For Those Who Think: Surah an-Naml , ... Of Solomon and the Queen of Sheba...

Beautiful recitation by Shaykh al-Sharkawi ,

When Moses saw his staff turn into a serpent, he was alarmed and ran away, but God addressed him:

....O Moses! Fear not! the emissaries fear not in My presence, (10) Save him who hath done wrong and afterward hath changed evil for good. And lo! I am Forgiving, Merciful. (11)

These words were designed to reassure Moses that God had forgiven him for the killing of the Egyptian man as specified in al-Qasas: 15-16. Following this incident, Moses had said: '"My Lord! Lo! I have wronged my soul, so forgive me.'" Then He forgave him. Lo! He is the Forgiving, the Merciful "( al-Qasas :16). The surah affirms that the Pharaoh and his people had persistently and deliberately rejected God, despite their belief that Moses was truthful and right and that their hostility to him was unjustified. it say: " And they denied them, though their souls acknowledged them, for spite and arrogance. Then see the nature of the consequence for the wrong-doers! "(14)

Before proceeding to the case of Solomon, we should recall the verse in al-An'am which says: " There is not an animal in the earth, nor a flying creature flying on two wings, but they are peoples like unto you. We have neglected nothing in the Book (of Our decrees). Then unto their Lord they will be gathered. "( al-An'am : 38) . Members of these kingdoms live and communicate among themselves using special languages which are possible for man to discover and understand. God had endowed prophet Solomon with the gift of understanding animal communication methods and the ability to communicate with them: " And Solomon was David's heir. And he said: O mankind! Lo! we have been taught the language of birds, and have been given (abundance) of all things. This surely is evident favour. "(16)

In one incident cited, Solomon could hear what a particular ant was saying when it warned its fellow ants:

"O ants! Enter your dwellings lest Solomon and his armies crush you, unperceiving. "(18) And (Solomon) smiled, laughing at her speech, and said: My Lord, arouse me to be thankful for Thy favour wherewith Thou hast favoured me and my parents, and to do good that shall be pleasing unto Thee, and include me in (the number of) Thy righteous slaves. (19)

The surah also refers to a hoopoe which had brought Solomon the news that Balqis, the Queen of Sheba, and her people were sun-worshipers. The hoopoe had been astonished to see them worshiping something else other than God and he had exclaimed to Solomon:

"I found her and her people worshipping the sun instead of Allah; and Satan maketh their works fairseeming unto them, and debarreth them from the way (of Truth), so that they go not aright; (24) So that they worship not Allah, Who bringeth forth the hidden in the heavens and the earth, and knoweth what ye hide and what ye proclaim, "(25)

Solomon despatched a message to the Queen of Sheba which said: "' Lo! it is from Solomon, and lo! it is: In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful; (30) Exalt not yourselves against me, but come unto me as those who surrender.'" (31)

Islam, the essence of which is tawhid and submission to God, is the religion taught and advocated by all prophets without exception. Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and Muhammad have preached, upheld, and propogated one and the same religion. The Queen of Sheba took time to consider Solomon's invitation and to consult her advisors. Above all, she was anxious to establish whether Solomon was like all other sovereigns she had known who had only been interested in wealth and power. When her delegation arrived at Solomon's court with expensive gifts and precious souvenirs, he immediately realized what she was after. Solomon said to the delegation: "' What! Would ye help me with wealth? But that which Allah hath given me is better than that which He hath given you. Nay it is ye (and not I) who exult in your gift.'" (36)

Solomon was prompted to present the Queen of Sheba with a feat that would convince her of his truthfulness. He said to his courtiers: '"O chiefs! Which of you will bring me her throne before they come unto me, surrendering? '"(38)

In an instant, the surah tells us, the Queen of Sheba's throne was miraculously transported from Yemen to Jerusalem. When Solomon saw it he was overawed and said:

"This is of the bounty of my Lord, that He may try me whether I give thanks or am ungrateful. Whosoever giveth thanks he only giveth thanks for (the good of) his own soul; and whosoever is ungrateful (is ungrateful only to his own soul's hurt). For lo! my Lord is Absolute in independence, Bountiful." (40]

Although we cannot be certain how this happened, modern science has shown us today that mass and energy are only different states of the same matter, and that both can be made to travel at incredibly fast speed. When Balqis arrived in Jerusalem she was completely amazed at seeing the throne there and when asked if her her own throne was like the one she was looking at, was not certain, but replied: '" (It is) as though it were the very one '"(42). She was to learn more from Solomon that he was a messenger from God, and finally said: '" My Lord! Lo! I have wronged myself, and I surrender with Solomon unto Allah, the Lord of the World '". (44).

"A Thematic Commentary On The Qur'an "
Shaykh Muhammad al-Ghazali

Reflection and commentary by Imam Zia of Irving Islamic Center, USA

session 2.1