The story of the Queen of Sheba.
“One with whom was knowledge of the Scripture said: I will bring it thee before thy gaze returneth unto thee. And when he saw it set in his presence, (Solomon) 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.” (27:40)
When the throne of the Queen of Sheba was brought
before the Prophet of Allah, Sulayman, peace be upon him,
he said:
“One with whom was knowledge of the Scripture said: I will bring it thee before thy gaze returneth unto thee. And when he saw it set in his presence, (Solomon) 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.” (27:40)
This is the character of Prophethood,
and the Prophetic fiqh in dealing with events.
The Prophet of Allah, Sulayman, peace be upon him, was granted a magnificent kingdom,
which is described in the Noble Qur'an.
“So We made the wind subservient unto him, setting fair by his command whithersoever he intended.” (38:36)
“And the unruly, every builder and diver (made We subservient),” (38:37)
“And others linked together in chains,” (38:38)
And in another verse:
“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.” (27:16)
"We have been taught the language of birds."
“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.” (27:16)
“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.” (27:16)
And his soldiers were gathered for Sulayman,
“And there were gathered together unto Solomon his armies of the jinn and humankind, and of the birds, and they were set in battle order;” (27:17)
and they were kept in check.
Yet, when he ordered one of his soldiers
to bring the throne of the Queen of Sheba,
and he saw it before him,
he did not attribute the bringing of the throne
to his own abilities or potential,
nor to himself.
Rather, he attributed the grace to Allah alone.
This is the proper etiquette with Allah, the Exalted,
in expressing gratitude for blessings,
as grace is attributed to Allah, the Exalted.
For were it not for Allah, Glorified and Exalted be He,
we would not be able to advance or retreat,
or do anything at all.
For He, the Exalted, is the One who
granted us the ability to do so,
as there is no power and no strength
except by Allah, the Most High, the Almighty.
Indeed, the achievements that humans attain
are only by the grace of Allah upon them,
in that He guided them to these ideas,
helped them implement them,
and decreed success for them in them.
What kings,
leaders, and princes are keen on
throughout the ages
is to gain pride from deeds
that are not of their own making,
or they boast of deeds
that do not deserve this pride
which they sing about.
In fact, these deeds might even be
a type of failure,
yet they count them
as a great achievement.
And no era is free
from an evil inner circle
surrounding sultans and princes,
beautifying falsehood for them
and praising them for committing it,
so they become arrogant and haughty,
then they act with pride in the land.
They do not accept the advice of the sincere,
nor do they listen
to a compassionate heart.
For here is Qarun;
the believers from his people advise him
by saying:
“Now Korah was of Moses' folk, but he oppressed them; and We gave him so much treasure that the stores thereof would verily have been a burden for a troop of mighty men. When his own folk said unto him: Exult not; lo! Allah loveth not the exultant;” (28:76)
"Do not exult;
indeed, Allah does not like
the exultant.
And seek, through that which
Allah has given you,
the home of the Hereafter;
and do not forget your share
of the world;
and do good
as
Allah
has done good
to you.
And desire not
corruption in the land.
Indeed, Allah
does not like the corrupters."
So he replied to them
by saying:
He said, "It was only
given to me because of knowledge
I have."
So he attributed the grace
to himself,
and did not accept the advice of the sincere.
So We caused him
and his home to be swallowed by the earth,
and there was for him
no company
to aid him
other than Allah,
nor was he
among those who could defend themselves.
And Pharaoh
was impressed with himself
and with what he possessed,
so he said to his people in confronting
the call of the Prophet of Allah,
Musa, peace be upon him:
And Pharaoh called out
among his people:
“And Pharaoh caused a proclamation to be made among his people saying: O my people! Is not mine the sovereignty of Egypt and these rivers flowing under me? Can ye not then discern?” (43:51)
"Is mine the kingdom of Egypt,
and these rivers
flowing beneath me?
Do you not,
then, see?
Or am I better
than this one who
is insignificant
and hardly makes himself clear?
Then why
have there not been
placed upon him bracelets
of gold
or come
with him the angels
in procession?"
So he bluffed
his people, and they obeyed him.
Indeed, they
were a people
defiantly disobedient.
