Tafsir al-Baghawi - Al-Baghawi - (6/167)

Tafsir al-BaghawiAl-Baghawi

It was also said that its meaning is: What prevented her from worshipping Allah was not any deficiency in her intellect, as the jinn had claimed, saying that there was something amiss with her mind; rather, she had been worshipping besides Allah. (1)

It was also said that its meaning is: Solomon turned her away from what she had worshipped besides Allah; that is, he prevented her from it and came between her and it. According to this interpretation, the relative pronoun “what” is in the accusative position.

“Indeed, she was from a disbelieving people.” This is an independent statement: Allah, Exalted is He, informs that she was from a people who worshipped the sun; she grew up among them and knew no worship other than the worship of the sun.

“She was told, ‘Enter the palace.’ But when she saw it, she thought it was a body of water and uncovered her shins. He said, ‘Indeed, it is a palace made smooth with glass.’ She said, ‘My Lord, I have wronged myself, and I submit with Solomon to Allah, Lord of the worlds.’ (44)”

Regarding His saying, Exalted is He, “She was told, ‘Enter the palace,’” and the rest of the verse: Solomon wished to look at her feet and shins without asking her to uncover them, after the devils had said, “Her feet are like a donkey’s hooves, and her shins are hairy.” He therefore ordered the devils to build him a lofty structure—that is, a palace—of glass. It was also said that it was a house of glass, white like water. And it was said that the lofty structure was the courtyard of the house; he caused water to flow beneath it and placed in it every kind of sea creature—fish, frogs, and others. He then placed his throne at its far end, sat upon it, and the birds, jinn, and humans gathered around him.

It was also said that he made a courtyard of glass and placed beneath it figures of fish and frogs, so that whoever saw it would think it was water. And it was said that he built the lofty structure only to test her understanding, just as she had tested the male and female attendants. (2) When he had seated himself upon the throne, he summoned Bilqis. When she came, she was told, “Enter the palace.”

(1) In manuscript B, the wording appears as follows: “This had kept her from worshipping Allah: that which she had worshipped besides Allah.” (2) See the comments of Ibn Kathir on these reports cited above. Al-Tabari said (19:169): “In my view, it is possible that Solomon ordered the construction of the palace for both purposes mentioned by Wahb and by Muhammad ibn Ka'b al-Qurazi: to test her intelligence and to look at her calves and feet, in order to ascertain the truth of what had been said about her.” The truth is that Solomon, peace be upon him, built the palace in order to show her the greatness of his dominion and authority, and that Allah, exalted is He, had granted him in kingship, as well as in the means of civilization and prosperity, what He had not granted her—quite apart from prophethood, which is above kingship and beside which every other blessing is insignificant. Far be it from Solomon, peace be upon him—who asked Allah to grant him a judgment in conformity with His judgment, that is, Allah's, and was granted it—to resort to such a scheme in order to look at what Allah had forbidden him to see, namely her calves. He was far too noble and exalted for that. Had she not seen in Solomon the firmness of his religion and the loftiness of his character, she would not have responded when he called her to Allah, the One and True God; nor would she have regretted her former worship of the stars and the sun, and submitted with Solomon to Allah, Lord of the worlds. See: Shaykh Muhammad Abu Shahbah, al-Isra'iliyyat wa-al-Mawdu'at, pp. 249-250.

