19. THE STORY OF SULAIMAN(PBUH)
Al-Hafiz Ibn ‘Asakir said that he was Sulaiman, son of Dawood, son of ‘Eesa, son of ‘Owaid, son of Ba‘az, son of Salmoon, son of Nahshoon, son of Aminazab, son of Iram, son of Hasroon, son of Faras, son of Yahooda, son of Ya‘qoob, son of Ishaq, son of Ibraheem, Abur-Rabee‘ (peace be upon them), the Prophet of Allah, son of the Prophet of Allah.
Allah, Most High, says, And Sulaiman inherited Dawood. He said, “O, mankind! We have been taught the language of birds, and on us have been bestowed all things. This, verily, is an evident Grace.” (Soorah An-Naml 27:16) That is, he inherited Prophethood and the throne of his father. It does not refer to wealth, because Dawood (Peace be upon him) had other sons and he would not favor him over the others. It has been confirmed in authentic Ahadeeth from more than one source, on the authority of a number of the Companions that the Messenger of Allah (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) said, “We do not bequeath our property to anyone; what we leave is given in charity.” And in another version: “We, the community of Prophets, are not inherited.” So the Prophet (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) has informed us that the Prophets’ wealth is not inherited from them, as other people’s wealth is inherited. Rather, their wealth is given in charity after their death to the poor and needy. It is not given to their kin, because the life of this world was considered of too little value by them for them to do that, as it was in the Sight of Him Who sent them, chose them and preferred them. He says, “O, mankind! We have been taught the language of birds.” (Soorah An-Naml 27:16) This means that Sulaiman (Peace be upon him) understood the language by which the birds used to converse with each other and was able to interpret for the people their meanings and their desires.
And He, Most High, says, “…and on us have been bestowed all things.” (Soorah An-Naml 27:16) That is, everything that the king needs, including numbers, materials, troops, armies, hosts from among the Jinn and mankind, birds, wild animals, free roaming devils, knowledge, understanding and the ability to read the minds of Allah’s creatures, both those that speak and those that do not.
Then He says, “This, verily, is an evident Grace” (Soorah An-Naml 27:16) means from the Originator of all creatures and the Creator of the heavens and the Earth, as He, Most High says, And there were gathered before Sulaiman his hosts of Jinn and men and birds, and they all were set in battle order (marching forward). Till when they came to the valley of the ants, one of the ants said, “O, ants! Enter your dwellings, lest Sulaiman and his hosts crush you, while they perceive not.” So he (Sulaiman) smiled, amused at her speech and said, “My Lord! Awzi‘nee that I may be grateful for Your Favors which You have bestowed on me and on my parents, and that I may do righteous good deeds that will please You, and admit me by Your Mercy among Your righteous slaves.” (Soorah An-Naml 27:17-19)
Allah, Most High, informs us about His Prophet, the son of His Prophet, Sulaiman, son of Dawood, of how he rode with his army one day, all of them from the jinn, mankind and the birds; the jinn and men marched with him, while the birds flew over him, shading him and the others with their wings from the heat of the sun. And there were three men charged with the task of keeping each row straight, i.e. officers who organized the ranks into straight lines, so that no one advanced from his designated marching place or lagged behind it. Allah, Most High, says, Till when they came to the valley of the ants, one of the ants said, “O, ants! Enter your dwellings, lest Sulaiman and his hosts crush you, while they perceive not.” (Soorah An-Naml 27:18) So it commanded and warned and excused Sulaiman (Peace be upon him) and his armies, due to the fact that they were unaware (of the ants’ presence). Wahb said that he (Sulaiman) was sitting on a carpet in a valley in At-Ta’if and that this ant’s name was Jarsa and that it belonged to a colony called Banu Shaisaban, that she was lame and that she was the same size as a wolf, but these claims are doubtful. Indeed, the wording of the Verse indicates that he was riding with his army at the time, not, as some claimed, sitting on a carpet. This is because, if it had been as they said, the ants would not have been harmed in any way by him, nor would they have been trampled.
