• Solomon wants the Queen with her throne to be brought to him

• He who had the knowledge of a part of the Book offers to bring the Queen with her throne within the twinkling of the eye

• The Queen surrenders and embraces the Truth

An-Naml Verses 32 – 44

قَالَتْ يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلْمَلَؤُا۟ أَفْتُونِى فِىٓ أَمْرِى مَا كُنتُ قَاطِعَةً أَمْرًا حَتَّىٰ تَشْهَدُونِ

Said she: “O’ ye chiefs! advise me in (this) my affair;1(ye know) that I decide not any affair but in your view”2(27:32)

قَالُوا۟ نَحْنُ أُو۟لُوا۟ قُوَّةٍ وَأُو۟لُوا۟ بَأْسٍ شَدِيدٍ وَٱلْأَمْرُ إِلَيْكِ فَٱنظُرِى مَاذَا تَأْمُرِينَ

They said: “We are endued with strength and possess mighty prowess, and3to command is thine: so think (well before) what thou wilt command” (27:33)

قَالَتْ إِنَّ ٱلْمُلُوكَ إِذَا دَخَلُوا۟ قَرْيَةً أَفْسَدُوهَا وَجَعَلُوٓا۟ أَعِزَّةَ أَهْلِهَآ أَذِلَّةً ۖ وَكَذَٰلِكَ يَفْعَلُونَ

Said (the Queen): “Verily kings, when they enter a town (victorious), ruin it and make the noblest of its people the meanest; and thus will they (also) do. (27:34)

وَإِنِّى مُرْسِلَةٌ إِلَيْهِم بِهَدِيَّةٍ فَنَاظِرَةٌۢ بِمَ يَرْجِعُ ٱلْمُرْسَلُونَ

“And verily I will send unto him a present, and (wait to) see with what (answer) return the messengers” (27:35)

فَلَمَّا جَآءَ سُلَيْمَـٰنَ قَالَ أَتُمِدُّونَنِ بِمَالٍ فَمَآ ءَاتَىٰنِۦَ ٱللَّهُ خَيْرٌ مِّمَّآ ءَاتَىٰكُم بَلْ أَنتُم بِهَدِيَّتِكُمْ تَفْرَحُونَ

And when came (the messenger of the Queen) unto Solomon, said (Solomon): “Aid ye me with riches? But what God hath given unto me is better than what He hath given unto you, Aye! it is ye, of your present, exultant. (27:36)

ٱرْجِعْ إِلَيْهِمْ فَلَنَأْتِيَنَّهُم بِجُنُودٍ لَّا قِبَلَ لَهُم بِهَا وَلَنُخْرِجَنَّهُم مِّنْهَآ أَذِلَّةً وَهُمْ صَـٰغِرُونَ

Return thou unto them: for we will surely come unto them with (such) hosts which they shall not be able to meet, and certainly will we expel them out therefrom abased, while they shall be contemptible.” (27:37)

قَالَ يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلْمَلَؤُا۟ أَيُّكُمْ يَأْتِينِى بِعَرْشِهَا قَبْلَ أَن يَأْتُونِى مُسْلِمِينَ

Said (Solomon): “O’ ye chiefs! which of you can bring unto me her throne, ere they come unto me submitting?”4(27:38)

قَالَ عِفْرِيتٌ مِّنَ ٱلْجِنِّ أَنَا۠ ءَاتِيكَ بِهِۦ قَبْلَ أَن تَقُومَ مِن مَّقَامِكَ ۖ وَإِنِّى عَلَيْهِ لَقَوِىٌّ أَمِينٌ

Said an audacious one among the jinn; “I will bring it unto thee ere thou risest up from thy place; for verily I am strong (enough to do it) and I am (also thy) trusted one” (27:39)5

قَالَ ٱلَّذِى عِندَهُۥ عِلْمٌ مِّنَ ٱلْكِتَـٰبِ أَنَا۠ ءَاتِيكَ بِهِۦ قَبْلَ أَن يَرْتَدَّ إِلَيْكَ طَرْفُكَ ۚ فَلَمَّا رَءَاهُ مُسْتَقِرًّا عِندَهُۥ قَالَ هَـٰذَا مِن فَضْلِ رَبِّى لِيَبْلُوَنِىٓ ءَأَشْكُرُ أَمْ أَكْفُرُ ۖ وَمَن شَكَرَ فَإِنَّمَا يَشْكُرُ لِنَفْسِهِۦ ۖ وَمَن كَفَرَ فَإِنَّ رَبِّى غَنِىٌّ كَرِيمٌ

