Among the many captivating scenes in the Qur’an is one in which one of the smallest creatures is given a voice to deliver one of its most remarkable speeches.
As Prophet Sulaymān (as) marches with his army, the Qur’an records the words of an ant who notices the approaching procession and immediately addresses the rest of her colony:
يَا أَيُّهَا النَّمْلُ ادْخُلُوا مَسَاكِنَكُمْ لَا يَحْطِمَنَّكُمْ سُلَيْمَانُ وَجُنُودُهُ وَهُمْ لَا يَشْعُرُونَ
"O ants, enter your dwellings lest Sulaymān and his hosts crush you while they are unaware." (Qur'an 27:18)
Although the statement occupies only a small part of a single verse, scholars of Arabic rhetoric have long admired the remarkable richness of its language.
A Complete Speech in One Sentence
Classical scholars observed that this brief statement contains an extraordinary variety of rhetorical elements. In just a few words, the ant’s speech includes:
- A call
- An alert
- A direct address
- A command
- A report of an approaching event
- A warning
- Identification of those involved
For such a short sentence to incorporate so many distinct forms of expression is itself a remarkable example of eloquence.
More Than a Warning
The ant does far more than simply alert the colony to danger.
She first gathers the attention of her community:
“O ants…”
She then instructs them what to do:
“Enter your dwellings…”
She identifies the source of the danger:
“…lest Sulaymān and his armies crush you…”
Yet perhaps the most remarkable feature comes at the end of the statement. Rather than accusing Sulaymān or his army of carelessness or cruelty, she immediately adds:
“…while they are unaware.”
In other words, if harm were to occur, it would not be intentional.
A Lesson in Justice and Etiquette
This concluding phrase has attracted the attention of scholars for centuries. Even while warning her community of genuine danger, the ant does not attribute blame where none exists. She protects her fellow ants without speaking unjustly about Prophet Sulaymān (as) or his soldiers, recognising that any harm would be accidental rather than deliberate.
It is a beautiful example of fairness in speech. Concern for one’s own community does not become an excuse to misrepresent the intentions of others.
A Reflection
The Qur’an could simply have told us that the ants moved out of harm’s way. Instead, it records the words of a single ant in a manner that we find leadership, communication, concern for the community, justice towards others, and remarkable rhetorical precision in one statement.
It is observations such as these that form part of the study of Laṭāʾif al-Qur’an. By reflecting carefully on the Qur’an’s wording, we begin to appreciate that even the speech of an ant has been presented with extraordinary eloquence and profound lessons for those willing to pay attention.