34 Preface وَلَقَد فَتَنّا سُلَيمانَ وَأَلقَينا عَلىٰ كُرسِيِّهِ جَسَدًا ثُمَّ أَنابَYusuf AliAnd We did try1 Solomon: We placed on his throne a body2 (without life); but he did turn (to Us in true devotion):What was the trial of Solomon? All the power, wealth, and glory, which were given to him were a spiritual trial to him. They might have turned another man’s head, but he was staunch and true, and while he enjoyed and used all the power he had?over spirits, men, and the forces of nature, (see below), he kept his mind steady to the service of God Cf. 8:28, where “your possessions and your progeny” are declared to be “but a trial”.The body (without life) on his throne has been variously interpreted. The interpretation that appeals to me most is that his earthly power, great as it was, was like a body without a soul, unless it was vivified by God’s spirit. But Solomon did turn to God in true devotion, and his real power lay there. He did his best to root out idolatry, and he completed the Temple in Jerusalem for the worship of the One True God. Cf. his conversion of Bilqis the Queen of Sheba, 27:40, n. 3276. See also 7:148, where the same word jasad is used in connection with the image of a calf which the Israelites had set up for worship in the absence of Moses. Men may worship worldly Power as they may worship an idol, and there is great temptation in such Power, though Solomon withstood such temptation. I do not think that a reference to 34:14 (n. 3808) will fit the context here.