What is intended is that Sulaiman (Peace be upon him) understood the words of good advice which that ant addressed to its community and he smiled at that, out of a feeling of delight and happiness at the gift which Allah had bestowed on him alone. It is not as some of the foolish people claim, that before Sulaiman (Peace be upon him), the animals of the earth used to converse with mankind, until Sulaiman, son of Dawood took from them a covenant which silenced them, after which they did not converse with mankind. All of this is only claimed by those who do not know. If it were so, Sulaiman (Peace be upon him) would not have any superiority over others due to his understanding of their languages, since all of mankind – according to their claim – would have understood them. And if he had taken a covenant from them not to speak to anyone other than him, while he understood them, there would have been no benefit in this either. This is why he said, My Lord “Awzi‘nee…” (Soorah An-Naml 27:19). That is, inspire me and guide me “…that I may be grateful for Your Favors which You have bestowed on me and on my parents, and that I may do righteous good deeds that will please You, and admit me by Your Mercy among Your righteous slaves.” (Soorah An-Naml 27:19) So he asked Allah to ordain for him gratitude for the Blessing that He had bestowed on him and the superiority that He had granted to him over other men. He also asked Him to make it easy for him to perform righteous deeds and to gather him when he should, with His righteous slaves. And Allah, Most High, acceded to his supplication. What is meant by his parents is his father, Dawood (Peace be upon him) and his mother, who was one of the righteous slaves (of Allah).
He, Most High, says, He inspected the birds, and said, “What is the matter that I see not the hoopoe? Or is he among the absentees? I will surely punish him with a severe punishment, or slaughter him, unless he brings me a clear reason.” But the hoopoe stayed not long, he said, “I have grasped that which you have not grasped and I have come to you from Saba’ (Sheba) with sure news. I found a woman ruling over them, and she has been given all things and she has a great ‘arsh. I found her and her people worshipping the sun instead of Allah, and Shaitan has made their deeds fair-seeming to them, and has barred them from (Allah’s) Way, so they have no guidance Al-la (this word has two interpretations) (a) (as Shaitan has barred them from Allah’s Way) so that they do not worship (prostrate before) Allah, or (b) So that they may worship (prostrate before) Allah, Who brings to light what is hidden in the heavens and the Earth, and knows what you conceal and what you reveal.” (Tafseer At-Tabari, Vol. 19, page 149) Allah, la ilaha illa Huwa (none has the right to be worshipped but He), the Lord of the Supreme Throne! (Sulaiman) said, “We shall see whether you speak the truth or you are (one) of the liars. Go you with this letter of mine, and deliver it to them, then draw back from them, and see what (answer) they return.” She said, “O, chiefs! Verily! Here is delivered to me a noble letter. Verily, it is from Sulaiman, and verily! It (reads), “In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful: “Be you not exalted against me, but come to me as Muslims (true Believers who submit to Allah with full submission).” She said, “O, chiefs! Advise me in (this) case of mine. I decide no case till you are present with me.” They said, “We have great strength, and great fortitude, but it is for you to command; so think over what you will command.” She said, “Verily! kings, when they enter a town (country), they despoil it, and make the most honorable amongst its people low. And thus they do. But verily, I am going to send him a present, and see with what (answer) the messengers return.” So when (the messengers with the present) came to Sulaiman, he said, “Will you help me in wealth? What Allah has given me is better than that which He has given you! Nay, you rejoice in your gift!” (Then Sulaiman said to the chief of her messengers who brought the present), “Go back to them. We verily shall come to them with hosts that they cannot resist, and we shall drive them out from there in disgrace, and they will be abased.” (Soorah An-Naml 27:20-37)
Allah, Most High, tells us about the affair of Sulaiman (Peace be upon him) and the hoopoe, describing how the birds of all kinds came, fulfilling what he requested from them and coming to him in rotation, as is the custom of armies with kings. And the job of the hoopoe – according to what Ibn ‘Abbas (May Allah be pleased with him) and others said – was, when they were in need of water in the deserts during their travels, it would come and see if there was water for them in a certain spot. It had an ability given to it by Allah, Most High, which allowed it to see water underground. When it had shown them where to find it, they would dig for it, find it, extract it and use as much of it as they needed. So when Sulaiman (Peace be upon him) called for it one day, he did not find it in its place of service. He inspected the birds, and said, “What is the matter that I see not the hoopoe? Or is he among the absentees?” (Soorah An-Naml 27:20) means why is he missing from here? Has he absented himself from my sight, so that I do not see him before me? “I will surely punish him with a severe punishment.” (Soorah An-Naml 27:21). He threatened him with some kind of punishment. Scholars disagreed as to what the nature of that punishment was, but the result is the same, no matter what kind of punishment it was. “…or slaughter him, unless he brings me a clear reason” (Soorah An-Naml 27:21) means a reason that saves him from this predicament. Allah, Most High says, But the hoopoe stayed not long. (Soorah An-Naml 27:22). That is, the hoopoe remained absent for only a short time, then he came back and he said to Sulaiman (Peace be upon him), “I have grasped that which you have not grasped…” (Soorah An-Naml 27:22) That is, I have obtained information of something which is unknown to you. “…and I have come to you from Saba’ (Sheba) with sure news”
(Soorah An-Naml 27:22) meaning with true information. “I found a woman ruling over them, and she has been given all things that could be possessed by any ruler of the Earth, and she has a great throne.” (Soorah An-Naml 27:23) He described the great kingdom ruled over by the kings of Saba’ in Yemen. At that time, the crown had been inherited by a woman from among them, who was the daughter of a king who had not left any other heir besides her, so they made her their queen.
