The Holy Quran 27:44 — Surah An-Naml

Arabic text

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

Translation

(To prove to her that man cannot depend only on his intelligence and senses and needs divine guidance,) She was told, (by someone) "Enter the palace." When she saw it (the glass palace built over water), she thought it was a pool of deep water and exposed her calf (as she lifted her dress to wade through the water). He (Sulaymaan عليه الصلاة والسلام) said (to her), "(This is not a pool of water but) It is a palace that is constructed (meticulously) from (an array of clear) glass (built over water, which is so clear that the glass is almost invisible and only the water can be seen)." (Realising that she needed guidance from Allaah), She said, "O my Rabb! I have surely oppressed my soul (by worshipping the sun which, according to my intelligence and senses, seemed to be the greatest power). (However,) I (now) submit with Sulaymaan عليه الصلاة والسلام to Allaah, the Rabb of the universe (because I realise that my intelligence and my senses alone cannot tell me everything and often deceives me)."

Tafsir (excerpt) — Tafsir Usmani

that is, to enter the water she raised the hems of her trousers, as is the common practice: when the depth of water is not fully known, the one entering it first rolls up the hems. Another test of Bilqis: Sulayman ﵇ was seated in an audience hall. In it, instead of stone, there was a floor of glass. From a distance the clear glass looked like rippling water.

Preview. The full text opens with JavaScript enabled.