Prophet Sulaymān: Part 2 — The Queen of Sabaʾ and the Worm in the Staff
Section 4 of 18 · Lives of the Prophets
Will You Help Me With Wealth?
فَلَمَّا جَآءَ سُلَيْمَـٰنَ قَالَ أَتُمِدُّونَنِ بِمَالٍ فَمَآ ءَاتَىٰنِۦَ ٱللَّهُ خَيْرٌ مِّمَّآ ءَاتَىٰكُم بَلْ أَنتُم بِهَدِيَّتِكُمْ تَفْرَحُونَ
“So when he (the envoy) came to Sulaimān, he said, “Are you extending a financial aid to me? So what Allah has given me is much better than what He has given to you. But you yourselves are proud of your gift.” (27:36)
Fa-lammā jāʾa Sulaymān — so when the messengers with the present came to Sulaymān, he said: a-tumiddūnani bi-māl — will you help me with wealth? Fa-mā ātāniya Allāhu khayrun mimmā ātākum — what Allah has given me is better than what He has given you.
Sulaymān said: are you trying to give me money? He said: first of all, what Allah has given me is better than what you have. What can you offer me? And many of the mufassirūn say that Sulaymān here was not referring to the material possessions that he has — even though his material possessions are better than theirs — but Sulaymān was referring to the nubuwwah that Allah (swt) has given him, the prophethood, and the ʿilm of religion. What I have is better than what you have.
And then he said: bal antum bi-hadiyyatikum tafraḥūn — you are the ones who are happy with gifts. You cannot buy me with this gift; this gift is not what will make me happy and pleased. You are the ones who could be bought off by gifts; gifts make you happy — but this strategy will not work with me.
ٱرْجِعْ إِلَيْهِمْ فَلَنَأْتِيَنَّهُم بِجُنُودٍ لَّا قِبَلَ لَهُم بِهَا وَلَنُخْرِجَنَّهُم مِّنْهَآ أَذِلَّةً وَهُمْ صَـٰغِرُونَ
“Go back to them, and we will bring to them forces they have no power to face, and we will certainly drive them out from there in humiliation while they are disgraced.”” (27:37)
And then Sulaymān said to the chief of her messengers, who brought the present: go back to them; we verily shall come to them with hosts that they cannot resist, and we shall drive them out of their land in disgrace, and they will be abased. Sulaymān said: go back and tell her that we are going to send her an army that she will not be able to resist, and we are going to drive them out of their land in a state of humility. Sulaymān said: do not offer me these gifts — take your gifts back. And he refused the gift.
So the messengers went back to her and told her he refused the gift. This was the first step in her realising that this man is not a man of dunyā. He is not a man of this world; he is not seeking dunyā; he is up to something else. And that was the first step for her to come towards the religion. She decided not to go to war — even though Sulaymān gave her a clear threat — she decided she is not going to go to war, and she is going to go and meet him personally. She prepared her delegation, and they went out to meet with Sulaymān (peace be upon him).