Is Queen of Sheba (or Saba) called "Bilquis" in the Quran?

[Heba E. Husseyn]

Allah bless.  Thanks Sisters Zeynab and Ruhi.  Both your excellent view points so well articulated have contributed in making my post a lot more comprehensive.  Hope our readers find this thread informative and helpful, and send it around to clear all those tons of gossips arising from extra-Quranic sources. 

[N. Truth Seeker]

Well, to add a bit more on my own quote, heavily altered hebrew bibles were actually the ones who started this lying legend and they named her "bat-seba" which in hebrew language means "daughter of an oath." However, we never hear of this name in the Jewish society, not now and neither before.   The Arabic translation, translating the meaning of her name is written as العهد القديم) بثشبع ). However, this is just a word by word translation.  There is no Arabic form of Bathsheba as a name such as we have Maryam for Mary, Sarai for Sarah, Hager for Hajara etc.

Amusing point.  You're right sister.  This name isn't in Arabic.   The meaning "daughter of the oath" is translation of Hebrew.  "Bat" means daughter in Hebrew and "seba" or "shaba"  means oath.  So, meaning of Bathsheba is explained as "daughter of the oath."  The funny thing is, "shaba or seba" can also mean 'to curse.'  Hence, it can also be interpreted as "daughter of the curse."  That means she was an accursed woman ... lol.

In Arabic ( بثشبع ) is simply "Bathsheba" in Arabic alphabets.  The meaning as you've written in your post ( ابنة القسم ) or Ibna qasm is the Arabic translation of "daughter of oath" (Ibna = daughter and al-qasm=oath).  So yes, it's just word by word translation.  I too have never heard of this name within the Arab community nor in the Jewish community. 

[Zainab_M]

Thanks brother, you've explained it better than me.  That's exactly what I meant.  The Arabic simply translates the Hebrew.  But the Arabic doesn't contain anything equivalent to that expression  in its own language and style. And in Hebrew it seems like a theatrical expression; that's why we don't hear that name within the common community either.

[Zainab_M]

Btw, Hebrew translation "daughter of curse" is the right one for such a deceitful story.  Thank you again for this info.  I didn't know about the curse bit 

[N. Truth Seeker]

You are welcomed sister.  Yes, curse is the most accurate reply to that Bathsheba story.  And I'm still reading this thread on Solomon and Queen of Sheba.  Sister Heba has written a dynamic article and very interesting thread that follows which every lover of the Noble Quran and every lover of knowledge would appreciate.  InshAllah will give my comments when I finish.

[Zainab_M]

InshAllah, please do brother.  It's always a pleasure reading your very informative comments.

[N. Truth Seeker]

Though the altered Bibles don't say where Queen of Sheba's queendom was located and have probably omitted some of the lewd lies, they have spewed enough misinformation that make them no different from folklore.  Altered bibles focus on the lady's travel to Jerusalem claiming she went to Jerusalem on a trade mission, riding on a camel with a big entourage, and carrying plenty of spices, gold and precious stones with the intent of presenting the stuff to Solomon.    "With a very great retinue, with camels bearing spices, and very much gold, and precious stones" (I Kings 10:2). "Never again came such an abundance of spices" (10:10; II Chron. 9:1–9).  Various other tales from altered Bibles and Christian legends claim that she and Solomon exchanged gifts, she asked him some riddles to test his intelligence and Solomon spoke to her about God Almighty.  Soon after she left for home.   Bibles also don't say that she embraced the Monotheistic Faith.  You see how different it is from the facts in the Quran.

Some interesting stories come from archaeologists though no confirmations at all.  A group of archaeologists from the University of Calgary (Canada) on a research assignment to Marib in west Yemen in 2014.  After excavating a little into the sand, they found plenty of remains of a 3,000-year-old pagan temple where people worshiped the moon and sun.  The Canadians say that there's a big chance this could be the community of the queen of Saba (Sheba) known as Mahram Bilkees who lived 3,000 years ago.  The archaeologists found plenty of artifacts, pottery and inscriptions as well and many more such items are buried deeper.  Mahram Bilkees is thought to be buried here according to these researchers.

Another groups of British excavation team went on a similar mission to Ethiopia in 2012 and found an ancient gold mine, a temple and a battlefield with bones and skulls.  They began matching this finding with the altered Bible tales, presuming that perhaps she carried the gold from here when when she went to visit Jerusalem.  But then how do they justify the myth of her also supposedly carrying spices and precious stones?  They never spoke of that. 

Undoubtedly, the archaeological evidences in Yemen are much stronger than the one Ethiopia.  It's possible that her queendom was situated in Yemen but she but she had places like Eritrea, Ethiopia and Somalia under her rule as well. 

In any case, coming to the Quran as the only source of true and authentic information, she never visited Jerusalem on her own will.  After receiving the letter, she was scared that Solomon would invade her country and conquer them.  That's why he complied to his request of coming to visit him when he embraced Monotheism or Islam. 

