"And indeed, I will send them a gift, and see with what the messengers will return." She says: If he accepts our gift, he is one of the kings and not a person of prophethood, as he claims.
Mujahid said: She sent to him slave girls dressed in the clothing of young boys, and young boys dressed in the clothing of slave girls. Sulayman distinguished them from one another and did not accept her gift.
Muhammad said: His statement "bima" (with what) is written with the omission of the alif, because when prepositions are used with "ma" (what) in interrogatives, the alif of "ma" is dropped to distinguish between the declarative and the interrogative.
Surah An-Naml from (verse 36 to verse 40).
﴿وَإِنِّي مُرْسِلَةٌ إِلَيْهِمْ بِهَدِيَّةٍ فَنَاظِرَةٌ بِمَ يرجع المُرْسَلُونَ﴾ تَقُولُ: إِنْ قَبِلَ هَدِيَّتَنَا فَهُوَ مِنَ الْمُلُوكِ، وَلَيْسَ مِنْ أَهْلِ النُّبُوَّةِ؛ كَمَا يَنْتَحِلُ.
قَالَ مُجَاهِدٌ: بَعَثَتْ إِلَيْهِ بِجَوارٍ قَدْ لَبَّسَتْهُنَّ لُبْسَةَ الْغِلْمَانِ، وَبِغِلْمَانٍ قَدْ أَلْبَسَتْهُمْ لُبْسَةَ الْجَوَارِي؛ فَخَلَّصَ سُلَيْمَانُ بَعْضَهُمْ مِنْ بَعْضٍ، وَلَمْ يَقْبَلْ هَدِيَّتَهَا.
قَالَ مُحَمَّد: قَوْله (بِمَ) بِحَذْفِ الْأَلِفِ؛ لِأَنَّ حُرُوفَ الْجَرِّ مَعَ (مَا) فِي الِاسْتِفْهَامِ تُحْذَفُ مَعَهَا الْأَلِفُ مِنْ (مَا) لِيُفْصَلَ بَين الْخَبَر والاستفهام.
سُورَة النَّمْل من (آيَة ٣٦ آيَة ٤٠).
