The story of the Queen of Sheba | Episode (13) | This is from the grace of my Lord

0:00 The story of the Queen of Sheba.

0:02 “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)

0:12 When the throne of the Queen of Sheba was brought

0:15 before the Prophet of Allah, Sulayman, peace be upon him,

0:19 he said:

0:20 “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)

0:23 This is the character of Prophethood,

0:26 and the Prophetic fiqh in dealing with events.

0:30 The Prophet of Allah, Sulayman, peace be upon him, was granted a magnificent kingdom,

0:35 which is described in the Noble Qur'an.

0:38 “So We made the wind subservient unto him, setting fair by his command whithersoever he intended.” (38:36)

0:47 “And the unruly, every builder and diver (made We subservient),” (38:37)

0:56 “And others linked together in chains,” (38:38)

1:02 And in another verse:

1:05 “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)

1:09 "We have been taught the language of birds."

1:12 “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)

1:16 “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)

1:21 And his soldiers were gathered for Sulayman,

1:25 “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)

1:30 and they were kept in check.

1:34 Yet, when he ordered one of his soldiers

1:37 to bring the throne of the Queen of Sheba,

1:39 and he saw it before him,

1:41 he did not attribute the bringing of the throne

1:43 to his own abilities or potential,

1:45 nor to himself.

1:47 Rather, he attributed the grace to Allah alone.

1:51 This is the proper etiquette with Allah, the Exalted,

1:53 in expressing gratitude for blessings,

1:55 as grace is attributed to Allah, the Exalted.

1:58 For were it not for Allah, Glorified and Exalted be He,

2:01 we would not be able to advance or retreat,

2:04 or do anything at all.

2:06 For He, the Exalted, is the One who

2:08 granted us the ability to do so,

2:10 as there is no power and no strength

2:13 except by Allah, the Most High, the Almighty.

2:16 Indeed, the achievements that humans attain

2:20 are only by the grace of Allah upon them,

2:22 in that He guided them to these ideas,

2:25 helped them implement them,

2:27 and decreed success for them in them.

2:30 What kings,

2:33 leaders, and princes are keen on

2:35 throughout the ages

2:37 is to gain pride from deeds

2:39 that are not of their own making,

2:41 or they boast of deeds

2:43 that do not deserve this pride

2:45 which they sing about.

2:47 In fact, these deeds might even be

2:49 a type of failure,

2:51 yet they count them

2:53 as a great achievement.

2:55 And no era is free

2:57 from an evil inner circle

2:59 surrounding sultans and princes,

3:01 beautifying falsehood for them

3:03 and praising them for committing it,

3:05 so they become arrogant and haughty,

3:07 then they act with pride in the land.

3:09 They do not accept the advice of the sincere,

3:11 nor do they listen

3:13 to a compassionate heart.

3:15 For here is Qarun;

3:17 the believers from his people advise him

3:19 by saying:

3:21 “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)

3:23 "Do not exult;

3:25 indeed, Allah does not like

3:27 the exultant.

3:29 And seek, through that which

3:31 Allah has given you,

3:34 the home of the Hereafter;

3:36 and do not forget your share

3:38 of the world;

3:40 and do good

3:42 as

3:44 Allah

3:46 has done good

3:48 to you.

3:50 And desire not

3:52 corruption in the land.

3:54 Indeed, Allah

3:56 does not like the corrupters."

3:59 So he replied to them

4:01 by saying:

4:03 He said, "It was only

4:05 given to me because of knowledge

4:07 I have."

4:09 So he attributed the grace

4:11 to himself,

4:13 and did not accept the advice of the sincere.

4:15 So We caused him

4:18 and his home to be swallowed by the earth,

4:20 and there was for him

4:22 no company

4:24 to aid him

4:26 other than Allah,

4:28 nor was he

4:30 among those who could defend themselves.

4:32 And Pharaoh

4:34 was impressed with himself

4:36 and with what he possessed,

4:38 so he said to his people in confronting

4:40 the call of the Prophet of Allah,

4:42 Musa, peace be upon him:

4:44 And Pharaoh called out

4:46 among his people:

4:48 “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)

4:50 "Is mine the kingdom of Egypt,

4:52 and these rivers

4:54 flowing beneath me?

4:56 Do you not,

4:58 then, see?

5:00 Or am I better

5:02 than this one who

5:04 is insignificant

5:06 and hardly makes himself clear?

5:08 Then why

5:11 have there not been

5:13 placed upon him bracelets

5:15 of gold

5:17 or come

5:19 with him the angels

5:21 in procession?"

5:23 So he bluffed

5:25 his people, and they obeyed him.

5:27 Indeed, they

5:29 were a people

5:31 defiantly disobedient.