So when
they angered Us,
We took retribution
from them and drowned
them all.
And We made
them a precedent
and an example
for the later ones.
Ibn Kathir said,
may Allah have mercy on him:
"The Exalted says, informing about Pharaoh,
his rebellion, his arrogance,
his disbelief, and his stubbornness,
that he gathered his people
and called out among them, boasting,
proud of the kingdom of Egypt
and his control over it:
“And Pharaoh caused a proclamation to be made among his people saying: O my people! Is not mine the sovereignty of Egypt and these rivers flowing under me? Can ye not then discern?” (43:51)
'And these rivers flowing
beneath me.'"
Qatadah said:
"They had gardens
and water rivers.
'Do you not see?'
Meaning: Do you not see what I am in
of greatness and kingdom?
He meant that Musa
and his followers were poor and weak."
And al-Razi said,
may Allah have mercy on him:
"The essence of the matter is
[his pride] in the abundance of his wealth
and the power of his status over the virtue of
his own soul,
and he did not attribute the grace to Allah
for the blessings he was in."
And in the story of the three:
the bald man, the leper,
and the blind man,
whom Allah tested
with the blessings He bestowed upon them,
is a lesson for everyone who attributes
grace to himself
and does not thank the blessing of Allah
upon him, nor attributes it to Him,
the Almighty and Majestic.
For on the authority of Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him,
that he heard the Prophet,
peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
saying: "Indeed,
three among the Children of Israel—
a leper, a bald man,
and a blind man—Allah wanted
to test them,
so He sent an angel to them.
He came to the leper
and said, 'What
thing is most dear to you?'
He said, 'A good color
and good skin,
and that this which has caused people to loathe me
be removed from me.'
He said, so he wiped him,
and his loathsomeness was removed from him,
and he was given a good color
and good skin.
He said, 'And what wealth
is most dear to you?'
He said, 'Camels.'
So he was given a pregnant she-camel,
and he said,
'May Allah bless you in it.'
He said,
then he said,
'What thing is most dear to you?'
He said,
'Good hair,
And may this [affliction] be removed from me,
for people have come to loathe me.
He said: So he wiped him,
and it departed from him,
and he was given a beautiful complexion.
He asked: Which
wealth is most beloved to you?
He replied: Cattle.
So he was given a pregnant
cow.
He said: May Allah bless
you in it.
He said: Then he came
to the blind man and said:
What thing is most beloved to you?
He replied: That
Allah restore my sight to me,
so that I may see people with it.
He said: So he wiped him,
and Allah restored his
sight to him. He asked:
Which wealth is most beloved
to you? He replied:
Sheep.
Then he said:
I am a poor man,
my means have been cut off
during my journey,
and I have no provision today
except through Allah,
then through you.
By Him who gave you
the beautiful complexion,
the beautiful skin,
and the wealth,
I ask you for a camel
to help me reach my destination
in my journey.
I have no provision today except through Allah, then through you.
I ask you by the One who gave you the beautiful complexion, the beautiful skin, and the wealth,
for a camel to help me in my journey.
He replied: The obligations are many.
He said to him: It is as if I recognize you;
were you not a leper whom people loathed,
and poor, then Allah gave you [wealth]?
He replied: I only inherited this wealth from my forefathers.
He said: If you are a liar,
may Allah return you to what you were.
He said: Then he came to the bald man in his [former] appearance,
and said to him the same as he had said to the other,
and he responded with the same as the other had responded.
He said: If you are a liar,
may Allah return you to what you were.
He said: Then he came to the blind man in his [former] appearance and state,
and said: I am a poor man and a wayfarer;
my means have been cut off in my journey,
and I have no provision today except through Allah, then through you.
I ask you by the One who restored your sight to you,
for a sheep to help me in my journey.
He replied: I was indeed blind,
and Allah restored my sight to me;
so take what you wish and leave what you wish.
By Allah, I will not burden you today for anything you take for the sake of Allah.
He said: Keep your wealth,
for you have only been tested.
Allah is pleased with you and is displeased with your two companions.
Narrated by Muslim.
The leper attributed the favor to himself,
and did not attribute it to Allah.
The bald man was the same.
