Tafsir of An-Naml 27:28

This is a resumption clarifying the nature of the "observation" that he—upon him be peace—promised after he wrote his letter in that assembly or afterward. This [instruction] is a reference to the [messenger] present. His—upon him be peace—exclusive selection of him for this mission, rather than the others among his subjects from the trusted Jinns who are capable of maneuvering and gathering information, was because he had witnessed in him signs of intelligence and wisdom, and so that [the messenger] would have absolutely no excuse remaining.

The verse is evidence for the permissibility of sending letters to polytheists from a leader to convey the call and invite them to Islam; the Messenger of Allah—may Allah exalt him and grant him peace—wrote to Chosroes, Caesar, and other Arab kings. It has been read by the seven [reciters] as fa-alqihi (cast it), with a kasra on the ha followed by a ya, and with a shortening of the kasra, and with a sukun on the ha. Muslim ibn Jundub read it with a damma on the ha followed by a waw.

"Then turn away from them": That is, withdraw. It is interpreted in this way because turning away entirely contradicts his statement: "then see what [answer] they return." Unless it is interpreted as turning away with the heart, as Ibn Zayd and Abu Ali claimed, though that is not appropriate. His—upon him be peace—instruction to him to withdraw is a matter of teaching etiquette with kings, as narrated from Wahb.

"Observation" here means reflection and contemplation. "What" (madha) is either an interrogative word in the place of the object of yarji‘un (they return), for "return" can be transitive just as it can be intransitive, or it is a subject, and the sentence "they return" is its predicate. Alternatively, "what" (ma) is an interrogative subject, and dha is a relative noun meaning "that which" functioning as its predicate, with the sentence "they return" being the relative clause with an omitted pronoun. Regardless, the sentence acts as an object for the "verb of the heart," so its place is in the accusative by the omission of the preposition. It has been said that "observation" means waiting, as in His—the Exalted’s—saying: "Wait for us, that we may borrow some of your light," in which case there is no suspension [of the verb], but rather the word madha is a relative noun in the place of the object. This is what has been said, but the apparent meaning is that it is reflection, and that the intention is: "Contemplate and identify what some of them reply to others."

This is apparent in that Allah—the Exalted—granted the hoopoe a power by which it could understand what it heard of their speech. The expression "cast" is used because its delivery is not possible without it. The pronoun is pluralized because the intention is the delivery of what is in it to all the people and the uncovering of their situation afterward.