Surah An Naml Tafseer

قِيلَ لَهَا ادْخُلِي الصَّرْحَ فَلَمَّا رَأَتْهُ حَسِبَتْهُ لُجَّةً وَكَشَفَتْ عَن سَاقَيْهَا

It was said to her:"Enter As-Sarh" but when she saw it, she thought it was a pool, and she (tucked up her clothes) uncovering her legs.

Suleiman had commanded the Shayatin to build for her a huge palace of glass beneath which water was flowing. Anyone who did not know the nature of the building would think that it was water, but in fact there was a layer of glass between a person walking and the water.

قَالَ إِنَّهُ صَرْحٌ مُّمَرَّدٌ مِّن قَوَارِيرَ

He (Suleiman) said:"Verily, it is a Sarh Mumarrad of Qawarir."

means a palace or any lofty construction.

Allah says of Fir`awn -- may Allah curse him -- that he said to his minister Haman:

ابْنِ لِى صَرْحاً لَّعَـلِّى أَبْلُغُ الاٌّسْبَـبَ

Build me a Sarh that I may arrive at the ways. (40:36-37)

Sarh is also used to refer to the high constructed palaces in Yemen.

Mumarrad means sturdily constructed and smooth.

مِّن قَوَارِيرَ

of Qawarir,

means, made of glass, i.e., it was built with smooth surfaces.

Marid is a fortress in Dawmat Al-Jandal. What is meant here is that Suleiman built a huge, lofty palace of glass for this queen, in order to show her the greatness of his authority and power. When she saw for herself what Allah had given him and how majestic his position was, she submitted to the command of Allah and acknowledged that he was a noble Prophet, so she submitted to Allah and said:

قَالَتْ رَبِّ إِنِّي ظَلَمْتُ نَفْسِي

She said:My Lord! Verily, I have wronged myself,

meaning, by her previous disbelief and Shirk and by the fact that she and her people had worshipped the sun instead of Allah.

وَأَسْلَمْتُ مَعَ سُلَيْمَانَ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ

and I submit, together with Suleiman to Allah, the Lord of all that exists.

meaning, following the religion of Suleiman, worshipping Allah alone with no partner or associate, Who created everything and measured it exactly according to its due measurements