Queen of Sheba
 | |
| Well-known As | Belqis |
|---|---|
| Religious Affiliation | Monotheist |
| Lineage | Himyarite tribe |
| Well-known Relatives | According to some sources, she married Prophet Sulayman (a) |
| Place of Residence | Yemen |
| Known for | The only woman mentioned in the Qur'an as a ruler |
Queen of Shebā (Arabic: ملکةُ سبأ, Malikat Sabāʾ) is the only woman mentioned in the Qur'an as a ruler, she is also mentioned in the holy books of the Jews and Christians. Queen of Sheba, whose name was mentioned as Bilqis was first a sun worshiper, but when she met Prophet Sulayman (a) (Solomon (a)) she converted to Monotheism. A famous Quranic story about the Queen of Sheba was narrated as: Prophet Sulayman (a) commanded Bilqis to come to his palace, but before the Queen arrived, Prophet Sulayman (a) had moved her throne to his palace in the blink of an eye.
Bilqis
Bilqis was the daughter of Hudhad b. Sharahil[1] a descendant of Shem the son of Nuh (a).[2] It is stated in some narrations, that one of her parents was Jinn which was rejected by some researchers as well.[3]
Bilqis was a Queen from Himyarite tribe[4] and she had a powerful rule in Yemen;[5] she ruled over the region for nine years.[6] Bilqis was regarded among the wisest women of her time.[7] According to some sources, she married Prophet Sulayman (a)[8] while some other sources stated that she married someone else.[9] Bilqis first was a sun worshiper[10] but when she met Prophet Sulayman (a), she converted to Monotheism.[11] The Queen of Sheba is the only woman whose names is stated in holy Qur'an.
Prophet Sulayman (a) and the Queen of Sheba
A story is stated in Qur'an about Sulayman (a) and Bilqis[12] in which Prophet Sulayman (a) was informed by a hoopoe of a Kingdom on which a woman was ruling, they had a prosperous life and they were worshiping sun.[13] Prophet Sulayman (a) sent a letter to the Queen and invited her to Monotheism. In order to keep her territory away from getting damaged, she sent a valuable gift to Sulayman (a), but he returned them.[14]
Then Bilqis set off to Sulayman's (a) palace to talk to him. Prophet Sulayman (a) with the help of a wise man who had the knowledge of the Tablet of Wisdom, brought the throne of Bilqis in the blink of an eye.[15] The Queen arrived in Sulayman's (a) palace and she saw her throne which was a bit changed, she thought the throne was very similar to hers. Then she was taken to a glass palace where eventually she converted to Monotheism.[16]
In Jewish and Christian Sources
The story of the Queen of Sheba and Sulayman (a) is also stated in the holy book of the Jews: The Queen of Sheba was informed of Sulayman (a), then she came to him and asked some questions and she was given proper answers.[17] In addition, she witnessed a beautiful palace, majestic food, the service of the officials, courtiers, and servants, and the sacrifices they made to God which all mesmerized her.[18] Eventually the Queen admired and praised Sulayman (a) and his God[19] and they both gave each other valuable gifts then she returned to her Kingdom.[20]
The Story stated in Gospel of Luke as: In the Judgment Day the Queen of Sheba would stand and she would condemn the people of her time. As she made huge efforts and paved a long way to meet Sulayman (a) in order to listen to his wise words, but someone wiser than Sulayman (a) was there (only a few ones paid attention to him).[21]
Management of Women
The Queen of Sheba is the only woman in Qur'an who was mentioned as a ruler. Her management was not criticized in Qur'an but implicitly her merits are mentioned.[22] Today numerous research papers are written about the management of women regarding Qur'an which also discuss the story of the Queen of Sheba. This story has been used to prove the role and active presence of women in society.[23]
Notes
- ↑ ʿUtibī Ṣaḥārī, Al-Ansāb, vol. 1, p. 182.
- ↑ Khaṭīb ʿAmrī, Al-Rawḍat al-fīḥāʾ, p. 96.
- ↑ ʿUtibī Ṣaḥārī, Al-Ansāb, vol. 1, p. 209.
- ↑ Ibn Sāʿid al-Andulīsī, Al-Tarīf bi ṭabaqāt al-umam, p. 206.
- ↑ Qurʾān 27:23.
- ↑ Ibn ʿAsākir, Tārīkh madīnat Dimashq, vol. 69, p. 67.
