Surah An-Naml 27:29
ﲏ ﲐ ﲑ ﲒ ﲓ ﲔ ﲕ ﲖ
She said, "O eminent ones, indeed, to me has been delivered a noble letter.
Tafsir of An-Naml 27:29
Tafsir
Al-Kashshaf
Verse range: 27:29
{كريم} It is described as "noble" (karīm) due to its content and what it contains, or she described it as noble because it came from a noble king, or because it was sealed. The Prophet (ﷺ) said: "The nobility of a letter is its seal."
It is said that the Prophet (ﷺ) used to write to non-Arabs, and it was said to him: "They do not accept a letter unless it has a seal," so he had a seal made. Ibn al-Muqaffaʿ said: "Whoever writes a letter to his brother and does not seal it has treated him with contempt."
{إنه من سليمان وإنه بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم} This is a resumption and an explanation of what was cast to her. It is as if, when she said, "Indeed, a noble letter has been cast to me," she was asked, "From whom is it? And what is it?" So she said, "It is from Solomon, and it is: In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful."
- ʿAbd Allāh (Ibn Masʿūd) read: wa-innahu min Sulaymāna wa-innahu (conjoined to innī).
- It was also read: annahu min Sulaymāna wa-annahu (with the fathah), as a substitute for "letter," as if it were said: "There was cast to me that it is from Solomon." It is also possible she meant: "Because it is from Solomon and because it begins with the name of Allah."
- Ubayy read: anna min Sulaymāna wa-anna bismi-llāh, treating it as an explanatory particle (mufassirah).
{ألا تعلوا علي} The *an* in *allā taʿlū* is also explanatory. *Lā taʿlū* means: Do not be arrogant, as kings do. Ibn ʿAbbās read it with a *ghayn* (i.e., *lā taghlū*), from *ghuluww* (excess), which means exceeding the limit.
It is narrated that the text of the letter was: "From the servant of Allah, Solomon son of David, to Bilqis, Queen of Sheba: Peace be upon those who follow guidance. To proceed: Do not be arrogant toward me, and come to me as Muslims (submitting)." The letters of the prophets (peace be upon them) were concise; they did not lengthen or multiply words.
He sealed the letter with musk and stamped it with his signet. The hoopoe found her sleeping in her palace in Ma'rib. When she slept, she would lock the doors and place the keys under her head. The hoopoe entered through a vent and dropped the letter onto her chest while she was lying down. It is said he pecked at her, and she awoke startled. It is also said he came to her while her commanders and soldiers were around her; he hovered for a while as people watched until she raised her head, then he dropped the letter into her lap. She was literate and wrote in Arabic, being a descendant of Tubbaʿ ibn Sharāḥīl al-Ḥimyarī. When she saw the seal, she trembled and became submissive.