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Did Solomon (peace be upon him) threaten Balqis and force her into Islam, given the verse "There shall be no compulsion in [acceptance of] the religion" in Surat Al-Baqarah?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

The Almighty's saying: (There is no compulsion in religion) does not contradict the command to fight the polytheists who hinder the way of Allah and spread corruption on earth. This is because the religion is perfectly clear, its features are evident, and its signs are manifest. Thus, whoever comprehends its truth embraces Islam willingly. Only those who are stubborn and arrogant are compelled to enter it.

The story of Solomon with Bilqis does not contradict this either. A king's commands must be obeyed if they lead to righteousness, and she embraced Islam willingly when she witnessed the signs of Allah. Even if we were to assume compulsion, it would be specific to Solomon's law, and rulings have differed in our Sharia. This ruling will change when Isa (Jesus), peace be upon him, descends at the end of time, as he will abolish the burdensome tax (jizya) and accept nothing but Islam.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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