Tafsir of Sad 38:31

The pronominal suffix in His saying, “When there were presented to him,” refers, without doubt, to him (upon him be peace). Idh (when) is in the accusative case as the object of an implied udhkur (remember). The objective of mentioning the time is to detail the events that occurred within it; alternatively, it serves as an adverbial modifier for awwab (oft-returning) or for ni’ma (excellent), though an adverbial modifier is weak in both cases. However, it is objected against both these interpretations that such restriction detracts from the perfection of the praise, thus the first interpretation is preferable. It serves as evidence of his being awwab, meaning: remember what transpired when there were presented to him, “in the evening,” etc., for it bears witness to that.

Al-‘ashiy (the evening), according to Al-Raghib, is from the decline of the sun until the morning, while others have said it is from the decline of the sun until the end of the day. Both adverbial modifiers relate to ‘urida (were presented).

His saying, “The well-bred horses” (al-safinat), is the na'ib al-fa'il (deputy subject). Its postponement—following the adverbials—is for the sake of creating anticipation for what is deferred, as has been mentioned more than once. The safin among horses is that which lifts one of its forelegs or hindlegs and stands upon the edge of its hoof. Al-Zajjaj cited the verse:

It became accustomed to standing (safun), so it does not cease as if, due to the length of its standing, it were on three.

Abu Ubaydah said: "It is that which gathers its forelegs and keeps them level." As for that which stands on the tip of the hoof, it is the mutakhayyim. In Al-Tahdhib and Matn al-Lugha, it is called the mukhayyim. Al-Qutaybi said: "The safin is the one standing, among horses and others." In the Hadith: "Whoever is pleased that people stand (safunan) for him, let him take his seat in the Fire," meaning they maintain a standing position for him, as related by Qutrub. Al-Nabigha recited:

We have a dome struck in its courtyard, [containing] noble mountain-goats and excellent horses that stand (al-sawafin).

Al-Farra said: "I have observed the Arabs regarding this, and their poetry indicates that it specifically denotes standing." The famous meaning of safun is that which precedes, and it is among the praiseworthy traits in horses, which is scarcely realized except in pure-bred Arabian steeds.

“The swift” (al-jiyad): This is the plural of jawad, used for both male and female. It is said: the horse became ra'id (trained), then it performed well (yajudu judatan), and thus it is a jawad. It is also pluralized as ajwad and ajawid. Some have said it is a plural of jud, like thawb (garment) and athwab. It has been interpreted as "that which is swift in its pace," or "that which is generous in its running." Others said: they were described by al-safinat and al-jiyad to clarify that they combined two praiseworthy qualities: standing and running. That is, when they stood, they were calm and composed in their positions; and when they ran, they were swift and light in their movement. Horses are praised for stillness when stationed just as they are praised for speed when running. Among this is the saying of Muslim ibn al-Walid:

And when he settled upon its saddle-bow with its rein, it chewed the bit until the visitor departed.

It is also said that jiyad is like kayyis (clever), the opposite of radi' (vile). Some pluralize it as jiyadat and jiyada'id, though this is considered weak because there is no benefit in mentioning it alongside al-safinat in that case, and because it would cause one to miss the praise of the horses in their two states. That al-jiyad is more general—making its mention a generalization after specification—is subject to scrutiny.

In Al-Bahr, it is said that al-jiyad means long-necked, from jid (neck). I am in doubt regarding the validity of this. Al-Qamus states: jid (with a kasra) is the neck, or the place of the necklace, or its upper part, pluralized as ajyad and juyud. With the tahrīk (fatha), it refers to its length, or its thinness with length. He is ajyad and she is jayda' and jaydana, pluralized as jud. I have reviewed other sources and found nothing in addition to this, so let the seeker look further.

It is possible to say that al-jiyad is an irregular plural for ajyad, jayda', or jaydana, or it is a plural for jid (with fatha) like ja'l and jamal, where jid is intended to mean ajyad or similar, analogous to what is intended by khalq (creation) for makhluq (created). God knows best. In any case, both descriptors are used for the male and female of horses, and the plural with the alif and ta does not specifically denote the female. Thus, after stating that what was presented included both male and female horses, there is no need to claim that al-safinat uses the masculine for dominance, or that it is permissible though rare, and that the plural here signifies mere multitude.

Al-Kalbi says these horses were one thousand horses that Solomon (upon him be peace) seized when he conquered Damascus and Nisibis. This narration is problematic, as spoils were not permissible for anyone other than our Prophet (may God bless him and grant him peace), as mentioned in the authentic Hadith. It has been answered that it is possible they were fay' (gained without fighting) rather than spoils of war (ghanimah). Muqatil says there were one thousand which he inherited from his father David (upon him be peace), who had seized them from the Amalekites, the descendants of 'Amaliq ibn 'Aws ibn 'Ad ibn Iram. This is further problematized, beyond the first, because the prophets (upon them be peace) do not leave an inheritance, as stated in the Hadith narrated by Abu Bakr al-Siddiq (may God be pleased with him), using it as a proof in the matter of Fadak and Al-'Awali in the presence of the Companions—those who, for the sake of God, would not fear the reproach of any critic.

It has been answered that "inheritance" here signifies the possession of disposal, not ownership. As for his slaughtering them as an act of drawing near to God—as per the interpretations of the verse later on—it is stated in some narrations that it did not entail ownership. 'Awf said: It reached me that they were horses with wings, brought forth for him from the sea, such as had never been possessed by anyone before him nor after him. This state is also related from Al-Hasan. Ibn Jarir and others related from Ibrahim al-Taymi that they were twenty thousand horses with wings. There is nothing in this except far-fetchedness. Since no authentic, elevated, or effectively reliable report is directed toward this, as far as I know, we may say: they were horses he owned, like the horses kings possess, which reached him through various regal means. He paraded them, and they were continuously presented to him until the sun set.

It is said: "He became unmindful of the Afternoon Prayer (Asr)." Al-Tabrisi related this from Ali (may God honor his face), Qatada, and Al-Suddi. Then he said: "In the narrations of our scholars, it is mentioned that he missed the beginning of the time." Al-Jubba'i said: "The obligatory prayer was not missed; rather, he missed a voluntary prayer that he used to perform at the end of the day."