come forth white, without hurt: this Jhall be one among the nine fignsa unto
P h a r a o h and his people; for they are a wicked people. And- when our
vifible figns had come unto them, they faid, This is manifeft forcery. And
they denied them, although their fouls certainly knew them to be from God
out of iniquity and pride: but behold what was the end of the corrupt doers'
We heretofore bellowed knowledge on D a v i d and S o l o m o n ; and they faid"
Praife be unto G o d , who hath made us more excellent than many of his faithful
fervants ! And S o l o m o n was D a v i d ’ s heir b ; and he faid, O men, we have
been taught the fpeech of birdsc, and have had all things bellowed on us •
this is manifeft excellence. And his armies were gathered together unto So!
l o m o n , conftftingo f geniid, and men, and birds ; and they were led in dif-
tindl bands, until they came unto the valley of ants' . A n d an ant, feem
the bofts approaching, faid, O ants, enter ye into your habitations, left Solom
o n and his army tread you under foot, and perceive it not. And Solo,
m o n fmiled, laughing at her words, and faid, O L o r d , excite me that I m a y
be thankful for thy favour, wherewith thou haft favoured me, and my parents
5 and that I may do that which is right, and well-pleafmg unto thee:
and introduce me, through thy mercy, into paradife, among thy fervants the
righteous. And he viewed the birds, and -faid, What is the reafon that I fee'
not the lapwingf ? Is .fhe abfent ? Verily I will chaftife her with a fevere
c h a f t i f e -
•ceding affertion, which Teemed too general: for
feveral of the prophets have been fubjeél to fins,
tho’ not great ones, before their miflion; for
which they had reafon to apprehend God’s anger,
tho’ they are here aflured that their fubfe-
<]_uent merits intitle them to his pardon. It is
* fuppofed that Mofes's killing the Egyptian unde-
fignedly is hinted at jL
a See chap. 17. p. .236.
b Solomon was David’/ heir;] Inheriting not
only his kingdom, but alfo the prophetical office,
preferably to his other fons, who were no lefs
than nineteen*.
c We have been taught the fpeech o f birds ;]
That is, The. meaning of their feveral voices,
tho’ not articulate; of Solomon's interpretation
whereof the commentators give feveral in-
Itances 3.
d His army confifling o f genii, &c.] For this
: fancy, as well as the former, Mohammed was
obliged to the talmud ijls +, who, according to
their manner, have interpreted the Hebrew words
of Solomon 5, which the Englijb verfion renders,
1 gat men-fingers, and women-fingers, as if
that prince had forced desmons or fpirits to ferve
him at his table, and in other capacities; and
particularly in his vaft and magnificent build-
ings, which they could not conceive he could
otherwife have performed.
e The valley o f ants;] The valley feems to be
fo called from the great numbers of ants which
are found there. Some place it in Syria, and
others in Tayef6.
_ f -dfd he viewed the birds, &c.] The Arab
hiftorians tell us, that Solomon, having finiihed
the temple of ferufalem, went in pilgrimage to
Mecca, where having /laid as long as he pleafed,
he proceeded towards Taman; and leaving Mec-
ca in the morning, he arrived by noon at Sanaa,
and being extreamly delighted with the country,
refted there; but wanting water to'make the
ablution, he looked among the birds for the
lapwing, called by the Arabs alHudhud, whofe
bufinefs it was to find it; for it is pretended fhe
was fagacious or /harp-fighted enough to difcover
-water under ground, which the devils ufed to
draw, after Ihe had marked the place by digging
with her bill: they add, that this bird was then
taking a tour in the air, whence, feeing one of
her companions alighting, fhe defended alfo,
and having had a defcription given her by the
other of the city o f Saba, whence Ihe was juft
| arrived,
1 Idem. 2 Idem. 3 See Maracc. not. in loc. p. - 5 1 1 . * V. Midrafb/Yalkut
chaftifement *, or I will put her to death; unlefs Ihe bring me a juft ex-
cufe. And Ihe tarried not long before fh e prefented h e r fe lf unto Solomon, and
faid, I have viewed a country which thou haft not viewed ; and I come
unto thee from S a b a , with a certain piece of news. I found a woman 6
to reign over them, who is provided with every thing requifite fo r a prince,
and hath a magnificent throne c. I found her and her people to worlhip the
fun, befides G o d : and S a t a n hath prepared their works for them, and
hath turned them afide from the way o f truth, ("wherefore they are not rightly
dire&ed,) left they fhould worlhip G o d , who bringeth to light that which
is hidden in heaven and earth, and knoweth whatever they conceal, and
whatever they difcover. G o d ! there is no G o d but he •, the L o r d o f the
magnificent throne. S olomon faid, We lhall fee whether thou haft fpoken
the truth, or whether thou art a liar. Go with this my letter, and call it
down unto them ; then turn afide from them, and wait to know what anfwer they
will return. A n d when the queen o f S a b a had received the letter d, Ihe faid, O
nobles, verily an honourable letter hath been delivered unto me ; it is from
S o l o m o n , and this is the tenor the reof: In the name of the moft merciful
G o d , Rife not up againft me: but come, and furrender yourfelves unto
mee. She faid, O nobles, advife me in my bufinefs : I will not refolve on
any
arrived, they both went together to take a view
of the place, and returned foon after Solomon had
made the enquiry which occafioned what follows
;i.
It may be proper to mention here what the
eaftern writers fable of the manner of Solomon's
travelling. They fay that he had a carpet of
green filk, on which his throne was placed, being
of a prodigious length and breadth, and
fufficient for all his forces to Hand on, the
men placing themfelves on his right hand, and
the fpirits on his left; and that when all were in
order, the wind, at his command, took up the carpet,
and tranfported it, with all that were upon
it, wherever he pleafed * ; the army of birds at
the fame time flying over their heads, and forming
a kind of canopy, to fhade them from the
fun. ....
a 7 will chaftife her, &c.] By plucking off
her feathers, and fetting her in the fun, to be
tormented by the infers ; or by /hutting her up
in a cage 3.
b 1 found a woman to reign over them;] This
queen the Arabs name Balkis: fome make her
the daughter of alHodhad Ebn Sharhabil and
others of Sharabil Ebn Malec 5; but they all
agree /he was a defcendant of Ydrab Ebn Kahtan.
She is placed the twenty fecond in Dr. Pocock's
lift of the kings of Yaman 6.
c A magnificent throne',] Which the commentators
fay was made of gold and filver, and
crowned with precious /tones. But they differ
as to the fize of i t ; one making it fourfcore cubits
long, forty broad, and thirty high; while
fome fay it was fourfcore, and others, thirty
cubits every way.
d And when fhe had received the letter, &c.]
Jallalo'ddin fays that the queen was furrounded
by her army when the lapwing threw the letter
into her bofom; but alBeiddwi fuppofes /he was
in an apartment of her palace, the doors of
which were /hut, and that the bird flew in at
the window. The former commentator gives a
copy of the epiftle fomewhat more full than
that in the text; v iz. From the fervant o f G od,
Solomon the fon o f David, unto Balkis queen o f
Saba. In the name o f the moft merciful G od.
Peace be on him who followeth the true direction.
Rife not up againft me, but come and furrender
yourfelves unto me. He adds that Solomon perfumed
this letter with musk, and fealed it with
his fignet.
e Come and furrenfer yourfelves unto me,] Ór,
Come unto me and refign yourfelves unto the divine
direction, and profefs the true religion
which I preach.
1 Iidem. 2 See chap. z i. p. 2 7 1 . 3 A l Beidawi, Jallalo’ddin.’ 4 V.