Islamic view of the Queen of Sheba

The Queen of Sheba, known in Islamic tradition as Bilquis, was invited by Solomon to Islam and thus submitted to God.

The Qur'an never mentioned the Queen of Sheba by name, though Arab sources name her "Bilqis". The story is similar to the one in the Bible. The Qur'anic narrative has Solomon getting reports of a kingdom ruled by a queen whose people worship the sun. He sends a message inviting her to come to him in submission. She replied with a gift after consulting her people. He replied threatening an invasion. Solomon asked if anyone can bring the throne of the queen before she arrives. A jinn under the control of Solomon proposed that he will bring it before Soloman rises from his seat. One who had knowledge of the "Book" proposed to bring him the throne of Bilqis 'in the twinkling of an eye' and accomplished that immediately (27:40). The queen arrives at his court, is shown her throne and asked: does your thorne look like this? She replied: (It is) as though it were it. When she enters his crystal palace she accepts Abrahamic monotheism and the worship of God alone. See Biblical narratives and the Qur'an.

This story is from (27:23) to (27:44), chapter 27.

Islamic Belief Addition

According to Ibn Kathir, "Stories of the Prophets", Solomon traveled on a Pilgrimage to the Holy Mosque in Mecca (rebuilt by prophet Abrahim). Afterwards, he continued south to the city of Sanaa, the modern-day capital of Yemen, where he was impressed by the complex water channeling system. (Geographically, Sanaa is nearby Ma'arib, the believed capital of the Land of Sheba as will be explained.) Solomon sent the hoopoe bird to survey the land as it could detect water underground so that he may build a similar system of irrigation in his own kingdom. The hoopoe returns to an angry king as it he had taken more time than expected with news of a kingdom (Saba) ruled by a queen (Bilqis) worshipping the sun.

The Quran does not blatanly mention exactly where the kingdom extended, but many Islamic sources definitely mention the capital of the kingdom as the city of Ma'arib, Yemen, located just 2 hours by car away from Sanaa. Additionally, archaeological finds have found a temple of worship ("Ma'bed Bilqis", Bilqis' Temple, in Ma'arib, Yemen).

In 572 C.E. a plague of mice ate through the dam in Ma'arib, causing a flood that literally annihilated the city and its people. The Quran mentions in Surah 34, 15-16 how the Kingdom of Sheba was destroyed centuries after Bilqis because the people reverted to polytheism. "There was, for Saba, aforetime, a sign in their Homeland--two Gardens; to the right and to the left...But they turned away (from God), and we sent against them the flood (released) from the Dams, and we converted their two Garden (rows) into "gardens" producing bitter fruit, and tamarisks, and some few (stunted) Lote-trees" (Abdullah Yusuf Ali translation; or jujube, Denise Masson's French translation). There are NO Islamic sources mentioning that Bilqis was the "sister of the sun" or daughter of a jinn/spirit. It is common belief that Bilqis was single at the time of her meeting Solomon and married him shortly thereafter.