Tazkirul Quran, Qur’an 27:15–16
The Ants (Al-Naml)
By Maulana Wahiduddin Khan
English text; the translator is not named in the archive’s data.
Translation
(15) We bestowed knowledge on David and Solomon and they both said, ‘Praise be to God who has exalted us above many of His believing servants.’ (16) Solomon succeeded David. He said, ‘Know, my people, that we have been taught the speech of birds and endowed with all good things. Surely this is God’s manifest grace.’
Commentary
(a) David was the prophet and king of the Children of Israel. His son, Solomon, succeeded him as prophet and king. Solomon’s empire extended from Palestine to Transjordan. God had given him different kinds of useful knowledge. Also, he was blessed with many things by way of miracles, for example, his ability to understand the language of birds, train them and use them to transmit messages, etc. Solomon enjoyed extraordinary superiority over his contemporaries. But this superiority only created a feeling of humility in him. Whatever he had he considered a direct gift from God.
The period of Solomon’s empire extended from 965 B.C. to 926 B.C.