Quran Universe
34:14

فَلَمَّا قَضَيۡنَا عَلَيۡهِ ٱلۡمَوۡتَ مَا دَلَّهُمۡ عَلَىٰ مَوۡتِهِۦٓ إِلَّا دَآبَّةُ ٱلۡأَرۡضِ تَأۡكُلُ مِنسَأَتَهُۥۖ فَلَمَّا خَرَّ تَبَيَّنَتِ ٱلۡجِنُّ أَن لَّوۡ كَانُواْ يَعۡلَمُونَ ٱلۡغَيۡبَ مَا لَبِثُواْ فِي ٱلۡعَذَابِ ٱلۡمُهِينِ

Falamma qadayna AAalayhi almawta ma dallahum AAala mawtihi illa dabbatu alardi takulu minsaatahu falamma kharra tabayyanati aljinnu an law kanoo yaAAlamoona alghayba ma labithoo fee alAAathabi almuheeni

And when We decreed for Solomon death, nothing indicated to the jinn his death except a creature of the earth eating his staff. But when he fell, it became clear to the jinn that if they had known the unseen, they would not have remained in humiliating punishment.

Word by word
  1. فَلَمَّاThen when
  2. قَضَيۡنَاWe decreed
  3. عَلَيۡهِfor him
  4. ٱلۡمَوۡتَthe death
  5. مَاnot
  6. دَلَّهُمۡindicated to them
  7. عَلَىٰ[on]
  8. مَوۡتِهِۦٓhis death
  9. إِلَّاexcept
  10. دَآبَّةُa creature
  11. ٱلۡأَرۡضِ(of) the earth
  12. تَأۡكُلُeating
  13. مِنسَأَتَهُۥۖhis staff
  14. فَلَمَّاBut when
  15. خَرَّhe fell down
  16. تَبَيَّنَتِbecame clear
  17. ٱلۡجِنُّ(to) the jinn
  18. أَنthat
  19. لَّوۡif
  20. كَانُواْthey had
  21. يَعۡلَمُونَknown
  22. ٱلۡغَيۡبَthe unseen
  23. مَاnot
  24. لَبِثُواْthey (would have) remained
  25. فِيin
  26. ٱلۡعَذَابِthe punishment
  27. ٱلۡمُهِينِhumiliating
Saba · 34:14Makkah

A tiny worm revealed what the jinn never knew.

The death of Sulayman and the limits of the unseen

How his death came out
Sulaymanleaning on his staff
a small creatureeating the staff
he fell, and
the jinn exposedthey did not know
Who knows the unseen
the jinn, fortune tellers
Allah alone

Sulayman died leaning on his staff, and stayed that way a long time while the jinn kept working. Only when a small creature of the earth ate through the staff and he fell did they realize. Ibn Kathir says it became clear the jinn do not know the unseen, as they had led people to believe.

Horoscope apps, palm readers, someone who claims to see your future. It is tempting when you are anxious about money or marriage. The jinn could not even tell that a king had died in front of them. The unseen is Allah's alone.

Someone with special insight might be able to tell me what is coming.

Only Allah knows the unseen. I bring my worries about the future to Him.

Try this

When you feel anxious about the future today, make a short dua instead of searching for answers.

Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir

Then when We decreed death for him, nothing informed them (Jinn) of his death except a little worm of the earth which kept (slowly) gnawing away at his stick. So when he fell down, the Jinn saw clearly that if they had known the Unseen, they would not have stayed in the humiliating torment (14)

The Death of Sulayman

Allah tells us how Sulayman, peace be upon him, died and how Allah concealed his death from the Jinn who were subjugated to him to do hard labor. He remained leaning on his stick, which was his staff, as Ibn 'Abbas may Allah be pleased with him, Mujahid, Al-Hasan, Qatadah and others said. He stayed like that for a long time, nearly a year. When a creature of the earth, which was a kind of worm, ate through the stick, it became weak and fell to the ground. Then it became apparent that he had died a long time before. It also became clear to Jinn and men alike that the Jinn do not know the Unseen as they (the Jinn) used to imagine and tried to deceive people. This is what Allah says:

مَا دَلَّهُمْ عَلَىٰ مَوْتِهِ إِلَّا دَابَّةُ الْأَرْضِ تَأْكُلُ مِنْسَأَتَهُ ۖ فَلَمَّا خَرَّ تَبَيَّنَتِ الْجِنُّ أَنْ لَوْ كَانُوا يَعْلَمُونَ الْغَيْبَ مَا لَبِثُوا فِي الْعَذَابِ الْمُهِينِ 

(nothing informed them (Jinn) of his death except a little worm of the earth which kept (slowly) gnawing away at his stick. So when he fell down, the Jinn saw clearly that if they had known the Unseen, they would not have stayed in the humiliating torment.) meaning, it became clear to the people that they (the Jinn) were lying.