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Saba (Sheba)

Verse 14of 54

فَلَمَّا قَضَيْنَا عَلَيْهِ ٱلْمَوْتَ مَا دَلَّهُمْ عَلَىٰ مَوْتِهِۦٓ إِلَّا دَآبَّةُ ٱلْأَرْضِ تَأْكُلُ مِنسَأَتَهُۥ ۖ فَلَمَّا خَرَّ تَبَيَّنَتِ ٱلْجِنُّ أَن لَّوْ كَانُوا۟ يَعْلَمُونَ ٱلْغَيْبَ مَا لَبِثُوا۟ فِى ٱلْعَذَابِ ٱلْمُهِينِ﴿١٤

Translation (Sahih International)

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

Word-by-word meaning

فَلَمَّاfalammāThen when
قَضَيْنَاqaḍaynāWe decreed
عَلَيْهِʿalayhifor him
ٱلْمَوْتَl-mawtathe death
مَاnot
دَلَّهُمْdallahumindicated to them
عَلَىٰʿalā[on]
مَوْتِهِۦٓmawtihihis death
إِلَّاillāexcept
دَآبَّةُdābbatua creature
ٱلْأَرْضِl-arḍi(of) the earth
تَأْكُلُtakulueating
مِنسَأَتَهُۥ ۖminsa-atahuhis staff
فَلَمَّاfalammāBut when
خَرَّkharrahe fell down
تَبَيَّنَتِtabayyanatibecame clear
ٱلْجِنُّl-jinu(to) the jinn
أَنanthat
لَّوْlawif
كَانُوا۟kānūthey had
يَعْلَمُونَyaʿlamūnaknown
ٱلْغَيْبَl-ghaybathe unseen
مَاnot
لَبِثُوا۟labithūthey (would have) remained
فِىin
ٱلْعَذَابِl-ʿadhābithe punishment
ٱلْمُهِينِl-muhīnihumiliating

Commentary (Tafsir Ibn Kathir)

The Death of SulaymanAllah tells us how Sulayman, peace be upon him, died and how Allah concealed his death from the Jinn who were subjugated to him to do hard labor. He remained leaning on his stick, which was his staff, as Ibn `Abbas may Allah be pleased with him, Mujahid, Al-Hasan, Qatadah and others said. He stayed like that for a long time, nearly a year. When a creature of the earth, which was a kind of worm, ate through the stick, it became weak and fell to the ground.

Source: Tafsir Ibn Kathir — abridged excerpt

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