The Quran

Preface

قالَ الَّذي عِندَهُ عِلمٌ مِنَ الكِتابِ أَنا آتيكَ بِهِ قَبلَ أَن يَرتَدَّ إِلَيكَ طَرفُكَ ۚ فَلَمّا رَآهُ مُستَقِرًّا عِندَهُ قالَ هٰذا مِن فَضلِ رَبّي لِيَبلُوَني أَأَشكُرُ أَم أَكفُرُ ۖ وَمَن شَكَرَ فَإِنَّما يَشكُرُ لِنَفسِهِ ۖ وَمَن كَفَرَ فَإِنَّ رَبّي غَنِيٌّ كَريمٌ

Yusuf Ali

Said one who had knowledge¹ of the Book: “I will bring it to thee within the twinkling of an eye!” Then when (Solomon) saw it placed firmly before him, he said: “This is by the Grace of my Lord!-² to test me whether I am grateful or ungrateful! and if any is grateful, truly his gratitude is (a gain) for his own soul; but if any is ungrateful, truly my Lord is Free of all Needs, Supreme in Honour !”³

The symbolic meaning still continues. The big 'Ifrit had boasted of his brute strength, and his reliability. But this is not enough to transform a power (throne) based on materialism into one based on inward knowledge, knowledge of the heart and spirit, the sort of knowledge that comes from the Book of the Grace of God, the spirit of truth and benevolence which is the invisible magic of Prophets of God. Even if worldly power and common honesty may be able to effect some good, it will take a comparatively long time, while the magic of spiritual love acts instantaneously. Solomon was thankful to God for he had men endowed with such power, and he had the throne of Bilqis transported to his Court and transformed as he desired, without Bilqis even knowing it. (R).
If Solomon had been ungrateful to God, i.e., if he had worked for his own selfish or worldly ends, he could have used the brute strength of the “Ifrit to add to his worldly strength and glory. Instead, he uses the higher magic of the Book-or the Spirit-to transform the throne of Bilqis for her highest good, which means also the highest good for her subjects, by the divine Light. He had the two alternatives, and he chooses the better, and he thus shows his gratitude to God for the Grace He had given him.
Man’s gratitude to God is not a thing that benefits God, for God is high above all needs; it benefits a man’s soul and gives him higher rank in the spiritual world. Per contra, man’s ingratitude will not detract from God’s Glory and Honour or the value of God’s generous gifts to man: for God as supreme in honour, glory and generosity. Karim in Arabic involved all three significations.