Tafsir of An-Naml 27:35

She settled her opinion by saying: "But I am going to send them a gift, and see with what [reply] the messengers will return," so that I may act according to what the situation requires. This clearly shows that she did not trust that he, peace be upon him, would accept her gift. It is narrated that she said to her people: "If he is a worldly king, wealth will satisfy him, and we shall deal with him accordingly; but if he is a prophet, wealth will not satisfy him, and it will be necessary for us to follow him in his religion."

"Gift" (hadiya) is a name for that which is gifted, just as "bestowal" (‘atiya) is a name for that which is bestowed; the tanwin in it is for glorification. "And see" (nazira) is a conjunction connected to "sending" (mursila). The prepositional phrase "with what" (bi-ma) relates to "return" (yarji‘u). Al-Hufi suggested that it relates to "see" (nazira), but this is a grave error, as stated in al-Bahr. The vision (al-nazar) is suspended, and the [interrogative] sentence is in the place of an object for it. The nominal sentence—which denotes firmness and begins with a particle of verification—is to signal that she is resolute in her opinion, such that no distractor can turn her from it, nor any influencer can dissuade her.

There is a difference of opinion regarding her gift. Ibn Abbas narrated that it consisted of one hundred young men and one hundred young women. Wahb and others said: Bilqis directed that five hundred young women be dressed in the attire of young men, in tunics and belts, and she dressed the young men in the attire of young women. She placed on their hands gold bracelets, around their necks gold collars, and in their ears earrings and pendants studded with various types of jewels. She mounted the young women on five hundred fillies and the young men on five hundred stallions, each horse having a saddle of gold studded with jewels and covered with brocade. She sent to him bricks of gold and bricks of silver, and a crown studded with pearls and rubies. She sent musk, ambergris, and aloeswood. She took a small container and placed inside it an unpierced pearl and a piece of agate with a crooked hole. She summoned a man from the nobles of her people called al-Mundhir ibn ‘Amr, gathered with him men of opinion and intellect from her people, and wrote with him a letter mentioning the gift, in which she said: "If you are a prophet, distinguish between the young men and the young women, and inform [us] what is inside the container before you open it." Then she said to the messenger: "If he informs [you], then say to him: 'Pierce the pearl with a straight hole and insert a thread into the agate without the intervention of human or jinn.'" She told the young men: "If Solomon speaks to you, speak to him with speech characterized by effeminacy and softness, resembling the speech of women," and she ordered the young women to speak to him with speech containing harshness, resembling the speech of men. Then she said to the messenger: "Look at the man when you enter; if he looks at you with a look of anger, know that he is a king, so do not let his appearance terrify you, for I am mightier than he. But if you see the man cheerful and gentle, know that he is a prophet, so understand from him his words and return the answer."

The man departed with the gifts. The hoopoe hurried to Solomon and informed him of the news. He, peace be upon him, ordered the jinn to cast bricks of gold and silver, and they did so. He ordered them to construct a square measuring nine farsakhs and to pave it with the bricks of gold and silver, and to leave a space equivalent to the bricks they [the envoys] had with them. He ordered them to build a high wall of gold and silver around the square, and they did so. Then he said: "Which creatures of the land and sea are the most beautiful?" They said: "O Prophet of God, we have not seen any more beautiful than the creatures of the sea, which are called such-and-such, having different colors, and possessing wings, manes, and forelocks." He said: "Bring them to me at once," and they brought them to him. He said: "Tie them to the right and left of the square." He said to the jinn: "Bring me your children," and a great multitude of them gathered, and he stationed them on the right and left of the square. He ordered the jinn, humans, devils, beasts, predatory animals, and birds [to assemble]. Then he sat in his assembly on his throne, and placed four thousand chairs to his right and left. He ordered all the humans, jinn, devils, beasts, predatory animals, and birds to line up for farsakhs to his right and left.

When the people approached the square and saw the kingdom of Solomon, peace be upon him, and saw the creatures, the like of which they had never seen, pacing upon the bricks of gold and silver, they felt small in their own eyes and hid the gifts they had with them. It is said that when they saw that space [which was left] empty of bricks, they feared they would be accused [of theft], so they placed the bricks they had with them into it. When they looked at the devils, they were terrified by what they saw, but the devils said to them: "Proceed, no harm shall come to you." They passed by the ranks of the jinn, beasts, and birds until they stood before Solomon. He turned toward them with a bright face, welcomed them well, and asked them about their state. The leader of the people informed him of what they had come for and handed him the letter. He looked at it and said: "Where is the container?" It was brought, and he moved it. Gabriel, peace be upon him, came and informed him of what was in it. He said to them: "It contains an unpierced pearl and an agate with a crooked hole." The messenger said: "You are truthful. Pierce the pearl and insert the thread into the agate." Solomon, peace be upon him, said: "Who will pierce it for me?" He asked the jinn and the humans, but they had no knowledge of that. Then he asked the devils, and they said: "We will send for the termite." When it came, it took a hair in its mouth and passed through the pearl until it came out the other side. He said to it: "What is your need?" It said: "That my sustenance be in the trees." He said: "That is yours." Then he said: "Who is for this agate?" A white worm said: "I am for it, O Prophet of God." It took the thread in its mouth and entered the hole until it came out the other side. He said: "What is your need?" It said: "That my sustenance be in the fruits." He said: "That is yours." Then he distinguished between the young men and the young women; he ordered them to wash their faces and hands. The young woman would take the water in her hand and strike the other hand with it, then wash her face, while the young man would take the water in his hand and strike his face with it. The young woman would pour the water on the inner side of her forearms, and the young man on the outer side.

Then Solomon, peace be upon him, rejected the gift, as God Almighty has reported. It is said that she sent with her gifts a staff which the kings of Himyar used to inherit, and she said: "I want you to let me know its top from its bottom." And she sent a cup of water, saying: "Fill it with water that is neither from the earth nor from the sky." He, peace be upon him, sent the staff into the air and said: "Whichever end hits the ground first is its bottom." He ordered the horses to be run until they sweated, and he filled the cup with their sweat and said: "This is not from the water of the earth nor from the water of the sky." All of this consists of reports whose truth or falsehood is unknown, and perhaps some of them contain things that incline the heart to declare them false. God Almighty knows best.