“When [the envoys] came to Solomon”—that is, when the envoys brought him the gift—“he said,” denouncing them and angered by their failure to comply: “Are you offering me wealth? What Allah has given me is better than what He has given you.” The gift therefore had no value in his eyes, nor did it bring him any joy, for Allah had made him independent of it and bestowed abundant blessings upon him. “Rather, it is you who rejoice in your gift,” because of your love for this world and how little you possess compared with what Allah has granted me.
He then gave the envoy verbal instructions, without a letter, for he had seen his intelligence and knew that he would convey his words precisely. He said: “Return to them”—with your gift—“for we shall surely come upon them with forces they cannot withstand, and we shall surely drive them from there, humiliated and debased.” The envoy returned to them and conveyed Solomon’s words. They then prepared to journey to Solomon. Solomon knew that they would inevitably come to him, so he said to the jinn and humans in his presence: “Which of you can bring me her throne before they come to me in submission?” That is, so that we may dispose of it before they embrace Islam, whereupon their property will become inviolable.
“A mighty one of the jinn said”—a mighty one being someone exceedingly strong and energetic—“I will bring it to you before you rise from your place, and I am indeed strong and trustworthy enough to do so.” It appears that Solomon was then in Greater Syria, so the distance between him and Sheba was a journey of approximately four months: two months there and two months back. Despite this, that mighty jinn said: I undertake to bring it, despite its immense size, weight, and distance, before you rise from the session in which you are sitting. Long sessions ordinarily lasted for most of the forenoon—about one-third of a day—which was their usual upper limit, although they could be shorter or longer. What an immense kingdom this was, when even an ordinary subject possessed such strength and ability!
More remarkable still was that “the one who possessed knowledge from the Book said…” The commentators said that he was a righteous and learned man in Solomon’s court named Āsif ibn Barkhiyā. He knew Allah’s Greatest Name: when Allah is invoked by it, He answers, and when He is asked by it, He grants the request.
“I will bring it to you before your gaze returns to you.” That is, he would invoke Allah by that Name and the throne would immediately appear. He invoked Allah, and it appeared. Allah knows best [whether this was what was meant, or whether he possessed knowledge from the Book through which he could bring what was far away and accomplish what was difficult] (1).
“When Solomon saw it standing before him,” he praised Allah Most High for enabling him, granting him dominion, and facilitating his affairs. He “said, ‘This is by my Lord’s grace, to test me whether I will be grateful or ungrateful.’” That is, to test me by means of it. Solomon, peace be upon him, was not deluded by his dominion, authority, and power, as ignorant kings customarily are. Rather, he knew that this was a test from his Lord and feared that he might fail to render due gratitude for this blessing.
He then explained that such gratitude brings no benefit to Allah; its benefit returns only to the grateful person. He said: “Whoever gives thanks does so only for his own good, and whoever is ungrateful—then surely my Lord is Self-Sufficient, Most Generous.” He has no need of their deeds and is Most Generous, possessing abundant goodness that encompasses the grateful and ungrateful alike. Yet gratitude for His blessings is a cause of their increase, while ingratitude is a cause of their disappearance.
He then said to those with him: “Disguise her throne for her.” That is, alter it by adding, removing, and making similar changes. “Let us see”—thereby testing her intelligence—“whether she will recognize it correctly,” displaying intelligence and acumen befitting her sovereignty, “or whether she will be one of those who do not recognize.”
“When she arrived,” journeying to Solomon, her throne was displayed to her. Her last memory of it was when she had left it behind in her own land. “She was asked, ‘Is your throne like this?’” That is: We have learned that you possess a mighty throne; is it like this throne that we have brought before you? “She replied, ‘It seems to be the very one.’” This demonstrated her intelligence and acumen. She did not say, “It is,” because it had been altered and disguised, nor did she deny that it was hers, because she recognized it. She therefore used an expression admitting both possibilities and true under either one.
Solomon then said, marveling at her discernment and intelligence and thanking Allah for granting him greater guidance than hers: “We were granted knowledge before her, and we had submitted to Allah.” That is, we had been granted guidance, intelligence, and prudence before this queen. Submission to Allah is the foundational guidance that truly benefits.
It is also possible that these were the words of the Queen of Sheba: “We had already learned of Solomon’s kingship and authority, and of the extraordinary power bestowed upon him, before this situation in which we witnessed his ability to bring the throne from such a great distance. We therefore submitted to him and came to him in submission to his authority.”
Allah Most High said: “What she used to worship apart from Allah had barred her”—that is, from Islam. Otherwise, she possessed enough intelligence and acumen to distinguish truth from falsehood, but false beliefs deprive the heart of insight. “Indeed, she belonged to a disbelieving people,” and so she continued to follow their religion. It is extremely rare for an individual to break away from the religion of his people and an entrenched custom merely because his reason perceives their deviation and error. Her remaining in disbelief should therefore occasion no surprise.
Solomon then wanted her to witness such signs of his dominion as would astound the mind, so he commanded her to enter the palace hall. It was a spacious, elevated chamber made of glass, beneath which rivers flowed.
“She was told, ‘Enter the hall.’ When she saw it, she thought it was a pool” of water, because the glass was transparent. ⦗606⦘ The water beneath it could be seen as though it were flowing openly with nothing covering it. “She bared her shins” to wade into it. This was another sign of her intelligence and proper conduct: she did not refuse to enter the place she had been commanded to enter, because she knew that she had been invited only to be honored, and that Solomon’s rule and administration were founded upon wisdom. After all that she had witnessed, she did not harbor the slightest fear that anything untoward would happen.
When she prepared to wade in, she was told: “It is a hall paved smooth with glass,” so there was no need for her to bare her shins. When she finally reached Solomon, witnessed all that she witnessed, and recognized his prophethood and messengerhood, she repented and renounced her disbelief. She “said, ‘My Lord, I have indeed wronged myself, and with Solomon I submit to Allah, Lord of the worlds.’”
This is what Allah has related to us of the story of the Queen of Sheba and what transpired between her and Solomon. As for all the derivative embellishments and Israelite narratives beyond this, they do not pertain to the interpretation of Allah’s words. Such matters may be asserted with certainty only on the basis of established evidence from the infallible Messenger, whereas all or most of the reports transmitted on this subject are not of that kind. The truly prudent course is therefore to disregard them and not include them in works of Quranic commentary. Allah knows best.