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Bismillah.
وَجَدتُّهَا وَقَوْمَهَا يَسْجُدُونَ لِلشَّمْسِ مِن دُونِ اللَّهِ وَزَيَّنَ لَهُمُ الشَّيْطَانُ أَعْمَالَهُمْ فَصَدَّهُمْ عَنِ السَّبِيلِ فَهُمْ لَا يَهْتَدُونَ
I found her and her people prostrating to the sun instead of Allah, and Satan has made their deeds seem decorous to them. Thus, he has barred them from the way [of Allah], so they are not guided.
(Sūrat al- Naml No. 27, Āyat 24)
Prophet Sulaymān son of Dāwūd ‘alayhimas-salām was one of the important prophets and the third monarch of the kingdom that the Banū Isrā’īl established in Palestine. Under his rule the grandeur of this kingdom reached its climax, as he ruled by Allah’s miracle over men, jinn, birds and even the wind! With the help of jinn who would build for him and obtain precious gems by diving into the sea, he built a magnificent temple that was known as the Temple of Solomon.
In an incident that occurred during the reign of Sulaymān (a) that is recounted in Sūrat al-Naml, Sulaymān was once inspecting his troops when he noticed that a specific bird, the hoopoe, was absent. Upset with this, he said: Why do I not see the hoopoe? Or is he absent? I will punish him with a severe punishment, or I will behead him, unless he brings me a credible excuse (Q 27:20-21). While this reaction of Sulaymān (a) may seem exceedingly harsh, we must remember that he was an infallible prophet as can be proven without a shadow of doubt. Hence, an explanation must be given for his words. Perhaps due to the sensitive military situation of the time, being absent from this gathering needed to be dealt with harshly.
Shortly later the hoopoe appears and explains his absence by saying: I have encompassed [in knowledge] something which you have not encompassed, and I have brought you from Sheba a definite report (Q 27:22). From Palestine the hoopoe had traveled all the way to Yemen and observed the kingdom of Bilqīs, the Queen of Sheba. Despite her grand kingdom and material opulence, she and her people were in a state of misguidance due to their polytheism.
The contemporary exegete of the Quran Āyatullāh Jawādī Āmulī comments on these verses and the subsequent words of the hoopoe, saying that such words are what one would expect from a great philosopher, not a simple bird! They are indicative of deep knowledge and wisdom. For example, the hoopoe says in this verse that polytheism is the result of Satan’s deception; it is Satan who stops man from traversing the way of God and of true guidance, which is to prostrate to Him alone. Āyatullāh Jawādī says that in fact many of the messages of the prophets of Allah are encapsulated in these short words of the hoopoe!
He then comments that this is the level that even an animal can attain under the guidance of a prophet of Allah like Sulaymān (a)! What then is the potential of believers today, who have the teachings of Islam at their disposal and the blessed existence of the 12th Imam ‘ajjallāhu ta‘ālā farjahu sharīf as their guide?! A human being’s potential is higher than that of an animal, the message of Islam is more perfect than the creed of Sulaymān (a), and our Imam’s level is higher than his.
We pray to Allah that He gives us the opportunity to attain the highest levels of our potential as the hoopoe did. We also pray that He brings an end to the incessant and brutal suffering that is happening today in the holy land of Palestine, the abode of prophets of Allah such as Sulaymān and Dāwūd.
Sources: Āyatullāh Jawādī Āmulī, Sīreh-ye Payambarān dar Qur’ān (Tafsīr-e Mawdu’ī, vol. 7), Rizwan Arastu, God’s Emissaries: Adam to Jesus.