ENTITLED, THE ANT;t REVEALED AT MECCA.
IN THE NAME OF THE MOST MERCIFUL GOD.
T. S. THESE are the signs of the Koran, and of the perspicuous book:
a direction, and good tidings unto the true believers? who regularly
perform their prayer, and give alms, and firmly believe in the life to come.
As to those who believe not in the life to come, we have prepared their
works for them;u and they shall be struck with astonishment at their
disappointment, when they shall be raised again:
these are they whom an evil punishment awaiteth in this life; and in that
which is to come they shall be the greatest losers.
Thou hast certainly received the Koran from the presence of a wise, a
knowing God.
Remember when Moses said unto his family, Verily I perceive fire;
I will bring you tidings thereof, or I will bring you a lighted brand,
that ye may be warmed.x
And when he was come near unto it, a voice cried unto him, saying,
Blessed be he who is in the fire, and whoever is about it;y and praise be unto
GOD, the LORD of all creatures!
O Moses, verily I am GOD, the mighty, the wise:
10 cast down now thy rod. And when he saw it, that it moved, as though it
had been a serpent, he retreated, and fled, and returned not. And God said, O
Moses, fear not; for my messengers are not disturbed with fear in my sight:
except he who shall have done amiss, and shall have afterwards
substituted good in lieu of evil; for I am gracious and merciful.z
Moreover put thy hand into thy bosom; it shall come forth white, without
hurt: this shall be one among the nine signsa unto Pharaoh and his people: for
they are a wicked people.
And when our visible signs had come unto them, they said, This is a
manifest sorcery.
And they denied them, although their souls certainly knew them to be from
God, out of iniquity and pride: but behold what was the end of the corrupt
doers.
We heretofore bestowed knowledge on David and Solomon; and they said,
Praise be unto GOD, who hath made us more excellent than many of his faithful
servants!
And Solomon was David's heir;b and he said, O men, we have been taught
the speech of birds,c and have had all things bestowed on us; this is manifest
excellence.
t In this chapter is related, among other strange things, an odd story
of the ant, which has therefore been pitched on for the title.
u By rendering them pleasing and agreeable to their corrupt natures and
inclinations.
x See chapter 20, p. 234.
y Some suppose GOD to be intended by the former words, and by the
latter, the angels who were present;1 others think Moses and the angels are
here meant, or all persons in general in this holy plain, and the country
round it.2
z This exception was designed to qualify the preceding assertion, which
seemed too general; for several of the prophets have been subject to sins,
though not great ones, before their mission, for which they had reason to
apprehend GOD'S anger, though they are here assured that their subsequent
merits entitle them to his pardon. It is supposed that Moses's killing the
Egyptian undesignedly is hinted at.3
a See chapter 17, p. 215.
b Inheriting not only his kingdom, but also the prophetical office,
preferably to his other sons, who were no less than nineteen.4
1 Yahya. 2 Jallalo'ddin, al Beidâwi. 3 Idem.
4 Idem.
And his armies were gathered together unto Solomon, consisting of genii,d
and men, and birds; and they were led in distinct bands,
until they came unto the valley of ants.e And an ant, seeing the hosts
approaching, said, O ants, enter ye into your habitations, lest Solomon and
his army tread you under foot, and perceive it not.
And Solomon smiled, laughing at her words, and said, O LORD, excite me
that I may be thankful for thy favor, wherewith thou hast favored me, and my
parents; and that I may do that which is right, and well-pleasing unto thee:
and introduce me, through thy mercy, into paradise, among thy servants the
righteous.
20 And he viewed the birds, and said, What is the reason that I see not the
lapwing?f Is she absent?
Verily I will chastise her with a severe chastisement,g or I will put her
to death; unless she bring me a just excuse.
And she tarried not long before she presented herself unto Solomon, and
said, I have viewed a country which thou hast not viewed; and I come unto thee
from Saba, with a certain piece of news.
