Stories of the Prophets,
Stories of the Prophets,
peace be upon them.
May the blessings of Allah
followed by His
peace
be upon the finest of
all creation,
the resolute Messengers
whose rank
is exalted.
The Story of Solomon (Sulayman),
peace be upon him.
In the Name of Allah,
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds,
and may peace and blessings
be upon our Prophet Muhammad,
and upon his family and all his Companions.
To proceed:
In Damascus, in the land of the Levant,
the Prophet of Allah, Solomon,
was born,
peace be upon him.
He was raised in a household of prophethood,
for his father was the Prophet of Allah,
David (Dawud), peace be upon him.
In the previous
gathering, we learned about
the virtue of David, peace be upon him,
his diligence in worship,
his eagerness to set things right
and benefit people,
and to judge between them in their disputes.
Amidst this atmosphere
of faith,
Solomon, peace be upon him, grew up.
He learned noble character from his father,
as well as good manners,
and inherited from him both kingship and prophethood.
Solomon, peace be upon him,
was distinguished by justice, wisdom,
and excellent judgment among his subjects.
Allah Almighty informed us
about Solomon, peace be upon him,
saying:
"And Solomon inherited David."
Indeed, the inheritance that Solomon
received from his father
was the greatest inheritance;
it was a bounty from Allah Almighty
bestowed upon both father and son.
He inherited from him
prophethood and kingship,
and this does not mean monetary inheritance,
for David
had other sons,
and he would not single Solomon out for material wealth
over the others.
Furthermore, it is authentically established in the Sahih
that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
said:
"We, the assembly of Prophets,
leave no inheritance;
whatever wealth we leave behind
is charity after us"
for the poor and the needy.
It was also said
that Solomon
had a greater kingdom than David,
while David was more devoted
in worship than Solomon,
may peace and blessings
be upon them both.
Allah uniquely endowed Solomon,
peace be upon him, with knowledge
unprecedented before him
and unmatched by anyone after him.
Allah taught him
the speech and language of birds
and animals.
He understood what
birds in the sky communicated to one another,
and the sounds made by animals
of all kinds.
This was among the miracles of Allah,
Glorified and Exalted is He,
granted specifically to him.
Allah also gave him of every
thing he needed
for his dominion.
Moreover, Allah augmented that
by subjecting the jinn, mankind,
devils, and the winds to his command;
he would order them as he willed,
and they would execute for him
whatever he wished.
And immense was Allah's favor upon him.
Ibn Jarir
al-Tabari, the leading exegete, said:
"The entire earth,
its east and its west, was ruled
by four individuals:
two believers and two disbelievers.
The two believers were
Solomon, son of David,
and Dhu al-Qarnayn;
the two disbelievers were
Nebuchadnezzar (Bakht Nasr)
and Nimrod, son of Canaan.
No one else ruled it completely."
Solomon, peace be upon him, once gave an order,
and his troops were marshaled on that day.
His hosts were assembled for him,
“And there were gathered together unto Solomon his armies of the jinn and humankind, and of the birds, and they were set in battle order;” (27:17)
and he rode among them
in magnificent splendor
and great majesty.
Humans were placed closest to him,
followed by the jinn,
while birds flew over
his head;
if it was hot, they shaded him
with their wings.
They were kept in strict formation,
meaning the front ranks were held back for the rear ranks
so that no one would step out
of their designated position.
When Solomon, peace be upon him,
along with the armies and hosts
accompanying him,
arrived at the Valley of the Ants,
an ant said:
"O ants, enter your dwellings,
lest you be crushed
by Solomon and his hosts
while they perceive not!"
Solomon, peace be upon him, understood
the counsel this ant gave
to her community,
as she commanded,
warned,
and made an excuse for Solomon
and his troops
regarding their lack of awareness,
all in simple, eloquent words.
This pleased him greatly,
and he smiled with
joy and delight
at what Allah had granted him insight into,
to the exclusion of others.
He asked Allah to grant him the ability
to give thanks for the blessings He had bestowed
upon him and his parents,
and for the special privilege He had uniquely granted him over others,
and to facilitate righteous deeds for him,
and to include him,
when He takes his soul, among His
righteous servants.
