Tafsir al-Baghawi - Al-Baghawi - (6/163)

Tafsir al-BaghawiAl-Baghawi

“Return to them. We shall certainly come upon them with forces that they will be unable to withstand, and We shall surely drive them out of it, humbled and utterly disgraced.” (37)

“O eminent ones of my court, which of you will bring me her throne before they come to me in submission?” (38)

“Return to them” means: return with the gift. “With forces that they have no power to withstand” means: forces which they cannot resist. “And We shall surely drive them out of it” means: out of their land and country, namely Sheba. “Humbled and utterly disgraced” means: abased, if they do not come to me having submitted.

Wahb and other People of Scripture said: When Bilqis’s messengers returned to her from Solomon, she said, “By Allah, I now know that this is no mere king, and we have no power against him.” So she sent word to Solomon: “I am coming to you with the kings of my people, so that I may see what your purpose is and the religion to which you call.”

She then ordered that her throne be placed at the far end of seven chambers, one within another, at the far end of one of her seven palaces. The doors were then locked before it, and she appointed guards to protect it. Then she said to the one whom she had left in charge of her realm, “Guard all that has been entrusted to you, as well as my royal throne. Let no one gain access to it or even see it until I return to you.”

She then commanded a herald to announce the departure among the people of her kingdom, and she set out for Solomon with twelve thousand kings of Yemen, each of whom commanded many thousands.

Ibn Abbas said: Solomon was a man of such imposing presence that no one would initiate any matter until he himself asked about it. One day, he went out and sat upon his royal throne, whereupon he saw a cloud of dust nearby. He asked, “What is this?” They said, “Bilqis has halted at this place, a farsakh away from you.” Ibn Abbas said: The distance between Kufa and Hira was about a farsakh. Solomon then turned to his forces.

“O eminent ones of my court, which of you will bring me her throne before they come to me in submission?” That is, as believers. Ibn Abbas said: obediently.

They differed concerning the reason Solomon ordered that her throne be brought. Most of them said: Solomon knew that, if she became Muslim, her property would become inviolable to him; so he wished to take her throne before her acceptance of Islam made it unlawful for him to take it. (1) It was also said that he wished to show her the power of Allah Most High and the greatness of his dominion through a miraculous sign wrought concerning her throne. (2)

(1) Reported by al-Tabari, 19:160, on the authority of Qatada. (2) This is the view preferred by al-Tabari, 19:161. He said: “So that He might make this a proof against her concerning his prophethood, and thereby make her recognize Allah’s power and the greatness of His affair: she had left it in a house within a series of enclosed houses, one inside another, shut and locked; yet Allah brought it out of all of that without opening any locks or bolts, until He delivered it to His chosen servant among His creation and entrusted it to him. This was therefore the strongest proof for her of the truth of what Solomon called her to and of Solomon’s truthfulness regarding the prophethood of which he informed her.” See also al-Qurtubi, 13:202; Ibn Kathir, 3:364; Zad al-Masir, 6:173.