I found a womanh to reign over them, who is provided with everything
requisite for a prince, and hath a magnificent throne.i
c That is, the meaning of their several voices, though not articulate;
of Solomon's interpretation whereof the commentators give several instances.5
d For this fancy, as well as the former, Mohammed was obliged to the
Talmudists,6 who, according to their manner, have interpreted the Hebrew words
of Solomon,7 which the English version renders, I gat men-singers and women-
singers, as if that prince had forced demons or spirits to serve him at his
table, and in other capacities; and particularly in his vast and magnificent
buildings, which they could not conceive he could otherwise have performed.
e The valley seems to be so called from the great numbers of ants which
are found there. Some place it in Syria, and others in Tâyef.8
f The Arab historians tell us that Solomon, having finished the temple
of Jerusalem, went in pilgrimage to Mecca, where, having stayed as long as he
pleased, he proceeded toward Yaman; and leaving Mecca in the morning, he
arrived by noon at Sanaa, and being extremely delighted with the country,
rested there; but wanting water to make the ablution, he looked among the
birds for the lapwing, called by the Arabs al Hudbud, whose business it was to
find it; for it is pretended she was sagacious or sharp-sighted enough to
discover water underground, which the devils used to draw, after she had
marked the place by digging with her bill: they add, that this bird was then
taking a tour in the air, whence, seeing one of her companions alighting, she
descended also, and having had a description given her by the other of the
city of Saba, whence she was just arrived, they both went together to take a
view of the place, and returned soon after Solomon had made the inquiry which
occasioned what follows.1
It may be proper to mention her what the eastern writers fable of the
manner of Solomon's travelling. They say that he had a carpet of green silk,
on which his throne was placed, being of a prodigious length and breadth, and
sufficient for all his forces to stand on, the men placing themselves on his
right hand, and the spirits on his left; and that when all were in order, the
wind, at his command, took up the carpet, and transported it, with all that
were upon it, wherever he pleased;2 the army of birds at the same time flying
over their heads, and forming a kind of canopy, to shade them from the sun.
g By plucking off her feathers, and setting her in the sun, to be
tormented by the insects; or by shutting her up in a cage.3
h This queen the Arabs name Balkîs: some make her the daughter of al
Hodhâd Ebn Sharhabil,4 and others of Sharahîl Ebn Malec;5 but they all agree
she was a descendant of Yárab Ebn Kahtân. She is placed the twenty-second in
Dr. Pocock's list of the kings of Yaman.6
i Which the commentators say was made of gold and silver, and crowned
with precious stones. But they differ as to the size of it; one making it
fourscore cubits long, forty broad, and thirty high; while some say it was
fourscore, and others thirty cubits every way.
5 See Maracc. not. in loc. p. 511. 6 Vide Midrash, Yalkut
Shemuni, p. 11, f. 29, et Millium, de Mohammedismo ante Mohammed. p. 232.
7 Eccles. ii. 8 8 Al Beidâwi. Jallalo'ddin. 1 Idem.
2 See cap. 21, p. 247.
3 Al Beidâwi, Jallalo'ddin. 4 Vide Pocock. Spec. p. 59. 5 Al
Beidâwi, &c. Vide D'Herbel. Bibl. Orient. p. 182.
6 Ubi sup.
I found her and her people to worship the sun, besides GOD: and Satan
hath prepared their works for them, and hath turned them aside from the way of
truth (wherefore they are not rightly directed),
lest they should worship GOD, who bringeth to light that which is hidden
in heaven and earth, and knoweth whatever they conceal, and whatever they
discover.
GOD! there is no GOD but he; the LORD of the magnificent throne.
Solomon said, We shall see whether thou hast spoken the truth, or whether
thou art a liar.
Go with this my letter, and cast it down unto them; then turn aside from
them, and wait to know what answer they will return.
And when the Queen of Saba had received the letter,k she said, O nobles,
verily an honourable letter hath been delivered unto me;
30 it is from Solomon, and this is the tenor thereof: In the name of the
most merciful GOD,
Rise not up against me: but come and surrender yourselves unto me.l
She said, O nobles, advise me in my business: I will not resolve on
anything, until ye be witnesses and approve thereof.
The nobles answered, We are endued with strength, and are endued with
great prowess in war; but the command appertaineth unto thee: see therefore
what thou wilt command.m
She said, Verily kings, when they enter a city by force, waste the same,
and abase the most powerful of the inhabitants hereof: and so will these do
with us.
But I will send gifts unto them; and will wait for what further
information those who shall be sent shall bring back.
And when the queen's ambassador came unto Solomon,n that prince said,
Will ye present me with riches? Verily that which GOD hath given me is better
than what he hath given you: but ye do glory in your gifts.
Return unto the people of Saba. We will surely come unto them with
forces, which they shall not be able to withstand; and we will drive them out
from their city, humbled; and they shall become contemptible.
And Solomon said, O nobles, which of you will bring unto me her throne,
before they come and surrender themselves unto me?
