NAME: النمل, An-Naml.
Name taken from Verse 18 where there is a mention of “An-Naml”.
١٨ حَتَّىٰ إِذَا أَتَوْا عَلَىٰ وَادِ النَّمْلِ قَالَتْ نَمْلَةٌ يَا أَيُّهَا النَّمْلُ ادْخُلُوا مَسَاكِنَكُمْ لَا يَحْطِمَنَّكُمْ سُلَيْمَانُ وَجُنُودُهُ وَهُمْ لَا يَشْعُرُونَ
18 Until, when they came upon the valley of the ants, an ant said, “O ants, enter your dwellings that you not be crushed by Solomon and his soldiers while they perceive not.”
But It does not mean that this name is the actual topic discussed in the whole Surah. It is just a reference and mark/symbol to distinguish this Surah from others as is with most other Surahs of Quran. While there are diversified topics discussed in these Surahs.
ENGLISH NAME: The Ants.
CHAPTER NUMBER: 27
SURAH NAML TOTAL VERSES: 93
SURAH NAML TOTAL WORDS: 1,159
TOTAL UNIQUE WORDS WITHOUT REPETITION: 679
TOTAL LETTERS: 4,790
REVELATION PERIOD:
Meccan, Approx. 616 – 620 AD.
MAIN CHARACTERS:
God, Moses, David, Solomon, Jinn, Birds, Ants, Hud Hud/Hoopoe, Queen Sheba, The Person having Knowledge of the Book, Thamud, Salih, Lut, Dabat Ul Arz /Beast Of The Earth.
SURAH NAML MAIN TOPICS:
Moses Story, Sees Fire, God Speaks to Moses, Solomon Story his Miracles and Ants Valley, Queen Sheba and Her Throne, Prophet Salih and Lut stories, Logical Signs From Creation Of All Around Us, Beast Of The Earth.
SURAH NAML KEY VERSES:
٨ فَلَمَّا جَاءَهَا نُودِيَ أَنْ بُورِكَ مَنْ فِي النَّارِ وَمَنْ حَوْلَهَا وَسُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ
8 But when he came to it, he was called, “Blessed is whoever is at the fire and whoever is around it. And exalted is Allah, Lord of the worlds.
٩ يَا مُوسَىٰ إِنَّهُ أَنَا اللَّهُ الْعَزِيزُ الْحَكِيمُ
9 O Moses, indeed it is I – Allah, the Exalted in Might, the Wise.”
٢٢ فَمَكَثَ غَيْرَ بَعِيدٍ فَقَالَ أَحَطْتُ بِمَا لَمْ تُحِطْ بِهِ وَجِئْتُكَ مِنْ سَبَإٍ بِنَبَإٍ يَقِينٍ
22 But the hoopoe stayed not long and said, “I have encompassed [in knowledge] that which you have not encompassed, and I have come to you from Sheba with certain news.
٣٠ إِنَّهُ مِنْ سُلَيْمَانَ وَإِنَّهُ بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ
30 Indeed, it is from Solomon, and indeed, it reads: ‘In the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful,
٣٨ قَالَ يَا أَيُّهَا الْمَلَأُ أَيُّكُمْ يَأْتِينِي بِعَرْشِهَا قَبْلَ أَنْ يَأْتُونِي مُسْلِمِينَ
38 [Solomon] said, “O assembly [of jinn], which of you will bring me her throne before they come to me in submission?”
٤٤ قِيلَ لَهَا ادْخُلِي الصَّرْحَ ۖ فَلَمَّا رَأَتْهُ حَسِبَتْهُ لُجَّةً وَكَشَفَتْ عَنْ سَاقَيْهَا ۚ قَالَ إِنَّهُ صَرْحٌ مُمَرَّدٌ مِنْ قَوَارِيرَ ۗ قَالَتْ رَبِّ إِنِّي ظَلَمْتُ نَفْسِي وَأَسْلَمْتُ مَعَ سُلَيْمَانَ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ
44 She was told, “Enter the palace.” But when she saw it, she thought it was a body of water and uncovered her shins [to wade through]. He said, “Indeed, it is a palace [whose floor is] made smooth with glass.” She said, “My Lord, indeed I have wronged myself, and I submit with Solomon to Allah, Lord of the worlds.”
