Legendry Queen Sheba: Story of Prophet Solomon & The Hoopoe (Bird Hud hud, Solomon’s Messenger

 Sulaiman was the son of Prophet Dawud (David). Dawud was the wise King of Israel and a noble Prophet of Allah (SWT). Sulaiman learnt from his father’s vast knowledge and judgement and often joined his father during hearings.

Prophet Dawud appointed his son Sulaiman to take charge following his death. So, with the passing of time Sulaiman inherited the kingdom of Israel and was elected by Allah to continue his Prophethood. He beseeched his Lord for a kingdom that would occur to none after him.

 

Allah granted Sulaiman his wish and bestowed upon him many miracles, like the ability to control the wind which he used to travel at incredible speeds; the jinns which were under his command and a copper mine with which he used to make weaponry.

 

He was even blessed with the ability to communicate with animals. The Quran makes mention of this:

 

Prophet Sulaiman and his battalion of men, jinns and birds, “came upon the valley of the ants, an ant said, “O ants, enter your dwellings that you not be crushed by Sulaiman and his soldiers while they perceive not.”

 

So Solomon smiled, amused at her speech, and said, “My Lord, enable me to be grateful for Your favor which You have bestowed upon me and upon my parents and to do righteousness of which You approve. And admit me by your mercy into [the ranks of] Your righteous servants.”

 

Dome of the Rock built by Prophet Solomon

In his mission as a Prophet of Allah, Sulaiman built a prominent place of worship—the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem. From there Sulaiman and his followers made pilgrimage to Makkah.

On completion of their Hajj, they travelled to Yemen where Sulaiman witnessed the Yemeni’s incredible water channeling mechanism. He desired to replicate this system in his own land, but knew that they had insufficient springs. 

Hoopoe was missing

Determined to find a way, Sulaiman set about looking for the Hoopoe bird, which had the ability to detect water underground. But the bird was nowhere in sight.

Bird Hoopoe (Bird Hud Hud)

Sulaiman who grew increasingly impatient exclaimed, “Why do I not see the Hoopoe bird– or is he among the absent? I will surely punish him with a severe torment, or slaughter him, unless he brings me a clear reason!

 

Before long, the Hoopoe returned to his master with great news. But the hoopoe stayed not long and said, “I have encompassed [in knowledge] that which you have not encompassed, and I have come to you from Sheba with certain news.

Indeed, there I found a woman ruling them, and she has been given of all things, and she has a great throne. I found her and her people prostrating to the sun instead of Allah.

Queen Sheba

And Satan has made their deeds pleasing to them and averted them from His way, so they are not guided.

 

So they do not prostrate to Allah, who brings forth what is hidden within the heavens and the earth and knows what you conceal and what you declare -Allah – there is no deity except Him, Lord of the Great Throne.”

 

Message of Prophet Solomon to Queen Sheba

Prophet Sulaiman said, “We will see whether you were truthful or were of the liars. Take this letter of mine and deliver it to them. Then leave them and see what answer they will return.”

The Hoopoe bird flew back to Bilkis’s (Sheba’s) palace and dropped Suleiman's letter before her. He soon hid and watched what happened.

Queen Sheeba reading message of Solomon

Having noticed the letter, Blikis (Sheba) began reading it, “Verily! It is from Solomon. It reads: ‘In the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful; be you not exalted against me, but come to me as Muslims.”

 

Bilkis (Sheba) immediately summoned her chiefs and sought their advice.

They replied, “We have great strength, and great ability for war, but it is for you to command; so think over what you will command.” Bilkis, however, was not in favour of war as they were unaware of the size of Sulaiman’s army.

She answered, “Verily! Kings, when they enter a town, they despoil it, and make the most honourable amongst its people low.” She decided, as a token of friendship, to send Sulaiman some valuable gifts through her messengers, who could also bring back information about Sulaiman’s army.

 

Sulaiman immediately learnt of Bilkis’s response through the Hoopoe. He decided to display the might of his army to her messengers.

 

When the messengers arrived, all of Suleiman's army complete with animals, such as lions and tigers, birds, men and jinn, gathered before them.

Bilkis’s messengers were indeed stunned by the size and variety of Sulaiman’s battalion. His incomparable strength was eminent.

 

The messengers eagerly presented Bilkis’s gift to Sulaiman with a pledge of friendship.

Sulaiman replied, “Will you help me in wealth? What Allah has given me is better than that which He has given you! Nay, you rejoice in your gift!” Sulaiman then turned to the chief of her messengers and instructed: “Go back to them.

Meeting of Solomon and Queen Sheba

We verily shall come to them with hosts that they cannot resist, and we shall drive them out from there in disgrace, and they will be abased.” Shocked, the messengers soon returned to their Queen and conveyed Sulaiman’s message together with an account of the magnificence of Sulaiman’s kingdom.

 

Bilkis (Sheba) decided to meet Sulaiman in person, together with her officials.

On receiving this news, Sulaiman decided to show Bilkis and her officials the power of the miracles bestowed to him by Allah.

 

He asked his army, “Which of you can bring me Bilkis’s throne before they come to me, surrendering themselves in obedience?” Ifrit, one of the powerful jinns, immediately responded to Prophet Sulaiman, “I will bring it to you before you rise from your place. And verily, I am indeed strong and trustworthy for such work.”