وَقِيلَ: مَعْنَاهُ [صَدَّهَا عَنْ عِبَادَةِ اللَّهِ لَا نُقْصَانُ عَقْلِهَا كَمَا قَالَتِ الْجِنُّ: إِنَّ فِي عَقْلِهَا شَيْئًا، بَلْ كَانَتْ تَعْبُدُ مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ] (١) . وَقِيلَ: مَعْنَاهُ وَصَدَّهَا سُلَيْمَانُ مَا كَانَتْ تَعْبُدُ مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ، أَيْ: مَنَعَهَا ذَلِكَ وَحَالَ بَيْنَهَا وَبَيْنَهُ، فَيَكُونُ مَحَلُّ "مَا" نَصَبًا. ﴿إِنَّهَا كَانَتْ مِنْ قَوْمٍ كَافِرِينَ﴾ هَذَا اسْتِئْنَافٌ، أَخْبَرَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى أَنَّهَا كَانَتْ مِنْ قَوْمٍ يَعْبُدُونَ الشَّمْسَ، فَنَشَأَتْ بَيْنَهُمْ وَلَمْ تَعْرِفْ إِلَّا عِبَادَةَ الشَّمْسِ. ﴿قِيلَ لَهَا ادْخُلِي الصَّرْحَ فَلَمَّا رَأَتْهُ حَسِبَتْهُ لُجَّةً وَكَشَفَتْ عَنْ سَاقَيْهَا قَالَ إِنَّهُ صَرْحٌ مُمَرَّدٌ مِنْ قَوَارِيرَ قَالَتْ رَبِّ إِنِّي ظَلَمْتُ نَفْسِي وَأَسْلَمْتُ مَعَ سُلَيْمَانَ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ (٤٤) ﴾ قَوْلُهُ ﷿: ﴿قِيلَ لَهَا ادْخُلِي الصَّرْحَ﴾ الْآيَةَ، وَذَلِكَ أَنَّ سُلَيْمَانَ أَرَادَ أَنْ يَنْظُرَ إِلَى قَدَمَيْهَا وَسَاقَيْهَا مِنْ غَيْرِ أَنْ يَسْأَلَهَا كَشْفَهَا، لَمَّا قَالَتِ الشَّيَاطِينُ: إِنَّ رِجْلَيْهَا كَحَافِرِ الْحِمَارِ، وَهِيَ شَعْرَاءُ السَّاقَيْنِ، أَمَرَ الشَّيَاطِينِ فَبَنَوْا لَهُ صَرْحًا أَيْ: قَصْرًا مِنْ زُجَاجٍ، وَقِيلَ بَيْتًا مِنْ زُجَاجٍ كَأَنَّهُ الْمَاءُ بَيَاضًا، وَقِيلَ: الصَّرْحُ صَحْنُ الدَّارِ، وَأَجْرَى تَحْتَهُ الْمَاءَ، وَأَلْقَى فِيهِ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ مِنْ دَوَابَّ الْبَحْرِ السَّمَكِ وَالضَّفَادِعِ وَغَيْرِهِمَا، ثُمَّ وَضَعَ سَرِيرَهُ فِي صَدْرِهِ وَجَلَسَ عَلَيْهِ وَعَكَفَتْ عَلَيْهِ الطَّيْرُ وَالْجِنُّ وَالْإِنْسُ. وَقِيلَ: اتَّخَذَ صَحْنًا مِنْ قَوَارِيرَ وَجَعَلَ تَحْتَهَا تَمَاثِيلَ مِنَ الْحِيتَانِ وَالضَّفَادِعِ، فَكَانَ الْوَاحِدُ إِذَا رَآهُ ظَنَّهُ مَاءً. وَقِيلَ: إِنَّمَا بَنَى الصَّرْحَ لِيَخْتَبِرَ فَهْمَهَا كَمَا فَعَلَتْ هِيَ بِالْوُصَفَاءِ وَالْوَصَائِفِ (٢) فَلَمَّا جَلَسَ عَلَى السَّرِيرِ دَعَا بِلْقِيسَ، فَلَمَّا جَاءَتْ قِيلَ لَهَا ادْخُلِي الصَّرْحَ.

(١) جاءت العبارة في "ب" هكذا: وصدها هذا عن عبادة الله ما كانت تعبد من دون الله. (٢) راجع ما نقلناه عن ابن كثير تعليقا على هذه الروايات آنفا. وقال الطبري: (١٩ / ١٦٩) : "وجائز عندي أن يكون سليمان أمر باتخاذ الصرح للأمرين؛ الذي قاله وهب، والذي قاله محمد بن كعب القرظي، ليختبر عقلها وينظر إلى ساقها وقدمها، ليعرف صحة ما قيل فيها". والحق أن سليمان ﵊ أراد ببنائه الصرح: أن يريها عظمة ملكه وسلطانه، وأن الله ﷾ أعطاه من الملك، ومن أسباب العمران والحضارة ما لم يعطها، فضلا عن النبوة التي هي فوق الملك، والتي دونها أية نعمة، وحاشا لسليمان ﵇ وهو الذي سأل الله أن يعطيه حكما يوافق حكمه -أي الله، فأوتيه- أن يتحايل هذا التحايل، حتى ينظر إلى ما حرم الله عليه، وهما ساقاها، وهو أجل من ذلك وأسمى. ولولا أنها رأت من سليمان ما كان عليه من الدين المتين، والخلق الرفيع، لما أذعنت إليه لما دعاها إلى الله الواحد الحق، ولما ندمت على ما فرط منها من عبادة الكواكب والشمس، وأسلمت مع سليمان لله رب العالمين. انظر: الإسرائيليات والموضوعات للشيخ محمد أبو شهبة ص: ٢٤٩-٢٥٠.