Surah 27

Surah 27:37

"Return to them! We shall indeed come upon them with forces which they have no power to face, and we shall indeed expel them from there in humiliation, and they will be disgraced.’"
The Gift and the Response of Sulayman Verses 27:36-37
Show Full Scripture Context (27:36-37) — 2 Verses
Verse 36

فَلَمَّا جَآءَ سُلَيۡمَٰنَ قَالَ أَتُمِدُّونَنِ بِمَالٖ فَمَآ ءَاتَىٰنِۦَ ٱللَّهُ خَيۡرٞ مِّمَّآ ءَاتَىٰكُمۚ بَلۡ أَنتُم بِهَدِيَّتِكُمۡ تَفۡرَحُونَ

When he came to Solomon, he said, ‘Would you increase me with wealth, when what God has given me is better than what He has given you? No! (It is) you (who) gloat over your own gift.

Verse 37

ٱرۡجِعۡ إِلَيۡهِمۡ فَلَنَأۡتِيَنَّهُم بِجُنُودٖ لَّا قِبَلَ لَهُم بِهَا وَلَنُخۡرِجَنَّهُم مِّنۡهَآ أَذِلَّةٗ وَهُمۡ صَٰغِرُونَ

Return to them! We shall indeed come upon them with forces which they have no power to face, and we shall indeed expel them from there in humiliation, and they will be disgraced.’

More than one of the scholars of Tafsir among the Salaf and others stated that she sent him a huge gift of gold, jewels, pearls and other things. It is apparent that Sulayman, peace be upon him, did not even look at what they brought at all and did not pay any attention to it, but he turned away and said, rebuking them: {"Will you help me in wealth?"} meaning, 'are you trying to flatter me with wealth so that I will leave you alone with your Shirk and your kingdom?' {What Allah has given me is better than that which He has given you!} means, 'what Allah has given to me of power, wealth and troops, is better than that which you have.' {Nay, you rejoice in your gift!} means, 'you are the ones who are influenced by gifts and presents; we will accept nothing from you except Islam or the sword.' {Go back to them.} means, with their gift, {We verily, shall come to them with armies that they cannot resist,} they have no power to match them or resist them. {and we shall drive them out from there in disgrace,} 'we shall drive them out in disgrace from their land.' {and they will be abased.} means, humiliated and expelled. When her messengers came back to her with her undelivered gift, and told her what Sulayman said, she and her people paid heed and obeyed him. She came to him with her troops in submission and humility, honoring Sulayman and intending to follow him in Islam. When Sulayman, peace be upon him, realized that they were coming to him, he rejoiced greatly.

About this Source & Scholarly Authority (Tafsir Ibn Kathir)

Universal Sunni Consensus: Tafsir al-Qur'an al-Azim by Hafiz Ibn Kathir (701–774 AH / 1301–1373 AD) is universally regarded across all major schools of Sunni Islam (traditional, Salafi, Ash'ari) as the most authoritative classical exegesis. It is prized because it relies on Tafsir bil-Ma'thur—interpreting the Quran using the Quran itself, authentic Hadiths of Prophet Muhammad, and recorded statements of the early Companions (Sahabah).

Standard English Edition: This text is from the standard 10-volume English abridgment published by Dar-us-Salam Publications (supervised by Shaykh Safiur-Rahman Al-Mubarakpuri), which is the official, most widely distributed English Quranic commentary in mosques and Islamic libraries worldwide today.