayer that Solomon had made after seeking Allah's forgiveness, was literally fulfilled and Allah actually granted him a kingdom as had neither been granted to anyone before him nor bestowed on anyone after him. Having control over the winds and the jinns is an extraordinary power, which has been granted only to the Prophet Solomon and to none else in human history. "
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