قالَ رَبِّ اغفِر لي وَهَب لي مُلكًا لا يَنبَغي لِأَحَدٍ مِن بَعدي ۖ إِنَّكَ أَنتَ الوَهّابُ

He said: ‘My Lord! Forgive me, and grant me a kingdom that does not befit anyone except me. Indeed You are the all-munificent.’

EXEGESIS

Yanbaghī (befit) means to be suitable or appropriate, like in the verse, It does not behove (yanbaghī) the All-beneficent to take a son (19:92), or, We did not teach him poetry, nor does it behove (yanbaghī) him (36:69).

Wahhāb (all-munificent) comes from hibah, meaning to give something that is yours to someone else without expecting anything in return, in other words, to gift.^{‎[1]Raghib, p. 884.} Wahhāb is the emphatic form of the one who gives, giving constantly and copiously.

EXPOSITION

After Prophet Solomon (a) realised that the kingdom would not continue after him, he sought forgiveness for wishing for that which was not meant to be, and came to realise that he should submit this affair to God and rely on Him. So he immediately turned to God, repenting that he had wished something contrary to His decree.^{‎[2]Mizan, 17/204; Mudarrisi, 11/359.}

Knowing now what he knew, he then asked God to make that kingdom miraculous and a sign for all times to come, and grant me a kingdom that does not befit anyone except me. As is apparent from the next few verses, God granted that to Prophet Solomon (a) because of his high station.

There is an amazing testament to Prophet Solomon’s (a) patience and submission in the final statement of his supplication, Indeed You are the All-munificent. Despite just losing his child, Prophet Solomon (a) emphasised that he was not complaining about God’s decree, rather he realised that everything is given by God, and that God is the great giver. That is why he asked for God to make his kingdom a miraculous sign. Being given in this world would not mean that God does not give in the next.

As for the future of the kingdom that Prophet Solomon (a) was worried about, the Israelite nation split after the death of Solomon (a), with revolts breaking out over succession. The kingdom was split into the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judea. This was a trial and tribulation from God for the Israelites and the decree that He had ordained.

INSIGHTS FROM HADITH

1. From Ali ibn Yaqṭīn, that he asked Imam al-Kāẓim (a): ‘Is it allowed for a prophet of God, mighty and glorious, to be miserly?’ He said: ‘No.’ I said: ‘What about when Solomon (a) said: My Lord! Forgive me, and grant me a kingdom that does not befit anyone except me. How could that be understood and what does it mean?’ He said: ‘Kingdom is of two types: a kingdom that has been gained by overpowering others and by tyranny and force; and a kingdom that has been gotten from God, praised be His name, like the kingdom of the family of Abraham, the kingdom of Ṭālūt, and the kingdom of Dhū al-Qarnayn. Solomon (a) said: “Grant me a kingdom that [the like of which] does not befit anyone after me to say it was gained through force or tyranny or overpowering people.” So God – mighty and glorious – disposed the wind for him, blowing softly by his command wherever he intended [verse 36], and its morning course was a month’s journey and its evening course was a month’s journey [34:12]. God – mighty and glorious – disposed for him the devils, every builder and diver [verse 37], and He taught him the language of the birds, and established him upon the earth. So it was that people in his time and after understood that his kingdom was not like the kingdom of those chosen by people or those who took it by force and power.’ I said: ‘What about the Messenger of God (s) when he said: “God bless my brother Solomon the son of David, how miserly he was.”’ He said: ‘As for him (a) saying “how miserly he was”, there are two ways to understand it. The first of these is to say there was no one more miserly than him with regards to his close ones being spoken ill of. The second meaning is how miserly he would have been if what the ignorant people assume about him was correct.’^{‎[3]Ilal, p. 71.}

REVIEW OF TAFSĪR LITERATURE

The statement Forgive me is the reason why some exegetes have believed in the vile slanders we quoted in the commentary on the previous verse, thinking that Prophet Solomon (a) must have committed some sin or done some mistake to then seek forgiveness.^{‎[4]Razi, 26/394.} The reality is that there can be many reasons for seeking forgiveness, such as not doing the best course of action, wishing to come even closer to God, humility, and so on.

Some exegetes have taken the statement Certainly We tried Solomon to refer to the event of the horses in the previous verses, meaning: We tried him to see if he loved the horses for the sake of the world, or for the sake of God.^{‎[5]Alusi, 12/190.} Others have taken it as evidence of the contrary, that these are two separate events, and that this verse is evidence that what happened with the horses was not a test, because only here a test is mentioned.^{‎[6]Furqan, 25/247.}

Regarding the statement grant me a kingdom that does not befit anyone except me, it has been said to mean: do not take it away as you took it away the first time,^{‎[7]Tibyan, 8/563; Tabari 23/103.} which should be referring to some of the stories that claim Prophet Solomon (a) lost his kingdom when he lost his ring.

