Al-Kalbi said: Asaf fell prostrate and invoked Allah by His Greatest Name. Her throne then disappeared beneath the earth until it emerged beside Solomon’s seat. It was said that the distance was that of a two-month journey. They differed over the supplication [that Asaf made] (1). Mujahid and Muqatil said that it was: “O Possessor of Majesty and Honor.” Al-Kalbi said: “O Ever-Living, O Sustainer.” This was also narrated from Aisha. It was narrated from al-Zuhri that he said: The supplication of the one who had knowledge from the Book was: “O our God, and God of everything—the One God; there is no god but You. Bring me her throne.”

Muhammad ibn al-Munkadir said: It was Solomon himself. A scholar from the Children of Israel, to whom Allah had given knowledge and understanding, said to him, “I will bring it to you before your glance returns to you.” Solomon said, “Bring it.” The scholar replied, “You are a prophet, the son of a prophet, and no one has greater standing with Allah than you. If you invoke Allah and ask Him, it will be brought before you.” Solomon said, “You have spoken the truth.” So he did so, and the throne was brought at once.

Regarding His saying, “Before your glance returns to you,” Sa‘id ibn Jubayr said: This means before the furthest person within your sight returns to you—that is, before one who is at the furthest reach of your vision comes to you. Qatadah said: Before a person comes to you from the furthest range of vision. Mujahid said: It means maintaining one’s gaze until it returns weary. Wahb said: Extend your eyes, and before your gaze reaches its limit, I shall set it before you.

“Then, when he saw it”—that is, when Solomon saw the throne—“settled before him,” having been brought to him from Ma’rib to Syria in the time it takes a glance to return, he said, “This is by the grace of my Lord, to test me whether I will be grateful” for His blessing “or ungrateful,” [and thus not give thanks for it] (5). “Whoever is grateful is grateful only for his own benefit”: that is, the benefit of his gratitude returns to him, for through it he merits the completion and continuance of the blessing. Gratitude is the tether that preserves an existing blessing and the means by which a lost blessing is regained. “And whoever is ungrateful—then indeed, my Lord is Self-Sufficient,” needing no one’s gratitude, “Most Generous,” bestowing generously even upon those who deny His blessings.

“Then he said, ‘Alter her throne for her, so that we may see whether she will be guided or be among those who are not guided.’ (41)”

Regarding His saying, “Alter her throne for her,” he said: Change her throne into a form she will not recognize when she sees it. Qatadah and Muqatil said: This was done by adding to it and taking away from it. It was narrated that he made its lower part uppermost and its upper part lowermost, and replaced the red jewels with green ones and the green jewels with red ones. “So that we may see whether she will be guided,” to her throne and recognize it, “or be among the ignorant, who are not guided” to it. Solomon was led to do this for the reason mentioned by Wahb and Muhammad ibn Ka‘b