- ↑ Ibn Ḥabīb Baghdādī, Muḥabbair, p. 367.
- ↑ Qummī, Tafsīr al-Qummī, vol. 2, p. 128.
- ↑ Ibn Kalbī, Nasab al-muʿid wa Yaman al-kabīr, vol. 2, p. 546.
- ↑ Qurʾān 27:24.
- ↑ Qurʾān 27:44.
- ↑ Qurʾān 27:20-44.
- ↑ Qurʾān 27:23-24.
- ↑ Qurʾān 27:29 and 36.
- ↑ Qurʾān 27:38-40.
- ↑ Qurʾān 27:40-41.
- ↑ [1 Kings 10], The visit of the queen of Sheba, verses 1-3.
- ↑ [1 Kings 10], The visit of the queen of Sheba, verses 4-5.
- ↑ [1 Kings 10], The visit of the queen of Sheba, verse 9.
- ↑ [1 Kings 10], The visit of the queen of Sheba, verses 10-13.
- ↑ [Luke 11]:31: The queen of the South will rise at the judgment with the people of this generation and condemn them, because she came from the ends of the earth to listen to the wisdom of Solomon, and see, something greater than Solomon is here!
- ↑ Ayāzī, Dāstān-i Sulaymān wa belqis wa istinād-i bi ān dar jahād-i ibtidāyī, p. 58.
- ↑ See: Rūḥānīmanish, Olgūhā-yi mudīrīyat-i zanān dar Qurān, Riʿāīyī, Belqis ishāratī bar zan az dīdgāh-i Qurān.
References
- Ayāzī, Muḥammad ʿAlī. Dāstān-i Sulaymān wa belqis wa istinād-i bi ān dar jahād-i ibtidāyī. Pazhūhishhā-yi Qurāni Magazine. Year 19, no 1, Spring 1392 Sh.
- Ibn Ḥabīb Baghdādī, Muḥammad b. Ḥabīb. Al-Muḥabbar. Edited by Shititer Ilza Likhtin. Beirut: Dār al-Āfāq al-Jadīda, [n.d].
- Ibn Ṣāʿid Andulusī, Ṣāʿid b. Aḥmad. Al-Taʿrīf bi ṭabaqāt al-umam. Edited by Ghulāmriḍā Jamshīdnizhād. Tehran: Markaz-i Pazhūhishī-yi Mīrāth-i Maktūb, 1376 Sh.
- Ibn ʿAsākir, ʿAlī b. al-Ḥasan. Tārīkh madīnat Dimashq. Beirut: Dār al-Fikr, 1415 AH.
- Ibn Kalbī, Hisham b. Muḥammad. Nasab al-muʿid wa Yaman al-kabīr. Edited by Ḥasan Nājī. Lebanon: ʿĀlam al-Kutub, 1425 AH.
- Khaṭīb ʿAmrī, Yāsīn. Al-Rawḍat al-fīḥāʾ fī tawārīkh al-nisāʾ. Edited by ʿAbd al-Ḥakīm Ḥisām Riyāḍ. Lebanon: Muʾassisat al-Kutub al-Thiqāfīyya, 1420 AH.
- Nūwī, Yaḥyā b. Sharaf. Tahdhīb al-asmāʾ wa al-lughāt. Edited by Ghazbān ʿĀmir; Murshid ʿĀdil. Damascus: Dār al-Risāla al-ʿĀlamīyya, 1430 AH.
- Qummī, ʿAlī b. Ibrāhīm al-. Tafsīr al-Qummī. Edited by Ṭayyib Mūsawī Jazāʾrī. Qom: Dār al-Kitāb, 1404 AH.
- Riʿāīyī, Fahīma. Gulāb-bakhsh Maryam. Belqis ishāratī bar zan az dīdgāh-i Qurān. Ḥikmat-i Sīnawī Magazine. No 4, Spring 1377 Sh.
- Rūḥānīmanish, Maʿṣūma. Olgūhā-yi mudīrīyat-i zanān dar Qurān. Faṣlnāma Taḥqīqāt-i Āmūzishī. Year 5, No 3, Spring 1393 Sh.
- ʿUtibī Ṣaḥārī, Salma b. Muslim. Al-Ansāb.Edited by Muḥammad Iḥsān. Oman: Salṭanat Oman: Wizārat al-Turāth al-Qawmī wa al-Thiqāfa, 1427 AH.