Sūrah An-Naml The Ants: Tafsīr al-Ṭabarī The Source Commentary

Surah Overview

DetailInformationClassificationSignificance

SurahالنملMakkī 93 versesThe ant spoke and was heard divine gift of communication to Sulaymān

Key DisagreementWho brought Bilqīs's throne in the blink of an eye?Identity of the one with knowledgeAl-Ṭabarī: "one who had knowledge of the Scripture" debates angel, jinn, or human; prefers a human scholar of the divine name

Competing OpinionsWas Bilqīs a believer or not ultimately?Eschatological detailAl-Ṭabarī: she declared Islam upon seeing the truth the Quran confirms her submission

MethodologyEvaluating miraculous claims with chain analysisMiracle verificationAl-Ṭabarī evaluates the throne transportation miracle through Companion chains before accepting it

Key Themes from Al-Ṭabarī

The throne transportation (27:40) "one who had knowledge of the Scripture said: I will bring it to you before your glance returns" generates major debate on the identity of this person. Al-Ṭabarī presents: (1) Jibrīl (from ʿAṭāʾ); (2) Āṣaf ibn Barkhiyā, Sulaymān's minister who knew the Greatest Name of Allah (from Mujāhid this is al-Ṭabarī's preferred view based on chain strength); (3) Sulaymān himself performed it; (4) a man with knowledge of divine books. Al-Ṭabarī prefers Āṣaf because the phrase "one who had knowledge of the Scripture" points to a human with textual knowledge, and the chain from Mujāhid is strong.

The ant's speech (27:18–19) "O ants, enter your dwellings that Sulaymān and his soldiers may crush you while they do not perceive" is treated by al-Ṭabarī as a literal event (ants communicate) enabled by Sulaymān's divine gift of understanding animal speech. He collects narrations on how Sulaymān smiled when he heard the ant and prayed to be grateful for divine gifts tracing the response through multiple Companion chains.

قَالَ الَّذِي عِندَهُ عِلْمٌ مِّنَ الْكِتَابِ أَنَا آتِيكَ بِهِ قَبْلَ أَن يَرْتَدَّ إِلَيْكَ طَرْفُكَ Qāla lladhī ʿindahu ʿilmun min al-kitābi anā ātīka bihī qabla an yartadda ilayka ṭarfuk "One who had knowledge of the Scripture said: I will bring it to you before your glance returns" (27:40) Al-Ṭabarī: strongest chain points to Āṣaf ibn Barkhiyā who knew the Greatest Name; a human with divine scriptural knowledge performed this miracle through supplication.

قَالَتْ نَمْلَةٌ يَا أَيُّهَا النَّمْلُ ادْخُلُوا مَسَاكِنَكُمْ Qālat namlatun yā ayyuhā n-namlu dkhulū masākinakum "An ant said: O ants, enter your dwellings" (27:18) Al-Ṭabarī: literal speech of an ant, heard by Sulaymān through Allah's gift; the ant's concern for its people's safety is traced as an example of how even small creatures have awareness.

Āṣaf ibn Barkhiyā preferred: Al-Ṭabarī's chain analysis points to this human scholar with divine knowledge as the one who transported the throne not a jinn or angel.
Literal ant speech: The ant spoke al-Ṭabarī treats this as a literal miracle of Sulaymān's unique gift, not a metaphor; confirmed through multiple Companion narrations.
Bilqīs's Islam: The Quran confirms her declaration of Islam al-Ṭabarī notes the text's clarity makes further debate unnecessary.
Sulaymān's gratitude: The prayer after hearing the ant (27:19) is traced as a model of how prophets respond to divine gifts with immediate gratitude and recognition of dependency.
Signs of the Hour: The closing verses on the signs of the Last Hour (27:82–90) are traced through Companion chains on the emergence of the Beast (Dābba).

Surah Overview

Key Themes from Al-Ṭabarī

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