يَعْمَلُونَ لَهُۥ مَا يَشَآءُ مِن مَّحَٰرِيبَ وَتَمَٰثِيلَ وَجِفَانٍ كَٱلْجَوَابِ وَقُدُورٍ رَّاسِيَٰتٍ ٱعْمَلُوٓا۟ ءَالَ دَاوُۥدَ شُكْرًا وَقَلِيلٌ مِّنْ عِبَادِىَ ٱلشَّكُورُ
Yaʿmalūna lahū mā yashāʾu min maḥārība wa tamāthīla wa jifānin ka'l-jawābi wa qudūrin rāsiyāt, iʿmalū āla Dāwūda shukrā, wa qalīlun min ʿibādiya'sh-shakūr
"They made for him whatever he wished: lofty structures, images, basins like reservoirs, and cauldrons fixed in place. 'O family of David! Work in thankfulness!' But few of My servants are thankful."
This verse is where the backbone of the sūra is given its name. For twelve verses what was given had been enumerated; here what is asked in return is stated.
| Reading | What shukrā is | Sense |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Direct object (mafʿūl bihi) — the object of the verb | "Work thanks, do thanks" |
| 2 | Object of purpose (mafʿūl li-ajlihi) — stating a cause | "Work in order to give thanks" |
| 3 | Circumstantial accusative (ḥāl) — stating a state | "Work while giving thanks" |
But what is worth recording is what all three readings share, and I give it as my own reading: whichever is taken, thanks is named together with a verb. The verse does not say "give thanks" (ushkurū) — it says "work, thanks". In the eleventh verse David was told iʿmal (make); here the same verb comes back to the family in the plural.
That is, from beginning to end the sūra builds thanks as something done. And in the fifteenth verse the command given to the people of Sabaʾ will come with a different word: wa'shkurū lah — there the verb is the verb of thanks itself. The two commands can be set side by side:
| To whom | Command | Form |
|---|---|---|
| The family of David (13) | Iʿmalū … shukrā | Together with work |
| Sabaʾ (15) | Kulū … wa'shkurū lah | Together with eating |
Two peoples, two commands, one root. And the difference is this: one is commanded to give thanks while producing, the other while consuming. I record this as my own reading; its support is the verbs standing beside the two commands.
The word order of the sentence must be recorded: the predicate (qalīl) has been brought forward, the subject (ash-shakūr) left to the end. In Arabic this fronting conveys emphasis: fewness is the first word of the sentence.
شَكُور — the intensive form (faʿūl): one who gives thanks much. So the sentence does not exactly say "the thankful are few"; it says "those who give much thanks are few".
This detail matters, and I record it as my own reading; its support is the pattern itself: the ruling of fewness is set not on thanks itself but on its continuity. Giving thanks once may be common; what the word describes is thanks that has become a habit.
| Verse | Word | Who |
|---|---|---|
| 13 | Ash-shakūr | The servant who is few |
| 17 | Al-kafūr | The one who will receive his recompense |
| 19 | Ṣabbārin shakūr | The one who will take the lesson |
All three are intensive forms: shakūr and kafūr on faʿūl, ṣabbār on faʿʿāl. That is, in three separate places the sūra names qualities that have hardened into habits. This is a weave that can be verified from the text.
مَحَٰرِيب — the plural of miḥrāb. The word cannot be reduced to the present-day sense of "mihrab", the prayer niche. The primary sense the lexicographers give: the highest, best-protected, foremost part of a house or a palace. It is connected with the root ح-ر-ب, and the lexicographers explain the connection thus: the place that is defended, that is fought over. At Ṣād 38/21 the same word occurred as David's chamber (idh tasawwaru'l-miḥrāb). I rely on that treatment.
تَمَٰثِيل — the plural of timthāl; root م-ث-ل: to resemble, to make the like of a thing. The word is thus wider than "statue": to bring out the image or likeness of something.
There is a legal debate about this word, and per the method (Method) I issue no legal ruling. What is to be recorded is this: the verse states that these things were made for Solomon; it does not frame a sentence either approving or forbidding them. Differing views are transmitted on the question in the classical commentaries; I content myself with transmitting them.
جِفَانٍ كَٱلْجَوَابِ — jifān, the plural of jafna: a large bowl, a trough. Jawāb is the plural of jābiya: a basin in which water is stored, a cistern. Hence "bowls like reservoirs".
قُدُورٍ رَّاسِيَٰتٍ — qudūr, the plural of qidr: a cauldron. Rāsiyāt — root ر-س-و: to stand fast, to be anchored. The same root is used of mountains as well (rawāsī). Hence "cauldrons that cannot be lifted from their place" — too large to be carried.
The order of the list is worth recording, and I give this as an observation: lofty structures → images → bowls → cauldrons. The series descends from architecture to the kitchen. And the command that comes at the end of the list is thanks. That is, the command to give thanks comes immediately after the most concrete objects, not after the splendour.