A terrible geniuso answered, I will bring it unto thee, before thou arise
from thy place:p for I am able to perform it, and may be trusted.
k Jallalo'ddin says that the queen was surrounded by her army when the
lapwing threw the letter into her bosom; but al Beidâwi supposes she was in an
apartment of her palace, the doors of which were shut, and that the bird flew
in at the window. The former commentator gives a copy of the epistle somewhat
more full than that in the text; viz., From the servant of GOD, Solomon, the
son of David, unto Balkîs queen of Saba. In the name of the most merciful
GOD. Peace be on him who followeth the true direction. Rise not up against
me, but come and surrender yourselves unto me. He adds that Solomon perfumed
this letter with musk, and sealed it with his signet.
l Or, Come unto me and resign yourselves unto the divine direction, and
profess the true religion which I preach.
m i.e., Whether thou wilt obey the summons of Solomon, or give us
orders to make head against him.
n Bearing the presents, which they say were five hundred young slaves
of each sex, all habited in the same manner, five hundred bricks of gold, a
crown enriched with precious stones, besides a large quantity of musk, amber,
and other things of value.1 Some add that Balkîs, to try whether Solomon was
a prophet or no, dressed the boys like girls, and the girls like boys, and
sent him in a casket, a pearl not drilled, and an onyx drilled with a crooked
hole; and that Solomon distinguished the boys from the girls by the different
manner of their taking water, and ordered one worm to bore the pearl, and
another to pass a thread through the onyx.2 They also tell us that Solomon,
having notice of this embassy, by means of the lapwing, even before they set
out, ordered a large square to be enclosed with a wall built of gold and
silver bricks, wherein he ranged his forces and attendants to receive them.3
o This was an Ifrît, or one of the wicked and rebellious genii; and his
name, says al Beidâwi, was Dhacwân or Sakhr.
p i.e., From thy seat of justice. For Solomon used to sit in judgment
every day till noon.4
1 Jallalo'ddin 2 Al Beidâwi. 3 Jallalo'ddin.
4 Idem interp.
40 And one with whom was the knowledge of the scripturesq said, I will
bring it unto thee, in the twinkling of an eye.r And when Solomon saw the
throne placed before him, he said, This is a favor of my LORD, that he may
make trial of me, whether I will be grateful, or whether I will be ungrateful;
and he who is grateful is grateful to his own advantage, but if any shall be
ungrateful, verily my LORD is self-sufficient and munificent.
And Solomon said unto his servants, Alter her throne, that she may not
know it, to the end we may see whether she be rightly directed, or whether she
be one of those who are not rightly directed.
And when she was come unto Solomon,s it was said unto her, is thy throne
like this? She answered, As though it were the same. And we have had
knowledge bestowed on us before this, and have been resigned unto God.t
But that which she worshipped, besides GOD, had turned her aside from the
truth; for she was of an unbelieving people.
It was said unto her, Enter the palace.u And when she saw it, she
imagined it to be a great water; and she discovered her legs, by lifting up
her robe to pass through it.x Whereupon Solomon said unto her, Verily this is
a palace evenly floored with glass.
Then said the queen, O LORD, verily I have dealt unjustly with my own
soul; and I resign myself, together with Solomon, unto GOD, the LORD of all
creatures.y
Also we heretofore sent unto the tribe of Thamud their brother Saleh; who
said unto them, Serve ye GOD. And behold, they were divided into two parties,
who disputed among themselves.z
Saleh said, O my people why do ye hasten evil rather than good?a Unless
ye ask pardon of GOD, that ye may obtain mercy, ye are lost.
q This person, as is generally supposed, was Asaf the son of Barachia,
Solomon's Wazir (or Visir), who knew the great or ineffable name of GOD, by
pronouncing of which he performed this wonderful exploit.5 Others, however,
suppose it was al Khedr, or else Gabriel, or some other angel; and some
imagine it to have been Solomon himself.6
r The original is, Before thou canst look at any object, and take thy
eye off it. It is said that Solomon, at Asaf's desire, looked up to heaven,
and before he cast his eye downwards, the throne made its way underground, and
appeared before him.
s For, on the return of her ambassador, she determined to go and submit
herself to that prince; but before her departure, she secured her throne, as
she thought, by locking it up in a strong castle, and setting a guard to
defend it; after which she set out, attended by a vast army.7
t It is uncertain whether these be the words of Balkîs, acknowledging
her conviction by the wonders she had already seen; or of Solomon and his
people, acknowledging the favour of GOD, in calling them to the true faith
before her.