Allah Almighty said:
"And We gave
David and Solomon
knowledge,
and they said, 'Praise be to Allah,
Who has favored us
“And We verily gave knowledge unto David and Solomon, and they said: Praise be to Allah, Who hath preferred us above many of His believing slaves!” (27:15)
over many of His believing servants.'
And Solomon inherited David,
“And Solomon was David's heir. And he said: O mankind! Lo! we have been taught the language of birds, and have been given (abundance) of all things. This surely is evident favour.” (27:16)
and said, 'O people, we have been taught
the language of birds,
and we have been given
of all things.
Indeed, this
is truly an evident favor.'
And there were gathered
for Solomon his hosts
of jinn,
humans,
and birds, and they were set in ranks,
until, when
they came upon the Valley
of the Ants,
an ant said,
'O
ants,
an ant said,
'O ants,
enter your dwellings,
lest you be crushed
by Solomon—
lest you be crushed
by Solomon and his hosts
while they perceive not.'
So he smiled,
laughing at
her words,
and said, 'My Lord, enable me
to be grateful
for Your favor
and said, 'My Lord, enable me
"that I may be grateful for Your favor
which You have bestowed upon me
and upon my parents,
and that I may do
righteous deeds
that will please You,
and admit me by Your mercy
among Your righteous servants."
It is narrated that Solomon,
peace be upon him,
went out with his companions to pray for rain,
whereupon he saw
an ant standing,
raising one of its legs,
supplicating for rain.
So he said to his companions,
"Go back, for you have been granted rain
by the supplication of someone else."
Solomon inspected
the birds, peace be upon him,
and this was part of his perfect resolve,
his excellent organization of his troops,
and his personal management
of all affairs, both minor and major,
such that
he did not overlook even this matter,
which was inspecting the birds
and examining
whether they were all present
or if any of them
was missing.
Representatives would come to him from every
species of bird.
So he looked,
and found that all kinds of birds were present before him,
except for the hoopoe.
Thereupon he said,
“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)
"Has my sight missed it,
or is it absent and failed to attend?"
When it became clear that it was indeed absent,
he said,
"I will surely punish this hoopoe
with a severe punishment for its absence,
as a discipline for it,
or I will surely slaughter it
as a penalty for what it did,
since it neglected the duty it was subjected to,
or it must bring me
a valid excuse for its absence."
So the hoopoe stayed away
for not a very long time,
and then it arrived
and said to Solomon, peace be upon him:
"I have encompassed what you have not encompassed,"
meaning:
"I possess knowledge
that you do not have, O Prophet of Allah,
despite your vast
and expansive knowledge;
and I have come to you from Sheba,"
the well-known tribe in Yemen,
"with certain news."
It then began to mention the state of
the monarchs of Sheba in the land of Yemen,
regarding their great kingdom,
and that the rule had passed
to a woman among them,
the daughter of their king,
named Bilqis,
as he left no heir other than her,
so they made her queen over them.
She was given of worldly possessions
all that an established monarch requires,
including a throne
upon which she sits,
magnificent and imposing.
Then it mentioned their disbelief in Allah,
their worship of the sun
instead of Allah,
Satan's misleading of them,
and his diverting them
from the worship of Allah alone,
without any partner,
Who brings forth what is hidden
in the heavens and the earth,
and knows all secrets
and manifest matters,
both tangible and intangible.
None has the right to be worshipped but He,
perhaps
none has the right to be worshipped but He,
Lord of the Magnificent Throne.
Allah Almighty said:
"And he inspected
the birds and said,
“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)
“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 it
with a severe punishment
or slaughter it,
or slaughter it,
or slaughter it,
or slaughter it,
unless it brings me a clear authorization.'
But the hoopoe stayed not long,
and said, 'I have encompassed
that which you have not encompassed,
and said, 'I have encompassed
that which you have not encompassed,
and I have come to you from Sheba
with news
that is certain.
Indeed, I found
a woman
ruling over them,
and she has been given of all
and she has been given of all
things,
and she has a throne
that is magnificent.
I found her and her people
prostrating to the sun
instead of Allah,
and made pleasing
to them by Satan
were their deeds, so he averted
them from the path,
so they are not guided,
so that they do not prostrate
to Allah, Who brings forth
brings forth what is hidden
in the heavens and the earth
and knows
what you conceal
and what you declare.
