Tafsir al-Baghawi - Al-Baghawi - (6/168)

Tafsir al-BaghawiAl-Baghawi

“When she saw it, she thought it was a deep expanse of water” 58/A—that is, the greater part of the water—“and she uncovered her shins” in order to wade through it to Solomon. Solomon looked and found that she had the most beautiful feet and shins of anyone, except that her shins were hairy. When Solomon saw this, he turned his gaze away from her and called out to her: (1) “It is a palace made smooth,” that is, level and polished, “with glass,” not water.

Solomon then called her to Islam. Having seen what had occurred with the throne and the palace, she responded, saying: “My Lord, I have wronged myself” through disbelief. Muqatil said: When she saw the throne and the palace, she knew that Solomon’s dominion was from Allah, and so she said: “My Lord, I have wronged myself by worshipping other than You, and I submit with Solomon to Allah, Lord of the worlds”—that is, I have devoted sincere affirmation of His oneness to Him.

It was also said that, when she reached the palace and thought it was a deep body of water, she said to herself, “Solomon intends to drown me, though being killed would have been easier for me than this.” Thus, her words, “I have wronged myself,” referred to this suspicion.

They differed concerning what became of her after she accepted Islam. Awn ibn Abd Allah said: A man asked Abd Allah ibn Utbah, “Did Solomon marry her?” He replied, “Her account ends with her saying, ‘I submit with Solomon to Allah, Lord of the worlds’”—meaning, we have no knowledge beyond that.

Others said that he married her. When he wished to marry her, he disliked the abundance of hair he saw on her shins, so he asked the humans, “What removes this?” They replied, “A razor.” But the woman said, “No piece of iron has ever touched me.” Solomon disliked the razor and said, “It would cut her shins.” He then asked the jinn, who replied, “We do not know.” Then he asked the devils, and they said, “We shall devise a means for you by which she will become like white silver.” So they made depilatory lime and bathhouses; from that day onward, depilatory lime and bathhouses came into use. (2)

When Solomon married her, he loved her deeply. He confirmed her in her kingdom and commanded the jinn to build for her, in the land of Yemen, three fortresses whose height and beauty people had never seen equaled: Salhin, Baynun, and Amdan. Thereafter, having restored her to her kingdom, Solomon would visit her once each month and remain with her for three days, setting out early from Syria to Yemen and from Yemen to Syria. She bore him children, according to what has been related.

It is narrated from Wahb that he said: They alleged that when Bilqis accepted Islam, Solomon said to her, “Choose a man from among your people, and I will marry you to him.” She said, “Would one such as I, O Prophet of Allah, marry men, after having possessed among my people the kingdom and authority that I possessed?” He said, “Yes. In Islam there can be nothing other than this, and you should not forbid yourself what Allah has made lawful for you.” She replied, “If this is unavoidable, then marry me to Dhu Tubba, the king of Hamadan.” So he married her to him, then restored her to Yemen and gave her husband, Dhu Tubba, authority over Yemen. He summoned Zawba'ah, the commander of the jinn of Yemen, and said, “Do for Dhu Tubba whatever...”

(1) Omitted from manuscript A. (2) This and similar reports are among the fabrications of the Jews, who portray the prophets as though they had no concern but sensual pleasure and devising ways to remove the hair from women's calves, displaying their beauty and satisfying lust. Ibn Abi Shaybah narrated a report to this effect, concerning which Ibn Kathir said (3:367): “It is a very strange and objectionable report. Perhaps it is among the errors of Ata ibn al-Sa'ib in his narration from Ibn Abbas. Allah knows best. What is more likely in such contexts is that these reports were received from the People of the Book, from what was found in their scriptures...”

