Concept

Bilqis's Abandonment of Her Kingdom and Attachment to the Throne in the Masnavi

In Book 4 of Jalaluddin Rumi's Masnavi, Queen Bilqis's response to Prophet Solomon's divine summons illustrates the transformative power of spiritual love, alongside the stubbornness of residual worldly attachments. Resolving to leave her kingdom for the spiritual path, Bilqis experiences a profound shift in perception: her immense wealth, pampered servants, and beautiful gardens suddenly appear to her as 'rotted onions' and a 'refuse heap.' Rumi explains that the dominion of divine love makes mere worldly beauty seem ugly by comparison. However, despite abandoning her vast riches, Bilqis retains a singular, painful attachment to her magnificent throne. Through spiritual insight—described as a path opened 'from his heart to her heart'—Solomon perceives her secret grief. He recognizes that while her soul has begun its journey toward divine Unity, the complete dissolution of her final worldly attachment will require time and deeper spiritual realization.

0

1

Updated 2026-05-16

Contributors are:

Who are from:

Tags

Humanities

Literature

Islam

Religion

Science

Philosophy

Social Science