Most exegetes have pointed out that there is an apparent quality of miserliness in the supplication of Prophet Solomon (a), as he does not simply ask for a kingdom, but rather a kingdom that does not befit anyone after him. Ṭūsī replies to this by saying that God does not permit his prophets to ask for their people something that is not appropriate for them. As this kingdom was not in the best interests of his people after him, Prophet Solomon (a) only asked it for himself.^{‎[8]Tibyan, 8/563-564.} Closely related to this is the proposal that it was such a vast kingdom that he feared if others got it they would misuse it.^{‎[9]Zamakhshari, 4/95.} Ṭūsī also adds that he means the like of it should not be seen by the people to whom he was sent as a prophet, not that he meant till the Day of Judgement.^{‎[10]Tibyan, 8/564.}

Another suggested answer is that he wished for his kingdom to be a miracle and a proof of his prophethood, so it should have been different to all other kingdoms.^{‎[11]Tibyan, 8/564; Zamakhshari, 4/95.} Ibn al-ʿArabī says Solomon (a) knew that no prophet after him would be a king in the same way, so he asked for that.^{‎[12]Ahkam, 4/1651.} Several other suggestions have been put forward by exegetes as well that can be read in their works.^{‎[13]Ahkam, 4/1649-1650.}

However, all this discussion is moot considering what we mentioned earlier in the Exposition, since we noted that the reason he asked for this kingdom was because he knew it would not continue after him and he wished for it to be a miracle. So there is no miserliness, as it was said after he realised it would not continue.

INSIGHTS FROM OTHER TRADITIONS

1. I will establish your royal throne over Israel forever, as I promised David your father when I said, ‘You shall never fail to have a successor on the throne of Israel. But if you or your descendants turn away from me and do not observe the commands and decrees I have given you and go off to serve other gods and worship them, then I will cut off Israel from the land I have given them and will reject this temple I have consecrated for my Name.’^{‎[14]1 Kings 9:5-6.}

Note: Here, supposedly the line of kings from David (a) should have continued forever, but was taken away because of the sins of the Children of Israel.

1. But I will not take the whole kingdom out of Solomon’s hand; I have made him ruler all the days of his life for the sake of David my servant, whom I chose and who obeyed my commands and decrees. I will take the kingdom from his son’s hands and give you ten tribes. I will give one tribe to his son so that David my servant may always have a lamp before me in Jerusalem, the city where I chose to put my Name. However, as for you, I will take you, and you will rule over all that your heart desires; you will be king over Israel. If you do whatever I command you and walk in obedience to me and do what is right in my eyes by obeying my decrees and commands, as David my servant did, I will be with you. I will build you a dynasty as enduring as the one I built for David and will give Israel to you. I will humble David’s descendants because of this, but not forever.^{‎[15]1 Kings 11:34-43.}

The Old Testament also mentions a supplication made by Solomon (a), however the account is different:

1. At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon during the night in a dream, and God said, ‘Ask for whatever you want me to give you.’ Solomon answered, ‘You have shown great kindness to your servant, my father David, because he was faithful to you and righteous and upright in heart. You have continued this great kindness to him and have given him a son to sit on his throne this very day. Now, Lord my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David. But I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties. Your servant is here among the people you have chosen, a great people, too numerous to count or number. So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?’ The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this. So God said to him, ‘Since you have asked for this and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have asked for the death of your enemies but for discernment in administering justice, I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be. Moreover, I will give you what you have not asked for – both wealth and honour – so that in your lifetime you will have no equal among kings. And if you walk in obedience to me and keep my decrees and commands as David your father did, I will give you a long life.’ Then Solomon awoke – and he realized it had been a dream.^{‎[16]1 Kings 3:5-15.}

[1] Raghib, p. 884.
[2] Mizan, 17/204; Mudarrisi, 11/359.
[3] Ilal, p. 71.
[4] Razi, 26/394.
[5] Alusi, 12/190.
[6] Furqan, 25/247.
[7] Tibyan, 8/563; Tabari 23/103.
[8] Tibyan, 8/563-564.
[9] Zamakhshari, 4/95.
[10] Tibyan, 8/564.
[11] Tibyan, 8/564; Zamakhshari, 4/95.
[12] Ahkam, 4/1651.
[13] Ahkam, 4/1649-1650.
[14] 1 Kings 9:5-6.
[15] 1 Kings 11:34-43.
[16] 1 Kings 3:5-15.