a message from the Prophet and no less King Solomon (Solomon) asking her to submit to the Creator of the world. What is interesting in this story told in the Qur’an is God’s description of this woman. In fact, while the majority of kings and male governors referenced in the Qur’an are despots, as in the case of Pharaoh or Neron and others, the model of Balkis, female sovereign, is that of a monarch certainly, but a fair and enlightened monarch.
The depiction is of a female leader who was apparently very scrupulous concerning the political principles of equity and justice. The Qur’anic verses are in fact very explicit concerning the manner of governance of this illustrious woman. As soon as she receives the message from Solomon, she immediately convenes a council of dignitaries, conveys the content of the letter to them and asks them to reflect on the political decision which should be taken. This is what the Qur’an reports her as saying:
She added: ‘O you nobles! Give me your opinion on the problem with which I am now faced; I would never make a [weighty] decision unless you are present with me. (al-Naml 27: 32)
A female leader of one of the richest kingdoms of the era and who makes the effort to consult the elected representatives of her people! The latter inform her that the final decision rested with her alone, but that she could rely on their physical and material strength:
They answered: “We are endowed with power and with mighty prowess in war - but the command is thine; consider, then, what thou wouldst command”. (al-Naml 27: 33)
The famous exegete al-Zamakhshari5 explains in his commentary that the representatives consulted by Balkis, while leaving the ultimate decision with her, undertook a demonstration of their force and power, suggesting they would rather be in favour of bellicose action. However, Balkis did not agree with this approach, since she suggested a peaceful solution as a first response, namely the act of sending Solomon a gift with the objective of testing his reaction.
This pondered political decision reflects the great wisdom of this queen, who in passing, also made a pertinent remark on the despotism of kings … An intriguing comment, considering she herself was a queen, but one can also read therein her concern to avoid precisely the type of corruption typically associated with autocratic power.
(Said she: ‘Verily, whenever kings enter a country they corrupt it, and turn the noblest of its people into the most abject. And this is the way they [always] behave? Hence, behold, I am going to send a gift to those [people], and await whatever [answer] the envoys bring back.’) al-Naml 27: 34–35
An attentive reading of these verses indicates the extent to which the observations of this queen are politically grounded. The political message which she sought to transmit here could not be clearer. It represents an acerbic critique of all forms of despotism which can be found recurrently in the history of humanity with their corollaries of humiliation and oppression experienced by peoples who, as she says so well, go so far as to ‘lose their human dignity’ under the governance of authoritarian political powers.
What is more, her political analysis is of great relevance for those observers of the disastrous management of politics in Muslim lands and enlightens us, where needed, on the necessity of justice and fairness in the Qur’anic message. A requirement which constitutes the cornerstone of the Islamic moral and legal system. Ibn ‘Abbas, the famous and first Muslim exegete, nicknamed the ‘Interpreter of the Qur’an’ or,‘Turjuman al-Qur’an’ attributes the following verse ‘This is the manner in which they usual behave’ to God Himself, responding to Balkis’ commentary and confirming her earlier analysis on dictatorial political systems. What more telling testimony than this one could we need to illustrate the judgement and political perspicacity of this woman?!
Thus, Balkis demonstrated political wisdom but also intelligence, because in sending the present to Solomon, she was judiciously disregarding the rash proposition of her advisers in order to avoid an unnecessary war and, by the same token, she was buying time to reflect in order to study the personality of this king.
Balkis wanted to test Solomon and see what was behind this message in which he was exhorting her to submit to the One God. If the king accepted her present, it would mean his mission reflected earthly ambitions, however, any refusal would suggest Solomon’s motivation was more profound, in other words, of a spiritual order … A veritable diplomatic strategy!
Sayyid Qutb perceives, through the character of this Queen, the essence of woman in all her femininity, the woman who through her instinct and her innate female intuition refuses wars and conflict and prefers peace and dialogue.6 Is it not said that women embody a part, however minute, of the infinite mercy or Rahma of God on earth? This quality which some interpret as a sign of weakness in women, is on the contrary symbolized in the Qur’an as a sign of intelligence and great moral force in this woman queen. A sovereign who reigns politically, with reason and wisdom, while maintaining her woman’s humanity as a gift from God. It is as though in some ways, she humanizes her political action through her feminine sensibility which makes her closer to the daily human realities.
The description which the Qur’an makes of this woman head of state is in and of itself an undeniable refutation of all the allegations of the hyper-emotionalism of women who are said to reason-less well than men due to the hyperemotivity of their personality and who, according to the same logic, cannot lead, politically speaking, an entire people! This is the explanation found in the discourse of almost all the Muslim scholars, and this regardless of the era.
Women are said to be very sensitive, excessively sentimental and therefore vulnerable, emotionally speaking, which renders her incapable of using her reason, and in the management of state affairs; there is no room for feelings or emotions reason rules.
However, putting forth arguments which suggest that women reason less or that their ability to reason is subject to her emotions is equivalent to saying that she is less human. In fact, if we were to distinguish human beings from the other terrestrial creatures, one would note that it is indeed reason, this essentially human ability, which differentiates us from the rest of Divine creation and which allows us to accede to this privileged dimension of human beings through our faculties of reason and discernment.
In assuming that women have deficiencies in this area, they are being deprived quite simply of a part of their reason and, therefore, of their humanity.
In Islamic literature, validating these sorts of theses from the religious standpoint has always been an easy task given the anchoring of such traditions in the popular imagination which stipulates the supremacy of man regardless of the context or social environment. Concerning political affairs and governance, given the assumption that man is stronger, less emotional and, therefore, more reasonable, he is definitively viewed as more apt than women at managing these sorts of situations. Nonetheless, it is worth noting that these sorts of macho assumptions are not specific to Muslim peoples alone, far from it. They can be found in all societies, even in those considered most advanced. In France for example,7 the land of human rights and the cradle of feminism, the parliament is composed of 89% men and women’s struggle for political equality still has a long way to go.
Nonetheless, it remains true that in our Muslim context, women’s access to positions of political responsibility is often, if not always, forbidden in the name of Islam … And it is just as surprising to see how the so-called ban on women acceding to the highest spheres of political governance is Islamically justified through a single hadith – only one – which has become the norm, if not the sword of Damocles brandished over heads each time the issue of women’s political participation is raised in the lands of Islam.
There does indeed exist a saying from the Prophetic tradition which states: ‘A nation cannot succeed