٨٢ وَإِذَا وَقَعَ الْقَوْلُ عَلَيْهِمْ أَخْرَجْنَا لَهُمْ دَابَّةً مِنَ الْأَرْضِ تُكَلِّمُهُمْ أَنَّ النَّاسَ كَانُوا بِآيَاتِنَا لَا يُوقِنُونَ
82 And when the word befalls them, We will bring forth for them a creature from the earth speaking to them, [saying] that the people were, of Our verses, not certain [in faith].
SUMMARY OF TOPICS
1-6(Quran; Guidance And Good Tidings), 7-12(Moses Story, With His Family Sees Fire, Allah In Fire, 9 Miracles Given), 15-17(David Solomon Given Knowledge And Favors, Story Of Solomon; Miracles Birds Language, Rule Over Birds, Jinn And Humans), 18-19(Story Of Solomon; Ants Valley, Dialogues Between Ants, Solomon Hears), 20-37(Story Of Solomon; Hud Hud/Hoopoe & Story Of Saba, Letter To Sheba Starting With “Bismi Allah”/“In The Name Of God” Verse30), 38-40( Story Of Solomon; Which Of You Will Bring Me Her Throne, Jinn Reply, The One Given Knowledge Of Book Brought In Eye Twinkling), 41-44(Story Of Solomon; Change Of Throne Appearance, Glass Floor Like Water Pool, Queen Of Sheba Embraced Islam), 45-52( Prophet Salih To Thamud, There Were In The City Nine Family Heads Causing Corruption Verse48, Killing Plan Of Salih, Allah Saved Him And Destroyed Them), 54-58 ( Prophet Lut, Do You Indeed Approach Men With Desire Instead Of Women? Verse 55, God Saved Lut And His Family, Except For His Wife And Destroyed Others), 59-69(Logical Signs From Creation Of All Around Us, Repeated Creation; Who Begins Creation And Then Repeats It And Who Provides For You From The Heaven And Earth?, Disbelievers Doubts On Resurrection ), 71-72(Dooms Day Is Near, ), 82(Dabat Ul Arz /Beast Of The Earth), 84( Denied God’s Signs Without Knowledge), 87(First Trumpet/ Sur), 88(You Think Assume Mountains As Rigid; Mountains Move), 93(Allah Will Show You His Signs/ Portents, , And You Will Recognize Them)
SURAH NAML BRIEF COMMENTARY & BACK GROUND
This Surah has 93 verses divided into 7 Rukus/Sections. This Surah was revealed in Mecca and according to traditions it revealed after Surah Shuara and they both revealed after Surah Taha. The intense friction had begun between Prophet Muhammad and the disbelievers. Many Muslims have already migrated to the nearby country of Abyssinia. As already discussed Surah Taha revealed just before Umar bin Khattab’s conversion to Islam.
Name taken from verse 18 wherein Solomon story there is a mention of the valley of Ants and the dialogues of Ants between each other, which Solomon heard.
Many past events have been told from history to warn and advise them. The central theme of the Surah is that guidance is from God and only God-fearing people are those whom God like. A powerful king like Solomon thinks himself answerable to God while the the Meccans who were rejecting Muhammad, although nothing in comparison to the power and wealth of Solomon, not accepting the truth only because of their stubborn attitude while on another hand Queen Sheba who also brought up in an idol worshipping society after recognizing the truth didn’t delay in accepting that.
God kept on sending His messengers in the past throughout the world in different nations to remind them to warn them. Some Nations accepted these messages and were guided, while others denied them and they saw the consequences of their denial. Surah ends with the depiction of the scene of the last day and the logical end of righteous and wrongdoers.
