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Sura 27
Aya 34
34
قالَت إِنَّ المُلوكَ إِذا دَخَلوا قَريَةً أَفسَدوها وَجَعَلوا أَعِزَّةَ أَهلِها أَذِلَّةً ۖ وَكَذٰلِكَ يَفعَلونَ

Muhammad Asad

Said she: "Verily, whenever kings enter a country they corrupt it,1 and turn the noblest of its people into the most abject. And this is the way they [always] behave.2
  • In this context - as pointed out by all classical commentators - the term dukhul undoubtedly connotes "entering by force ('anwatan)", whether it be by armed invasion or by usurpation of political power from within the country. (The term mulak, lit., "kings", may be understood to denote also persons who, while not being "kings" in the conventional sense of this word, wrongfully seize and forcibly hold absolute power over their "subjects".)
  • Thus, the Queen of Sheba rules out force as a suitable method for dealing with Solomon. Implied in her statement is the Qur'anic condemnation of all political power obtained through violence ('anwatan) inasmuch as it is bound to give rise to oppression, suffering and moral corruption.