an-Naml

Chapter heading and beginning of Surah an-Naml, Walters Art Museum

An-Naml ( Arabic النمل, DMG an-Naml  'The Ants') is the 27th sura of the Koran , it contains 93 verses . The preaching of the sura falls in the last years of the second Meccan period (615–620).

After the introductory Basmala and two mysterious letters, the first six verses of the sura praise the message of the Koran as a guide for the believers. The middle section, up to verse 58, tells the story of the prophets. These are Moses , David and Solomon , Salih by the Thamud and Lot . The eponymous ants appear in verse 18 in connection with Solomon, who understands the language of animals and brings a hoopoe an invitation to the Queen of Sheba , which is also opened in verse 30 with the Basmala. There is a parallel to this story in Jewish literature, the so-called Targumscheni , an Aramaic translation and elaboration of the book Esther , the exact date of which is disputed.

The final part from verse 59 onwards mentions the benefits of God, which are underpinned by the repeatedly repeated rhetorical question: "Is there a (different) God besides God?" This is followed by references to the beast that appears before the resurrection of the dead Judgment Day , the doubters among Jews and Christians, the prophetic mission of Muhammad and the sanctity of the city of Mecca .

Individual evidence

1. ^ Adel Theodor Khoury : The Koran. Translated and commented by Adel Theodor Khoury. Gütersloher Verlagshaus, Gütersloh 2007, ISBN 978-3-579-08023-9 , pp. 364-370.

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