Allah — there is no
deity except Him, Lord of
the Magnificent Throne.'"
Said
Solomon, peace be upon him,
to the hoopoe:
"We will see whether the news you have brought us
is true,
“(Solomon) said: We shall see whether thou speakest truth or whether thou art of the liars.” (27:27)
So he, peace be upon him, wrote
a letter and handed it
to the hoopoe,
and said to it: "Go
with this letter of mine and deliver it
to the Queen of Sheba,
then turn away from them
so that you can hear what
they say in response."
The hoopoe carried the letter
and came to the palace of Bilqis,
casting it down to her
while she was in her private chamber.
It then stood aside,
waiting to see what her response would be
to the letter.
So she assembled her nobles,
her ministers,
the dignitaries of her state,
and her advisors,
and said to them:
"O eminent ones,
“(The Queen of Sheba) said (when she received the letter): O chieftains! Lo! there hath been thrown unto me a noble letter.” (27:29)
Then she read to them
its opening heading first:
"It is from Solomon,"
and then she read its contents:
"In the Name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful:
Do not be arrogant toward me,
but come to me in submission."
That is: "Do not be haughty toward me,
but come to me
in full surrender and obedience
to my command."
Then she consulted them regarding their affair
and the situation that had befallen them,
addressing them
while they listened:
"O eminent ones,
advise me in this matter of mine;
I would never decide an affair
until you are present with me."
They said to her:
"We possess great strength and ability
for warfare and combat,
and for facing valiant warriors;
so if you choose that path,
we are well able
to undertake it.
Nevertheless,
the command is yours, so consider what
you will command."
Her judgment was more complete
and more sound than their opinion,
for she realized that the sender of this letter
could neither be overcome nor resisted,
nor opposed or deceived.
Thus she said: "Indeed, when kings
"When they enter a city,
they ruin it
and reduce the noblest of its people
to disgrace."
So Allah confirmed her words,
saying: "And thus
they will do."
“But lo! I am going to send a present unto them, and to see with what (answer) the messengers return.” (27:35)
"So I will wait and see what
the messengers bring back."
She intended to win Solomon's favor
on her own behalf
and for the people of her kingdom,
by means of a gift she would send
and treasures she would dispatch,
hoping he might accept it
and spare them.
Yet she did not know that Solomon
would never accept from them,
in such a state,
any ransom or compensation,
because they were a disbelieving people.
For this reason,
when her envoy arrived
before Solomon,
he said to him:
"Do you provide me with wealth,
when that which
Allah has given me is far better than
what He has given you?
Rather, it is in your gift
that you rejoice!"
Those gifts had indeed
consisted of magnificent items
and presents befitting
royal sovereigns.
Yet Solomon did not give them a second glance,
peace be upon him,
and said to her envoy who had arrived before him:
"Return with your gifts
that you have brought to the one who
sent you with them.
For we shall surely come upon them
with hosts that they cannot
resist, fight,
withstand,
or battle against,
and we shall drive them out of their land
in utter disgrace and humiliation."
Allah Almighty said:
"He said: 'We shall see
whether you have spoken the truth or are
among the liars.
Take this letter of mine
and deliver it to them;
then
turn away from them,
then turn away from them
and see
what they return in response.'"
"She said: 'O
eminent chiefs!
Truly, there has been delivered to me
a noble letter.
It is
from Solomon,
and it reads:
"In the Name of Allah, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful:
Do not be arrogant toward me,
but come to me in full submission."'
She said: 'O eminent chiefs!
Advise me in this matter of mine;
I have never
decided any matter
until you were present with me.'
“They said: We are lords of might and lords of great prowess, but it is for thee to command; so consider what thou wilt command.” (27:33)
'and possessors of
mighty prowess,
and possessors of
mighty prowess,
yet the command is yours,
so consider what you will command.'
She said:
'Indeed, kings,
when they enter a city,
ruin it and reduce
the noblest of its people to disgrace.
And thus
they will do.
But I am sending
a gift to them,
and I will wait,
and I will wait
to see what
the messengers bring back.'
So when he came
to Solomon,
he said: 'Do you provide
with wealth?