Ath-Tha‘labi narrated on the authority of Abu Bakrah that he said, “I mentioned Bilqees in the presence of the Messenger of Allah (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) and he said, “Any people who appoint a woman to rule over them will not be successful.” Isma‘eel Ibn Muslim (one of the narrators) is Al-Makki and he is weak. But it has been confirmed in Saheeh Al-Bukhari on the authority of Abu Bakrah (May Allah be pleased with him) that when the Messenger of Allah (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) was informed that the people of Persia had crowned the daughter of Kisra (Khosrau) as their queen he said, “A people who appoint a woman as their leader will never be successful.”
And He, Most High, says, “…and she has been given all things.” (Soorah An-Naml 27:23) That is, everything that kings are given. “…and she has a great ‘arsh” (Soorah An-Naml 27:23) means the throne of her kingdom, which was inlaid with all kinds of precious stones, pearls, gold and dazzling gems. Then he mentioned their disbelief in Allah, their worship of the sun, to the exclusion of Allah, Shaitan’s misguidance of them and his hindering of them from worshipping Allah, Alone, without partners Who brings to light what is hidden in the heavens and the earth, and knows what you conceal and what you reveal. (Soorah An-Naml 27:25) It means that He knows everything that is hidden in the heavens and on earth and He knows what His servants say and do in secret, and what they say and do openly. Allah, la ilaha illa Huwa (none has the right to be worshipped but He), the Lord of the Supreme Throne! (Soorah An-Naml 27:26) That is, to Him belongs the Supreme Throne, besides which there is no greater throne among the created things. On hearing this, Sulaiman (Peace be upon him) sent with him a letter containing an invitation to declare their obedience to Allah and to His Messenger (Peace be upon him), to turn to Him in repentance and to submit in humility to His Dominion and His Authority, which is why He said to them, “Be you not exalted against me…” (Soorah An-Naml 27:31) That is, do arrogantly refuse to obey me and follow my commands. “…but come to me as Muslims (true Believers who submit to Allah with full submission).” (Soorah An-Naml 27:31) That is, come to me as those who hear and obey, without argument or hesitation. When the letter came to them with the bird, then the people took the letter but what has the ground to do with the Pleiades? This paper was with a bird who heard and obeyed, who understood and had knowledge of what was said. And more than one of the scholars of tafseer and other scholars have mentioned that the hoopoe bore the letter and arrived at her palace, where he dropped it on her while she was alone. Then he stood at one side and waited to see what her reply to the letter would be. She gathered her governors, ministers and the leading members of the country in order to seek their advice. She said, “O, chiefs! Verily, here is delivered to me a noble letter.” (Soorah An-Naml 27:29) Then she read the first line of the letter to them: “Verily, it is from Sulaiman.” (Soorah An-Naml 27:30) Then she read the letter: “In the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful, Be you not exalted against me, but come to me as Muslims (true believers who submit to Allah with full submission).” (Soorah An-Naml 27:30) Then she asked their advice regarding the letter and what had befallen her. She behaved courteously toward them and addressed them and they listened to her. She said, “O, chiefs! Advise me in (this) case of mine. I decide no case till you are present with me.” (Soorah An-Naml 27:32) That is, I do not settle or determine any matter unless you are present. They said, “We have great strength and great fortitude” (Soorah An-Naml 27:33) means, we possess (military) strength and have the ability to fight and oppose their warriors, so if you desire us to do that, we are fully able to do so. “…but it is for you to command; so think over what you will command.” (Soorah An-Naml 27:33) So they expressed their commitment to hear and obey and they informed her of their readiness for war, but they left it to her to decide what the best guidance for her and for them was. Her opinion was better and more correct than theirs, for she realized that the writer of this letter could not be defeated, thwarted, opposed or deceived. She said, “Verily! kings, when they enter a town (country), they despoil it, and make the most honorable amongst its people low. And thus they do.” (Soorah An-Naml 27:34) She gave her sensible opinion, which was that if this king defeated her kingdom, the responsibility would be hers alone and their enmity would be mainly directed toward her, as the ruler. “But verily, I am going to send him a present, and see with what (answer) the messengers return.” (Soorah An-Naml 27:35). She decided to cooperate with him, in order to protect herself and her people, by sending a gift to Sulaiman (Peace be upon him), but she did not know that Sulaiman (Peace be upon him) would not accept a gift from them in such circumstances, because they were disbelievers and he and his armies were able to defeat them, which is why when (the messengers with the present) came to Sulaiman, he said, “Will you help me in wealth? What Allah has given me is better than that which He has given you! Nay, you rejoice in your gift!” (Soorah An-Naml 27:36) This was in spite of the fact that those gifts were magnificent, according to what the scholars of tafseer have said.
