قَالَ ٱلَّذِى عِندَهُۥ عِلْمٌ مِّنَ ٱلْكِتَـٰبِ أَنَا۠ ءَاتِيكَ بِهِۦ قَبْلَ أَن يَرْتَدَّ إِلَيْكَ طَرْفُكَ ۚ فَلَمَّا رَءَاهُ مُسْتَقِرًّا عِندَهُۥ قَالَ هَـٰذَا مِن فَضْلِ رَبِّى لِيَبْلُوَنِىٓ ءَأَشْكُرُ أَمْ أَكْفُرُ ۖ وَمَن شَكَرَ فَإِنَّمَا يَشْكُرُ لِنَفْسِهِۦ ۖ وَمَن كَفَرَ فَإِنَّ رَبِّى غَنِىٌّ كَرِيمٌ 40
Translations
Said one who had knowledge from the Scripture, "I will bring it to you before your glance returns to you." And when [Solomon] saw it placed before him, he said, "This is from the favor of my Lord to test me whether I will be grateful or ungrateful. And whoever is grateful - his gratitude is only for [the benefit of] himself. And whoever is ungrateful - then indeed, my Lord is Free of need and Generous."
Transliteration
Qala alladhi indahu ilmun mina al-kitabi ana atiyka bihi qabla an yartadda ilayka tarfuka. Fa-lamma raahu mustaqirran indahu qala hatha min fadli rabbi liyabluwani a-ashkuru am akfuru. Wa-man shakara fa-innama yashkuru linafsihi. Wa-man kafara fa-inna rabbi ghaniun karim.
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah describes how a person possessing knowledge from the Divine Scripture brought Solomon the throne of the Queen of Sheba in the blink of an eye. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari identify this person as 'Asif ibn Barkhiya, Solomon's minister, who possessed knowledge of the Greatest Name of Allah ('ismu al-a'zam). Upon witnessing the throne's arrival, Solomon acknowledged it as divine grace and reflected on gratitude versus ingratitude, establishing that thankfulness benefits only the grateful soul while Allah remains Self-Sufficient and Generous regardless of human response.
Revelation Context
This ayah is part of the narrative of Solomon (Sulayman) and the Queen of Sheba (Bilqis) in Surah An-Naml, a Meccan chapter. The context describes Solomon's test of faith when he requested her throne before the kingdom arrived—this ayah resolves that test, demonstrating divine power and Solomon's awareness of his dependence on Allah's favor despite his exceptional status as a prophet-king.
Related Hadiths
While no specific hadith directly quotes this ayah, Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim contain hadiths about the virtue of knowledge and gratitude. The themes connect to hadiths emphasizing that knowledge ('ilm) is a divine gift and that gratitude (shukr) is fundamental to faith, particularly the hadith in Tirmidhi where the Prophet ﷺ stressed that 'whoever is not grateful to people is not grateful to Allah.'
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches that true gratitude is ultimately a blessing to oneself, not a requirement for Allah, who remains eternally Self-Sufficient and Generous. For modern believers, it emphasizes that expressing thankfulness is an act of spiritual discipline and self-awareness rather than obligation, and that recognizing divine blessings cultivates spiritual growth and proximity to the Divine.