u Or, as some understand the word, the court before the palace, which
Solomon had commanded to be built against the arrival of Balkîs; the floor or
pavement being of transparent glass, laid over running water, in which fish
were swimming. Fronting this pavement was placed the royal throne, on which
Solomon sat to receive the queen.8
x Some Arab writers tell us Solomon had been informed that Balkîs's
legs and feet were covered with hair, like those of an ass, of the truth of
which he had hereby an opportunity of being satisfied by ocular demonstration.
y The queen of Saba having by these words professed Islâm, and
renounced idolatry, Solomon had thoughts of making her his wife; but could not
resolve to do it; till the devils had by a depilatory taken off the hair from
her legs.9 Some,10 however, will have it that she did not marry Solomon, but
a prince of the tribe of Hamdân.
z Concerning the doctrine preached by Saleh; one party believing on
him, and the other treating him as an impostor.
a i.e., Why do ye urge and defy the divine vengeance with which ye are
threatened, instead of averting it by repentance?
5 Jallalo'ddin. 6 Al Beidâwi. 7 Jallalo'ddin.
8 Idem, al Beidâwi
9 Jallalo'ddin. 10 Apud al Beidâwi
They answered, We presage evil from thee, and from those who are with
thee. Saleh replied, The evil which ye presage is with GOD:b but ye are a
people who are proved by a vicissitude of prosperity and adversity.
And there were nine men in the city, who acted corruptly in the earth,
and behaved not with integrity.
50 And they said unto one another, Swear ye reciprocally by GOD, that we
will fall upon Saleh and his family by night: and afterwards we will say unto
him who hath right to avenge his blood, We were not so much as present at the
destruction of his family; and we certainly speak the truth.
And they devised a plot against him: but we devised a plot against them;
and they perceived it not.
And see what was the issue of their plot:c we utterly destroyed them and
their whole people;
and these their habitations remain empty, because of the injustice which
they committed. Verily herein is a sign unto people who understand.
And we delivered those who believed, and feared God.
And remember Lot; when he said unto his people, Do ye commit a
wickedness, though ye see the heinousness thereof?
Do ye approach lustfully unto men, leaving the women? Ye are surely an
ignorant people.
But the answer of his people was no other than that they said, Cast the
family of Lot out of your city: for they are men who preserve themselves pure
from the crimes of which ye are guilty.
Wherefore we delivered him and his family, except his wife, whom we
decreed to be one of those who remained behind to be destroyed.
And we rained on them a shower of stones: and dreadful was the shower
which fell on those who had been warned in vain.d
60 Say, Praise be unto GOD; and peace be upon his servants whom he hath
chosen! Is GOD more worthy, or the false gods which they associate with him?
Is not he to be preferred, who hath created the heavens and the earth,
and sendeth down rain for you from heaven, whereby we cause delicious groves
to spring up? It is not in your power to cause the trees thereof to shoot
forth. Is there any other god partner with the true GOD? Verily these are a
people who deviate from the truth.
Is not he more worthy to be adored, who hath established the earth, and
hath caused rivers to flow through the midst thereof, and placed thereon
immovable mountains, and set a bar between the two seas?e Is there any other
god equal with the true GOD? Yet the greater part of them know it not.
Is not he more worthy who heareth the afflicted,f when he calleth upon
him, and taketh off the evil which distressed him: and who hath made you the
successors of your forefathers in the earth? Is there any other god who can
be equalled with the true GOD? How few consider these things!
b See chapter 7, p. 117, where the Egyptians in the same manner accuse
Moses as the cause of their calamities.
c It is related that Saleh, and those who believed on him, usually
meeting to pray in a certain narrow place between the mountains, the infidels
said, He thinks to make an end of us after three days,1 but we will be
beforehand with him; and that a party of them went directly to the straits
above mentioned, thinking to execute their design, but were terribly
disappointed; for, instead of catching the prophet, they were caught
themselves, their retreat being cut off by a large piece of rock, which fell
down at the mouth of the straits, so that they perished there in a miserable
manner.
d See chapter 7, p. 113, and chapter 11, p. 166.
e See chapter 25, p. 274. The word barzakh is not used here, but
another of equivalent import.
f Literally, Him who is driven by distress to implore GOD'S assistance.
1 See cap. 7, p. 113, note m.
28
Is not he more worthy who directeth you in the dark paths of the land and
of the sea; and who sendeth the winds driving abroad the clouds, as the
forerunners of his mercy!g Is there any other god who can be equalled with
the true God? Far be GOD from having those partners in his power, which ye
associate with him.