Then he said to her messenger and the delegation she had sent to him – while the people were gathered and were listening – “Go back to them. We verily shall come to them with hosts that they cannot resist, and we shall drive them out from there in disgrace, and they will be abased.” (Soorah An-Naml 27:37) He said: Return with the gifts that you have presented to me to the one who bestowed them, for the wealth, gifts and men with which Allah has blessed me are better and more numerous than that which pleases you so much and due to which you glory over the rest of mankind. “We verily shall come to them with hosts that they cannot resist.” (Soorah An-Naml 27:37) It means that I will surely send upon them armies against which they will be unable to defend themselves and I will surely expel them from their land, their estates, their businesses and their country belittled. “…and they will be abased.” (Soorah An-Naml 27:37) That is, upon them will be heaped humiliation, disgrace and ruin. When this was conveyed to them from the Prophet of Allah (Peace be upon him), they had no alternative but to hear and obey. They hastened to answer him in that hour and they went to their queen together in obedience to Sulaiman’s command. When Sulaiman (Peace be upon him) heard of their delegation, he said to those of the Jinn who were in his presence and who were subjugated to him, “O, chiefs! Which of you can bring me her throne before they come to me surrendering themselves in obedience?” An ‘Ifreet from the Jinn said, “I will bring it to you before you rise from your place (council). And verily, I am indeed strong and trustworthy for such work.” One with whom was knowledge of the Scripture said, “I will bring it to you within the twinkling of an eye!” then, when (Sulaiman) saw it placed before him, he said, “This is by the Grace of my Lord to test me whether I am grateful or ungrateful! And whoever is grateful, truly, his gratitude is for (the good of) his ownself, and whoever is ungrateful, certainly, my Lord is Rich (Free of all wants), Bountiful.” He said, “Disguise her throne for her that we may see whether she will be guided (to recognize her throne), or she will be one of those not guided.” So when she came, it was said (to her), “Is your throne like this?” She said, “(It is) as though it were the very same.” And (Sulaiman) said, “Knowledge was bestowed on us before her, and we submitted to Allah (in Islam as Muslims before her).” And that which she used to worship besides Allah has prevented her, for she was of a disbelieving people. It was said to her, “Enter as-sarh,” (a glass surface with water underneath it or a palace), but when she saw it, she thought it was a pool, and she (tucked up her clothes) uncovering her legs, Sulaiman said, “Verily, it is sarh (a glass surface with water underneath it or a palace) paved smooth with glass.” She said, “My Lord! Verily, I have wronged myself, and I submit (in Islam), together with Sulaiman, to Allah, the Lord of Al-‘Alameen.” (Soorah An-Naml 27:38-44)
When Sulaiman requested from the jinn that they bring him the throne of Bilqees (Saba’), which was the seat of her kingdom on which she used to sit when passing judgment, before her arrival in Sulaiman’s court. An ‘Ifreet from the jinn said, “I will bring it to you before you rise from your place (council)” (Soorah An-Naml 27:39) means, before he could complete his judgments. It was said that this council customarily took place from early in the morning until just before midday; during this council, he would busy himself with the affairs and concerns of Banu Isra’eel. “And verily, I am indeed strong and trustworthy for such work.” (Soorah An-Naml 27:39) That is, I possess the ability to bring it to you and I can be trusted with the precious stones in it. One with whom was knowledge of the Scripture said… (Soorah An-Naml 27:40) It is well-known that his name was Asif Ibn Barkhiya, who was the maternal cousin of Sulaiman (Peace be upon him). It was also said that he was a man from among the Believers of the jinn who knew the Greatest Name of Allah. It was also said that he was a man from among Banu Isra’eel and that he was one of their scholars. And it was said that he was Sulaiman (Peace be upon him), but this is a very strange claim. It was dismissed as weak by As-Suhaili, on the basis that it was incompatible with the wording. It was also said that there was a fourth opinion, which was that the speaker was Jibraeel. “I will bring it to you within the twinkling of an eye!” (Soorah An-Naml 27:40) It was said that the meaning is: before you can send a messenger to the farthest point on the