قَالَتْ يَا أَيُّهَا الْمَلَأُ إِنِّي أُلْقِيَ إِلَيَّ كِتَابٌ كَرِيمٌ ﴿۲۹﴾ إِنَّهُ مِنْ سُلَيْمَانَ وَإِنَّهُ بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ ﴿۳۰﴾ أَلَّا تَعْلُوا عَلَيَّ وَأْتُونِي مُسْلِمِينَ ﴿۳۱﴾ قَالَتْ يَا أَيُّهَا الْمَلَأُ أَفْتُونِي فِي أَمْرِي مَا كُنْتُ قَاطِعَةً أَمْرًا حَتَّى تَشْهَدُونِ ﴿۳۲﴾

﴾29﴿ Qaalat yaaa aiyuhal mala'u innee ulqiya ilaiya kitaabun kareem
﴾30﴿ Innahoo min Sulaimaana wa innahoo bismil laahir Rahmaanir Raheem
﴾31﴿ Allaa ta'loo 'alaiya waa toonee muslimeen
﴾32﴿ Qaalat yaaa aiyuhal mala'u aftoonee fee amree maa kuntu qaati'atan amran hattaa tashhhadoon

﴾29﴿ (The woman said), O nobles of the court, indeed, a noble letter has been delivered to me
﴾30﴿ Indeed, this is from Solomon (peace be upon him), and it begins with seeking help in the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
﴾31﴿ (So) do not act arrogantly against me, but come to me in submission (to Allah and His Messenger)
﴾32﴿ She said, O chiefs of the people, advise me regarding my affair. I do not decide a matter until you are present with me

[29] The wisdoms are as follows:
1. Informing the members of the council (shura) of important news.
2. The honor of a letter lies in sealing it, just as the Prophet (May Allah bless him and give him peace) also had a seal made on a ring for this purpose.
3. Showing respect to a noble letter is necessary.
The nobility (karamah) of this letter was due to the seal, its content, and the phrase “In the name of Allah” (بسم الله).
[30,31] This is the detailed content of the letter, including the mention of the sender, the message, and the message itself consisting of three major statements in a concise form:
First: "In the name of Allah" (بسم الله), which is a complete call to Tawhid. It includes Tawhid of Uluhiyyah, Tawhid of Names and Attributes, and Tawhid of Seeking Help.
Second: The invitation after acceptance is expressed through "Do not exalt yourselves" (أَلَّا تَعْلُوا), meaning do not oppose my religion with pride and arrogance.
Third: The invitation to full submission to the Islamic system, expressed with "and come to me in submission" (وَأْتُونِي مُسْلِمِينَ).
Note: The correct opinion is that "Indeed, it is from Sulayman" (إِنَّهُ مِنْ سُلَيْمَانَ) was written at the end of the letter or on one side of it; it was not before “In the name of Allah.” However, the norm is that the recipient first sees the sender's name. This is also what Khatib al-Sharbini wrote in the Tafsir Siraj al-Munir.
Wisdoms related to the etiquette of letter writing are as follows:
1. The sender should write his name.
2. Begin the writing with "In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful" (بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ).
3. The phrase of basmalah should be written in full; writing only “Bismillah,” “His name, the Exalted,” or in numerical code (abjad) is not sufficient.
4. The purpose should be written concisely and comprehensively.
[32] Since the members of the council said nothing, she said to them, “Give me your opinion” (أَفْتُونِي), asking for their judgment. This shows she gave a fatwa (opinion) for their consultation due to the urgency in making a decision and fatwa, which in such a case is appropriate.
By "my matter" (أَمْرِي), she meant the act of replying to the letter.
In the phrase “I do not decide a matter” (مَا كُنْتُ قَاطِعَةً), there is a form of honoring them and encouraging them to provide a sound response.
This indicates that the woman was very intelligent in political matters.
Wisdoms are as follows:
1. For a ruler, having a council of advisors is necessary.
2. It is the duty of the council members to give sound advice.
3. When they agree on a matter, they may issue it in the form of a legal opinion (fatwa).