﴿ارْجِعْ إِلَيْهِمْ فَلَنَأْتِيَنَّهُمْ بِجُنُودٍ لَا قِبَلَ لَهُمْ بِهَا وَلَنُخْرِجَنَّهُمْ مِنْهَا أَذِلَّةً وَهُمْ صَاغِرُونَ (٣٧) قَالَ يَا أَيُّهَا الْمَلَأُ أَيُّكُمْ يَأْتِينِي بِعَرْشِهَا قَبْلَ أَنْ يَأْتُونِي مُسْلِمِينَ (٣٨) ﴾ ﴿ارْجِعْ إِلَيْهِمْ﴾ بِالْهَدِيَّةِ، ﴿فَلَنَأْتِيَنَّهُمْ بِجُنُودٍ لَا قِبَلَ لَهُمْ﴾ لَا طَاقَةَ لَهُمْ، ﴿بِهَا وَلَنُخْرِجَنَّهُمْ مِنْهَا﴾ أَيْ: مِنْ أَرْضِهِمْ وَبِلَادِهِمْ وَهِيَ سَبَأٌ، ﴿أَذِلَّةً وَهُمْ صَاغِرُونَ﴾ ذَلِيلُونَ إِنْ لَمْ يَأْتُونِي مُسْلِمِينَ. قَالَ وَهْبٌ وَغَيْرُهُ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْكُتُبِ: فَلَمَّا رَجَعَتْ رُسُلُ بِلْقِيسَ إِلَيْهَا مِنْ عِنْدِ سُلَيْمَانَ، قَالَتْ: قَدْ عَرَفْتُ -وَاللَّهِ-مَا هَذَا بِمَلِكٍ وَمَا لَنَا بِهِ طَاقَةٌ، فَبَعَثَتْ إِلَى سُلَيْمَانَ إِنِّي قَادِمَةٌ عَلَيْكَ بِمُلُوكِ قَوْمِي حَتَّى أَنْظُرَ مَا أَمَرُكَ وَمَا تَدْعُو إِلَيْهِ مِنْ دِينِكَ، ثُمَّ أَمَرَتْ بِعَرْشِهَا فَجُعِلَ فِي آخِرِ سَبْعَةِ أَبْيَاتٍ بَعْضُهَا فِي بَعْضٍ فِي آخِرِ قَصْرٍ مِنْ سَبْعَةِ قُصُورٍ لَهَا، ثُمَّ أُغْلِقَتْ دُونَهُ الْأَبْوَابُ، وَوَكَّلَتْ بِهِ حُرَّاسًا يَحْفَظُونَهُ، ثُمَّ قَالَتْ لِمَنْ خَلَّفَتْ عَلَى سُلْطَانِهَا: احْتَفِظَ بِمَا قِبَلَكَ وَسَرِيرِ مُلْكِي، لَا يَخْلُصُ إِلَيْهِ أَحَدٌ وَلَا يَرَيَنَّهُ حَتَّى آتِيَكَ، ثُمَّ أَمَرَتْ مُنَادِيًا يُنَادِي فِي أَهْلِ مَمْلَكَتِهَا يُؤَذِّنُهُمْ بِالرَّحِيلِ، وَشَخَصَتْ إِلَى سُلَيْمَانَ فِي اثْنَيْ عَشَرَ أَلْفَ قَيْلٍ مِنْ مُلُوكِ الْيَمَنِ، تَحْتَ يَدَيْ كُلِّ قَيْلٍ أُلُوفٌ كَثِيرَةٌ. قَالَ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ: وَكَانَ سُلَيْمَانُ رَجُلًا مَهِيبًا لَا يُبْتَدَأُ بِشَيْءٍ حَتَّى يَكُونَ هُوَ الَّذِي يَسْأَلُ عَنْهُ، فَخَرَجَ يَوْمًا فَجَلَسَ عَلَى سَرِيرِ مُلْكِهِ، فَرَأَى رَهْجًا قَرِيبًا مِنْهُ، فَقَالَ: مَا هَذَا؟ قَالُوا: بِلْقِيسُ وَقَدْ نَزَلَتْ مِنَّا بِهَذَا الْمَكَانِ، وَكَانَ عَلَى مَسِيرَةِ فَرْسَخٍ مِنْ سُلَيْمَانَ، قَالَ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ: وَكَانَ بَيْنَ الْكُوفَةِ وَالْحِيرَةِ قَدْرَ فَرَسَخٍ، فَأَقْبَلَ سُلَيْمَانُ حِينَئِذٍ عَلَى جُنُودِهِ. ﴿قَالَ يَا أَيُّهَا الْمَلَأُ أَيُّكُمْ يَأْتِينِي بِعَرْشِهَا قَبْلَ أَنْ يَأْتُونِي مُسْلِمِينَ﴾ أَيْ: مُؤْمِنِينَ، وَقَالَ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ: طَائِعِينَ. وَاخْتَلَفُوا فِي السَّبَبِ الَّذِي لِأَجْلِهِ أَمَرَ سُلَيْمَانُ بِإِحْضَارِ عَرْشِهَا، فَقَالَ أَكْثَرُهُمْ: لِأَنَّ سُلَيْمَانَ عَلِمَ أَنَّهَا إِنْ أَسْلَمَتْ يَحْرُمُ عَلَيْهِ مَالُهَا، فَأَرَادَ أَنْ يَأْخُذَ سَرِيرَهَا قَبْلَ أَنْ يَحْرُمَ عَلَيْهِ أَخْذُهُ بِإِسْلَامِهَا (١) . وَقِيلَ: لِيُرِيَهَا قُدْرَةَ اللَّهِ ﷿ وَعِظَمَ سُلْطَانِهِ فِي مُعْجِزَةٍ يَأْتِي بِهَا فِي عَرْشِهَا (٢) .

(١) رواه الطبري (١٩ / ١٦٠) عن قتادة. (٢) وهو ما رجحه الطبري: (١٩ / ١٦١) قال: ليجعل ذلك حجة عليها في نبوته، ويعرفها بذلك قدرة الله وعظيم شأنه، أنها خلفته في بيت في جوف أبيات، بعضها في جوف بعض، مغلق مقفل عليها، فأخرجه الله من ذلك كله بغير فتح أغلاق وأقفال، حتى أوصله إلى وليه من خلقه، وسلمه إليه، فكان لها في ذلك أعظم حجة، على حقيقة ما دعاها إليه سليمان، وعلى صدق سليمان فيما أعلمها من نبوته". وانظر: القرطبي: ١٣ / ٢٠٢، ابن كثير: ٣ / ٣٦٤، زاد المسير: ٦ / ١٧٣.