"And he surveyed the birds and said, 'How is it that I do not see the hoopoe? Or is he among those who are absent? I will surely punish him with a severe punishment, or I shall slaughter him, unless he brings me a clear warrant.'"
Quran 27:20
This seemingly strange passage is drawn from the 27th surah, al-Naml, here rendered as "The Ants." The quoted speaker is Solomon.
Once again, thanks to Seyyed Nasr for his corresponding commentary in the Study Quran:
"The hoopoe (hudhud) is a medium-sized birth with a long thin bill, notable for a distinctive crest on its head. In the commentary, the hoopoe is described as knowing where the nearest water as, and when Solomon asked about the water, he discovered the hoopoe was absent; others say that he learned of the hoopoe's absence, because if was the bird's function to shield Solomon from the sun. Some note that Solomon's reaction shows one of the qualities of a great leader - he was aware of the condition of those he led, down to that of a single bird. As a spiritual allegory and symbol, this passage is interpreted to be a drama between the spiritual heart, or the spirit within one, and the ego. The hoopoe symbolizes an aspect or faculty of the soul, while Solomon is the spiritual heart that must control the soul and take it to task when it disobeys.. The soul can become lost in heedlessness of God; yet its faculties are able to bring to the soul knowledge and wisdom previous undiscovered." (p. 932)
I chose this passage for several reasons, one related to Attar's work (referenced below), the biggest being the fact that the Quran is an intensely metaphoric work (unlike the painfully literal work it is often portrayed to be by folks unfamiliar with it). Also,once again, how does one begin to understand the Quran unless you're willing to truly study it, which means owning and tearing into something like the Study Quran. There are worlds within worlds here, which from a Muslim perspective proves the miraculous origins; how could an unlettered merchant have produced this work of lyric poetry and transcendent philosophy?
Quran 27:20
This seemingly strange passage is drawn from the 27th surah, al-Naml, here rendered as "The Ants." The quoted speaker is Solomon.
Once again, thanks to Seyyed Nasr for his corresponding commentary in the Study Quran:
"The hoopoe (hudhud) is a medium-sized birth with a long thin bill, notable for a distinctive crest on its head. In the commentary, the hoopoe is described as knowing where the nearest water as, and when Solomon asked about the water, he discovered the hoopoe was absent; others say that he learned of the hoopoe's absence, because if was the bird's function to shield Solomon from the sun. Some note that Solomon's reaction shows one of the qualities of a great leader - he was aware of the condition of those he led, down to that of a single bird. As a spiritual allegory and symbol, this passage is interpreted to be a drama between the spiritual heart, or the spirit within one, and the ego. The hoopoe symbolizes an aspect or faculty of the soul, while Solomon is the spiritual heart that must control the soul and take it to task when it disobeys.. The soul can become lost in heedlessness of God; yet its faculties are able to bring to the soul knowledge and wisdom previous undiscovered." (p. 932)
I chose this passage for several reasons, one related to Attar's work (referenced below), the biggest being the fact that the Quran is an intensely metaphoric work (unlike the painfully literal work it is often portrayed to be by folks unfamiliar with it). Also,once again, how does one begin to understand the Quran unless you're willing to truly study it, which means owning and tearing into something like the Study Quran. There are worlds within worlds here, which from a Muslim perspective proves the miraculous origins; how could an unlettered merchant have produced this work of lyric poetry and transcendent philosophy?
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| And the actual hoopoe, who doesn't look that mischievous. Actually, this is making me want to get back to reading Farid un-din Attar's Sufi masterpiece the Conference of the Birds, in which the hoopoe plays a very big role. |
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