Solomon and Queen Sheba

But Sulaiman remained silent, awaiting a better offer. Another jinn with knowledge of the scriptures spoke up, “I will bring it to you before your glance returns to you.” And when Solomon saw it placed before him, he said, “This is from the favor of my Lord to test me whether I will be grateful or ungrateful.

 

In a split second the throne of Bilkis was brought from across 2,000 miles to Prophet Sulaiman.

“I will bring it to you within the twinkling of an eye!” And in a split second the throne of Bilkis was brought from across 2,000 miles to Prophet Sulaiman. Sulaiman himself was amazed by the miracle Allah had given him and praised his Lord immensely.

 

Sulaiman then instructed the jinn, “Disguise for her throne; we will see whether she will be guided or will be of those who is not guided.” He then ordered the jinns to build a palace with floors made of thin but solid glass, underneath through which rivers flowed.

 

A Palace was built by jinns with floors made of thin but solid glass, underneath through which rivers flowed.

When Blikis arrived, her throne immediately caught her attention. Having noticed Bilkis’s reaction to the throne, Sulaiman asked, “Is your throne like this?” Blikis was thoroughly confused.

Queen Sheba In Court of Prophet Solomon

She wondered if her throne actually got here or if it was possible that someone replicated it. She replied cautiously, “it is as though it was the very same.” 

 

Sulaiman judged her to be intelligent and diplomatic so he then invited her to his palace. When Bilkis was about to enter she mistook the glass floor for water and lifted her skirts.

Solomon and Queen Sheba

There is a story that King Solomon tricked the Queen of Sheba into spending the night with him.

After the banquet, the king invited her to stay in his palace for the night. The queen agreed, on the condition that he would not take her by force.

 

Solomon agreed to that, on the condition that the queen would not take anything from him by force.Makeda (Sheba), though slightly offended, agreed.

 

In the middle of the night, Makeda (Sheba) woke up, as she was very thirsty, and reached for a jar of water close to her bed. Solomon appeared, warning the queen that if she drank the water she would be breaking her oath.

 

Makeda’s thirst, however, was too strong and she drank the water, thus freeing Solomon from his oath. The two ended up spending the night together. Makeda became pregnant, and when she returned to her kingdom, gave birth to a son, Menelik, who became the first emperor of Ethiopia.

 

Bilkis realized that Sulaiman’s kingdom was indeed unlike any palace she had seen before. She witnessed his wisdom and humility along with his mighty power and accepted him as the messenger of Allah. She repented and embraced Islam along with her nation.

 

Prophet Sulaiman’s death

Prophet Sulaiman lived and reigned in glory. Much of his public work was performed by the jinns as a punishment for making people believe that jinns had knowledge of the unseen.

 

Sulaiman taught his people that Allah alone had such knowledge. Even Prophet Suleiman's death was a lesson in this regard.

The Flying Carpet of Prophet S

The future is not known neither by the jinns nor by the prophets, but by Allah alone.

Sulaiman was seated, holding his staff, while he oversee some jinns working in a mine. The jinns, who were terrified of Sulaiman, were heavily focused on the building when Allah decided to take Sulaiman’s life.

 

No one was aware of his death

Until days later, a hungry ant began nibbling on his wooden staff. As it ate on, the staff broke and Prophet Sulaiman’s body that was leaning on it fell to the floor. People ran to their Prophet, and soon realized that he had died long ago.

Thus everyone learned that had the jinn's possessed the knowledge of the unseen, they wouldn’t have tormented themselves working hard, thinking Sulaiman was watching them.

 

The life and death of Sulaiman is indeed full of miracles from which mankind can derive incredible lessons.

“And when we decreed for Solomon death, nothing indicated to the jinn his death except a creature of the earth eating his staff. But when he fell, it became clear to the jinn that if they had known the unseen, they would not have remained in humiliating punishment.”

 

The Queen of Sheba appears as a prominent figure in the Kebra Nagast (“Glory of King”), the Ethiopian national epic and foundation story.

 

The Kebra Nagast, var. Kebra Negast or The Glory of the Kings, is a 14th-century national epic from Ethiopia.

 

The text, in its existing form, is at least 700 years old and although clearly legendary is considered by many Ethiopian Christians to be a historically reliable work.It is considered to hold the genealogy of the Solomonic dynasty, which followed the Ethiopian Orthodox Church.

 

The text contains an account of how the Queen of Sheba (Queen Makeda of Ethiopia) met King Solomon and about how the Ark of the Covenant came to Ethiopia with their son Menelik I (Menyelek).

Queen Sheba

It also discusses the conversion of Ethiopians from the worship of the Sun, Moon, and stars to that of the "Lord God of Israel". As the Ethiopianist Edward Ullendorff explained in the 1967 Schweich Lectures, "The Kebra Nagast is not merely a literary work, but it is the repository of Ethiopian national and religious feelings".

 

On the last night of her visit, he tricked her into his bed, and she became pregnant. She returned to her kingdom, where she bore Solomon a son, Menelik.

Menelik I was made king by his father, thus founding the royal Solomonic dynasty of Ethiopia, which ruled until the deposition of Haile Selassie I in 1974.

 The End

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