As for the blind man, he attributed the favor to Allah,
so Allah was pleased with him and displeased with his two companions.
A person only attributes favor to himself
when he becomes conceited.
This is a blameworthy trait that destroys its possessor,
as mentioned in the hadith of the Prophet, peace be upon him:
"Three things are destructive and three are saving,
three are expiations and three are degrees."
As for the destructive ones:
A stinginess that is obeyed, a desire that is followed,
and a man's self-conceit.
Narrated by al-Tabarani in al-Awsat.
Al-Razi, may Allah have mercy on him, said:
Boasting about oneself and one's qualities is among the traits of Iblis and Pharaoh.
Iblis said: "I am better than him."
“And Pharaoh caused a proclamation to be made among his people saying: O my people! Is not mine the sovereignty of Egypt and these rivers flowing under me? Can ye not then discern?” (43:51)
And everyone who falsely claimed divinity or prophethood
had no purpose other than self-aggrandizement,
and strengthening greed and conceit.
That is why he, peace be upon him, said:
"Three things are destructive,"
and he concluded it by saying:
"And a man's self-conceit."
Thus, the statement of the Prophet of Allah, Sulayman, peace be upon him,
“One with whom was knowledge of the Scripture said: I will bring it thee before thy gaze returneth unto thee. And when he saw it set in his presence, (Solomon) 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.” (27:40)
shows us the ethics of prophethood that we should adopt in our lives.
The second matter we learn from the response of the Prophet of Allah, Sulayman, peace be upon him,
is how to deal with the blessings that Allah bestows upon us.
For the bringing of the throne of the Queen of Sheba
from Yemen to the kingdom of Sulayman, peace be upon him,
in the blink of an eye is a great blessing,
indicating the power possessed by the Prophet of Allah, Sulayman, peace be upon him.
Therefore, the Prophet of Allah, Sulayman, peace be upon him, said,
in the face of this blessing and in the presence of his troops:
“One with whom was knowledge of the Scripture said: I will bring it thee before thy gaze returneth unto thee. And when he saw it set in his presence, (Solomon) 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.” (27:40)
“One with whom was knowledge of the Scripture said: I will bring it thee before thy gaze returneth unto thee. And when he saw it set in his presence, (Solomon) 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.” (27:40)
“One with whom was knowledge of the Scripture said: I will bring it thee before thy gaze returneth unto thee. And when he saw it set in his presence, (Solomon) 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.” (27:40)
“One with whom was knowledge of the Scripture said: I will bring it thee before thy gaze returneth unto thee. And when he saw it set in his presence, (Solomon) 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.” (27:40)
The Prophet of Allah, Sulayman, peace be upon him, clarified
that blessings are a test,
requiring gratitude to the Bestower,
who is Allah, the Exalted in His Majesty.
This gratitude benefits the one who is grateful,
while Allah is free of need from us, glory be to Him and exalted be He.
He, peace be upon him, clarified this truth
before the troops so that they might learn it.
And thus, parents should
express gratitude for Allah's blessings upon them in front of their children,
so that they may follow their example in dealing with blessings.
As for what some people do by placing this phrase
“One with whom was knowledge of the Scripture said: I will bring it thee before thy gaze returneth unto thee. And when he saw it set in his presence, (Solomon) 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.” (27:40)
on buildings, shops, cars, and elsewhere,
it is one of the mistakes people make in dealing with Qur'anic verses.
This is not the way to show gratitude for the blessing
that Allah has bestowed upon them.
Rather, people do it to ward off envy and the evil eye,
and this is another mistake.
Whoever wishes to show gratitude for a blessing
should look at the correct method of showing gratitude for blessings.
For every blessing has a method of gratitude;
the blessing of wealth is shown gratitude by using it in what pleases Allah,
and by giving charity to the poor and the needy.
And so it is with the rest of the blessings.
As for hanging verses on walls,
that is not part of showing gratitude for a blessing.
But what did the Prophet of Allah, Sulayman, peace be upon him, do
with the throne of the Queen of Sheba when it was brought to him?
We shall continue in a future meeting, if Allah wills.
And praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds.
The story of the Queen of Sheba with the Prophet of Allah, Sulayman, peace be upon him.