How Did Sulaiman (PBUH) Find Out About Balquees, the Queen of Sheba, and That She and Her People Were Not Believers?
كيف علم سليمان عليه السلام ببلقيس ملكة سبأ، و أنها و قومها كانوا كافرين؟
The hoopoe told Sulaiman pbuh that he had seen in Sheba a woman who ruled her people and they were prostrating themselves to the sun instead of Allah.
(˹One day˺ he inspected the birds, and wondered, “Why is it that I cannot see the hoopoe? Or could he be absent? I will surely subject him to a severe punishment, or ˹even˺ slaughter him, unless he brings me a compelling excuse.” It was not long before the bird came and said, “I have found out something you do not know. I have just come to you from Sheba with sure news. Indeed, I found a woman ruling over them, who has been given everything ˹she needs˺, and who has a magnificent throne. I found her and her people prostrating to the sun instead of Allah. For Satan has made their deeds appealing to them, hindering them from the ˹Right˺ Way and leaving them unguided.”) An-Naml 27:20-24
جاء الهدهد عند سليمان عليه السلام و قال له أنه وجد امرأةً تحكم قومًا و أنهم يعبدون و يسجدون للشمس بدلاً من أن يسجدوا لله.
(وَتَفَقَّدَ الطَّيْرَ فَقَالَ مَا لِيَ لَا أَرَى الْهُدْهُدَ أَمْ كَانَ مِنَ الْغَائِبِينَ لَأُعَذِّبَنَّهُ عَذَابًا شَدِيدًا أَوْ لَأَذْبَحَنَّهُ أَوْ لَيَأْتِيَنِّي بِسُلْطَانٍ مُّبِينٍ فَمَكَثَ غَيْرَ بَعِيدٍ فَقَالَ أَحَطتُ بِمَا لَمْ تُحِطْ بِهِ وَجِئْتُكَ مِن سَبَإٍ بِنَبَإٍ يَقِينٍ إِنِّي وَجَدتُّ امْرَأَةً تَمْلِكُهُمْ وَأُوتِيَتْ مِن كُلِّ شَيْءٍ وَلَهَا عَرْشٌ عَظِيمٌ وَجَدتُّهَا وَقَوْمَهَا يَسْجُدُونَ لِلشَّمْسِ مِن دُونِ اللَّـهِ وَزَيَّنَ لَهُمُ الشَّيْطَانُ أَعْمَالَهُمْ فَصَدَّهُمْ عَنِ السَّبِيلِ فَهُمْ لَا يَهْتَدُونَ) النمل 27: 20-24
1. A Missing Bird Noticed Immediately | طائر غائب يُلاحظ فورًا
The episode begins with Sulaiman personally inspecting his birds and noticing the hoopoe’s absence at once. This connects to the armies of jinn, humans, and birds subjected to him, showing that his command over them was detailed enough to track a single missing member, not a vague or symbolic authority.
تبدأ الحادثة بتفقد سليمان بنفسه لطيوره وملاحظته غياب الهدهد فورا. ويرتبط هذا بجيوش الجن والإنس والطير المسخرة له، مما يظهر أن إمرته عليهم كانت دقيقة بما يكفي لتتبع عضو واحد غائب، لا سلطة مبهمة أو رمزية.
2. A Warning of Punishment, Answered With Real Evidence | تهديد بالعقاب يُقابَل بدليل حقيقي
Sulaiman warns of severe punishment unless the hoopoe returns with a clear justification. The bird does not offer an excuse; it opens with “I have found out something you do not know” and calls its report “sure news,” language that frames what follows as certain information Sulaiman himself lacked, not a plea for mercy.
يهدد سليمان بعقاب شديد ما لم يعد الهدهد بمبرر واضح. ولا يقدم الطائر عذرا؛ بل يفتتح بقوله “أحطت بما لم تحط به” ويصف تقريره بأنه “نبأ يقين”، وهي صياغة تؤطر ما يلي بوصفه معلومة يقينية كان سليمان نفسه يفتقدها، لا التماسا للرحمة.
3. A Queen Given Much, Yet Missing the One Thing That Matters | ملكة أُوتيت الكثير وافتقدت الأهم
The hoopoe describes the queen as having “been given everything she needs” and possessing “a magnificent throne,” phrasing that echoes how Sulaiman himself was described as given everything he needed in Surah An-Naml 27:16. The parallel sharpens the contrast the passage is building toward: worldly provision on its own, without correct worship, is exactly what the rest of the report exposes as insufficient.
يصف الهدهد الملكة بأنها “أُوتيت من كل شيء” وتملك “عرشا عظيما”، وهي صياغة تردد وصف سليمان نفسه بأنه أُوتي من كل شيء في سورة النمل 27: 16. ويشحذ هذا التوازي التباين الذي يبنيه المقطع تدريجيا: العطاء الدنيوي وحده، دون عبادة صحيحة، هو بالضبط ما يكشف بقية التقرير أنه غير كافٍ.
4. Sun-Worship Named and Traced to Satan | عبادة الشمس منسوبة إلى تزيين الشيطان
The hoopoe states plainly that the queen and her people prostrate to the sun instead of Allah, then adds that Satan made their deeds appealing to them, hindering them from the right way. This second detail matters because it explains the sun-worship as a form of misguidance rather than mere ignorance, people led astray by having wrong actions made to look good to them, not people who never received guidance at all.
يذكر الهدهد صراحة أن الملكة وقومها يسجدون للشمس بدلا من الله، ثم يضيف أن الشيطان زين لهم أعمالهم فصدهم عن السبيل. ولهذا التفصيل الثاني أهميته لأنه يفسر عبادة الشمس بوصفها ضلالا لا مجرد جهل، أناسا أُضلوا بتزيين أفعالهم الخاطئة لهم، لا أناسا لم يصلهم هدى قط.
5. A Report, Not Yet a Verdict | تقرير لا حكم نهائي
At this point in the Surah, the hoopoe has only delivered information; Sulaiman has not yet acted on it. In the next verse Sulaiman says he will see whether the hoopoe has told the truth or lied (27:27), so everything that follows in the story is a response grounded in verified evidence rather than assumption.
عند هذه النقطة من السورة، لم يفعل الهدهد أكثر من نقل المعلومة؛ ولم يتصرف سليمان بعد بناء عليها. وفي الآية التالية يقول سليمان: “سننظر أصدقت أم كنت من الكاذبين” (النمل 27: 27)، فيأتي كل ما يلي في القصة استجابة قائمة على التثبت لا على الافتراض.
Frequently Asked Questions | الأسئلة الشائعة
How did Sulaiman find out about Balquees, the Queen of Sheba?
The hoopoe bird, absent during an inspection of his birds, returned with a report describing her rule and her people’s sun-worship.
Why did Sulaiman threaten the hoopoe?
He had noticed the bird missing and warned of severe punishment unless it returned with a clear justification for its absence.
What did the hoopoe say about the queen?
That she ruled her people, had been given everything she needed, and possessed a magnificent throne.
What were the queen and her people doing instead of worshipping Allah?
Prostrating to the sun, a practice the hoopoe attributed to Satan making their deeds appealing to them.
Did Sulaiman act immediately on the hoopoe’s report?
Not before checking it: he told the hoopoe he would see whether it was truthful or lying (27:27), then sent his letter with it.