How Did Sulaiman (PBUH) React to the Queen’s Gift?
كيف استقبل سليمان عليه السلام هدية الملكة؟
He refused to accept the gift because he didn’t covet the money.
He asked his troops to bring the Queen’s throne from Yemen to Palestine.
(When ˹the envoys˺ came to Solomon, he said, “Are you offering me wealth? What Allah has given me is far better than what He has given you, but you rejoice in your gift. Go back to them, for we will surely come to them with forces they cannot resist, and we will surely expel them from it ˹utterly˺ humbled and debased.”) An-Naml 27:36-37
رفض قبول الهدية لأنه لا يطمع بالمال
طلب من جنوده إحضار عرشها من أطراف اليمن إلى فلسطين
(فَلَمَّا جَاءَ سُلَيْمَانَ قَالَ أَتُمِدُّونَنِ بِمَالٍ فَمَا آتَانِيَ اللَّـهُ خَيْرٌ مِّمَّا آتَاكُم بَلْ أَنتُم بِهَدِيَّتِكُمْ تَفْرَحُونَ ارْجِعْ إِلَيْهِمْ فَلَنَأْتِيَنَّهُم بِجُنُودٍ لَّا قِبَلَ لَهُم بِهَا وَلَنُخْرِجَنَّهُم مِّنْهَا أَذِلَّةً وَهُمْ صَاغِرُونَ) النمل 27: 36-37
1. A Direct Refusal, Not a Diplomatic Pause | رفضٌ مباشر لا تريثٌ دبلوماسي
When the queen’s envoys arrive with her gift, Sulaiman does not weigh the offer or consult his court; he responds immediately, asking whether they are offering him wealth at all. The speed of the refusal matters as much as the refusal itself, it shows the gift was never going to change his position.
حين يصل رسل الملكة بهديتها، لا يزن سليمان العرض ولا يستشير بلاطه؛ بل يرد فورا، متسائلا هل يمدونه بمال أصلا. وسرعة الرفض لها أهمية بقدر الرفض نفسه، فهي تظهر أن الهدية لم تكن لتغير موقفه أبدا.
2. What Allah Gave Him Against What They Offered | ما آتاه الله في مقابل ما عرضوه
Sulaiman explains his refusal by stating plainly that what Allah gave him is far better than what they offered, recalling the gifts Allah gave him: the speech of birds, command of the wind and the jinn, and a kingdom not granted to anyone after him. Against provisions of that scale, the queen’s wealth carried no weight.
يفسر سليمان رفضه بذكره صراحة أن ما آتاه الله خير مما عرضوه، مستحضرا ما آتاه الله من هبات: منطق الطير، وتسخير الريح والجن، وملكا لا ينبغي لأحد من بعده. وفي مقابل عطاء بهذا الحجم، لم يكن لثروة الملكة أي وزن.
3. Naming Their Own Motive | تسمية دافعهم بوضوح
Sulaiman adds a pointed observation, that it is they, not he, who take joy in gifts of wealth. This line reframes the entire gesture: what the queen’s court intended as an impressive offer, Sulaiman treats as revealing their own attachment to material things rather than as a genuine measure of his intentions.
يضيف سليمان ملاحظة لاذعة، أنهم هم، لا هو، من يفرحون بهدايا المال. وتعيد هذه العبارة تأطير البادرة بأكملها: فما قصده بلاط الملكة عرضا مبهرا، يعامله سليمان كاشفا عن تعلقهم هم بالماديات، لا مقياسا حقيقيا لنواياه.
4. A Warning, Then the Throne | تحذيرٌ ثم العرش
Sulaiman sends the envoys back with a clear warning: forces they cannot resist, and expulsion in humiliation, if submission does not follow. It is immediately after this exchange that Sulaiman turns to his council and asks who can bring the queen’s throne before she arrives, the episode covered in full in what happened when the queen finally came to him.
يرسل سليمان الرسل عائدين بتحذير واضح: جنود لا قِبل لهم بها، وإخراج في ذلة، إن لم يتبع ذلك استسلام. وفور هذا التبادل يتوجه سليمان إلى مجلسه سائلا من يستطيع إحضار عرش الملكة قبل وصولها، وهي الحادثة المُفصّلة كاملة فيما حدث حين جاءت الملكة إليه أخيرا.
Frequently Asked Questions | الأسئلة الشائعة
How did Sulaiman react to the queen’s gift?
He refused it, telling her envoys that what Allah had given him was far better than what she offered.
Why did he say he did not want their wealth?
Because his own provisions from Allah, spoken of throughout the Surah, were already far greater than any material gift.
What did Sulaiman say about the queen’s people?
That it was they, not he, who took joy in gifts of wealth.
What warning did he send back with the envoys?
That he would bring forces they could not resist and expel them in humiliation if they did not come in submission.
What did Sulaiman do right after refusing the gift?
He asked his council who could bring the queen’s throne to him before she arrived.