The Quran has a chapter called Namal (ant), named after one of God’s tiny creations. It contains the story of Prophet King Solomon and his encounter with the ant colony. God gifted Solomon, son of David, with powers to hear and understand the communications of all jinns, birds and animals. The organisational capabilities of ants, their colonies and ability to carry almost 50 times more than their body weight are fascinating qualities. Ants have clear divisions of labour amongst themselves and a God-given ability to solve complex problems.
One day Solomon along with his massive army that consisted of men, birds, animals and jinns were marching to the country of Ashkelon. Seeing them approach the ant colony, the queen ant addressed her nation saying, “O ye ants.” She warned them of the impending danger and commanded them to go inside their dwellings, “lest Solomon and his men crush you unconsciously.” Grateful to God for the special gifts bestowed on him, Solomon smiled at the ant’s speech.
It is understood that Solomon ordered his army to step aside to avoid crushing the ants. While most readers of the Quran marvel at Solomon’s amazing powers, few reflect on the wisdom of the tiny ant. The queen ant called her people, acknowledged the crowd, identified the problem and prescribed a strategy. The ant realises that Solomon and his army do not intend to destroy them.
The deeper message is that we cannot be conscious when we hurt or kill people. Violence is an act of heedlessness, committed when one is unconscious of one’s conscience. There is wisdom in the ants going into their dwellings in dangerous times. It emphasises the importance of turning inwards to our true dwelling — that is the heart — to find solutions rather than engage in aimless confrontations.
