429 Page Notes

34 Surah Saba (continued)

Page 429 - Related Hadith/Sunnah

Translation of the meaning by Sahih International.

Page 429 - Related Hadiths and Sunnah

Page 429 of the Quran contains Surah Saba (Sheba), verses 8 through 14.

This section spans two major themes: the continued response to the Meccan polytheists who mocked the resurrection (verses 8–9), and the transition into historical narratives showcasing the divine blessings given to Prophet David (Dawud) and Prophet Solomon (Sulaiman), highlighting the submission of the wind, the melting of copper, and the manipulation of the Jinn (verses 10–14).

1. The Warning of Earthly Destruction (Verses 8–9)

"Has he invented against Allah a lie or is there in him madness?... If We will, We could cause the earth to swallow them or could let fall upon them fragments from the sky..."

Prophetic Warnings & Realities

The Quraysh accused the Prophet of being possessed or lying because he taught that Allah would physically piece human bodies back together after death. Allah answers by pointing out their vulnerability to the physical cosmos.

• The Fright of Eclipse and Sky Fragments: The Prophet lived in a state of constant awareness regarding this verse. In Sahih al-Bukhari (Hadith 1059) and Sahih Muslim, Aishah narrated that whenever the wind blew hard or a dark cloud appeared in the sky, anxiety could be seen on the Prophet’s face. He would walk back and forth nervously. When asked why, he replied: "O 'Aishah! I am afraid that it may be a torment like the cloud that befell the people of 'Ad." The Sunnah shows that the Prophet did not view these natural boundaries lightly; he recognized that Allah could drop "fragments from the sky" at any moment.

2. The Grace Given to Prophet David (Verses 10–11)

"And We certainly gave David from Us bounty. [We said], 'O mountains, repeat [Our praises] with him, and the birds [as well].' And We made pliable for him iron, [commanding him], 'Make full coats of mail and calculate [precisely] the links...'"

The Beauty of David’s Praise

David was given an extraordinary voice. When he sang the Psalms (Zabur), the birds and mountains would physically vibrate and echo his praises.

• The Standard of Melodious Recitation: The Prophet explicitly celebrated this miracle. In Sahih al-Bukhari (Hadith 5048), the Prophet heard his companion Abu Musa al-Ash'ari reciting the Quran with an exceptionally beautiful, resonant voice. The Prophet told him: "O Abu Musa! You have been given one of the musical wind-instruments (voices) of the family of David."

Working with Iron & Financial Independence

Verse 11 commands David to make precise armor. David was a powerful king, yet he chose to live entirely off his manual labor as a blacksmith.

• Eating from One's Own Labor: The Prophet established David’s work ethic as the ultimate financial standard in the Sunnah. In Sahih al-Bukhari (Hadith 2072), the Prophet stated:
  "Nobody has ever eaten a better meal than that which one has earned by working with one's own hands. And indeed, the Prophet of Allah, David, used to eat from the earnings of his own hands."

3. The Miracles of Prophet Solomon (Verses 12–13)

"And to Solomon [We subjected] the wind – its morning journey was a month and its afternoon journey was a month, and We made flow for him a spring of [liquid] copper. And among the jinn were those who worked for him by the permission of his Lord..."

The Extent of Solomon's Kingdom

Solomon was granted a unique kingdom that could never be replicated by anyone after him.

• The Prophet's Encounter with a Jinn: In Sahih al-Bukhari (Hadith 461) and Sahih Muslim, the Prophet narrated an incident where an Ifrit (a powerful, malicious Jinn) jumped at him during his night prayer to disrupt it. The Prophet said: "Allah gave me power over him and I choked him. I intended to tie him to one of the pillars of the mosque so that all of you could look at him in the morning, but then I remembered the supplication of my brother Solomon: 'My Lord, forgive me and grant me a kingdom such as will not belong to anyone after me' (Surah Sad 38:35). So, Allah chased the Jinn away discomfited."

4. The Death of Solomon & The Ignorance of the Jinn (Verse 14)

"And when We decreed for Solomon death, nothing indicated his death to the jinn except a creature of the earth eating his staff. But when he fell down, it became clear to the jinn that if they had known the unseen, they would not have remained in humiliating torment."

Theological Reality: Jinn Do Not Know the Unseen (Ghayb)

Solomon passed away while leaning on his staff, and the Jinn—terrified of his authority—continued to labor in agonizing construction projects for months, thinking he was still watching them. They only realized he was dead when a termite chewed through his wooden staff, causing his body to fall over.

• Debunking Fortunetellers and Jinn Knowledge: This verse serves as a primary proof text against the pre-Islamic belief that Jinn have comprehensive access to future or hidden knowledge. The Sunnah systematically dismantles this myth. In Sahih al-Bukhari (Hadith 6213) and Sahih Muslim, Aishah asked the Prophet about fortunetellers who claimed to use Jinn to read the future. The Prophet replied, "They are nothing." He explained that the Jinn can only occasionally eavesdrop on a fragmented sentence of divine decree spoken among the angels in the lower heaven. They mix that single true word with a hundred lies and whisper it to their human counterparts. Verse 14 provides the physical, historical proof that the Jinn cannot even see what is happening right in front of them if it is shielded by Allah.

References

• Sahih al-Bukhari (Book of Eclipses, Book of Sales/Trade, Book of the Stories of the Prophets, Book of Good Manners).

• Sahih Muslim (Book of Mosques and Places of Prayer, Book of the Virtues of the Companions, Book of Fortunetelling).

• Ibn Kathir, H. Tafsir al-Qur'an al-Azeem [Exegesis of Surah Saba, Verses 8–14].