5:33 So when

5:36 they angered Us,

5:38 We took retribution

5:40 from them and drowned

5:42 them all.

5:44 And We made

5:46 them a precedent

5:48 and an example

5:50 for the later ones.

5:52 Ibn Kathir said,

5:54 may Allah have mercy on him:

5:56 "The Exalted says, informing about Pharaoh,

5:58 his rebellion, his arrogance,

6:00 his disbelief, and his stubbornness,

6:02 that he gathered his people

6:04 and called out among them, boasting,

6:06 proud of the kingdom of Egypt

6:08 and his control over it:

6:10 “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)

6:12 'And these rivers flowing

6:14 beneath me.'"

6:17 Qatadah said:

6:19 "They had gardens

6:21 and water rivers.

6:23 'Do you not see?'

6:25 Meaning: Do you not see what I am in

6:27 of greatness and kingdom?

6:29 He meant that Musa

6:31 and his followers were poor and weak."

6:33 And al-Razi said,

6:36 may Allah have mercy on him:

6:38 "The essence of the matter is

6:40 [his pride] in the abundance of his wealth

6:42 and the power of his status over the virtue of

6:44 his own soul,

6:47 and he did not attribute the grace to Allah

6:49 for the blessings he was in."

6:51 And in the story of the three:

6:53 the bald man, the leper,

6:55 and the blind man,

6:57 whom Allah tested

6:59 with the blessings He bestowed upon them,

7:01 is a lesson for everyone who attributes

7:03 grace to himself

7:05 and does not thank the blessing of Allah

7:07 upon him, nor attributes it to Him,

7:09 the Almighty and Majestic.

7:11 For on the authority of Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him,

7:13 that he heard the Prophet,

7:15 peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,

7:17 saying: "Indeed,

7:19 three among the Children of Israel—

7:21 a leper, a bald man,

7:23 and a blind man—Allah wanted

7:25 to test them,

7:27 so He sent an angel to them.

7:29 He came to the leper

7:31 and said, 'What

7:33 thing is most dear to you?'

7:35 He said, 'A good color

7:37 and good skin,

7:39 and that this which has caused people to loathe me

7:41 be removed from me.'

7:43 He said, so he wiped him,

7:45 and his loathsomeness was removed from him,

7:47 and he was given a good color

7:49 and good skin.

7:51 He said, 'And what wealth

7:53 is most dear to you?'

7:55 He said, 'Camels.'

7:57 So he was given a pregnant she-camel,

7:59 and he said,

8:01 'May Allah bless you in it.'

8:03 He said,

8:05 then he said,

8:07 'What thing is most dear to you?'

8:09 He said,

8:11 'Good hair,

8:13 And may this [affliction] be removed from me,

8:15 for people have come to loathe me.

8:17 He said: So he wiped him,

8:19 and it departed from him,

8:21 and he was given a beautiful complexion.

8:23 He asked: Which

8:25 wealth is most beloved to you?

8:27 He replied: Cattle.

8:29 So he was given a pregnant

8:31 cow.

8:33 He said: May Allah bless

8:35 you in it.

8:37 He said: Then he came

8:39 to the blind man and said:

8:41 What thing is most beloved to you?

8:43 He replied: That

8:45 Allah restore my sight to me,

8:47 so that I may see people with it.

8:49 He said: So he wiped him,

8:51 and Allah restored his

8:53 sight to him. He asked:

8:55 Which wealth is most beloved

8:57 to you? He replied:

8:59 Sheep.

9:01 Then he said:

9:03 I am a poor man,

9:05 my means have been cut off

9:07 during my journey,

9:09 and I have no provision today

9:11 except through Allah,

9:13 then through you.

9:15 By Him who gave you

9:17 the beautiful complexion,

9:19 the beautiful skin,

9:21 and the wealth,

9:23 I ask you for a camel

9:25 to help me reach my destination

9:27 in my journey.

9:29 I have no provision today except through Allah, then through you.

9:33 I ask you by the One who gave you the beautiful complexion, the beautiful skin, and the wealth,

9:39 for a camel to help me in my journey.

9:42 He replied: The obligations are many.

9:46 He said to him: It is as if I recognize you;

9:50 were you not a leper whom people loathed,

9:53 and poor, then Allah gave you [wealth]?

9:56 He replied: I only inherited this wealth from my forefathers.

10:02 He said: If you are a liar,

10:06 may Allah return you to what you were.

10:09 He said: Then he came to the bald man in his [former] appearance,

10:13 and said to him the same as he had said to the other,

10:16 and he responded with the same as the other had responded.

10:20 He said: If you are a liar,

10:24 may Allah return you to what you were.

