Quran Universe
27:34

قَالَتۡ إِنَّ ٱلۡمُلُوكَ إِذَا دَخَلُواْ قَرۡيَةً أَفۡسَدُوهَا وَجَعَلُوٓاْ أَعِزَّةَ أَهۡلِهَآ أَذِلَّةٗۚ وَكَذَٰلِكَ يَفۡعَلُونَ

Qalat inna almulooka itha dakhaloo qaryatan afsadooha wajaAAaloo aAAizzata ahliha athillatan wakathalika yafAAaloona

She said, "Indeed kings - when they enter a city, they ruin it and render the honored of its people humbled. And thus do they do.

Word by word
  1. قَالَتۡShe said
  2. إِنَّIndeed
  3. ٱلۡمُلُوكَthe kings
  4. إِذَاwhen
  5. دَخَلُواْthey enter
  6. قَرۡيَةًa town
  7. أَفۡسَدُوهَاthey ruin it
  8. وَجَعَلُوٓاْand make
  9. أَعِزَّةَ(the) most honorable
  10. أَهۡلِهَآ(of) its people
  11. أَذِلَّةٗۚ(the) lowest
  12. وَكَذَٰلِكَAnd thus
  13. يَفۡعَلُونَthey do
An-Naml · 27:34Makkah

She knew what conquering kings leave behind.

Bilqis weighs the cost of war

What kings do
kings entera town
and
ruin itdestroy it
humble the honoredthe highest made lowest
Who confirms it
her opinionwhat she observed
and thus they doAllah confirms it

Ibn Abbas explained that Bilqis said kings destroy a town they enter and make its most honorable people the lowest. Then Allah said: and thus they do, confirming her words. She saw where a fight would lead.

You picture winning the argument with your spouse, the lawsuit with your neighbor. Winning can still wreck the house. Bilqis looked past the victory to what it would leave behind.

Winning a conflict is the same as coming out well.

Before any fight, I should picture what it will do to the people around me.

Try this

Before your next argument, ask what the relationship will look like afterward.

Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir (shared passage from 27:32)

She said: "O chiefs! Advise me in case of mine. I decide no case till you are present with me. (32)They said: "We have great strength, and great ability for war, but it is for you to command; so think over what you will command. (33)She said: "Verily, kings, when they enter a town, they destroy it and make the most honorable among its people the lowest. And thus they do. (34)"But verily, I am going to send him a present, and see with what (answer) the messengers return. (35)

Bilqis consults with Her Chiefs

When she read Sulayman's letter to them and consulted with them about this news, she said:

يَا أَيُّهَا الْمَلَأُ أَفْتُونِي فِي أَمْرِي مَا كُنْتُ قَاطِعَةً أَمْرًا حَتَّىٰ تَشْهَدُونِ

("O chiefs! Advise me in (this) case of mine. I decide no case till you are present with me.") meaning, 'until you come together and offer me your advice.'

قَالُوا نَحْنُ أُولُو قُوَّةٍ وَأُولُو بَأْسٍ شَدِيدٍ

(They said: "We have great strength, and great ability for war...")

They reminded her of their great numbers, preparedness and strength, then they referred the matter to her and said:

وَالْأَمْرُ إِلَيْكِ فَانْظُرِي مَاذَا تَأْمُرِينَ

(but it is for you to command; so think over what you will command.) meaning, 'we have the power and strength, if you want to go to him and fight him.' The matter is yours to decide, so instruct us as you see fit and we will obey. Ibn 'Abbas said: "Bilqis said:

إِنَّ الْمُلُوكَ إِذَا دَخَلُوا قَرْيَةً أَفْسَدُوهَا وَجَعَلُوا أَعِزَّةَ أَهْلِهَا أَذِلَّةً ۖ 

(Verily, kings, when they enter a town, they destroy it and make the most honorable amongst its people the lowest.) And Allah said:

وَكَذَٰلِكَ يَفْعَلُونَ

(And thus they do.) Then she resorted to peaceful means, seeking a truce and trying to placate Sulayman, and said:

وَإِنِّي مُرْسِلَةٌ إِلَيْهِمْ بِهَدِيَّةٍ فَنَاظِرَةٌ بِمَ يَرْجِعُ الْمُرْسَلُونَ 

(But verily, I am going to send him a present, and see with what the messengers return.) meaning, 'I will send him a gift befitting for one of his status, and will wait and see what his response will be. Perhaps he will accept that and leave us alone, or he will impose a tax which we can pay him every year, so that he will not fight us and wage war against us.' Qatadah said: "May Allah have mercy on her and be pleased with her – how wise she was as a Muslim and (before that) as an idolator! She understood how gift-giving has a good effect on people." Ibn 'Abbas and others said: "She said to her people, if he accepts the gift, he is a king, so fight him; but if he does not accept it, he is a Prophet, so follow him."