Surah An Naml Tafseer

وَوَرِثَ سُلَيْمَانُ دَاوُودَ

And Suleiman inherited from Dawud.

means, in kingship and Prophethood.

What is meant here is not wealth, because if that were the case, Suleiman would not have been singled out from among the sons of Dawud, as Dawud had one hundred wives. Rather what is meant is the inheritance of kingship and Prophethood, for the wealth of the Prophets cannot be inherited, as the Messenger of Allah said:

نَحْنُ مَعَاشِرَ الاَْنْبِيَاءِ لَا نُورَثُ مَا تَرَكْنَاهُ فَهُوَ صَدَقَة

We Prophets cannot be inherited from; whatever we leave behind is charity.

وَقَالَ

And (Suleiman) said:

يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ عُلِّمْنَا مَنطِقَ الطَّيْرِ وَأُوتِينَا مِن كُلِّ شَيْءٍ

O mankind! We have been taught the language of birds, and we have been given from everything.

Here Suleiman was speaking of the blessings that Allah bestowed upon him, by giving him complete authority and power, whereby mankind, the Jinn and the birds were subjugated to him.

He also knew the language of the birds and animals, which is something that had never been given to any other human being -- as far as we know from what Allah and His Messenger told us.

Allah enabled Suleiman to understand what the birds said to one another as they flew through the air, and what the different kinds of animals said.

Suleiman said:

عُلِّمْنَا مَنطِقَ الطَّيْرِ وَأُوتِينَا مِن كُلِّ شَيْءٍ

(We have been taught the language of birds, and we have been given from everything).

i.e., all things that a king needs.

إِنَّ هَذَا لَهُوَ الْفَضْلُ الْمُبِينُ

This, verily, is an evident grace.

means, `this is clearly the blessings of Allah upon us.'

وَحُشِرَ لِسُلَيْمَانَ جُنُودُهُ مِنَ الْجِنِّ وَالاِْنسِ وَالطَّيْرِ فَهُمْ يُوزَعُونَ