The story of the hoopoe and Prophet Sulayman عليه السلام
A note for parents
This story is written for you to share with your child.
It is based on the Qur'anic account of Prophet Sulayman عليه السلام and the hoopoe in Surah an-Naml. We have tried to keep the story close to what Allah tells us in the Qur'an, without adding imagined conversations or events.
After the story, you will find three simple reminders — Truth. Courage. Purpose. These are lessons you can explore together and connect to your child's everyday life.
Find a quiet moment, read the story together, and see where the conversation takes you.
The Little Bird with Important News
Allah gave Prophet Sulayman عليه السلام extraordinary blessings.
He was a Prophet and a king, and Allah taught him the speech of birds.
Allah tells us that Sulayman عليه السلام had an army that included jinn, people and birds, gathered and kept in order.
Among those birds was a small bird called the hoopoe.
One day, Sulayman عليه السلام inspected the birds.
He noticed that someone was missing.
The hoopoe.
Sulayman عليه السلام asked why the hoopoe was not there. Its absence had been noticed, and it would need to have a good reason for being away.
Before the hoopoe has even returned, there is something for us to think about.
It was only one small bird among a great gathering, but its place still mattered.
Soon, the hoopoe returned.
And it had important news.
A discovery in Saba'
The hoopoe told Sulayman عليه السلام that it had discovered something he did not yet know.
It had travelled to a land called Saba'.
There, it found a people ruled by a woman who had been given many things and possessed a magnificent throne.
There was much that might have looked impressive in this kingdom.
But that was not what concerned the hoopoe most.
It had seen the Queen and her people prostrating to the sun instead of Allah.
The sun is huge. It shines brightly and gives light across the earth.
But the sun is still something Allah created.
Allah alone is the Creator, the Lord of the Mighty Throne, and He alone deserves our worship.
The hoopoe had noticed something important and returned with the news.
Is the news true?
Sulayman عليه السلام listened.
But he did not simply accept everything he had heard without checking it.
He said:
“We will see whether you have told the truth or whether you are of the liars.”
— Qur'an 27:27
That is an important part of the story.
Even when news sounds important or exciting, we should care about whether it is true.
Sulayman عليه السلام was going to verify what the hoopoe had told him.
He wrote a letter and gave it to the hoopoe to deliver to the people of Saba'. The hoopoe was then to observe how they responded.
Think about that for a moment.
Sulayman عليه السلام was a mighty Prophet and king.
The message was important.
Yet a little bird was given a part to play.
The letter
The letter reached the Queen.
The Qur'an tells us that the letter began:
“Indeed, it is from Sulayman, and indeed, it is: In the name of Allah, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful.”
— Qur'an 27:30
Sulayman عليه السلام called the Queen and her people to turn away from pride and worship Allah alone.
The Queen carefully considered the message and spoke to the leaders around her. She then decided to travel to meet Sulayman عليه السلام.
When she arrived, she saw remarkable things in Sulayman’s kingdom. Her throne had been brought there before she arrived, and she later entered a palace with a floor of smooth glass that looked like water.
By the end of her visit, the Queen understood that she had been wrong to worship the sun. She turned to Allah and said:
“My Lord, indeed I have wronged myself, and I submit with Sulayman to Allah, Lord of all worlds.”
— Qur'an 27:44
The story began with Sulayman عليه السلام noticing that one little bird was missing.
It ends with the Queen of a kingdom recognising the truth and submitting herself to Allah.
And that little hoopoe had been given an important part to play.
Truth. Courage. Purpose.
These three words are a simple way for parents and children to remember some of the lessons we can take from the story.
They are not presented in the Qur'an as three descriptions of the hoopoe. Rather, they are reflections we can draw from what happens in the account.
Truth
The hoopoe brought important news.
But Sulayman عليه السلام still checked whether what it had said was true.
Truth matters.
Sometimes we hear something surprising at school, from a friend, in a message or online. It can be tempting to repeat it straight away.
But before we pass something on, we can stop and ask:
“Do I know that this is true?”
Being truthful is not only about avoiding lies.
It is also about caring enough about the truth to check what we say.
Courage
One lesson we can take from the hoopoe's actions is courage.
It had discovered something important and returned to report what it had seen.
Courage does not always mean being the biggest, strongest or loudest person.
Sometimes courage means telling the truth.
Sometimes it means admitting when we have made a mistake.
Sometimes it means doing the right thing when doing something else would be easier.
And sometimes it simply means carrying out the responsibility we have been given.
A child does not have to be fearless to be courageous.
Courage can begin with choosing what is right.
Purpose
The hoopoe did not need to be the largest creature in Sulayman's kingdom to have a useful role.
It could travel.
It could observe.
And it could carry a message.
It used the abilities it had for an important task.
Allah gives people different abilities too.
One child might be good at explaining things.
Another might notice when someone is lonely.
Someone else might be patient, creative, organised, generous or good at solving problems.
We do not all need the same abilities.
A better question is:
“How can I use what Allah has given me to do something good?”
That is living with purpose.
Something to talk about together
After reading the story, you could ask your child:
Why do you think Sulayman عليه السلام checked whether the hoopoe was telling the truth?
Can you think of a time when telling the truth might require courage?
What is something you are good at that you could use to help another person?
Why was the Queen's magnificent throne less important than discovering the truth about Allah?
What responsibility have you been given that you can try to do well?
There are no prizes for the longest answer.
Sometimes one thoughtful sentence can begin a very good conversation.
You don't have to be big to do something important
Children can sometimes feel that important things are only done by adults.
But the story of the hoopoe gives us a beautiful reminder.
It was a small bird.
Yet its absence was noticed.
Its words were checked.
Its abilities were used.
And it was given a role in a remarkable story.
So you do not need to be the biggest person in the room.
You do not need to be the loudest.
Try to be truthful.
Have the courage to do what is right.
Use what Allah has given you with purpose.
And remember:
You don't have to be big to do something important.
Sources
This story is based on the Qur'anic account of Prophet Sulayman عليه السلام, the hoopoe and the Queen of Saba' in Surah an-Naml, 27:15–44, particularly 27:20–28, 27:29–31 and 27:44.
Truth. Courage. Purpose. are character reflections drawn from the events of the story and are not presented as words Allah explicitly uses to describe the hoopoe.
A note on the artwork
You may notice that the hoopoe in this design is represented through separated geometric forms rather than as a complete bird with facial features.
This is an intentional choice. At Ummah Balance, we take a cautious approach to depicting living beings, based on the Islamic guidance we follow. The hoopoe's distinctive crest, colours and wing patterns are used to suggest the bird without creating a complete lifelike representation.
This is simply the approach we have chosen for our own designs, while still allowing children to connect visually with the Qur'anic story behind them.