Tafsir of Sad 38:30

"Excellent is the servant" (Ni'ma al-'abd): Read according to the original grammatical structure, with the specific object of praise omitted. The reason for his being praised is that he was awwab (one who returns to Him in repentance), or musabbih (one who glorifies), or mu'wab (one who returns to glorification and repeats it), for every mu'wab is awwab.

The Safin (the standing horse): As in the verse:

He mastered the 'safun' (standing), so he remains, As if, from standing on three, he were broken.

It is said: The one that stands on the tip of its hoof (hand or foot) is the mutakhayyim. As for the safin, it is the one that gathers its forelegs together. The Prophet (ﷺ) said: "Whoever is pleased that people should stand for him in 'sufunan' (standing in rows), let him take his seat in the Fire," meaning standing as tyrants are served.

If you ask: What is the meaning of describing them as safinat? I say: Safun is rarely found in common horses; it is only found in purebred Arabians. It is said they were described as safinat and jiyad (excellent) to combine two praiseworthy qualities: standing and running. Meaning: when they stood, they were calm and steady; when they ran, they were swift and light.

The Story of the Horses: It is narrated that Solomon (peace be upon him) raided the people of Damascus and Nisibis, capturing a thousand horses. Others say he inherited them from his father, who had taken them from the Amalekites. Others say they emerged from the sea with wings. One day, after the first prayer (al-ula), he sat on his throne and reviewed them. He continued reviewing them until the sun set, and he became heedless of the Asr prayer or a specific litany of remembrance he had at evening. They were in awe of him and did not inform him, so he grieved for what he had missed. He called them back and slaughtered them as an offering to Allah. A hundred remained, and all the fine horses in people's hands today are from their offspring. It is said that when he slaughtered them, Allah replaced them with something better: the wind, which runs by his command.

If you ask: What is the meaning of "I have preferred the love of 'al-khayr' (good/wealth) over the remembrance of my Lord"? I say: "Preferred" (ahbabtu) implies a verb that takes the preposition 'an (away from), as if it were said: "I have turned away from the remembrance of my Lord due to the love of wealth." Or, "I have made the love of wealth a substitute or a distraction from the remembrance of my Lord." Abu al-Fath al-Hamadani mentioned in al-Tibyan that ahbabtu means "I clung to," but this is not correct.

Al-Khayr here means wealth, as in: "If he leaves behind 'khayran' (wealth)" (2:180), and "He is intense in the love of 'al-khayr'" (100:8). The wealth refers to the horses that occupied him. Horses are called khayr (good) as if they are the essence of goodness because goodness is attached to them. The Prophet (ﷺ) said: "Goodness is tied to the forelocks of horses until the Day of Resurrection."

"Until they disappeared behind the veil": This is a metaphor for the sun setting behind the veil of the King, or the horses being hidden by their veil. The evidence that the pronoun refers to the sun is the mention of "evening" (al-'ashi), and a pronoun must refer to something previously mentioned or implied. Others say the pronoun refers to the safinat (horses), meaning until they were hidden by the veil of night (darkness). Among the strange interpretations is that the "veil" is a mountain behind Qaf, a year's journey away, behind which the sun sets.

"Then he began to strike": He began to strike with a sword at their legs and necks, meaning he slaughtered them. It is said: "He struck his 'ilawa (neck)," if he struck his neck.

If you ask: To what is the phrase "Bring them back to me" connected? I say: To an omitted verb, the estimation being: "He said, 'Bring them back to me.'" He omitted the verb and its response because the context clearly demands the question: "What did Solomon say?" This is because it is a situation that naturally invites inquiry, as it involves a Prophet of Allah being occupied with worldly affairs to the point of missing a prayer.

Readings:

• Bi-al-su'uq (with a hamza on the waw due to its damma, like ad'ur).
• Bi-al-suq (the damma on the sin is treated as if it were on the waw due to proximity).
• Bi-al-saq (using the singular for the plural, as there is no risk of confusion).