An-Naml: (41-43) He said, "Disguise for her..."

Translation and Exegesis

Know that His saying, {نكروا} (Disguise/Alter), means: Make the throne unrecognizable, changed from its original form, just as a person disguises himself from people so that he is not recognized. This is because if it were left as it was, she would inevitably recognize it, and her recognition of it would not indicate the firmness of her intellect. But if it is changed, her recognition of it, or her hesitation, indicates a superior intellect.

It is not impossible that what was said—that Solomon (peace be upon him) suggested to her that there was a defect in her intellect—was intended so that he would not marry her, or so that she would not gain favor with him out of envy. Thus, what we mentioned (disguising the throne) was intended as a test of her intellect.

As for His saying, {ننظر} (We shall see), it has been read with the jazm (jussive mood) as the response [to the command] and with the rafʿ (indicative mood) as a new, independent clause.

They differed regarding {أتهتدى} (will she be guided?) in two ways:

1. Does it mean: Will she recognize that it is her throne or not? As we previously mentioned.
2. Does it mean: Will she recognize the prophethood of Solomon through it or not? This is why He said, {أم تكون من الذين لا يهتدون} (or be among those who are not guided). This latter phrasing implies censure, which is only appropriate in the context of demonstration. It is as if (peace be upon him) wished that she would look and thereby recognize his prophethood, given that the throne was moved from a distant place to there. This indicates the power of God Almighty and the truthfulness of Solomon (peace be upon him). Through this, the excellence of her intellect would also be known for purposes he had in mind. Following this, he asked her.

As for His saying, {أهكذا عرشك} (Is your throne like this?), know that hākadhā (like this) consists of three elements: the particle of alerting (hā), the particle of similitude (ka), and the demonstrative pronoun (dhā). He did not say, "Is this your throne?" but rather, "Is your throne like this?" so that the reception would not be direct.

She replied, {كأنه هو} (It is as if it is it). She did not say, "It is it," nor "It is not it." This demonstrates the perfection of her intellect, as she paused where pausing was necessary.

As for His saying, {وأوتينا العلم من قبلها} (And knowledge was given to us before her), there are two questions concerning it:

1. Whose speech is this?
2. To what is this speech connected?

There are two answers to this:

The First: It is the speech of Solomon and his people. This is because when Bilqīs was asked about her throne, and she replied, {كأنه هو} (It is as if it is it), the apparent meaning is that Solomon and his people said that she spoke correctly in her answer, affirming that she was intelligent, discerning, and had accepted Islam. Then they connected their statement, "And knowledge was given to us concerning God and His power before her knowledge." Their purpose in this would be to thank God for granting them the distinction of preceding her in Islam.

The Second: It is the speech of Bilqīs, connected to her previous statement, {كأنه هو}. The meaning is: "And knowledge concerning God and the truthfulness of Solomon's prophethood was given to us before this miracle, or before this situation." Then, His saying, {وصدها ما كانت تعبد من دون الله} (And what she used to worship besides God prevented her), until the end of the verse, would be from the speech of the Lord of Majesty.

As for His saying, {وصدها ما كانت تعبد من دون الله} (And what she used to worship besides God prevented her), there are two interpretations:

1. The meaning is: Her worship of other than God prevented her from believing (in the true God).
2. The meaning is: God or Solomon prevented her from (the things) she used to worship, by omitting the preposition (min) and making the verb transitive.

It was also read with the fatḥa (on the verb ṣadda), meaning it is an apposition to the subject of ṣadda (the preventer) and means "because she was..."

The Mu'tazila used this verse as proof, arguing that if God Almighty had created disbelief within her, then her prior disbelief or her being among the disbelievers would not be the preventer; rather, the preventer of her faith would be the new creation of disbelief by God within her.

The response: On the second interpretation, the argument certainly falls apart. As for the first interpretation, our response is that her being among the disbelievers became the cause for the emergence of the incentive that necessitates disbelief. In that case, the apparent meaning of the verse remains consistent with our view. And God knows best.

The Verse (7:44)

{قيل لها ادخلى الصرح فلما رأته حسبته لجة وكشفت عن ساقيها قال إنه صرح ممرد من قوارير قالت رب إنى ظلمت نفسى وأسلمت مع سليمان لله رب العالمين}

{It was said to her, "Enter the courtyard." But when she saw it, she thought it was a body of water and uncovered her legs.} Solomon said, {إنه صرح ممرد من قوارير} (Indeed, it is a courtyard paved with smooth glass). {قالت رب إنى ظلمت نفسى وأسلمت مع سليمان لله رب العالمين} (She said, "My Lord, indeed I have wronged myself, and I submit with Solomon to God, Lord of the worlds.")