Prophet Sulaiman and the Hoopoe: A Story from the Quran

    The Signs of Allah are reflected in His creatures, which are subdued to meet human needs and requirements. In the Quran, Allah tells us the story of one of His creatures, the hoopoe, and its encounter with Prophet Sulaiman. Allah gave Prophet Sulaiman many gifts, blessings, and a kingdom unlike any that had been given to anyone before or after him. One of these gifts was the ability to understand the speech of birds. All types of birds were part of Prophet Sulaiman’s army, and they were gathered before him in organised ranks. The hoopoe was known for searching for water and discovering its locations.

The Hoopoe Brings News from Sheba

    One day, Prophet Sulaiman was checking the birds in his army when he said, as mentioned in Surah An-Naml, verse 20:

“Why do I not see the hoopoe? Or is he among the absent?”
(وَتَفَقَّدَ الطَّيْرَ فَقَالَ مَا لِيَ لَا أَرَى الْهُدْهُدَ أَمْ كَانَ مِنَ الْغَائِبِينَ)

When the hoopoe returned to Prophet Sulaiman, it immediately told him about what it had discovered, saying:

“I have grasped that which you have not grasped, and I have come to you from Sheba with sure news.”
(فَمَكَثَ غَيْرَ بَعِيدٍ فَقَالَ أَحَطتُ بِمَا لَمْ تُحِطْ بِهِ وَجِئْتُكَ مِن سَبَإٍ بِنَبَإٍ يَقِينٍ)

The hoopoe described to Prophet Sulaiman a kingdom ruled by a woman who had been given an abundance of worldly possessions and a great throne. However, she and her people were not worshipping Allah. Instead, they were prostrating themselves to the sun. The hoopoe said, “I found her and her people prostrating to the sun instead of Allah.”

The hoopoe recognised the importance of worshipping Allah alone, the Creator of the heavens and the earth. It also fulfilled its role by discovering other lands and bringing important information to Prophet Sulaiman.

The Hoopoe Delivers Prophet Sulaiman’s Message

    Prophet Sulaiman was given all these gifts to spread the oneness of Allah and invite people to worship Allah alone. Therefore, he sent the hoopoe with a letter to Saba, inviting them to worship Allah alone, and instructed it to observe the queen’s response. The hoopoe followed Prophet Sulaiman’s command, went to Saba, and delivered the letter. After reading it, the queen summoned her ministers and advisers to consult them about the message she had received.

After a series of events between Prophet Sulaiman and the Queen of Saba, she submitted to Allah and embraced Islam. This was all part of Allah’s plan, and the hoopoe played an important role in bringing the truth to Prophet Sulaiman. The story reminds us that even a small creature can have an important role in serving Allah’s cause.

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said, as narrated by Abdullah ibn Abbas: “The Prophet prohibited killing four creatures: ants, bees, hoopoes, and sparrowhawks.” (Sahih, according to Al-Albani).

This story should motivate us to strive in calling people to Islam and to have faith that Allah grants victory and support to those who sincerely work for His cause.