10:27 He said: Then he came to the blind man in his [former] appearance and state,

10:32 and said: I am a poor man and a wayfarer;

10:36 my means have been cut off in my journey,

10:39 and I have no provision today except through Allah, then through you.

10:43 I ask you by the One who restored your sight to you,

10:46 for a sheep to help me in my journey.

10:50 He replied: I was indeed blind,

10:53 and Allah restored my sight to me;

10:56 so take what you wish and leave what you wish.

10:59 By Allah, I will not burden you today for anything you take for the sake of Allah.

11:04 He said: Keep your wealth,

11:07 for you have only been tested.

11:10 Allah is pleased with you and is displeased with your two companions.

11:14 Narrated by Muslim.

11:16 The leper attributed the favor to himself,

11:19 and did not attribute it to Allah.

11:21 The bald man was the same.

11:23 As for the blind man, he attributed the favor to Allah,

11:27 so Allah was pleased with him and displeased with his two companions.

11:31 A person only attributes favor to himself

11:36 when he becomes conceited.

11:38 This is a blameworthy trait that destroys its possessor,

11:42 as mentioned in the hadith of the Prophet, peace be upon him:

11:46 "Three things are destructive and three are saving,

11:51 three are expiations and three are degrees."

11:56 As for the destructive ones:

11:58 A stinginess that is obeyed, a desire that is followed,

12:02 and a man's self-conceit.

12:05 Narrated by al-Tabarani in al-Awsat.

12:08 Al-Razi, may Allah have mercy on him, said:

12:11 Boasting about oneself and one's qualities is among the traits of Iblis and Pharaoh.

12:16 Iblis said: "I am better than him."

12:21 “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)

12:23 And everyone who falsely claimed divinity or prophethood

12:28 had no purpose other than self-aggrandizement,

12:31 and strengthening greed and conceit.

12:34 That is why he, peace be upon him, said:

12:37 "Three things are destructive,"

12:39 and he concluded it by saying:

12:41 "And a man's self-conceit."

12:44 Thus, the statement of the Prophet of Allah, Sulayman, peace be upon him,

12:49 “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)

12:51 shows us the ethics of prophethood that we should adopt in our lives.

12:58 The second matter we learn from the response of the Prophet of Allah, Sulayman, peace be upon him,

13:04 is how to deal with the blessings that Allah bestows upon us.

13:10 For the bringing of the throne of the Queen of Sheba

13:13 from Yemen to the kingdom of Sulayman, peace be upon him,

13:16 in the blink of an eye is a great blessing,

13:19 indicating the power possessed by the Prophet of Allah, Sulayman, peace be upon him.

13:25 Therefore, the Prophet of Allah, Sulayman, peace be upon him, said,

13:29 in the face of this blessing and in the presence of his troops:

13:33 “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)

13:36 “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)

13:39 “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)

13:43 “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)

13:48 The Prophet of Allah, Sulayman, peace be upon him, clarified

13:53 that blessings are a test,

13:55 requiring gratitude to the Bestower,

13:57 who is Allah, the Exalted in His Majesty.

14:00 This gratitude benefits the one who is grateful,

14:04 while Allah is free of need from us, glory be to Him and exalted be He.

14:08 He, peace be upon him, clarified this truth

14:11 before the troops so that they might learn it.

14:14 And thus, parents should

14:17 express gratitude for Allah's blessings upon them in front of their children,

14:21 so that they may follow their example in dealing with blessings.

14:25 As for what some people do by placing this phrase

14:29 “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)

14:32 on buildings, shops, cars, and elsewhere,

14:36 it is one of the mistakes people make in dealing with Qur'anic verses.

14:41 This is not the way to show gratitude for the blessing

14:44 that Allah has bestowed upon them.

14:47 Rather, people do it to ward off envy and the evil eye,

14:51 and this is another mistake.

14:53 Whoever wishes to show gratitude for a blessing

14:56 should look at the correct method of showing gratitude for blessings.

15:00 For every blessing has a method of gratitude;

15:04 the blessing of wealth is shown gratitude by using it in what pleases Allah,

15:09 and by giving charity to the poor and the needy.

15:12 And so it is with the rest of the blessings.

15:15 As for hanging verses on walls,

15:18 that is not part of showing gratitude for a blessing.

15:21 But what did the Prophet of Allah, Sulayman, peace be upon him, do

15:26 with the throne of the Queen of Sheba when it was brought to him?

15:30 We shall continue in a future meeting, if Allah wills.

15:34 And praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds.

15:37 The story of the Queen of Sheba with the Prophet of Allah, Sulayman, peace be upon him.

The story of the Queen of Sheba | Episode (13) | This is from the grace of my Lord

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