The story of Sulayman and the Queen of Sheba in the Quran

Solomon's name occurs seventeen times in sixteen verses across seven surahs, seven of those verses in An-Naml. His story with the Queen of Sheba runs from An-Naml 20 to 44. This article follows it scene by scene and, at each hard verse, gives the Sunni reading of al-Tafsir al-Muyassar first, then the Shia readings of al-Safi (al-Fayd al-Kashani) and al-Mizan (al-Tabataba'i).

Quotations from the three commentaries are my renderings of the Arabic.

The missing hoopoe

And he took attendance of the birds and said, "Why do I not see the hoopoe - or is he among the absent?

(An-Naml 27:20)

Al-Muyassar: he inspected the birds made subject to him and found that a particular, well-known hoopoe was missing. Al-Safi relays from al-Qummi how he noticed: whenever Solomon sat on his throne, the birds came and shaded it from the heat of the sun; the hoopoe was absent from among them, and the sun fell through its place into Solomon's lap, so he looked up.

Then the hoopoe returns:

But the hoopoe stayed not long and said, "I have encompassed [in knowledge] that which you have not encompassed, and I have come to you from Sheba with certain news.

Indeed, I found [there] a woman ruling them, and she has been given of all things, and she has a great throne.

(An-Naml 27:22, An-Naml 27:23)

On "she has been given of all things", al-Mizan: it describes the extent of her kingdom; "all things" means everything that goes with a great kingdom — resolve, power, wide lands, treasure, armies.

The throne

[Solomon] said, "O assembly [of jinn], which of you will bring me her throne before they come to me in submission?"

A powerful one from among the jinn said, "I will bring it to you before you rise from your place, and indeed, I am for this [task] strong and trustworthy."

Said one who had knowledge from the Scripture, "I will bring it to you before your glance returns to you." And when [Solomon] saw it placed before him, he said, "This is from the favor of my Lord to test me whether I will be grateful or ungrateful. And whoever is grateful - his gratitude is only for [the benefit of] himself. And whoever is ungrateful - then indeed, my Lord is Free of need and Generous."

(An-Naml 27:38, An-Naml 27:39, An-Naml 27:40)

Where they agree

All three agree the throne came by prayer, not by bodily strength as the jinn had offered. Al-Muyassar: Solomon gave him leave, and he called on God, and the throne was brought. Al-Safi relays from al-Qummi that he called on God by the Greatest Name, and the throne came out from beneath Solomon's seat. Al-Mizan records that the commentators say he knew the Greatest Name of God, by which, when He is asked, He answers.

Where they differ

Who was "the one who had knowledge from the Scripture"? Al-Muyassar does not name him. Al-Safi names him by report as Asaf son of Barkhiya. Al-Mizan sets out every view and weighs none: that he is set against the jinn shows he was human; reports from the imams of the Prophet's family say he was Asaf son of Barkhiya, Solomon's minister and successor; it has been said he was al-Khidr, or a man who had the Greatest Name, or Gabriel, or Solomon himself — none of which has proof. Al-Mizan adds that the Greatest Name cannot be a word or a concept; if there is a name with such power, it is the reality the word points to.

The gratitude

When he saw the throne before him, Solomon said it was from his Lord's favour, to test whether he would be grateful. The three agree on what gratitude means here. Al-Muyassar: to test me whether I will be grateful, acknowledging His favour, or ungrateful by neglecting thanks. Al-Safi: grateful — by seeing it as God's favour, with no power or strength of my own. Al-Mizan: from my Lord's favour, without my deserving it, to test me.

The glass palace

She was told, "Enter the palace." But when she saw it, she thought it was a body of water and uncovered her shins [to wade through]. He said, "Indeed, it is a palace [whose floor is] made smooth with glass." She said, "My Lord, indeed I have wronged myself, and I submit with Solomon to Allah, Lord of the worlds."

(An-Naml 27:44)

All three agree the palace floor was smooth glass that she took for water, and that she submitted to God with Solomon. They differ on the wrong she confessed: al-Muyassar, the associating of others with God that I was in; al-Mizan, that she had not worshipped God; al-Safi, my worship of the sun — and then, with "it is said", her suspicion that Solomon meant to drown her.

What the verses do not say

• They do not name the queen; "Bilqis" comes from al-Safi's reports.
• They do not name the one with knowledge from the Scripture.
• They do not say how long the hoopoe was away, or what became of the queen after she submitted.

Counted on the mushaf

• Solomon's name: seventeen times in sixteen verses across seven surahs; seven of the verses are in An-Naml.
• al-hudhud, "the hoopoe": once in the whole Quran.
• 'ifrit, the "powerful one" of the jinn: once.
• Sheba: two verses — An-Naml 22, and Saba 15 in the surah named after it.
• al-sarh, "the palace": three verses — here, and twice of Pharaoh's tower, Al-Qasas 38 and Ghafir 36.

Sources

• al-Tafsir al-Muyassar — King Fahd Complex for the Printing of the Holy Quran.
• Tafsir al-Safi — al-Fayd al-Kashani.
• al-Mizan fi Tafsir al-Quran — al-Sayyid Muhammad Husayn al-Tabataba'i.

Read:

• Surah An-Naml
• The story of Yunus in the Quran, scene by scene
• The story of Adam in the Quran, scene by scene