Among the chapters of the Holy Qur’an, the twenty-seventh is named al-Naml, which means “The Ant.” The reference to this tiny creature appears in verse eighteen of the chapter. It is during the majestic expedition of Prophet Sulaymān (Solomon) that this remarkable scene unfolds.
Sulaymān, peace be upon him, was among the greatest kings the world had ever seen. Allah had subjected to him not just humans, but also jinn, spirits, and even the wind. He had been granted the ability to understand the languages of non-human creatures. According to a narration from Wahb ibn Munabbih, Prophet Sulaymān was traveling from Istakhar to Yemen, accompanied by his family, attendants, soldiers, and a vast entourage. There were cooks and ovens, and animals trained for preparing food.
During this grand journey, they passed through Madinah, the blessed city of the Prophet ﷺ. Upon arrival, Sulaymān supplicated: “Blessings be upon those who believe in him and follow him!” Later, the caravan reached a place in Ṭā’if called Wādī al-Sadīr, the Valley of Sadīr. It was here that a vast colony of ants resided.
Sensing the approach of Sulaymān and his forces, one ant raised an alarm, cautioning the others. The Qur’an presents only this part of the encounter, in these words:
{ حَتَّىٰۤ إِذَاۤ أَتَوۡا۟ عَلَىٰ وَادِ ٱلنَّمۡلِ قَالَتۡ نَمۡلَةࣱ یَـٰۤأَیُّهَا ٱلنَّمۡلُ ٱدۡخُلُوا۟ مَسَـٰكِنَكُمۡ لَا یَحۡطِمَنَّكُمۡ سُلَیۡمَـٰنُ وَجُنُودُهُۥ وَهُمۡ لَا یَشۡعُرُونَ. فَتَبَسَّمَ ضَاحِكࣰا مِّن قَوۡلِهَا وَقَالَ رَبِّ أَوۡزِعۡنِیۤ أَنۡ أَشۡكُرَ نِعۡمَتَكَ ٱلَّتِیۤ أَنۡعَمۡتَ عَلَیَّ وَعَلَىٰ وَ ٰلِدَیَّ وَأَنۡ أَعۡمَلَ صَـٰلِحࣰا تَرۡضَىٰهُ وَأَدۡخِلۡنِی بِرَحۡمَتِكَ فِی عِبَادِكَ ٱلصَّـٰلِحِینَ }(Surah al-Naml, 27:18–19)
Until, when they came upon the valley of the ants, an ant said: ‘O ants! Enter your homes, lest Sulaymān and his soldiers crush you, while they are unaware.’ So [Sulaymān] smiled in amusement at her words, and said: ‘My Lord! Inspire me to always be thankful for Your blessings which You have bestowed upon me and my parents, and to do righteous deeds that please You. And admit me, by Your mercy, into the company of Your righteous servants.’
From these verses arise a series of astonishing reflections that not only speak to the miraculous nature of revelation but also unveil intricate layers of scientific, moral, and spiritual insight.
1. A Gateway into Myrmecology
Myrmecology, the scientific study of ants, finds an early pointer in this Qur’anic verse. For the believer, ants are not mere insignificant creatures. The very act of the Qur’an highlighting them affirms their special status. Every curious student of nature is left with no doubt: the ant is a species replete with unique features, worthy of rigorous observation. Anyone who sets out to study the world of ants enters a realm so wondrous it can only be described as a universe of marvels.
Belonging to the order Hymenoptera, ants comprise over 11,000 species. They can carry weights many times heavier than their own bodies. Their vision spans an impressive range in all directions from a single position. Their sense of smell is extraordinarily refined. Their colonies, architecture, and social structures are among the most organized in the animal kingdom.
In this single Qur’anic verse, scholars have identified no fewer than thirteen distinct features of the ant’s behavior: the ability to detect danger; to issue a warning; to address a community with clarity and urgency (“O ants!”); to command action (“Enter your dwellings!”); to prevent harm (“Lest you be crushed”); to attribute possible harm to inadvertence, not malice (“while they are unaware”); and to advise with wisdom and concern. The verse captures all this in a few words—a demonstration of the literary elegance of the Qur’an.
2. A Highly Structured Social Life
The ant’s proclamation in the verse is an example of civic responsibility at its finest. The concern is not for herself, but for the well-being of the entire community. This is not mere instinct—it is societal consciousness. The name of the chapter itself, al-Naml, points to the importance of the collective. Ants cannot live in isolation. Solitary ants either reunite with the colony or perish. Colonies may contain hundreds, thousands, or even millions of ants. Their social organization astonishes even humans.
