Al-Hasan said: Sulayman then said at the end of that, "Bring them back to me." [Fat-hafiqa mash-han bis-suqi wal-a'naq] (Then he began to strike their legs and necks); he struck their necks and hamstrings because they distracted him from Allah.
Muhammad said: The meaning of [fatafiqa] is: he turned his attention to. [Al-suq] is the plural of [saq] (leg). [Al-safin] from among the horses is the one that stands still, not bending one of its forelegs or one of its hind legs when it stands on its [sunbuk], which is the edge of the hoof.
[Inni ahbabtu hubbal-khayri] means: I loved the love of horses. Likewise, in the reading of Ibn Mas'ud: "Inni ahbabtu hubbal-khayl" (I loved the love of horses).
Muhammad said: The meaning of [ahbabtu] is: I preferred.
قَالَ الْحَسَن: فَقَالَ سُلَيْمَان فِي آخر ذَلِك (ل ٢٩٤) ﴿رُدُّوهَا عَلَيَّ فَطَفِقَ مَسْحًا بِالسُّوقِ والأعناق﴾ فَضرب أعناقها وعراقيبها أَنَّهَا شغلته عَن اللَّه.
قَالَ محمدٌ: معنى (فَطَفِقَ) أَي أقبل , والسوق جمع سَاق , والصافنُ من الْخَيل: الْقَائِم الَّذِي لَا يثني إِحْدَى يَدَيْهِ أَو إِحْدَى رجلَيْهِ حِين يقف بهَا عَلَى سُنْبُكِه وهُوَ طرف الْحَافِر.
﴿إِنِّي أَحْبَبْت حب الْخَيْر﴾ يَعْنِي: الْخَيل , وَكَذَلِكَ فِي قِرَاءَة ابْن مَسْعُود: (إِنِّي أَحْبَبْت حبّ الْخَيل).
قَالَ محمدٌ: معنى أَحْبَبْت: آثرت.