وَتَفَقَّدَ الطَّيْرَ فَقَالَ مَا لِيَ لَا أَرَى الْهُدْهُدَ أَمْ كَانَ مِنَ الْغَائِبِينَ ﴿۲۰﴾ لَأُعَذِّبَنَّهُ عَذَابًا شَدِيدًا أَوْ لَأَذْبَحَنَّهُ أَوْ لَيَأْتِيَنِّي بِسُلْطَانٍ مُبِينٍ ﴿۲۱﴾

﴾20﴿ Wa tafaqqadat taira faqaala maa liya laaa araa al hudhuda, am kaana minal ghaaa'ibeen
﴾21﴿ La-u'azzibanahoo 'azaaban shadeedan aw la azbahannahoo aw layaatiyannee bisultaanim mubeen

﴾20﴿ And he searched among the birds and said, What is wrong with me that I do not see the hoopoe, or is he among the absent
﴾21﴿ Surely I will punish him with a sever punishment, or I will slaughter him, unless he brings me a clear excuse

[20] When Solomon (peace be upon him) reached the destination of this journey, he began inquiring about the presence and condition of both the elite and common members of his army.
The wisdoms of this verse are:
1. It is obligatory for a king or commander to know the presence of his soldiers and followers and to be informed of their condition.
2. Solomon (peace be upon him) did not possess knowledge of the unseen, as he was unaware of the situation of the hoopoe bird (hudhud), and he expressed the possibility of its absence in a structured way:
– First interpretation: Mā liya—“What is wrong with me,” meaning: what deficiency is there in my sight that the hoopoe does not appear before me?
– Second interpretation: Perhaps it is absent, and that’s why I do not see it.
This proves that the reason for not seeing was its absence, which is clear evidence that prophets (peace be upon them) cannot see the unseen unless Allah, the Exalted, shows it to them.
[21] The wisdoms in this are:
1. Punishing a wrongdoer for being absent without permission is justified.
2. Punishment varies according to the severity of the offense—for example, if the absence was short, he (Solomon) would punish with imprisonment; but if the absence was prolonged, he would order execution (slaughter).
3. However, if there is a valid excuse, then pardoning is appropriate.