Saba (Sheba)

13. “They made for him whatever he wished of places of worship and mages and basins (large) like water-troughs and (cooking) cauldrons fixed, ‘Exercise thanks, O family of David! But few of My servants are grateful!’”

This holy verse refers to a part of important productive activities of some jinns who accomplished them by the command of Solomon, where it says:

“They made for him whatever he wished of places of worship and mages and basins (large) like water-troughs and (cooking) cauldrons fixed…”

A part of those things were related to spiritual issues and Divine services, and another part of them proportionate to bodily needs of men, as well as the members of his large troop and workers.

The Arabic term /maharib/ is the plural form of /mihrab/ which philologically means ‘house of worship’, or some great buildings and castles which have been built to be used as temple.

This word is also used in the sense of the highest seat of an assembly, or the first part of a mosque.

That which today is called /mihrab/ (prayer niche) is in fact a new meaning that has been taken from the main root.

However, since this word is derived from the term /harb/ in the sense of fight, the reason why the worship temples are called /mihrab/ is that it is the place of fighting against Satan and carnal desire.10

Or it is derived from the Arabic word /harb/ in the sense of ‘clothes’ which is taken off from the enemy’s body in the battle field, because in temple, the place of worship, man must put aside the cover of the worldly thoughts and mind dispersion from himself.11

However, these active clever workers of Solomon used to arrange some great and glorious temples for Solomon (as) that were appropriate for his divine religious government so that people could easily perform their own religious worshipping duties.

The Qur’anic term /tamathil/ is the plural form of /timthal/ which has been used both in the sense of ‘portrait’, (picture), and statue. There have been commented differently on this matter that the features of which beings these pictures or statues were taken, and for what purpose Solomon ordered that they should be prepared.

It is possible that they had been made as ornament, in the same manner that they are now seen in important old buildings, and even in our modern buildings, too.

Or they were produced to give some additional glory and grandeur to his organizations, since the picture of some animals, like lion, is the cause of creation of grandeur in the thought of many persons.

Upon the commentary of this verse, a narration from Imam Sadiq (as) indicates that he said:

“By Allah, the pictures Solomon wanted to be produced were not the statues of men and women, but they were portraits of some trees and the like.”12

The Arabic word /jifan/ is the plural form of /jafnah/ in the sense of container of food. The word /jawab/ is the plural form of /jabiyah/ in the sense of ‘pool’, and it is understood from this application that they provided some great vast containers each of which was like a pool for Solomon so that a large group could sit around it and eat food from it.

In some rather old times, if we have not forgotten, at the tables of food some large vessels were used for eating food by a group, and, in fact, their tablecloth was that very vessel, and it was not customary that some independent separate containers to be used as it is done today.

The Arabic word /qudur/ is the plural form of /qidr/ with the sense of a container in which food is cooked; and the Qur’anic term /rasiyat/ is the plural form of /rasiyah/ in the sense of ‘steadfast’ and ‘fixed’, and here its purpose is some cooking-pots that, because of their greatness, they were not moveable.

At the end of the holy verse, after mentioning these merits, Allah, addressing the family of David, says:

“…‘Exercise thanks, O family of David! But few of My servants are grateful!’”

It is evident that using the divine blessings alongside the same path they are created and granted for is a kind of thanks-giving, and it is certain that those who utilize the merits of Allah generally in their own places are not so many.

Of course, the people of the truth among human beings have always been very few.

You may consider the number of the believers in comparison with the disbelievers, the guided ones with the misguided ones, the obedient ones with the zealous ones, the pious ones with disobedient ones, the just ones with evil-doers, the immaculate ones with other than them, the gratitude ones with ingratitude ones.

At the end, some dignitaries have considered three stages for thankfulness: thanksgiving by heart, which is:

(a), having consent and happiness for the blessing;

(b) thanksgiving by the tongue, which is to praise the bestower of the blessing;

(c), the thanksgiving of other limbs and organs, which is to harmonize the deeds with that blessing.

The Qur’anic term /šakur/ in Arabic is an amplification form, and denotes the abundance of thanksgiving that refers to the repetition of thanksgiving and its continuation by means of the heart, the tongue, and the limbs.

This epithet, of course, has sometimes been mentioned for Allah, too, like what is cited in Surah At-Taqabun, No. 64, verse 17, which says:

“…Verily He is All-thankful, Most forbearing”,

and the purpose of thankfulness of Allah is that as much the servants pave the path of obeying Him He will involve them in His merits and graces, and He thanks them, and by His grace, He increases them more than what they deserve.

A Few Traditions Upon Thanksgiving

In a tradition narrated from Imam Sadiq (as) we read that someone asked him whether there is a limit for the thank of Allah that when a person reaches that limit he is counted thankful.

He (as) answered:

“Yes.”

The man asked:

“How?”

The Imam answered:

“He must praise Allah for His whole blessings upon his family and his wealth; and if there is any right in the wealth He has given him he should pay it.”13

Another tradition from the same Imam (as) indicates:

“Thanksgiving of a blessing is avoidance from sins.”14

Again in another tradition the same Imam (as) said:

“Allah, the Almighty and Glorious, revealed to Moses, saying:

‘O’ Moses! Do thank Me which is a due thank.’

Moses said:

‘How can I thank You a due true thank while every time I do thank You, You give me a new blessing for it?’

He said:

‘O’ Moses! Just now you performed thanksgiving to Me since you know that that (success) is from Me’.”15

This point is also necessary to be noted that being gratitude unto those who are a means for a bounty for Man is a kind of thanking Him. Imam Sajjad, Ali-ibn-il-Hussayn (as) says:

“When the Hereafter Day comes forth Allah, the Exalted, will say to some of His servants: ‘Did you thank so and so?’

The servant answers:

‘O’ Lord! I performed thanksgiving to You’.

Allah says:

‘Since you did not thank him, you have not performed My Thanksgiving’.”

Then, the Imam (as) added:

“The one (among you) who thanks Allah the most is the one who thanks people (for their bounties and favours).”16

The Messenger of Allah (S) said:

“Whoever does not thank for a small (bounty) will not thank for abundant bounties; and whoever does not thank people, will not thank Allah either.”17

It is narrated from Imam Sajjad, Ali-ibn-il-Hossayn (as) who said:

“The Messenger of Allah (S) said: ‘Verily (when) a believer is satiated from eating food, then he praises Allah, the Almighty; so He will give him a reward equal to that which He gives to him who fasts during the day and keeps vigil at night establishing prayer. Verily Allah accepts thanks-giving and loves those who are gratitude’.”18

Imam Sadiq (as) said:

“Thanksgiving is to avoid the unlawful things, and a complete thanksgiving is that one says: ‘The praise belongs to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds’.”19

Imam Ali (as) said:

“Do continue your thanksgiving, then your blessing will be permanent.”20

We have discussed about the reality of ‘thanksgiving’ and that how it causes the blessing to be increased and that being ungrateful is the source of its annihilation in Surah ’Ibrahim, No. 14, verse 7.