Surah Saad
Chapter 38 · Verse 34 · Revealed in Makkah
“And We certainly tried Solomon and placed on his throne a body; then he returned.”
Translation: Saheeh International
Listen to recitation
Mishary Rashid Alafasy
Reflection — Ibn Kathir
How Allah tested Sulayman then made Things easy for Him
Allah says,
وَلَقَدْ فَتَنَّا سُلَيْمَـنَ
Reflection — Maarif ul Quran
Commentary
In this verse, Allah Ta’ ala has mentioned yet another test of Sayyidna Sulayman (علیہ السلام) with a simple statement saying that, during this test, some body, or part of it, was put on the throne of Sayyidna Sulayman (علیہ السلام) . As for what that body was and what its placement on the throne means and how it was a test, these details are not available in the noble Qur'an, nor are they proved from any Sahih Hadith. Therefore, some authentic commentators, for instance, Ibn Kathir seems to incline to the approach that anything the Qur'an has left ambiguous should be left as is, without having to dig into its details. One should simply believe this much that Allah Ta ala had put Sayyidna Sulayman (علیہ السلام) to some test after which he turned to Allah more than before - and the real purpose of the Qur'an stands accomplished by saying that which has already been said.
What does this verse bring up for you today?