Ant colonies feature queens (who lay eggs), workers (sterile females who perform all essential tasks), and soldiers (defenders with strong mandibles and chemical weapons). Each has a defined role. Queens live long—some up to 15 years—and never leave the nest except during colony migrations. Workers clean, feed larvae, guard the queen, forage, store food, and even nurse injured ants. Duties are divided based on age and caste.
External tasks like foraging involve ants lifting loads double their weight, often cooperatively. Ants harvest and store grains for winter. They even prevent sprouting by clipping roots and drying damp grains in the sun before storing them again—an act of careful preservation. They regulate temperature within nests with remarkable precision.
3. Ants Can Perform Surgery
In a 2024 study, behavioral ecologist Erik Thomas Frank of the University of Würzburg found that certain ants treat wounded colony members with medicinal secretions and even conduct limb amputations—tiny surgeries lasting from 40 minutes to three hours. This behavior, unique among insects, testifies to the sophistication of ant society.
4. Ants Have Language
The Qur’anic narrative centers around one ant warning others. This raises an important question: Do ants have language? Do they communicate?
Certainly, the Qur’an teaches us that all creatures are communities like us:
{ وَمَا مِن دَاۤبَّةࣲ فِی ٱلۡأَرۡضِ وَلَا طَـٰۤىِٕرࣲ یَطِیرُ بِجَنَاحَیۡهِ إِلَّاۤ أُمَمٌ أَمۡثَالُكُمۚ مَّا فَرَّطۡنَا فِی ٱلۡكِتَـٰبِ مِن شَیۡءࣲۚ ثُمَّ إِلَىٰ رَبِّهِمۡ یُحۡشَرُونَ }(Surah al-Anʿām, 6:38)
There is no creature on the earth or bird that flies with its wings except [that they are] communities like you. We have neglected nothing in the Book. Then to their Lord they will be gathered.
Ant communication has been studied for decades, yet much remains unknown. Their brains are the size of a grain of dust, but they may utilize multiple forms of communication.
Three primary types have been identified:
1. Chemical language: Ants secrete pheromones that convey complex signals, such as warnings or directional cues.
2. Kinetic language: They use body parts like antennae, legs, and abdomen to send visual or tactile messages.
3. Acoustic language: Ants produce vibrational sounds through body parts like their legs, detectable by specialized organs.
Without such means of communication, their intricate social systems would not be possible. Ants even share food mouth-to-mouth and maintain organized markets within colonies!
5. Ants Possess Memory, Intellect, and Awareness
The Qur’anic ant not only recognizes the approaching danger but also realizes that any harm would be unintentional. This shows recognition, reflection, and foresight. Indeed, ant soldiers, often three hundred times larger than ordinary ants, are ever-vigilant. They detect sounds, leap onto enemies—even onto human shoes—and defend their colonies with their lives. Beyond this, ants also engage in agriculture and animal husbandry. Yes—ants cultivate fungus and domesticate other insects like aphids for their honeydew secretions. They protect these “dairy animals” from predators and even clip their wings to prevent them from flying away.
6. The Speaker Was a Female Ant
The Arabic word namlah is feminine, indicating the speaker in the verse was a female. This aligns with scientific findings: only female ants perform duties like communication, care, and colony management. Male ants have only one role—mating with the queen—and soon after, they die.
7. The Qur’an Uses “Crush” Not “Kill”
The Arabic verb used is la yaḥṭimannakum, which literally means “lest you be crushed.” It doesn’t say “killed,” but rather, broken into pieces—perhaps an allusion to the fragile, glass-like structure of an ant’s body.
Ant Colonies as Valleys
The Arabic word used for colony is wādī—a valley. One may wonder: can ants have valleys? But when scientists discovered supercolonies—massive ant societies spanning thousands of kilometers across Europe, California, and Australia—the term valley felt almost apt. The largest known colony stretches over 6,000 km across Europe! These supercolonies feature chambers for every function: ventilation shafts, guards, food storage, dining areas, royal quarters, aphid farms, nursing stations, and even designated burial sites.
A Sign Beyond Time
Finally, one must return to the most wondrous aspect of the verse: Sulaymān heard and understood the ant’s speech. This purely was a miracle (muʿjiza), a divine gift granted to a prophet. Such events transcend natural law, reminding us of the One who transcends all creation.
The Qur’an is not a collection of myths or fables. It is the Book of the Creator, the Sustainer, the One who fashioned every creature and endowed each with a role in the grand embroidery of existence.
The world of the ant, as revealed in the Qur’an, is not a tale for children. It is a scientific cosmos awaiting exploration. For those who believe, it is not just a marvel of nature—it is a sign of revelation. A Book revealed to one who, by worldly standards, had no access to such scientific precision, yet spoke with a clarity that resonates across centuries.
The only conclusion is this: the Qur’an could only have come from a Divine Source and nothing else.
