Sulayman and the Queen of Sheba — The Letter and Submission
stories
Level: basic
prophets
st-055
Quranic context:
The hoopoe brought Sulayman news of the Queen of Sheba and her people worshipping the sun. Sulayman sent a letter: "It is from Sulayman, in the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful — do not exalt yourselves over me but come to me in submission."
Context:
Queen Bilqis consulted her people and refused war, sending gifts instead. Sulayman rejected the gifts and she saw her throne transported before her arrival. She entered a glass palace she mistook for water and uncovered her legs. Then she submitted: "My Lord, I have wronged myself and I submit with Sulayman to Allah, Lord of the worlds."
Lesson:
The strong believer calls through argument before force, and Bilqis recognized the truth and submitted. A dialogue of minds leads to submission of hearts.
Source: Ibn Kathir Tafsir (6/191); Al-Tabari Tafsir (19/166)
Question: What did Bilqis say when she saw her throne and what was her final stance?
Answer: She said: "It is as though it were the same" — then she submitted to Allah with Sulayman after witnessing the miracle of the glass palace.