﴿فَلَمَّا رَأَتْهُ حَسِبَتْهُ لُجَّةً﴾ ٥٨/أوَهِيَ مُعْظَمُ الْمَاءِ، ﴿وَكَشَفَتْ عَنْ سَاقَيْهَا﴾ لِتَخُوضَهُ إِلَى سُلَيْمَانَ، فَنَظَرَ سُلَيْمَانُ فَإِذَا هِيَ أَحْسَنُ النَّاسِ قَدَمًا وَسَاقًا إِلَّا أَنَّهَا كَانَتْ شَعْرَاءَ السَّاقَيْنِ، فَلَمَّا رَأَى سُلَيْمَانُ ذَلِكَ صَرَفَ بَصَرَهُ عَنْهُ وَنَادَاهَا (١) ﴿قَالَ إِنَّهُ صَرْحٌ مُمَرَّدٌ﴾ مُمَلَّسٌ مُسْتَوٍ، ﴿مِنْ قَوَارِيرَ﴾ وَلَيْسَ بِمَاءٍ، ثُمَّ إِنَّ سُلَيْمَانَ دَعَاهَا إِلَى الْإِسْلَامِ، وَكَانَتْ قَدْ رَأَتْ حَالَ الْعَرْشِ وَالصَّرْحَ فَأَجَابَتْ، وَ ﴿قَالَتْ رَبِّ إِنِّي ظَلَمْتُ نَفْسِي﴾ بِالْكَفْرِ. وَقَالَ مُقَاتِلٌ: لَمَّا رَأَتِ السَّرِيرَ وَالصَّرْحَ عَلِمَتْ أَنَّ مُلْكَ سُلَيْمَانَ مِنَ اللَّهِ فَقَالَتْ: رَبِّ إِنِّي ظَلَمْتُ نَفْسِي بِعِبَادَةِ غَيْرِكَ، ﴿وَأَسْلَمْتُ مَعَ سُلَيْمَانَ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ﴾ أَيْ: أَخْلَصْتُ لَهُ التَّوْحِيدَ. وَقِيلَ: إِنَّهَا لَمَّا بَلَغَتِ الصَّرْحَ وَظَنَّتْهُ لُجَّةً، قَالَتْ فِي نَفْسِهَا: إِنَّ سُلَيْمَانَ يُرِيدُ أَنْ يُغْرِقَنِي، وَكَانَ الْقَتْلُ عَلَيَّ أَهْوَنَ مِنْ هَذَا، فَقَوْلُهَا: "ظَلَمْتُ نَفْسِي" تَعْنِي بِذَلِكَ الظَّنَّ. وَاخْتَلَفُوا فِي أَمْرِهَا بَعْدَ إِسْلَامِهَا، قَالَ عَوْنُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ: سَأَلَ رَجُلٌ عَبْدَ اللَّهِ بْنَ عُتْبَةَ: هَلْ تَزَوَّجَهَا سُلَيْمَانُ؟ قَالَ: انْتَهَى أَمْرُهَا إِلَى قَوْلِهَا: أَسْلَمْتُ مَعَ سُلَيْمَانَ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ، يَعْنِي: لَا عِلْمَ لَنَا وَرَاءَ ذَلِكَ. وَقَالَ بَعْضُهُمْ: تَزَوَّجَهَا، وَلَمَّا أَرَادَ أَنْ يَتَزَوَّجَهَا كَرِهَ مَا رَأَى مِنْ كَثْرَةِ شَعْرِ سَاقَيْهَا، فَسَأَلَ الْإِنْسَ: مَا يُذْهِبُ هَذَا؟ قَالُوا: الْمُوسَى، فَقَالَتِ الْمَرْأَةُ: لَمْ تَمَسَّنِي حَدِيدَةٌ قَطُّ، فِكَرِهَ سُلَيْمَانُ الْمُوسَى، وَقَالَ: إِنَّهَا تَقْطَعُ سَاقَيْهَا، فَسَأَلَ الْجِنَّ فَقَالُوا: لَا نَدْرِي، ثُمَّ سَأَلَ الشَّيَاطِينَ فَقَالُوا: إِنَّا نَحْتَالُ لَكَ حِيلَةً حَتَّى تَكُونَ كَالْفِضَّةِ الْبَيْضَاءِ، فَاتَّخَذُوا النُّوْرَةَ وَالْحَمَّامَ، فَكَانَتِ النُّوْرَةُ وَالْحَمَّامَاتُ مِنْ يَوْمَئِذٍ (٢) فَلَمَّا تَزَوَّجَهَا سُلَيْمَانُ أَحَبَّهَا حُبًّا شَدِيدًا، وَأَقَرَّهَا عَلَى مُلْكِهَا، وَأَمَرَ الْجِنَّ فَابْتَنَوْا لَهَا بِأَرْضِ الْيَمَنِ ثَلَاثَةَ حُصُونٍ لَمْ يَرَ النَّاسُ مِثْلَهَا ارْتِفَاعًا وَحُسْنًا، وَهِيَ: سَلْحِينُ، وَبَيْنُونُ، وَعَمْدَانُ. ثُمَّ كَانَ سُلَيْمَانُ يَزُورُهَا فِي كُلِّ شَهْرٍ مَرَّةً بَعْدَ أَنْ رَدَّهَا إِلَى مُلْكِهَا وَيُقِيمُ عِنْدَهَا ثَلَاثَةَ أَيَّامٍ، يَبْتَكِرُ مِنَ الشَّامِ إِلَى الْيَمَنِ، وَمِنَ الْيَمَنِ إِلَى الشَّامِ، وَوَلَدَتْ لَهُ فِيمَا ذُكِرَ وَرُوِيَ عَنْ وَهْبٍ قَالَ: زَعَمُوا أَنَّ بِلْقِيسَ لَمَّا أَسْلَمَتْ قَالَ لَهَا سُلَيْمَانُ: اخْتَارِي رَجُلًا مِنْ قَوْمِكِ أُزَوِّجُكِهِ، قَالَتْ: وَمِثْلِي يَا نَبِيَّ اللَّهِ تَنْكِحُ الرِّجَالَ وَقَدْ كَانَ لِي فِي قَوْمِي مِنَ الْمُلْكِ وَالسُّلْطَانِ مَا كَانَ؟ قَالَ: نَعَمْ، إِنَّهُ لَا يَكُونُ فِي الْإِسْلَامِ إِلَّا ذَلِكَ، وَلَا يَنْبَغِي لَكِ أَنْ تُحَرِّمِي مَا أَحَلَّ اللَّهُ لَكِ، فَقَالَتْ: زَوِّجْنِي إِنْ كَانَ لَا بُدَّ مِنْ ذَلِكَ ذَا تُبَّعٍ مَلِكَ هَمَذَانَ فَزَوَّجُهُ إِيَّاهَا، ثُمَّ رَدَّهَا إِلَى الْيَمَنِ، وَسَلَّطَ زَوْجَهَا ذَا تُبَّعٍ عَلَى الْيَمَنِ، وَدَعَا زَوْبَعَةَ أَمِيرَ جِنِّ الْيَمَنِ، فَقَالَ: اعْمَلْ لِذِي تُبَّعٍ مَا

(١) ساقط من "أ". (٢) هذا وأمثاله من مفتريات يهود الذين يصورون الأنبياء وكأنهم لا هم لهم إلا اللذة والاحتيال لإزالة شعر الساقين إظهارا للمحاسن وإرواء للشهوة. وقد روى ابن أبي شيبة أثرا في ذلك، قال عنه ابن كثير: (٣ / ٣٦٧) "هو منكر غريب جدا، ولعله من أوهام عطاء بن السائب على ابن عباس، والله أعلم، والأقرب في مثل هذه السياقات أنها متلقاة عن أهل الكتاب مما وجد في صحفهم..".