Earth which your eye can see and he can return to you. It was also said that it means: before the farthest person you can see can reach you. And it was said that it means: before your glance becomes weary and you blink your eye. It was also said that it means: before you can close your eyes. And it was also said that it means: before your glance can return to you, when you look toward the farthest point from you, then you close your eyes. And this seems most likely of all these sayings. Then, when (Sulaiman) saw it placed before him… (Soorah An-Naml 27:40) means when he saw the throne of Bilqees placed in front of him in this short space of time from the land of Yemen to Bait Al-Maqdis, in the blink of an eye, he said, “This is by the Grace of my Lord to test me whether I am grateful or ungrateful!” (Soorah An-Naml 27:41) That is, this is from Allah’s Favor upon me and upon His slaves, to test us and see if we are grateful for that Favor or not. And whoever is grateful, truly, his gratitude is for (the good of) his ownself. (Soorah An-Naml 27:40) That is, the benefit of that gratitude will only accrue to him. “and whoever is ungrateful, certainly, my Lord is Rich (Free of all wants), Bountiful.” (Soorah An-Naml 27:40) means that He is in no need of the thanks of those who show gratitude and He is not harmed by the ingratitude of those who are ungrateful to Him. Then Sulaiman (Peace be upon him) ordered that the throne’s adornments be altered and disguised so that she would not recognize it, in order to test her understanding and her intelligence, which is why he said, “Disguise her throne for her that we may see whether she will be guided (to recognize her throne), or she will be one of those not guided.” So when she came, it was said (to her), “Is your throne like this?” She said, “(It is) as though it were the very same.” (Soorah An-Naml 27:41,42) This was due to her astuteness and deep understanding, because she considered it unlikely that it could be her throne, since she had left it behind in the land of Yemen and she knew of no one who was able to do such an amazing thing. Allah, Most High, says, informing us about Sulaiman (Peace be upon him) and his people, “Knowledge was bestowed on us before her, and we submitted to Allah (in Islam as Muslims before her).” And that which she used to worship besides Allah has prevented her, for she was of a disbelieving people. (Soorah An-Naml 27:42,43) That is, the worship of the sun, before which she and her people used to prostrate, instead of to Allah, prevented her from embracing Islam. They did this because they followed the religion of their fathers and their forefathers; no evidence led them or urged them to do so. Sulaiman (Peace be upon him) had ordered the construction of a palace made of glass and he ordered them to make a passageway of water, over which a glass floor was placed. In the water he had placed fish and other aquatic creatures. The Queen of Saba’ was ordered to enter the palace, where she found Sulaiman (Peace be upon him) sitting on his throne. …But when she saw it, she thought it was a pool, and she (tucked up her clothes) uncovering her legs, Sulaiman said, “Verily, it is sarh (a glass surface with water underneath it or a palace) paved smooth with glass.” She said, “My Lord! Verily, I have wronged myself, and I submit (in Islam), together with Sulaiman, to Allah, the Lord of Al-‘Alameen.” (Soorah An-Naml 27:44)
And He, Most High, says, And to Dawood We gave Sulaiman. How excellent (a) slave! Verily, he was ever oft-returning in repentance (to Us)! When there were displayed before him in the afternoon, well-trained horses of the highest breed (for jihad [holy fight in Allah’s Cause]). And he said, “I did love the good (these horses) instead of remembering my Lord (in my ‘Asr prayer),” till the time was over and it had hidden in the veil (of night). Then he said, “Bring them (horses) back to me.” Then he began to pass his hand over their sooq and their a‘naq (till the end of the display). And indeed We did try Sulaiman and We placed on his throne Jasad (a devil, so he lost his kingdom for a while) but he did return (to his throne and kingdom by the Grace of Allah and he did return) to Allah with obedience and in repentance. He said, “My Lord! Forgive me and bestow upon me a kingdom such as shall not belong to any other after me: verily, You are the Bestower.” So We subjected to him the wind; it blew gently to his order whichever he willed, and also the Shayateen (devils) from the Jinn (including) every kind of builder and diver. And also others bound in fetters. (Saying of Allah to Sulaiman), “This is Our gift, so spend you or withhold, no account will be asked.” And verily, he enjoyed a near access to Us and a good final return (Paradise).” (Soorah Sad 38:30-40)
