Then he threatened it for disobeying his command; yet, because his reign rested upon perfect justice, he made an exception and said: “I will surely punish him with a severe punishment, or slaughter him, unless he brings me a clear proof. The bird was not gone long before it returned and said, ‘I have obtained knowledge of what you have not encompassed, and I have come to you from Sheba with certain news. I found a woman ruling over them; she has been given everything (a monarch could need) and possesses a tremendous throne. I found her and her people prostrating to the sun instead of Allah. Satan has made their deeds seem fair to them and so barred them from the way, and they are not guided—lest they should prostrate to Allah who brings forth what is hidden in the heavens and the earth and knows what you conceal and what you reveal. Allah—there is no god but He, Lord of the magnificent Throne’” (al-Naml 21-26).

Within that brief interval the hoopoe returned with this weighty information. It informed Solomon about the kingdom in Yemen: that their sovereign was a woman, that she had been endowed with every resource a ruler requires, and that she possessed a mighty throne. Along with grasping the extent of their dominion and power, it also discerned their religion—that they were polytheists who worshipped the sun—and it denounced them in the strongest terms. This is evidence that animals know their Lord, affirm His oneness, glorify Him, love the believers and act upon that devotion, and that they despise the unbelievers who reject the truth, thereby fulfilling their duty to Allah.

Solomon said to it, “We shall see whether you have spoken the truth or are among the liars. Take this letter of mine, deliver it to them, then withdraw and observe what answer they return” (al-Naml 27-28). The bird went with the letter and dropped it into the lap of the woman, the Queen of Sheba.

When she read it, she held it in great esteem and was seized with fear. She assembled the leaders of her people and said, “O nobles, a noble letter has been delivered to me. It is from Solomon, and it reads: ‘In the name of Allah, the All-Merciful, the Ever-Merciful. Do not exalt yourselves above me, but come to me in submission’” (al-Naml 29-31). A concise yet comprehensive epistle, containing everything required.