An-Naml · Makki · ayah 17 of 93

An-Naml 27:17

وَحُشِرَ لِسُلَيْمَـٰنَ جُنُودُهُۥ مِنَ ٱلْجِنِّ وَٱلْإِنسِ وَٱلطَّيْرِ فَهُمْ يُوزَعُونَ

“And gathered for Solomon were his soldiers of the jinn and men and birds, and they were [marching] in rows”

Saheeh International

Essence

Jinn, men and birds were mustered for Sulayman, the front held back for the rear: power kept in order, losing and crushing no one.

A reflection

The fast wait at the stile

A charity trek crosses three hills in a day. The fastest walkers reach the first stile in an hour and want to press on. The guide stops them there. They wait, a little impatient, until the last two walkers arrive, red-faced and apologising. Only then does the whole group climb over together. By evening nobody is lost, and nobody has been left behind on a hillside.

Fa-hum yūzaʿūn: and they were held in order. The lexicons picture the wāziʿ as the officer over the battle lines. He checked anyone who stepped forward unbidden, and held the front back for the rear. Two commentaries explain the ayah exactly so. The first of the host were held back so that the last could catch up, and no one fell behind.

One commentary notices which half the ayah mentions. It speaks of holding the front, not driving the rear, though either would close the gap. It sees mercy to both groups in that choice. The front get to rest a little. The rear are spared from wearing themselves out trying to keep up.

That is a quiet model of leadership. Many managers set the pace by their fastest people and then blame the rest for falling behind. Sulayman's host moved at a pace that kept everyone. The strongest were asked to wait, not the weakest to break.

A concise commentary adds another detail. For all their numbers, they were not left unattended. Each kind had someone turning the first back towards the last, so they stood together in order.

Ask where you set the pace in your family, team or community. Who is being told to hurry, when someone ahead should be told to wait?

The full entry has 5 more reflections, questions to sit with, and "Live it today" - with the words, the roots and the tafsir alongside. Free, no account, works offline.