An-Naml 43: The things that she worshipped other than Allah had prevented her (from recognizing Allah’s Oneness.) Verily, she was from a nation of deniers.

Verse 43 of Surah An-Naml. Her — what she worshipped besides Allah until then had kept her from entering the religion of tawhid. Because she herself was from a disbelieving people. She cannot worship Allah Almighty openly, publicly. Because she is also wary of the notables of her people. She appears to be one of them anyway. Until Bilqis came to Solomon (peace be upon him), what she worshipped besides Allah had kept her from entering the religion of tawhid. Because those around her do not know the religion of Islam either. But Bilqis knows it. In this situation, if she said there is such and such a religion, perhaps they would not believe.

Perhaps it would seem made up. But after she received the letter, gathered those around her and explained the situation to her retinue, Bilqis's sovereignty over them, her will, and the fact that those around her never departed from her word show us that Bilqis truly governed them as a ruler. "Righteous women," says Allah Almighty — exceptional. Righteous women. Until Bilqis came to Solomon (peace be upon him), what she worshipped besides Allah had kept her from entering the religion of tawhid. Because she had been left alone and helpless among this disbelieving people. For this reason it prevented Bilqis from entering the religion of tawhid; these people, besides Allah, worshipped and had come to the point of worshipping the sun that Allah created — that is the state they had reached. But Bilqis, who, being intelligent, had the ability to reason by comparison, understood the true religion of Solomon, and when she came under the protection of Solomon (peace be upon him), she immediately acknowledged the truth, declaring that she had been among a disbelieving people and that the true religion is Islam, and embraced the religion of tawhid.