The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 4) — Page 495
CH. 27 فَلَمَّا جَاءَتْ قِيْلَ أَهْكَذَا عَرْشُكِ PT. 19 AN-NAML 43. And when she came, it was said to her, 'Is thy throne like this?' She replied, 'It is as though it were the same. And we had been given knowledge before this, and we have already submitted. '2843 b قَالَتْ كَأَنَّهُ هُوَ ۚ وَأُوتِينَا الْعِلْمَ مِنْ قَبْلِهَا وَكُنَّا مُسْلِمِينَ وَصَدَّهَا مَا كَانَتْ تَّعْبُدُ مِنْ دُونِ اللهِ And that which she used to. 44 إِنَّهَا كَانَتْ مِنْ قَوْمٍ كُفِرِينَ worship beside Allah had stopped her from believing; for she came of a disbelieving people. قِيْلَ لَهَا ادْخُلِي الصَّرْحَ فَلَمَّا رَأَتْهُ It was said to her, Enter the. 45 palace. ' And when she saw it, resistance | نكر الرجل nakira نكر transitive form of means, he did not know the man or did not recognize him. (nakkara) means, he changed it so as to render it unrecognizable. means, the man became unrecognizable. means, he became estranged from such a one. (Aqrab). See also 16:91. Commentary: The verse purports to say that Solomon ordered the official who was entrusted with the task of preparing the throne for the Queen to make it so beautiful that she might realize the superiority of its workmanship and come to dislike her own throne and thus should understand that Solomon's power and resources were much greater and superior to those of hers. This seems to be the significance of the sentence, "whether she follows the right way. " Solomon sought to bring home to her the futility of any opposition or to him. She and her ministers and courtiers seemed to be proud of their power and resources (27:34) and Solomon wanted to disabuse their minds of this misconception (27:37). If the words "her throne" be taken to mean the throne which, it is said, the Queen may have sent as a present to Solomon, the words would mean that the throne should be so embellished and made beautiful and the figures of idols on it, if any, should be so completely wiped off that she might not recognize it. 2843. Commentary: The words, "We had been given knowledge before this," signify that the Queen had already become conversant with the great power and resources of Solomon and had made up her mind to give her allegiance to him. 2409