27:35 An-Naml (The Ant)

فقالت: وَإِنِّي مُرْسِلَةٌ إِلَيْهِمْ بِهَدِيَّةٍ فَنَاظِرَةٌ بِمَ يَرْجِعُ الْمُرْسَلُونَ منه. هل يستمر على رأيه وقوله؟ أم تخدعه الهدية وتتبدل فكرته وكيف أحواله وجنوده؟ فأرسلت له هدية مع رسل من عقلاء قومها وذوي الرأي: منهم

أي سأبعث إليه بهدية تليق بمثله وأنظر ماذا يكون جوابه بعد ذلك فلعله يقبل ذلك منا ويكف عنا أو يضرب علينا خراجا نحمله إليه في كل عام ونلتزم له بذلك ويترك قتالنا ومحاربتنا قال قتادة رحمه الله: ما كان أعقلها في إسلامها وشركها علمت أن الهدية تقع موقعا من الناس وقال ابن عباس وغير واحد قالت لقومها إن قبل الهدية فهو ملك فقاتلوه وإن لم يقبلها فهو نبي فاتبعوه.

Bilqis consults with Her Chiefs

When she read Sulayman's letter to them and consulted with them about this news, she said:

يأَيُّهَا الْمَلأ أَفْتُونِى فِى أَمْرِى مَا كُنتُ قَـطِعَةً أَمْراً حَتَّى تَشْهَدُونِ

("O chiefs! Advise me in (this) case of mine. I decide no case till you are present with me.") meaning, `until you come together and offer me your advice.'

قَالُواْ نَحْنُ أُوْلُواْ قُوَّةٍ وَأُولُو بَأْسٍ شَدِيدٍ

(They said: "We have great strength, and great ability for war...") They reminded her of their great numbers, preparedness and strength, then they referred the matter to her and said:

وَالاٌّمْرُ إِلَيْكِ فَانظُرِى مَاذَا تَأْمُرِينَ

(but it is for you to command; so think over what you will command.) meaning, `we have the power and strength, if you want to go to him and fight him.' The matter is yours to decide, so instruct us as you see fit and we will obey. Ibn `Abbas said: "Bilqis said:

إِنَّ الْمُلُوكَ إِذَا دَخَلُواْ قَرْيَةً أَفْسَدُوهَا وَجَعَلُواْ أَعِزَّةَ أَهْلِهَآ أَذِلَّةً

(Verily, kings, when they enter a town, they destroy it and make the most honorable amongst its people the lowest.) And Allah said:

وَكَذلِكَ يَفْعَلُونَ

(And thus they do. ) Then she resorted to peaceful means, seeking a truce and trying to placate Sulayman, and said:

وَإِنِّى مُرْسِلَةٌ إِلَيْهِمْ بِهَدِيَّةٍ فَنَاظِرَةٌ بِمَ يَرْجِعُ الْمُرْسَلُونَ

(But verily, I am going to send him a present, and see with what the messengers return.) meaning, `I will send him a gift befitting for one of his status, and will wait and see what his response will be. Perhaps he will accept that and leave us alone, or he will impose a tax which we can pay him every year, so that he will not fight us and wage war against us.' Qatadah said: "May Allah have mercy on her and be pleased with her -- how wise she was as a Muslim and (before that) as an idolator! She understood how gift-giving has a good effect on people." Ibn `Abbas and others said: "She said to her people, if he accepts the gift, he is a king, so fight him; but if he does not accept it, he is a Prophet, so follow him."

Now I will send them a gift and wait to see with what response the envoys return’ in the way of accepting the gift or rejecting it. If it be a king to whom we have sent it he will accept it; but if it be a prophet he will reject it. Thus she sent male and female servants one thousand in total together with five hundred bricks of gold a crown studded with jewels and musk ambergris and other things with an envoy carrying a letter. The hoopoe thus hurried back to bring the news to Solomon who ordered bricks of gold and silver to be made and laid out across a vast square the distance of nine parasangs from his seat and for a towering wall of gold and silver to be constructed around it and for the most splendid creatures of the land and the sea together with the children of the jinn to be brought to line the right and left sides of the square.

وَإِنِّي مُرْ‌سِلَةٌ إِلَيْهِم بِهَدِيَّةٍ فَنَاظِرَ‌ةٌ بِمَ يَرْ‌جِعُ الْمُرْ‌سَلُونَ ﴿35﴾

And I am going to send a gift to them, then see, what response the envoys will bring back." 27:35.

Appearance of envoys of Bilqls in the court of Sulaiman (علیہ السلام)

Historical Isra'ili legends describe in great detail the incident of the visit of the envoys of Bilqis and the gifts they had taken with them. All versions of the legends agree on that the gifts included some gold bricks, some precious stones, one hundred slaves and one hundred slave girls. But the slave girls were dressed in men's clothes and the slaves were dressed in ladies outfits. There was also a letter from Bilqis, in which there were some questions for testing Sayyidna Sulaiman (علیہ السلام) the selection of gifts also, his test was intended. Allah Ta’ ala had passed on detailed information of gifts to Sulaiman (علیہ السلام) even before their arrival. Sayyidna Sulaiman (علیہ السلام) commanded the Jinns to lay out a floor of gold and silver bricks over a thirty miles stretch from his court, and that strange looking animals be lined up on either side of this pathway. Their excrement of bowels was also to be placed on the floor of gold and silver. Similarly, his court was decorated with special attention. Four thousand chairs of gold were placed on the left side and four thousand on the right side of the main hall for the scholars, ministers, and other officials of the court. The entire hall was bedecked with precious stones. When Bilqis's envoys saw animals standing on the floor of gold bricks, they were embarrassed with the gifts they had brought with them. It is reported in some narrations that they threw away their gold bricks. Then as they proceeded, they saw rows of beasts and birds on either side of the pathway. After that they came across the rows of jinns. Seeing them, they were browbeaten. Ultimately, when they reached the court and stood before Sayyidna Sulaiman he received them with dignity, and entertained them with veneration. But he returned all their gifts and presents, and answered all the questions sent up by Bilqis. (Qurtubi)