The Lesson of the Hoopoe: Understanding Divine Decrees in Islam

When Decrees Strike: The Story of Sulayman and the Blindness of Caution

‘WHEN THE DECREE STRIKES A PERSON, HIS EYES BECOME BLIND AND HE LOSES ALL CAUTION’

ALLĀH tells:

وَتَفَقَّدَ ٱلطَّيۡرَ
He (Sulayman) inspected the birds,

Mujahid, Sa’id bin Jubayr and others narrated from Ibn ‘Abbas (may ALLĀH be pleased with him) and others that the hoopoe was an expert who used to show Sulayman where water was if he was out in open land and needed water.

The hoopoe would look for water for him in the various strata of the earth, just as a man looks at things on the surface of the earth, and he would know just how far below the surface the water was. When the hoopoe showed him where the water was, Sulayman would command the Jinn to dig in that place until they brought water from the depths of the earth.

One day Sulayman went to some open land and checked on the birds, but he could not see the hoopoe.

فَقَالَ مَالِيَ لاَ أَرَى الْهُدْهُدَ أَمْ كَانَ مِنَ الْغَآئِبِينَ
and (Sulayman) said: “What is the matter that I see not the hoopoe Or is he among the absentees”

One day ‘Abdullah bin ‘Abbas (may ALLĀH be pleased with him) told a similar story, and among the people was a man from the Khawarij whose name was Nafi’ bin Al-Azraq, who often used to raise objections to Ibn ‘Abbas. He said to him,

“Stop, O Ibn ‘Abbas; you will be defeated (in argument) today!”

Ibn ‘Abbas said: “Why”

Nafi’ said: “You are telling us that the hoopoe can see water beneath the ground, but any boy can put seed in a trap and cover the trap with dirt, and the hoopoe will come and take the seed, so the boy can catch him in the trap.”

Ibn ‘Abbas said, “If it was not for the fact that this man would go and tell others that he had defeated Ibn ‘Abbas in an argument, I would not even answer.”

Then he said to Nafi’: “Woe to you! When the decree strikes a person, his eyes become blind and he loses all caution.”

Nafi’ said: “By ALLĀH I will never dispute with you concerning anything in the Qur”an.”

{Tafsi‌r Ibn Kathīr}

ibnkathir #naml (27:20)