Allah, Most High, relates how He granted Dawood (Peace be upon him) a son, Sulaiman (Peace be upon him), then He praises them both, saying, How excellent (a) slave! Verily, he was ever oft-returning in repentance (to Us)! (Soorah Sad 38:30) That is, oft-returning to Allah and obedient to Him. Then Allah relates the story of the horses which were safinat, i.e. those which stand on three legs and raise the fourth. They were outstanding horses, lean and swift. And he said, “I did love the good (these horses) instead of remembering my Lord (in my ‘Asr prayer),” till the time was over and it had hidden in the veil (of night) (Soorah Sad 38:32) means the sun, or it was said, the horses. “Bring them (horses) back to me.” Then he began to pass his hand over their sooq and their a‘naq (till the end of the display). (Soorah Sad 38:33) It was said that their hamstrings and their necks were struck with swords. It was also said that he began patting the horses’ heads and legs out of love for them. Most of the Salaf supported the first interpretation; they said that he was busily engaged with the presentation of those horses until the time for offering the ‘Asr prayer had departed and the sun had set. This was narrated on the authority of ‘Ali Ibn Abi Talib (May Allah be pleased with him) and others. What is certain is that he did not intentionally neglect the prayer, without permission, though it was said that he was engaged in watering them and so he delayed the prayer for reasons of jihad – and the presentation of the horses was a part of that.
He, Most High, says, And indeed We did try Sulaiman and We placed on his throne Jasad (a devil, so he lost his kingdom for a while) and he did return (to Allah with obedience and in repentence, and to his throne and kingdom by the Grace of Allah. (Soorah Sad 38:34) Ibn Jareer At-Tabari, Ibn Abi Hatim and other scholars of tafseer related here a number of traditions from a group of the Salaf, but most, if not all of them are taken from Isra’eeliyyat – and in many of them there are extremely unacceptable things.
It is reported on the authority of ‘Abdullah Ibn ‘Amr Ibn Al-‘As (May Allah be pleased with him) that he said, “The Messenger of Allah (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) said, “When Sulaiman (Peace be upon him) built Bait Al-Maqdis, he asked his Lord, the Almighty, the All-powerful for three things; Allah granted him two of them and we hope that the third will be granted to us. He asked Him for judgment that concurred with His Judgment and He granted him that; he asked Him for a kingdom the like of which no one after him would ever enjoy and He granted him that; He also asked Him that if any man left his house desiring nothing but prayer in this mosque, he would leave behind his sins, like he was on the day on which his mother gave birth to him. And we hope that Allah has granted this to us.”
As for the judgment which agreed with Allah’s Judgment, Allah has praised him and his father, Dawood (Peace be upon him) in His Words: And (remember) Dawood and Sulaiman, when they gave judgment in the case of the field in which the sheep of certain people had pastured at night and We were witness to their judgment. And We made Sulaiman to understand (the case), and to each of them We gave Hukman (right judgment of the affairs and Prophethood) and knowledge. And We subjected the mountains and the birds to glorify Our Praises along with Dawood, And it was We Who was the Doer (of all these things). (Soorah Al-Anbiya’ 21:78,79)Shuraih Al-Qadi and more than one of the Salaf have mentioned that these people owned grapevines and the sheep of some other people ate them during the night, consuming the whole vine. They took their case to Dawood (Peace be upon him) for judgment and he ruled in favor of the owners of the grapevines, saying that the owners of the sheep must pay them the full value of what their sheep had consumed. When they came out, Sulaiman asked them, “What did the Prophet of Allah judge for you?” They said, “Such-and-such.” He said, “Were I the judge, I would have not ruled except that the owners of the sheep hand them over to the owners of the grapevines, so that they could benefit from their offspring and milk, until the owners of the sheep had repaired the grapevines and returned them to the condition they were in previously, after which their sheep would be returned to them. When this was conveyed to Dawood (Peace be upon him), he ruled accordingly.
