'In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful' He, the Exalted and Majestic, said: "He said, 'O assembly, which of you will bring me her throne before they come to me as Muslims?'" "A powerful one from the jinn said, 'I will bring it to you before you rise from your place, and I am indeed strong and trustworthy regarding it.'" "And the one who had knowledge from the Scripture said, 'I will bring it to you before your glance returns to you.' So when he saw it placed firmly before him, he said, 'This is by the grace of my Lord, so that He may test me whether I give thanks or act ungratefully. And whoever gives thanks, he only gives thanks for the good of himself, and whoever is ungrateful, then my Lord is indeed Self-Sufficient, Generous.'" The speaker is Solomon, blessings and peace be upon him, and the assembly he called is a group from the jinn and mankind. The interpreters have differed regarding the purpose of his calling for her throne. Qatadah said: It was mentioned to him in greatness and quality, so he wanted to take it before Islam protects her and her people and safeguards their wealth. Islam, in this context, is the religion, which is the saying of Ibn Jurayj. Ibn Zayd said: He called for it to show her the power that is from Allah, the Exalted and Majestic, and to overwhelm her. And 'Muslims' in this interpretation means 'submissive ones,' which is the saying of Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with both of them. He mentioned a connection in the statement, and their submission does not affect Solomon's offering, blessings and peace be upon him. It is possible that it could mean 'Islam,' and as for the first interpretation, it must mean 'Islam.' The apparent meaning of the verses is that this statement from Solomon, blessings and peace be upon him, came after the arrival of her gift and his rejection of it, and after he sent the hoopoe with the letter. This is the view of the majority of the interpreters. Al-Tabari narrated that he said this in testing the truthfulness of the hoopoe from its lie when it said to him, 'And she has a great throne.' [An-Naml: 23] So Solomon said, 'Which of you will bring me her throne?' Then there was a rearrangement in the order of the stories. Al-Qadi Abu Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, said: The first saying is more correct. It has been narrated that her throne was made of gold and silver, adorned with jewels and rubies, and that it was in the interior of seven houses, each with seven locks. The majority read: 'A powerful one said.' Abu Rajaa and 'Isa al-Thaqafi read: 'A powerful one said.' It was narrated from Abu Bakr as-Siddiq, may Allah be pleased with him. A group read: 'A powerful one said' with a kasra on the 'ain. All of this is dialects regarding it, and it is one of the devils: the strong marid. The 'ta' in 'ifrit' is extra. They have said: 'You have made the man an ifrit' if he has taken on a form of harm. Wahb ibn Munabbih said: The name of this ifrit is 'Kuri.' It was narrated from Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with both of them, that he subjugated the jinn, and from this name is the saying of Dhū al-Rumma: 'As if it were a star following an ifrit, shining in the darkness of the night, obscured.'

And His saying: ﴿Before you rise from your place﴾, Mujahid, Qatadah, and Ibn Munabbih said: Its meaning is: Before you become upright from your sitting position. And ﴿Said the one who had knowledge from the Scripture, I will bring it to you before your glance returns to you﴾, Ibn Jubair and Qatadah said: Its meaning is: Before it reaches you, upon which your glance falls, from the furthest you see. And Mujahid said its meaning is: Before you need to blink, meaning: the duration in which you can extend your sight without blinking, and that is its returning.

(p-540) The judge Abu Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, said:

And these two sayings oppose the saying of those who said: That standing is from the judgment seat, and those who said: That standing is from sitting. So he says regarding the returning of the glance: It is that it glances, meaning: before you close your eyes and open them, and that is because the second gives the shorter duration and it must be. And His saying: ﴿And indeed, I am strong and trustworthy concerning it﴾ means: Strong in carrying it, trustworthy regarding what is in it.

It is narrated that Bilqis, when she was separated from her land heading to Solomon, blessings and peace be upon him, left the throne beneath a fortified roof. When Solomon learned of her departure, he wanted to astonish her by having her find her throne with him to know that his kingdom is unmatched. So he summoned his envoy, and he called upon the one who had knowledge from the Torah - and it is the Scripture referred to - by the name of Allah, the Greatest, which was the custom in every time that no one would call upon it except that he would be answered. So the earth was split with that throne until it sprang up before Solomon, blessings and peace be upon him. And it was said: Rather, it was brought in the air. Mujahid said: And there was between Solomon and the throne as between Kufa and Hira. And Al-Rummani narrated that the throne was carried from Ma'rib to the Levant in the time it takes to blink.

The judge Abu Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, said:

And this is a journey of two months for the diligent, and the saying of Mujahid is more famous.

And it is narrated that the jinn used to inform Solomon, blessings and peace be upon him, of the movements of her throne. So when it approached, he said: ﴿Which of you will bring me her throne?﴾ And the interpreters differed regarding the one who had knowledge from the Scripture, who he is? The majority of the people are of the opinion that he is a righteous man from the Children of Israel named Asif ibn Barkhiyah. It is narrated that he prayed two rak'ahs and then said to Solomon, blessings and peace be upon him: O Prophet of Allah, extend your sight. So he extended his sight and behold, the throne was towards Yemen. Solomon did not return his sight except that the throne was with him. And Qatadah said: His name is Malkiya. And Ibrahim al-Nakha'i said: He is Gabriel, blessings be upon him. And Ibn Lahi'ah said: He is Al-Khidr. And Al-Naqash narrated from a group that they heard that he is Dabbah ibn Udd, the grandfather of Banu Dabbah from the Arabs. They said: And he was a virtuous man who served Solomon with a piece of his horses.

(p-541) The judge Abu Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, said:

And this is a weak saying.

And a group said: Rather, it is Solomon, peace be upon him, and the address - in this interpretation - is to the Ifrit, when he said: "I will bring it to you before you rise from your place." It was said: It is as if Solomon, peace be upon him, found that slow, so he said to him in a manner of belittling him: "I will bring it to you before your glance returns to you." The one who said this statement supported it with the saying of Solomon, peace be upon him: "This is from the grace of my Lord." And it was also supported by this saying of his opponent; for in both matters there is a favor upon Solomon from Allah, glorified and exalted is He. And regarding the earlier sayings, the address is to Solomon, peace be upon him. The word "I will bring it to you" can be understood as a future action, and it can also be understood as a present participle. And in the speech, there is an omission, the meaning of which is: So he called upon the name of Allah, glorified and exalted is He, and the throne came by the power of Allah, glorified and exalted is He. So when Solomon saw it settled before him, he began to thank the favor of his Lord with a statement that contains a teaching for the people, and it is an example for emulation and inspiration. Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with both of them, said: Should I be grateful for the throne and its arrival, or should I be ungrateful when I see one who is beneath me in this world more knowledgeable than me? And the worker is evident in the context from his saying: "settled." And this is what is always implied in every context that comes here expressed, and there is nothing like it in the Book of Allah, glorified and exalted is He. And the rest of the verse is clear.