Tafsir of An-Naml 27:20

"And he inspected the birds" (i.e., he sought to know who among them was present and who was absent). The root meaning of tafaqqud is to inquire about something that is missing. The apparent meaning is that he (peace be upon him) inspected all the birds. This is in accordance with what is necessitated by concern for the affairs of the kingdom and attention to the subjects, especially the weak among them. It is said that one of every species used to come to him, so he did not see the hoopoe. It is also said that the birds used to provide him shade from the sun, and the hoopoe would cover his right side; when it touched the sun, he looked to the hoopoe's place and did not see it.

It is reported from Abdullah ibn Salam that Solomon (peace be upon him) descended into a wilderness where there was no water. The hoopoe used to see water beneath the earth and inform Solomon of it, so he would order the jinn to peel the earth away from it in an hour just as a sheep is skinned. They were in need of water, so he inspected the birds for that reason and did not see the hoopoe.

"He said, 'Why do I not see the hoopoe?'" The hoopoe is a well-known bird, having a foul odor, and it is said that it eats blood. It is given the kunya (agnomen) of Abu al-Akhbar (Father of News), Abu al-Rabi' (Father of Spring), Abu Thumama, and others mentioned by al-Damiri. Its diminutive form according to standard rule is hudayhid. Some claim it is hadahid, by changing the ya into an alif, and they cite poetry [as evidence], but the hadith scholars judge this [as they do other similar narrations]. Similar to this is what was mentioned from Ibn Salam and other reports I have encountered on this matter. There is no indication in the verse [itself] for these [details]. Rather, the apparent meaning, based on the status of Solomon (peace be upon him), is that the inspection was a manifestation of his care for the affairs of his kingdom and his concern for the weak among his troops. It is as if he (peace be upon him) spoke as the glorious text narrates due to his strong suspicion that [the hoopoe] had not met with anything that would destroy it, so that this would be, along with the inspection, a combination of the qualities of beauty and majesty, which is the most perfect [state] in the affairs of kings. Perhaps what occurred regarding the story of the ant was like the mentioned state of inspection for him.

According to the aforementioned report from Ibn Salam, the condition that prompted the inspection was the descent into the wilderness where there was no water, and the hoopoe's expertise in that. They claim regarding this that when Solomon (peace be upon him) finished building the Holy House (Jerusalem), he prepared to perform Hajj with his assembled hosts. He arrived at the Sacred Precinct and stayed there for as long as he wished. Throughout his stay, he would offer five thousand cows, five thousand camels, and twenty thousand sheep as sacrifices every day. The nobles who were with him said, "This is a place from which an Arab Prophet will emerge; his attributes are such and such. He will be given victory over those who oppose him, and he will be aided by terror [cast into the hearts of his enemies] from a month's journey away. The near and the far are equal to him in truth; he does not fear, for the sake of Allah, the blame of any critic." They asked, "By what religion does he follow, O Prophet of Allah?" He replied, "The religion of Hanifiyyah (monotheism). So glad tidings to whoever believes in him and reaches his time." They asked, "How much time is between us and his emergence?" He said, "Approximately a thousand years. Let those present among you inform those who are absent, for he is the master of the prophets and the seal of the messengers (peace be upon them)." Then he resolved to travel to Yemen, so he left Mecca in the morning, heading for the star Canopus (Suhayl), and arrived in Sana'a at the time of the sun's zenith, which is a month's journey. He saw a land whose greenery pleased him, so he descended to eat and pray, but they could not find water, and then what happened, happened.

In some traditions, there is that which contradicts the account of the Hajj. It is narrated from Ka'b al-Ahbar that Solomon (peace be upon him) traveled from Istakhr, intending to go to Yemen, and passed by the city of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). He said, "This is the place of emigration for a prophet who will be at the end of time; glad tidings to whoever follows him." When he arrived in Mecca, he saw idols being worshipped around the House, so he bypassed it. The House wept, so Allah the Exalted revealed to it, "What makes you weep?" It said, "O Lord, it makes me weep that this is one of your prophets, accompanied by a people among your friends, who passed by me but did not descend or pray at my side, while idols are worshipped around me instead of You." Allah then revealed to it, "Do not weep, for I shall cause you to weep [with people who fall] prostrate, and I shall send down a new Quran in you, and I shall send from you a prophet at the end of time who is the most beloved of my prophets to me. I shall place among you worshippers from My creation who will worship Me, and I shall impose upon them a duty that they will fly toward you as an eagle flies to its nest, and they will yearn for you like a she-camel yearns for her young and a dove for its eggs. I shall purify you from idols and the worshippers of Satan." Then Solomon went on until he came to the Valley of Ants.

There is no evident way to reconcile the two reports. Perhaps the amount that is authentic from the reports is that when Solomon (peace be upon him) finished building the Holy House, he performed Hajj, offered many sacrifices, gave glad tidings of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), intended for Yemen, inspected the birds, and did not see the hoopoe.