Said he with whom was some knowledge (of a part) of the Book: “I will bring it unto thee ere thy eye 6twinkleth,” and when saw (Solomon) the throne settled besides him, he said: “This is by the grace of my Lord that He may try7me if I am grateful or am ungrateful; and he who is grateful, verily he is grateful for his own self, and whoever is ungrateful, then verily my Lord is Self-Sufficient,8Bounteous.” (27:40)9

قَالَ نَكِّرُوا۟ لَهَا عَرْشَهَا نَنظُرْ أَتَهْتَدِىٓ أَمْ تَكُونُ مِنَ ٱلَّذِينَ لَا يَهْتَدُونَ

Said (Solomon): “Transform10her throne for her; we will see if she followeth the way aright, or (she is) of those who go not aright?” (27:41)

فَلَمَّا جَآءَتْ قِيلَ أَهَـٰكَذَا عَرْشُكِ ۖ قَالَتْ كَأَنَّهُۥ هُوَ ۚ وَأُوتِينَا ٱلْعِلْمَ مِن قَبْلِهَا وَكُنَّا مُسْلِمِينَ

So when came (the queen), it was said (unto her): “Is thy throne (also) like this?” Said she: “as it were the same, and we were (already) given the knowledge (of thy apostleship) before it, and we were submitting.” (27:42)

وَصَدَّهَا مَا كَانَت تَّعْبُدُ مِن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ ۖ إِنَّهَا كَانَتْ مِن قَوْمٍ كَـٰفِرِينَ

But prevented her what she worshipped besides God, verily she was of the disbelieving people. (27:43)

قِيلَ لَهَا ٱدْخُلِى ٱلصَّرْحَ ۖ فَلَمَّا رَأَتْهُ حَسِبَتْهُ لُجَّةً وَكَشَفَتْ عَن سَاقَيْهَا ۚ قَالَ إِنَّهُۥ صَرْحٌ مُّمَرَّدٌ مِّن قَوَارِيرَ ۗ قَالَتْ رَبِّ إِنِّى ظَلَمْتُ نَفْسِى وَأَسْلَمْتُ مَعَ سُلَيْمَـٰنَ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ ٱلْعَـٰلَمِينَ

It was said unto her: “Enter thou the palace”, but when she saw it she deemed it to be a pool of water and bared her legs; (Solomon) said: “Verily this is but a place smoothed with (slabs of) glass;” said (the Queen): “My Lord! verily I have been unjust to myself, and I submit (along) with Solomon unto God, the Lord of the worlds.” (27:44)

Commentary

Verse 35

The Queen decided to send some valuable presents to Solomon and something to test his wisdom. If Solomon was only a king, he would accept the presents and would not know the solution of the things of test and if he be an apostle of God, he would reject the gifts and declare the matter hidden in the problematic things. She sent many invaluable gifts and along with them some slaves in the guise of women and some female attendants of her in garb of men.

When the messenger from the Queen arrived in the Land of Solomon and found the greatness and glory of Solomon’s possessions and his court, compared to which the gifts he had brought for Solomon were worthless and insignificant, he was struck with awe and wonder. Solomon rejected the gifts and made known to him all that was hidden in the matters of tests sent by the Queen and replied as said in this verse and the next.

Verse 36

It indicates that Solomon was proud of the divine blessings and the power bestowed in him and not of the temporal power and worldly possessions. (A.P.).

Verse 37

Solomon ordered the Messenger to return to his Queen and informed him of his decision to march to Sheba with his unconquerable hosts.

Verse 39

The task which Solomon wanted to achieve was something which ordinarily seemed to be impossible, i.e., the bringing of the Queen single-handed arresting her and presenting her with her throne itself. The offer to do it was from a jinn who said he would do it before Solomon rises from his seat, i.e., Solomon disperses his court and gets up but even with that, Solomon was not satisfied. The Ahmadi Commentator just to establish his own peculiar interpretation of the word of Jinn that was an Amalekite who was of a large stature. It will be ridiculous to imagine that however huge a man may be, it could never be possible for him to go to the distant land of Sheba within the few moments and to single-handed arrest the Queen and bring her with her throne unless the jinn be a spirit and the one with some extraordinary spiritual strength and powers to do it.

