قَالَتْ إِنَّ ٱلْمُلُوكَ إِذَا دَخَلُوا۟ قَرْيَةً أَفْسَدُوهَا وَجَعَلُوٓا۟ أَعِزَّةَ أَهْلِهَآ أَذِلَّةً ۖ وَكَذَٰلِكَ يَفْعَلُونَ 34
Translations
She said, "Indeed kings - when they enter a city, they ruin it and render the honored of its people humbled. And thus do they do.
Transliteration
Qalat inna al-muluka idha dakhalu qariyatan afsaduhaa wa jaAAalu aAAizzata ahlihaa adhillatan wa kathalika yafAAalun
Tafsir (Explanation)
Queen Bilqis of Sheba speaks to her council, stating that when kings enter a city, they corrupt it and humiliate its noble inhabitants. This is her wise observation about the destructive nature of military conquest and the social upheaval that accompanies it. According to Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari, this statement reflects her intelligent reasoning and desire to seek a peaceful alternative to warfare—to bring the people to Islam through wisdom rather than force.
Revelation Context
This ayah occurs within the narrative of Prophet Sulaiman (Solomon) and the Queen of Sheba in Surah An-Naml. The Queen makes this statement to her advisors when she learns that Sulaiman's army is approaching, seeking to dissuade them from military conflict. It is part of the broader Meccan context of the surah, which emphasizes divine wisdom and the power of persuasion over force.
Related Hadiths
While no hadith directly quotes this ayah, it relates thematically to the Prophet's (peace be upon him) teachings on justice and mercy in leadership. Sahih Muslim records that the Prophet said, 'The best of you are those who are best to their families, and I am the best among you to my family,' emphasizing compassionate leadership rather than tyranny.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches that true strength lies not in military dominance or oppression, but in wisdom, diplomacy, and justice. Leaders are cautioned that their authority should uplift rather than degrade their people, and that peaceful, thoughtful approaches often yield better outcomes than force.
Related Ayahs
وَيَقُولُونَ مَتَىٰ هَـٰذَا ٱلْوَعْدُ إِن كُنتُمْ صَـٰدِقِينَ
And they say, "When is [the fulfillment of] this promise, if you should be truthful?"
وَأَدْخِلْ يَدَكَ فِى جَيْبِكَ تَخْرُجْ بَيْضَآءَ مِنْ غَيْرِ سُوٓءٍ ۖ فِى تِسْعِ ءَايَـٰتٍ إِلَىٰ فِرْعَوْنَ وَقَوْمِهِۦٓ ۚ إِنَّهُمْ كَانُوا۟ قَوْمًا فَـٰسِقِينَ
And put your hand into the opening of your garment [at the breast]; it will come out white without disease. [These are] among the nine signs [you will take] to Pharaoh and his people. Indeed, they have been a people defiantly disobedient."
قِيلَ لَهَا ٱدْخُلِى ٱلصَّرْحَ ۖ فَلَمَّا رَأَتْهُ حَسِبَتْهُ لُجَّةً وَكَشَفَتْ عَن سَاقَيْهَا ۚ قَالَ إِنَّهُۥ صَرْحٌ مُّمَرَّدٌ مِّن قَوَارِيرَ ۗ قَالَتْ رَبِّ إِنِّى ظَلَمْتُ نَفْسِى وَأَسْلَمْتُ مَعَ سُلَيْمَـٰنَ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ ٱلْعَـٰلَمِينَ
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 Allāh, Lord of the worlds."
قَالَ عِفْرِيتٌ مِّنَ ٱلْجِنِّ أَنَا۠ ءَاتِيكَ بِهِۦ قَبْلَ أَن تَقُومَ مِن مَّقَامِكَ ۖ وَإِنِّى عَلَيْهِ لَقَوِىٌّ أَمِينٌ
A powerful one from among the jinn said, "I will bring it to you before you rise from your place, and indeed, I am for this [task] strong and trustworthy."