The Story of the Queen of Sheba
The hoopoe was absent from the military parade.
The story of the Queen of Sheba begins when the Prophet of Allah, Solomon (peace be upon him), was inspecting his troops from among the birds,
and he noticed the hoopoe's disappearance from among the birds in the army.
The Prophet of Allah, Solomon (peace be upon him), became angry at the hoopoe's absence,
and he swore to punish him severely unless he had a valid excuse for his absence.
Almighty Allah says:
“And he sought among the birds and said: How is it that I see not the hoopoe, or is he among the absent?” (27:20)
﴿I will surely punish him with a severe punishment or slaughter him unless he brings me a clear authorization.﴾
Al-Sa'di (may Allah have mercy on him) said: "This demonstrates the perfection of his resolve and firmness,
his good organization of his troops, and his personal management of both minor and major affairs,
to the extent that he did not neglect even this matter—inspecting the birds and checking whether they were all present or if any were missing."
This is the mark of a resolute man regarding his charge; so do not feel aggrieved, my noble sister, if you are blessed with a resolute husband
who checks on you and checks on your offspring, for if he does not do so, the family will be ruined.
This is his duty, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:
"Every one of you is a guardian and every one of you is responsible for his charge.
The ruler is a guardian and responsible for his charge;
the man is a guardian over his family and is responsible for his charge;
and the woman is a guardian in her husband's home and is responsible for her charge."
Narrative by al-Bukhari.
In another narration in al-Bukhari:
"And the woman is a guardian over the household of her husband and his children, and she is responsible for them."
Inspecting one's charge is a praiseworthy quality that shows the guardian's care for them,
monitoring their affairs, taking care of their needs, and resolving their problems.
Al-Tahir Ibn 'Ashur (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
"Inspecting the troops is one of the hallmarks of kings and commanders,
and it is one of the objectives of assembling and deploying armies.
The meaning is that he inspected the birds among all the other things he inspected,
and he said to those in charge of the birds: 'Why do I not see the hoopoe?'"
Among the duties of rulers is inspecting the condition of their subjects,
and personally checking on officials and the like—
as 'Umar did when he set out for the Levant in the year 17 AH—
or delegating it to someone he trusts,
for 'Umar assigned Muhammad ibn Maslamah al-Ansari to inspect the officials.
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), in the aforementioned hadith,
distributed the responsibility of the family between the husband and the wife,
describing each of them as a guardian with a charge.
Thus, it is not fitting for a guardian to neglect inspecting his charge.
The entire family is the man's charge,
and it is his responsibility to check on his wife's state:
whom she befriends, with whom she goes out, where she goes,
and how she spends her day and night;
to check on her health
and what medication or treatment she needs;
and to check on her emotional well-being—
what distresses her about his actions and what she likes—
so that he can bestow happiness upon her
and upon himself within the marital home.
A husband needs firmness in his decisions when taking care of his home,
and this is what a wife needs and looks for in her husband;
in fact, it brings her joy coming from him.
An intelligent woman becomes distressed if her husband lacks firmness in household and family matters
and fails to monitor her well-being.
Firmness does not mean harshness;
rather, it means avoiding laxity and not backing down from stances if they are correct.
The finest firmness is that which is tempered with gentleness.
You have an excellent example in the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him),
and in his wives, the Mothers of the Believers, a role model.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) used to check on his wives,
and they never felt aggrieved by that.
On the authority of 'A'ishah, the wife of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), who said:
"I was delayed during the time of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) one night after the 'Isha' prayer,
then I came, and he said, 'Where were you?'
I said, 'I was listening to the recitation of a man among your Companions;
I have never heard a recitation or a voice like his from anyone.'
She said: So he stood up and I stood with him until he listened to him,
then he turned to me and said:
'This is Salim, the freed slave of Abu Hudhayfah.
Praise be to Allah who has placed the likes of this man in my Ummah.'"
Narrated by Ibn Majah.
The Prophet's saying to 'A'ishah,
"Where were you?"
is a form of questioning the wife about her late return home
and the reason for this delay.
This implies
that a husband has the right to ask such questions when checking on his wife's situation,
especially if he harbors suspicion regarding any of her actions.
Consider how the Prophet (peace be upon him) stood with her to listen to this man's recitation,
recognizing and engaging with what she mentioned—
not to disbelieve her or doubt what she said,
for there was nothing in her words or actions to arouse suspicion or doubt about her,
far be it from her (may Allah be pleased with her).