This proves that Solomon was not inclined to use the spiritual powers in all his affairs than use of any temporal one. (A.P.).

Verse 40

This verse is of special importance and special significance to guide an intelligent student of the Holy Qur’an, i.e., when the one possessing something of the knowledge of the Book - ‘The Word of God’ - could bring the Queen of Sheba with her throne from Sheba within the twinkling of the eye, what more wonderful and marvellous strength and power could the one possess who was endowed by God with the knowledge of the whole of the Book - ‘The Word of God’ - i.e., the Holy Qur’an.11 It is said that the jinn knew the ‘Ism-i-A’zam’, i.e., the Greatest Name of God, with which one can do and undo things impossible for- others to achieve. And the one who offered to do this was Aṣif Ibn Barkhiya. Solomon had graciously taught him the secret Name of God. It is recorded in ‘Khulasat-ul-Manhaj’ of Tha’labi who is one of the renowned Sunni Commentators that Abdullah bin Salam asked the Holy Prophet as to who that was who presented the Queen of Sheba on her throne to Solomon. The Holy Prophet said ‘it was none else but Ali Ibn Abi Talib’ and addressing Ali, the Holy Prophet said “O’ Ali, thou hast been hidden with the apostles of God, preceding me, and with me thou art manifest.” (M.S, U.B.).12

It is said the Holy Imam Ali Ibn Abi Talib, at the will of God, had appeared in many forms to fulfil some divine plans of helping certain very deserving persons like Salman al-Farsi, and it was for this reason the world titled Ali with the famous Epithets of ‘Mazhar al-Ajaʾib’, i.e., the Manifestor of Wonders and the ‘Muzhir al-Gharaʾib, i.e., the Exhibitor of Marvels. These two titles have been exclusively owned by Ali and none else in Islam, and even today everyone who knows the divine powers that God has endowed in Ali, invokes his ever-ready help. The name of Ali is always associated with the epithet ‘Mushkil Kusha’, i.e., the Remover of Difficulties.

His name is used by spiritualists for great spiritual achievements. To many in the various parts of the world Ali has in person appeared and helped. Ali’s spiritual superiority as next only to the Holy Prophet is universally acknowledged by one and all in the Islamic World.

The last clause asserts that man’s devotion to Him is just in his own interest otherwise God is far above to need any gratitude or return from anyone. The poet says:

Man nakardam Khalq ta sudi konam, i.e., I created not the creation Myself to profit.

Balke ta bar bandagan judi konam - Nay! so that to thy servants - I be gracious.

Verse 44

While receiving the Queen, Solomon had made arrangements to disillusion her mind by an unbreakable argument and undeniable fact. He had built a palace of glass with a floor of glass and under the sheet of the glass, flowed water with fishes of various kinds. The floor seemed to be one tank of water since the glass sheet covering the water was made indistinguishable. When the Queen arrived, she had to pass through the courtyard with the glass sheet covering the water.

The queen taking the glass sheet to be water tucked up her clothes to pass through it, showing her bare feet and ankles. Solomon disillusioned her, telling her what it really was. The Queen felt grateful and joined Solomon in the praise of God. By this device Solomon made the Queen realise the folly of getting misled by outward appearance and worshipping the objects manifesting the glory of the Lord, for the Lord himself viz. the Sun which she worshipped was one of the creatures of God and not God Himself.

• 1. To reply to Solomon’s epistle.
• 2. In consultation.
• 3. But.
• 4. Bold.
• 5. Refer to verses 13:43, 27:18 & 38:53.
• 6. When the one with the Knowledge of a part of the Book could do this, imagine what the one (Ali) with the Knowledge of the whole of the Book could do, about whom the Holy Prophet said: ‘I am the City of Knowledge & Ali is its Gate.’
• 7. Prove.
• 8. Ar. Ghani.
• 9. Refer to verse 4:70.
• 10. Alter it to look otherwise.
• 11. See verse 13:43.
• 12. Minhaj as-Sadiqin, Umdat al-Bayan.