In Soorah Sad, Allah, Most High, says, So We subjected to him the wind, it blew gently to his order whithersoever he willed and also the Shayateen (devils) from the Jinn (including) every kind of builder and diver and also others bound in fetters. (Saying of Allah to Sulaiman), “This is Our gift, so spend you or withhold, no account will be asked.” And verily, he enjoyed a near access to Us and a good final return (Paradise). (Soorah Sad 38:36-40) When he gave up the horses, seeking thereby Allah’s Countenance, Allah replaced them for him with the wind, which is faster, stronger and greater and entailed no trouble or expense for him (unlike the horses). …it blew gently to his order whithersoever he willed. (Soorah Sad 38:36) That is, wherever he wished from any country; it seems that he had a wooden platform, on which he could place all that he needed, such as erected houses, palaces and tents, goods, horses, camels, loads, men from among mankind and the jinn and other things, such as animals and birds. Then, when he wanted to travel or go on a pleasure trip, or make war on a king or enemies from any land that Allah willed, when the aforementioned things had been loaded on the platform, he would command the wind and it would get underneath it and raise it up. Then, when it was raised up between the heaven and the Earth, he would order it to blow gently and it would proceed with him. If he wanted to go faster than that, he would command the storm and it would carry him at the fastest possible speed and put him down in any place he wished, so that he would set out from Bait Al-Maqdis in the early part of the day and the wind would come and take him to Istakhr (in Persia) and he would remain there throughout the morning hours until midday, then the wind would return him to Bait Al-Maqdis, as Allah, Most High, says, And to Sulaiman We subjected the wind, its morning (stride from sunrise till midday) was a month’s (journey), and its afternoon (stride from the midday decline of the sun to sunset) was a month’s (journey i.e. in one day he could travel two months’ journey). And We caused a fount of qitr to flow for him, and there were Jinn that worked in front of him, by the Leave of his Lord, and whosoever of them turned aside from Our Command, We shall cause him to taste of the punishment of the blazing Fire. They worked for him what he desired, (making) high rooms, images, jifan like jawab and qudoor rasiyat. “Work you, O family of Dawood, with thanks!” But few of My slaves are grateful. (Soorah Saba’ 34:12,13) Al-Hasan Al-Basri said, “He used to set out in the morning from Damascus and he would alight at Istakhr, where he would take lunch. From there he would travel to Kabul (in Turkey); and the distance between Damascus and Istakhr was one month’s travel, while the distance between Istakhr and Kabul is also one month’s travel.” I say: The scholars of buildings and towns say that Istakhr was built by the jinn of Sulaiman (Peace be upon him) and that in ancient times, it had been the seat of power of the Turks. They said that likewise, numerous cities, such as Tadmur, Bait Al-Maqdis, Bab Jairoon and Bab Al-Bareed, which are both in Damascus were built by them.
As for qitr, according to ‘Abdullah Ibn ‘Abbas (May Allah be pleased with him), Mujahid, ‘Ikrimah, Qatadah and a number of others, it means (molten) copper. Qatadah said, “It was in Yemen that Allah brought it forth for him.” As-Suddi said, “In just three days, He extracted for him all that he needed for buildings and other things.”
And He, Most High, says, …and there were Jinn that worked in front of him, by the Leave of his Lord, and whosoever of them turned aside from Our Command, We shall cause him to taste of the punishment of the blazing Fire. (Soorah Saba’ 34:12) That is, Allah subjected to him workers from among the Jinn, who worked for him on whatever he wished and did not disobey him; as for those who did refuse to obey his commands he punished and shackled them. They worked for him what he desired, (making) high rooms. (Soorah Saba’ 34:13) And they are beautiful places, the best and innermost parts of meeting places. This was permissible under their law and their religious code. jifan. Ibn ‘Abbas (May Allah be pleased with him) said that a jafnah (jifan is the plural) is like a pit in the ground, or in another narration on his authority, like a water basin. Mujahid said likewise, as did Al-Hasan, Qatadah, Ad-Dahhak and others. Based on this narration, the word jawab would be the plural of jabiyah, which is a basin in which water collects, as Al-A‘sha said in Al-Bahr At-Taweel:
“A pool of water passes by the family of Al-Muhallaq, Like the reservoir of As-Saih Al-‘Iraqi, it fills to overflowing.”
As for the qudoor rasiyat, ‘Ikrimah said that they are fixed cooking cauldrons. Mujahid and others concurred with this, and they were placed thus for the purpose of feeding people and giving charity to mankind and the jinn. Allah, Most High, says, “Work you, O family of Dawood, with thanks!” But few of My slaves are grateful. (Soorah Saba’ 34:13) and He, Most High, says, And also the Shayateen (devils) from the jinn, (including) every kind of builder and diver and also others bound in fetters. (Soorah Sad 38:37,38) means, some of them had been subjugated to him as builders, while others had been subjugated to him as divers, whose job it was to dive in the sea and collect precious stones and pearls and other things which were not present with them. and also others bound in fetters (Soorah Sad 38:38) means that they had disobeyed and so they had been shackled in pairs. All of these were among the things that Allah had prepared for him and subjugated to his will and which were a part of the completeness of his kingdom, the like of which was not given to anyone before him or after him.
