قَالَ نَكِّرُوا لَهَا عَرْشَهَا نَنْظُرْ أَتَهْتَدِي أَمْ تَكُونُ مِنَ الَّذِينَ لَا يَهْتَدُونَ ﴿۴۱﴾ فَلَمَّا جَاءَتْ قِيلَ أَهَكَذَا عَرْشُكِ قَالَتْ كَأَنَّهُ هُوَ وَأُوتِينَا الْعِلْمَ مِنْ قَبْلِهَا وَكُنَّا مُسْلِمِينَ ﴿۴۲﴾ وَصَدَّهَا مَا كَانَتْ تَعْبُدُ مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ إِنَّهَا كَانَتْ مِنْ قَوْمٍ كَافِرِينَ ﴿۴۳﴾

﴾41﴿ Qaala nakkiroo lahaa 'arshahaa nanzur atahtadeee am takoonu minal lazeena laa yahtadoon
﴾42﴿ Falammaa jaaa'at qeela ahaakaza 'arshuki qaalat ka'annahoo hoo; wa ooteenal 'ilma min qablihaa wa kunnaa muslimeen
﴾43﴿ Wa saddahaa maa kaanat ta'budu min doonil laahi innahaa kaanat min qawmin kaafireen

﴾41﴿ Solomon (peace be upon him) said, Disguise her throne for her, so we may see whether she will recognize it or if she is among those who cannot be guided
﴾42﴿ So when she arrived, it was said to her, Is your throne like this?" She said, "It is as though it is the same." And we were given knowledge (of your prophethood) before this, and we have become submissive (to Allah)
﴾43﴿ And she was prevented (from true worship) by what she used to worship besides Allah. Indeed, she was from a disbelieving people

[41] This action was done so that the capacity of Bilqis could be determined—whether she would benefit from this miracle (the bringing of the throne) for guidance or not.
This is because every caller and preacher must assess the readiness and receptiveness of the people.
This is one of the wisdoms found in the verse.
Under this verse, some Israelite reports have been written claiming that Sulaiman (peace be upon him) was testing her intellect in order to marry her—this is inappropriate and unfitting.
[42] The wisdoms in this verse are as follows:
1. In the wording of a test question, the real intent is hidden—for example, he said “Is it like this?” instead of “Is this it?” (أَهَكَذَا instead of أَهٰذَا).
2. The structure of the answer also contains order and wisdom—first a word expressing doubt (كَأَنَّهُ – as if), then certainty (هُوَ – it is).
3. After seeing the proof, expressing submission and surrender openly.
As for “And we were given” (وَأُوتِينَا), it appears to be the statement of Bilqis. The point is that from the miracle of the throne being brought, your prophethood became clear—yet even before this, from the contents of the letter and the rejection of the gift, it was already known that Sulaiman (peace be upon him) is a prophet.
“And we were Muslims” (وَكُنَّا مُسْلِمِينَ)—means: we came willingly, with submission and obedience.
[43] This verse removes a doubt: since she was intelligent and wise, then why was she involved in shirk (polytheism)?
The answer is given by mentioning two reasons:
First reason: Her belief in shirk and her actions were due to ignorance—she was heedless of tawheed (the oneness of Allah). This is because human nature tends to remain occupied with one idea or belief, and does not investigate beyond it.
Second reason: Her entire nation was disbelievers and polytheists—there was no voice of tawheed or truth around her.
From this, several lessons are derived:
1. A person’s attachment to one school of thought or belief can make them heedless of other paths.
2. One’s environment has an influence on their beliefs and actions—therefore, it is necessary to protect oneself from bad gatherings and bad companions.