Here is the site - Archaeological excavation Yemen.
http://www.messagetoeagle.com/shebasecrets.php#.VSVNJvDfy1s
 
The same story in this site.
http://www.ucalgary.ca/uofc/events/unicomm/NewsReleases/queen.htm

Archaeological excavation Yemen - 2012.
http://www.theguardian.com/science/2012/feb/12/archaeologists-and-quest-for-sheba-goldmines

[Ruhi_Rose]

Interesting additional info brother.  No doubt altered bibles' version differs from the Quran by a long shot.  Even its ideology differs where the queen's visit is linked with trade and politics whereas the Quran confirms that it was an invitation from Solomon to get acquainted with Monotheism and giving up paganism. 

Just a question in my mind.  Since the Quran confirms she embraced Monotheism (Islam), that bit about the excavation that she might be buried under the temples in Yemen would be incorrect .. wouldn't it?

[N. Truth Seeker]

No that could still be compatible.  The Quran simply states that the queen renounced paganism and embraced Tawheed (Monotheism/Islam).  No further details.  Hence, one can conclude that she returned to her queendom.  This implies that she embraced Monotheism herself and perhaps also declared Monotheism as the state religion & system of her queendom.  However, it's still possible that many people of her land still remained pagans.  There is no mention in the Quran of mass conversion of the people of Saba into Islam after the queen nor does history contain this information.   Very likely, some or many members of her family and countrymen still remained pagans.  So, after her death they buried her according to the traditional customs disregarding the fact that she wasn't a pagan any longer.  These things often do happen even with modern-day reverts to Islam where one member of a family reverts to Islam, rest are all non-Muslims.  If the revert dies, his or her non-Muslim family, relatives and friends often do not respect their personal decisions on spiritual matters after their death and bury them according to the traditions that person had renounced.  The sin, of course, is on those people who disregard the truth that the deceased was no longer a pagan.

[Ruhi_Rose]

Ah, true .. true brother.  I didn't stretch my perception enough 

Furthermore, it's also likely that the expression Sabaeans comes from Saba.  Sabaeans used to worship stars.  Quran mentions the people of Saba and its queen worshiped the sun .. and the sun is a star.  Sabaeans or Sabians are known in history as star worshipers.  That bit which archaeologists write mentioning "moon worshipers" is not so.  They were star worshipers according to the Quran and from all historical accounts.  Also, any research on google or elsewhere mentions of Saba a part of south-west Arabia (that is, west Yemen) as the first possibility.  All other likelihoods take the back seat and are considered far less probable.   

[N. Truth Seeker]

That's a very thoughtful point.  The expression Sabians or Sabaeans may well have originated from Saba (former west Yemen as most likely of all possibilities) who were star worshipers. 

I don't know where the concept of them worshiping the moon arose, unless worshiping the moon and planets etc. took second place along with sun worship according to their pagan beliefs.  Or, maybe it comes from the altered bibles.  Allah Almighty knows best.

Many bible writer idiots today are spreading the LIE that Muslims worship moon by misinterpreting the system of the lunar calender introduced in Islam.  For the clarification of our readers, Sister Heba penned a very good piece to debunk that stupid claim at The crescent moon is NOT a religious Islamic symbol.

[Ruhi_Rose]

Correct brother.  And yes, I would also request our readers to go through that article link by Sister Heba.  These nasty Islamophobe sites like AI, Loonwatch etc. are spreading that bullshit to slander Islam.  I've also noticed that falsehood sprawled across their shitty sites .. buggers.

[Zainab_M]

Some Jewish legends claim she was from Ethiopia while some say Ethiopia as well as Egypt.  Egypt seems impossible.   The period of Solomon was around 800 BC.  During this period history tells us that Egypt was ruled by the Nubian dynasty until 660 BC. 

[Heba E. Husseyn]

That crap apparently comes from the altered bibles.  Here is a short excerpt from Bible study tools quote: "The former were identified by Josephus (Ant., II, x, 2) with the tall people of Saba in Upper Egypt, described by him as a city of Ethiopia, which Moses, when in the service of the Egyptians, besieged and captured."  There it is.  Lies always spread from the smallest of guesswork.

Christian tales (probably altered Bibles too) claim her journey to Jerusalem was a distance of 7 years.  Another absurdity.  Whether Ethiopia or Yemen, even in 800 BC it surely wouldn't take 7 years to reach Jerusalem.  And travelling from Egypt to Jerusalem wouldn't take more than 2 months at most.  From Yemen or Ethiopia to Jerusalem would take a maximum of 6 months.

[Zainab_M]

That crap apparently comes from the altered bibles.  Here is a short excerpt from Bible study tools quote: "The former were identified by Josephus (Ant., II, x, 2) with the tall people of Saba in Upper Egypt, described by him as a city of Ethiopia, which Moses, when in the service of the Egyptians, besieged and captured."  There it is.  Lies always spread from the smallest of guesswork.

So, some biblical guesswork puts Saba as a part of Egypt.  Even as a blind guesswork that sounds too far-fetched.
 
 

Christian tales (probably altered Bibles too) claim her journey to Jerusalem was a distance of 7 years.  Another absurdity.  Whether Ethiopia or Yemen, even in 800 BC it surely wouldn't take 7 years to reach Jerusalem.  And travelling from Egypt to Jerusalem wouldn't take more than 2 months at most.  From Yemen or Ethiopia to Jerusalem would take a maximum of 6 months.

   7 years to reach Jerusalem !!  That could only happen if she walked 10 feet a day.