Is not he more worthy, who produceth a creature, and after it hath been
dead restoreth it to life; and who giveth you food from heaven and earth? Is
there any other god with the true GOD, who doth this? Say, Produce your proof
thereof, if ye speak truth.
Say, None either in heaven or earth knoweth that which is hidden, besides
GOD: neither do they understand
when they shall be raised.
However, their knowledge attaineth some notion of the life to come:h yet
they are in an uncertainty concerning the same; yea, they are blind as to the
real circumstances thereof.
And the unbelievers say, When we and our fathers shall have been reduced
to dust, shall we be taken forth from the grave?
70 Verily we have been threatened with this, both we and our fathers,
heretofore. This is no other than fables of the ancients.
Say unto them, pass through the earth, and see what hath been the end of
the wicked.
And be not thou grieved for them; neither be thou in any concern on
account of the plots which they are contriving against thee.
And they say, When will this threat be accomplished, if ye speak true?
Answer, Peradventure some part of that punishment, which ye desire to be
hastened may follow close behind you:
verily thy LORD is endued with indulgence towards mankind; but the
greater part of them are not thankful.
Verily thy LORD knoweth what their breasts conceal, and what they
discover:
and there is nothing hidden in heaven or on earth, but it is written in a
clear book.
Verily this Koran declareth unto the children of Israel most of those
points concerning which they disagree:i
and it is certainly a direction, and a mercy unto the true believers.
80 Thy LORD will decide the controversy between them, by his definitive
sentence: and he is the mighty, the wise.
Therefore, put thy trust in GOD; for thou art in the manifest truth.
Verily thou shalt not make the dead to hear, neither shalt thou make the
deaf to hear thy call to the true faith, when they retire and turn their
backs:
neither shalt thou direct the blind to extricate themselves out of their
error. Thou shalt make none to hear thee, except him who shall believe in our
signs: and they are wholly resigned unto us.
When the sentence shall be ready to fall upon them, we will cause a
beastk to come forth unto them from out of the earth, which shall speak unto
them:l verily men do not firmly believe in our signs.
On the day of resurrection we will assemble, out of every nation, a
company of those who shall have charged our signs with falsehood; and they
shall be prevented from mixing together,
g See chapter 7, p. 110, and chapter 25, p. 274.
h Or the words may be translated thus: Yea, their knowledge faileth as
to the life to come: yea, &c.
i Such as the comparing of GOD to sensible things, or to created
beings: the removing all imperfections from the description of the Divine
Being; the state of paradise and hell; the stories of Ezra and Jesus Christ,
&c.1
k The Mohammedans call this beast, whose appearance will be one sign of
the approach of the day of judgment, al Jassâsa, or the Spy. I have given the
description of her elsewhere;2 to which should be added that she is to have
two wings.
l Or, according to a different reading, viz., taclimohom instead of
tocallimohom, who shall wound them.3
1 Al Beidâwi. 2 Prelim. Disc. Sec. IV. p. 62, &c.
3 Vide ibid.
until they shall arrive at the place of judgment. And God shall say unto
them, Have ye charged my signs with falsehood, although ye comprehended them
not with your knowledge. Or what is it that ye were doing?
And the sentence of damnation shall fall on them, for that they have
acted unjustly: and they shall not speak in their own excuse.
Do they not see that we have ordained the night, that they may rest
therein, and the day giving open light? Verily herein are signs unto people
who believe.
On that day the trumpet shall be sounded; and whoever are in heaven and
on earth shall be struck with terror, except those whom GOD shall please to
exempt therefrom:m and all shall come before him in humble guise.
90 And thou shalt see the mountains, and shalt think them firmly fixed; but
they shall pass away, even as the clouds pass away. This will be the work of
GOD, who hath rightly disposed all things: and he is well acquainted with that
which ye do.
Whoever shall have wrought righteousness, shall receive a reward beyond
the desert thereof; and they shall be secure from the terror of that day;n
but whoever shall have wrought evil, shall be thrown on their faces into
hell fire. Shall ye receive the reward of any other than of that which ye
shall have wrought?
Verily I am commanded to worship the LORD of this territory of Mecca, who
hath sanctified the same: unto him belong all things. And I am commanded to
be a Moslem,
and to rehearse the Koran: he who shall be directed thereby will be
directed to his own advantage;
and to him who shall go astray, say, Verily I am a warner only. And say,
Praise be unto GOD! he will show you his signs,o and ye shall know them: and
thy LORD is not regardless of that which they do.
________