OUR MESSENGERS SAY(2)Methods To Guide People To Allah’s Religion The Prophet Sulayman (as) wanted the people of Sheba to convert to Islam. He employed a different method to show the might Allah had granted him and thereby to guide the people of Sheba to faith. For this purpose, the Prophet Sulayman (as)asked his assistants to bring Sheba’s throne to him: [When the messenger left] He [Sulayman] said, “Council! Who among you will bring me her throne before they come to me in submission?†(Surat an-Naml, 38) He who possessed knowledge of the Book said, “I will bring it to you in a twinkling.†(Surat an-Naml, 40) The Prophet Sulayman (as) thereupon saw the throne right beside him. Aware that everything he possessed was given as a test from Allah, Sulayman (as) described this as a trial: “… This is part of my Lord’s favour to test me to see if I will give thanks or show ingratitude. Whoever gives thanks has much to gain. Whoever is ungrateful… my Lord is Rich Beyond Need, and Generous.†(Surat an-Naml, 40) When the Queen of Sheba came, she felt deeply impressed by this miracle and the glory she witnessed in Sulayman’s (as)palace. She immediately repented and turned to the faith. The conversation between her and Prophet Sulayman (as) is related in the Qur’an: He said, “Disguise her throne. We shall see whether she is someone who is guided to the truth or not.†Then when she came, she was asked, “Is your throne like this?†She said, “It is exactly like it.†He said, “We were given knowledge before her and were already Muslims,†but what she worshipped besides Allah impeded her. She comes from an unbelieving people. She was asked to enter the lofty palace, but when she saw it she supposed it to be a pool and bared her legs. But Sulayman said, “It is a palace paved with glass.†She said, “My Lord, I have wronged myself but now I submit with Sulayman to Allah the Lord of all the worlds.†(Surat an-Naml, 41-44) As the Prophet Sulayman’s (as) message to the people of Sheba reveals, messengers employed all their might and resources for the purpose of guiding people to faith in Allah. THE PROPHET ‘ISA (AS)
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