And Al-Bukhari narrated on the authority of Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) from the Prophet (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) that he said, “Verily, an ‘ifreet from among the Jinn came to me yesterday suddenly, so as to spoil my prayer, but Allah enabled me to overpower him, and I caught him and intended to tie him to one of the pillars of the Mosque so that all of you might see him, but I remembered the invocation of my brother Sulaiman: ‘My Lord! Forgive me, And grant me a kingdom such as shall not belong to any other after me.’ (Soorah Sad 38:35) so I let him go cursed.”
And more than one of the Salaf have mentioned that Sulaiman (Peace be upon him) had a thousand wives; seven hundred of them had been wedded to him after the payment of dowries and three hundred had been taken as captives. It was also said that it was the other way around, that they were three hundred free women and seven hundred slaves. It was said that he had a huge appetite for women. Al-Bukhari narrated on the authority of Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) from the Prophet (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) that he said, “Sulaiman, the son of Dawood, said, ‘Tonight I will sleep with seventy women each of whom will conceive a child who will be a knight fighting for Allah’s Cause.’ His companion said, ‘if Allah wills.’ But Sulaiman did not say so; therefore none of those women got pregnant except one who gave birth to a half child.’ The Prophet further said, ‘If Prophet Sulaiman had said it (i.e. if Allah wills) he would have begotten children who would have fought in Allah’s Cause’.” Shu‘aib and Ibn Abi Az-Zinad said, “Ninety (women) is more correct (than seventy).” Al-Bukhari was alone in narrating it from this source.
He, Most High, says, He said, “My Lord! Forgive me, and bestow upon me a kingdom such as shall not belong to any other after me: verily, You are the Bestower.” (Soorah Sad 38:35). And Allah gave him all of that, according to the testimony of the Prophet (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him). And when Allah, Most High, mentioned the great and complete blessings that He had bestowed on him, He said, “This is Our gift, so spend you or withhold, no account will be asked.” (Soorah Sad 38:39) That is, give to whom you will and deny whom you will, for you will not be held accountable for it, i.e. dispose of the wealth as you will, because Allah has permitted whatever you may do with it and He will not ask you to account for it. This was the case with the Prophet-King, unlike the slave-Messenger, who neither gave nor denied without Allah’s Permission. And Allah allowed our Prophet (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him), to choose between these two situations (slave-Messenger or Prophet-King), and he chose to be a slave-Messenger.
When Allah described what He had granted to His Prophet, Sulaiman (Peace be upon him) of the goodness of this life, He described the reward, abundance and beautiful recompense that He has prepared for him in the Hereafter, in addition to the nearness to Him, the great success and the honor that he will enjoy before Him. All of this will be on the Day of Return and Recompense, as He, Most High, says, And verily, he enjoyed a near access to Us and a good final return (Paradise). (Soorah Sad 38:40)
A Description of His Death
Allah, Most Glorified, Most High, says, Then ,when We decreed death for him (Sulaiman), nothing informed them (the Jinn) of his death except a crawling creature of the earth, which kept (slowly) gnawing away at his stick, so when he fell down, the Jinn saw clearly that if they had known the Unseen, they would not have stayed in the humiliating punishment. ( Soorah Sad 34:14)
And Ibn Jareer At-Tabari, Ibn Abi Hatim and others narrated the Hadith of ‘Abdullah Ibn ‘Abbas (May Allah be pleased with him), in which he reported on the authority of the Prophet (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) that he said, “Sulaiman (Peace be upon him), the Prophet of Allah used to see a tree growing before him and he would say to it, “What is your name?” The tree would answer, “So-and-so.” He said, “For what purpose are you? If it was for seeds, it would be allowed to go to seed. If it was for medicine, it would be allowed to grow. One day, when he was praying, he saw a tree before him and he said to it, “What is your name?” It said, “Al-Kharroobah.” He said, “For what purpose are you?” It replied, “For the destruction of this house.” He said, “O, Allah! Keep my death hidden from the jinn until the humans realize that the jinn do not know the unseen.” So he carved a stick from it and he leaned on it for a whole year, while the jinn continued working. The stick was eaten by a termite (causing him to fall down), after which it was clear to mankind that if the jinn had known the unseen, they would not have remained for a year in humiliating punishment.”
By Ibn Katheer
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