However, a man might doubt his wife's word or an action of hers,
and thus wish to verify the truth of what she said.
This is his right if he has a Islamically valid justification.
On the authority of Ibn 'Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both), he said:
The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:
"If I were to stone anyone without clear proof, I would have stoned such-and-such a woman,"
for suspicion was evident in her speech, her appearance, and those who visited her.
Narrated by Ibn Majah.
Thus, regarding this woman, there appeared from her speech, her clothing, her appearance,
and the men who visited her that which raised suspicion of her committing adultery;
yet, the proof ordained by Allah to establish that—namely, four witnesses—was absent.
Therefore, the Prophet (peace be upon him) did not apply the prescribed legal punishment to her.
Ibn Battal (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
"Meaning: If I were to surpass the right of Allah regarding her based on the indications that arose against her,
I would have stoned this woman due to the evident indications of her immorality."
Likewise, part of the wife's care for her husband is checking on his well-being.
A husband's condition may change from one state to another,
and the wife may notice certain signs indicating his change in any matter,
whether in his relationship with her, his relationship with his Lord, or otherwise.
It is essential to recognize this change and its cause, and to address it promptly before it worsens.
Here is 'A'ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) noticing a change in the supplication of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)
and his frequent repetition of a specific supplication, so she inquired from him to know the reason.
'A'ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) said:
"The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) used to seek refuge most frequently from debt and sin.
I said, 'O Messenger of Allah, how frequently you seek refuge from debt!'
He said, 'If a man incurs debt, he speaks and lies, and he makes a promise and breaks it.'"
Narrated by al-Bukhari.
And here is Maymunah noticing a change in the face of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him),
so she asks him and makes him aware of her observation of his changed state.
This reflects the acumen of Maymunah (may Allah be pleased with her).
On the authority of 'Abdullah ibn 'Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both), he said:
Maymunah (may Allah be pleased with her) informed me
that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) woke up one morning silent and sorrowful.
Maymunah said, "O Messenger of Allah, I have noticed a change in your appearance today."
The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said:
"Gabriel had promised to meet me last night, but he did not meet me.
By Allah, he has never broken a promise to me."
He said: So the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) spent that day in that state.
Then it occurred to him that a puppy had crawled under a tent of ours.
He ordered that it be taken out,
then he took water in his hand and sprinkled the spot.
When evening came, Gabriel met him.
The Prophet said to him, "You promised to meet me last night."
He replied, "Yes,
but we do not enter a house in which there is a dog or a picture."
The next morning, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him)
ordered the killing of dogs,
to the point that he ordered the killing of a small garden's watch dog
and spared a large garden's watch dog.
Narrated by Muslim.
So check on your husband's state before he changes toward you without you realizing it.
Checking on the children is a joint responsibility of both spouses,
even if the mother is closer to her children than the father,
which is a natural matter,
especially if she stays settled in her home,
dedicated to taking care of her family.
Therefore, the responsibility for the children was explicitly assigned to her,
as in the narration of al-Bukhari:
"And the woman is a guardian over the household of her husband and his children,
and she is responsible for them."
You are responsible for your children,
for checking on their state, knowing whom they accompany
and where they go;
if they are late in returning home,
you ask about them and the reason for their delay.
If the mother senses any shortcoming or corruption in her children's lives,
the advice for her is to inform her husband of it,
and to avoid addressing the matter alone without consulting the husband.
For such an action on her part
may lead to the escalation of the issue beyond her control;
furthermore, the father's delayed intervention in resolving the problem
might create a new conflict between the father and his children,
for which you would be the cause.
You are likewise responsible for your home.
Checking on the state of the home is an important issue in your marital life,
for this inspection
helps you identify deficiencies in the home,
what needs repair or cleaning,
or adding beauty to it,
which brings joy to your husband and children.
So ponder, my noble sister,
this great lesson from the Prophet of Allah, Solomon (peace be upon him),
in his inspection of the birds,
and benefit from it in fulfilling your responsibilities
toward those under your care.
But what did the Prophet of Allah, Solomon (peace be upon him), do with the hoopoe after that?
And how did the Prophet of Allah, Solomon (peace be upon him), govern his kingdom and his troops?
We will continue in an upcoming gathering, Allah willing.
Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds.
The Story of the Queen of Sheba
with the Prophet of Allah, Solomon (peace be upon him).