Surah An-Naml (27) — Ayah 40

40. Then another person, who had knowledge of the Book [34], said, "I will bring it to you before your glance returns to you." So when Solomon saw the throne placed firmly before him, he exclaimed, "This is by the grace [35] of my Lord, so that He may test me whether I give thanks [36] or am ungrateful. And whoever gives thanks, it is only for his own benefit [37]. And whoever is ungrateful, then surely my Lord is Self-Sufficient, Most Generous [38]."

[34]
How Long Did It Take and How Was the Throne of the Queen of Sheba Brought to Sulaymanؑ:

The discussion about that mighty being had not yet ended when another person in the court spoke up, saying that he could bring that throne to you in the shortest possible time. If you cast your gaze towards the sky and then lower it, in just that much time the throne will be lying at your feet. Who was the one who brought the throne? Who was that person? Was he a jinn or a human? Which book was it? Was it Umm al-Kitab, i.e., the Preserved Tablet, or the Quran, or some other book? Was that knowledge the knowledge of divine decree, or some other kind of knowledge? These are questions for which neither the Quran nor the Hadith provide answers. And perhaps the reason is that these matters are beyond the limited intellect of humans. Some commentators say that the person was your minister Asif bin Barkhiya. By "book" is meant the revealed scriptures. And he was one who acted upon the Greatest Name and was aware of the effects of Allah’s names and the Word of Allah, but all these are conjectures. However, the result has been clearly stated by the Quran: that person was absolutely truthful in his claim. And in reality, he brought the throne of Queen Bilqis to Prophet Sulaymanؑ in the blink of an eye. Although such events are extraordinary, modern sciences have made such things much more comprehensible. For example, this very earth on which we live revolves around the sun throughout the year, and its speed is sixty-six thousand six hundred miles per hour. The astonishing thing is that such a massive globe is spinning at lightning speed, and yet we do not even feel it, and this is something we believe in with the certainty of faith. Now, compare the size and weight of Queen Bilqis’s throne to the size and weight of the earth, and keep in mind the distance from Ma’rib to Jerusalem is only fifteen hundred miles, and consider: if this is possible, why can the other not be possible? And it is obvious that the one who brought the throne in the blink of an eye was also operating under Allah’s power. It was not any personal merit of that person. Nor was the throne brought there by apparent means. Some rationalists have also let their imaginations run wild regarding this incident of the throne being brought, and have presented such absurd interpretations that reason itself is left dumbfounded. For example, that Prophet Sulaymanؑ did not desire the actual throne of Queen Bilqis, but rather a similar throne, and for this purpose he called for tenders from contractors, and other such nonsense. It is not possible to include lengthy discussions here. However, in my book “Rationalism and the Denial of Miracles,” I have presented a detailed analysis and refutation of all such interpretations.

[35] When Prophet Sulaymanؑ saw the queen’s throne lying at his feet in the blink of an eye, he immediately acknowledged that this was Allah’s favor upon him. From this it is clear that the throne was brought there in a miraculous manner, and rational explanations are impossible. Otherwise, if this had been an ordinary matter, it would not have been a special favor of Allah, nor would the thought of thanking Allah have arisen at that moment.

[36] In several places in the Quran, this theme is repeated: that the test of man in this world is only whether he gives thanks to Allah for His blessings or remains ungrateful. Also, the opposite of faith is disbelief, and the opposite of gratitude is also disbelief. From this it is clear that just as there is a deep connection between faith and gratitude, so too is there a deep connection between disbelief and ingratitude. The stronger a person’s faith, the more grateful a servant of Allah he will be, and the greater a disbeliever a person is, the more ungrateful he will be. Since Prophet Sulaymanؑ was a prophet of Allah, whenever he saw any favor or blessing from Allah, he would immediately engage in thanking Allah. And this is the practice of the prophets and the believers. On the contrary, when Allah bestows a favor upon a disbeliever, instead of giving thanks, his nature inclines even more towards rebellion and arrogance, and he begins to boast and show off.

[37]
The Effect of Gratitude:

Gratitude has a special effect within itself, and that is the increase of blessings—that is, the characteristic of gratitude is that it attracts even more blessings. On the contrary, the characteristic of ingratitude is that the ungrateful person is deprived even of the blessings he already has. Although this is a reality that every person can personally experience and test, as proof there is also a clear verse of the Noble Quran on this matter. The command of Allah is: “If you are grateful, I will surely increase you [in favor]; but if you are ungrateful, then indeed, My punishment is severe.” [14: 7] For further details regarding gratitude, see the footnote under this verse. From this verse it is clearly understood that the benefit of expressing gratitude returns to the one who is grateful.

[38]
The Harm of Ingratitude:

And if a person is ungrateful, then the harm of that returns to him. Neither does Allah gain anything from anyone’s gratitude, nor does He lose anything from anyone’s ingratitude. The reason is that He is independent of His servants’ gratitude or ingratitude, because His essence and all His works are inherently praiseworthy. He is not in need of anyone’s praise. This theme has been fully clarified in the following Qudsi Hadith: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said that Allah the Exalted says: “O My servants! If all of you, from the first to the last, human and jinn, were as pious as the most pious heart among you, that would not increase My kingdom in the least. And O My servants! If all of you, from the first to the last, human and jinn, were as wicked as the most wicked heart among you, that would not decrease My kingdom in the least. And O My servants! These are your own deeds which I record for you, then I will give you full recompense for them. So whoever finds good, let him thank Allah, and whoever finds otherwise, let him blame no one but himself.” [مسلم۔ کتاب البرواصلہ۔ باب تحریم الظلم]