(The Queen said): "O nobles, a venerable letter has been delivered to me.
The woman said, “O chieftains, indeed a noble letter has been dropped upon me.”
She said, 'O Council, see, a letter honourable has been cast unto me.
[When the Queen had read Solomon’s letter,] she said: “O you nobles! A truly distinguished letter has been conveyed unto me.
She said: O chiefs! verily there hath been cast unto me an honourable epistle.
She said: "O chiefs! Verily! Here is delivered to me a noble letter,
She said, “O Counselors, a gracious letter was delivered to me.
The Queen said:" Know my nobles that a gracious letter has been delivered to me.
She said: "O chiefs! Verily, here is delivered to me a noble letter, "
(The Queen of Sheba) said (when she received the letter): O chieftains! Lo! there hath been thrown unto me a noble letter.
She said, ‘O [members of the] elite! Indeed a noble letter has been delivered to me.
She (the Queen of Sheba) said: 'O Council, look, an honorable letter has been dropped to me.
She said, "O eminent ones, indeed, to me has been delivered a noble letter.
(The Queen of Sheba) said to her officials, "A gracious letter has been dropped before me.
She said: O chief! surely an honorable letter has been delivered to me
Q<u>a</u>lat y<u>a</u> ayyuh<u>a</u> almalao innee olqiya ilayya kit<u>a</u>bun kareem<b>un</b>
The Queen of Sheba said, "O Counsellors, an honourable letter has been delivered to me.
(The queen) said: "Ye chiefs! here is delivered to me - a letter worthy of respect.
قَالَتْ يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلْمَلَؤُا۟ إِنِّىٓ أُلْقِىَ إِلَىَّ كِتَٰبٌ كَرِيمٌ
She said, "O eminent ones, indeed, to me has been delivered a noble letter. The queen received the letter and said: “O noble ones, a noble magnificent letter has been given to me.
She said, "O eminent ones, indeed, to me has been delivered a noble letter. The queen received the letter and said: “O noble ones, a noble magnificent letter has been given to me.
<p>Commentary</p><p>قَالَتْ يَا أَيُّهَا الْمَلَأُ إِنِّي أُلْقِيَ إِلَيَّ كِتَابٌ كَرِ‌يمٌ</p><p>She (the queen) said (to her officials after receiving the letter), "0 chieftains, there has been thrown to me an esteemed letter, 27:29.</p><p>Literal meaning of Karim is respectable, honorable or esteemed, and idiomatically this word is used for a letter when it is sealed. This is why Sayyidna Ibn ` Abbas ؓ ، Qatadah, Zohair رحمۃ اللہ علیہما etc. have interpreted the expression کِتَابپ کَرِیم as the sealed book, which indicates that Sayyidna Sulaiman (علیہ السلام) had put his seal on the letter. When the Holy Prophet ﷺ learnt about the tradition of the non-Arab kings that they do not read the letter if it is not sealed, he got a seal made for himself, and used it on the letters he sent to Caesar and Chosro. It shows that the practice of sealing a letter is to show respect to the letter as well as to the addressee. The present day practice is to secure the letter in an envelope, which is as good as sealing it. Where show of respect to the addressee is intended, it is closer to the practice of the Holy Prophet ﷺ to secure it in an envelope.</p><p>The language of the letter of Sulaiman</p><p>Although Sayyidna Sulaiman (علیہ السلام) was not an Arab, yet it is not unlikely that he knew the Arabic language, especially when he knew the languages of the animals. As the Arabic language is supreme among all the languages, it is possible that he might have written the letter in Arabic. It is also probable because Bilqis was an Arab by race, and she read the letter and understood it. The other probability is that he had written the letter in his own language and an interpreter read it for her. (Ruh)</p>
Commentaryقَالَتْ يَا أَيُّهَا الْمَلَأُ إِنِّي أُلْقِيَ إِلَيَّ كِتَابٌ كَرِ‌يمٌShe (the queen) said (to her officials after receiving the letter), "0 chieftains, there has been thrown to me an esteemed letter, 27:29.Literal meaning of Karim is respectable, honorable or esteemed, and idiomatically this word is used for a letter when it is sealed. This is why Sayyidna Ibn ` Abbas ؓ ، Qatadah, Zohair رحمۃ اللہ علیہما etc. have interpreted the expression کِتَابپ کَرِیم as the sealed book, which indicates that Sayyidna Sulaiman (علیہ السلام) had put his seal on the letter. When the Holy Prophet ﷺ learnt about the tradition of the non-Arab kings that they do not read the letter if it is not sealed, he got a seal made for himself, and used it on the letters he sent to Caesar and Chosro. It shows that the practice of sealing a letter is to show respect to the letter as well as to the addressee. The present day practice is to secure the letter in an envelope, which is as good as sealing it. Where show of respect to the addressee is intended, it is closer to the practice of the Holy Prophet ﷺ to secure it in an envelope.The language of the letter of SulaimanAlthough Sayyidna Sulaiman (علیہ السلام) was not an Arab, yet it is not unlikely that he knew the Arabic language, especially when he knew the languages of the animals. As the Arabic language is supreme among all the languages, it is possible that he might have written the letter in Arabic. It is also probable because Bilqis was an Arab by race, and she read the letter and understood it. The other probability is that he had written the letter in his own language and an interpreter read it for her. (Ruh)