He said: 'Do you provide
with wealth, when that which
Allah has given me is better
than what He has given you?
Rather,
it is in your gift
that you rejoice!
Return
to them, for we shall surely come
upon them
with hosts that are impossible
for them to resist,
for we shall surely come
upon them with hosts
impossible for them
to resist, and we shall surely drive
them
from it
in disgrace,
utterly humbled.'"
So when
the messenger returned to Bilqis, the Queen,
with what Solomon had said,
peace be upon him,
she said: "I now realize
that this is no ordinary king,
and we have no
power against him." So she sent word
to him, saying: "I am coming
to you with the dignitaries
of my people to examine
your affair and what you call us
to." Then she set out
toward him among twelve thousand men
from the nobles of her people,
after having locked up
her throne securely.
Thereupon, Solomon, peace be upon him, began
sending the jinn
to bring him reports of her journey
every day and night.
Once she drew near him,
he assembled those in his presence
from among humans and jinn,
and said to them:
"Can any of you
bring me the throne of this queen
before she comes to me
along with her people
in willing submission?"
Perhaps Solomon, peace be upon him,
sought the bringing of
her throne from the land of Yemen
to Bayt al-Maqdis (Jerusalem),
the seat of his kingdom,
in order to show her the magnificent
power of Allah Almighty
and the vast dominion He had bestowed upon him,
along with immense blessings
and miraculous
strength, such that He subjected to him
those who could bring him her throne
from a distant place
in a brief moment,
thereby leading her and her people
to faith in Allah Almighty.
“A stalwart of the jinn said: I will bring it thee before thou canst rise from thy place. Lo! I verily am strong and trusty for such work.” (27:39)
An 'Ifrit, a mighty demon among the jinn, said:
"I will bring it to you
before you rise
from this assembly of yours."
Solomon, peace be upon him,
used to sit among the people
to administer justice
from the beginning of the day until the sun passed its zenith.
The 'Ifrit said:
"And indeed, I am strong enough
to carry it,
despite all the jewels it contains."
Solomon said,
peace be upon him:
"I desire it even quicker than that."
Thereupon, another soldier
from among his ranks stepped forward,
namely Asif Ibn Barkhiya,
a man from among the righteous of
the Children of Israel,
whom Allah Almighty had granted
knowledge from His presence.
He was a minister to Solomon
and knew the Greatest Name
of Allah. He said:
"I will bring you
the throne of Bilqis
before you can blink your eye
and open it again"—
which was a metaphor for extraordinary,
instantaneous speed in bringing it.
And so the throne of Bilqis was brought
to Solomon from the land of
Yemen to the Levant (al-Sham)
with that extraordinary,
extraordinary.
When Solomon saw the throne,
aforesaid, present before him
and standing right in his presence,
he did not become arrogant or boastful,
nor was he overcome with pride
and conceit;
rather, he said:
“One with whom was knowledge of the Scripture said: I will bring it thee before thy gaze returneth unto thee. And when he saw it set in his presence, (Solomon) said: This is of the bounty of my Lord, that He may try me whether I give thanks or am ungrateful. Whosoever giveth thanks he only giveth thanks for (the good of) his own soul; and whosoever is ungrateful (is ungrateful only to his own soul's hurt). For lo! my Lord is Absolute in independence, Bountiful.” (27:40)
"[This is to] test me:
will I be grateful for His blessings,
or ungrateful for them?"
Solomon (peace be upon him) said
to those around him:
"Disguise the throne of her kingdom,
upon which she sits,
into a state that alters it,
to see whether she will recognize it when she sees it,
or fail to recognize it."
“He said: Disguise her throne for her that we may see whether she will go aright or be of those not rightly guided.” (27:41)
When she arrived,
namely Bilqis (the Queen of Sheba),
Solomon (peace be upon him) said to her:
"Is your throne like this?"
She replied:
"It is as though it were the very same."
This was part of her sharp wit
and deep understanding,
for she deemed it improbable that it could be
her exact throne, since
she had left it behind in the land of Yemen,
yet she could not outright deny it
due to the striking resemblance.
Thus, there became manifest to her
the supreme power of Allah Almighty
and the prophethood of Solomon
(peace be upon him).
What had previously diverted her from affirming Allah's oneness
and having faith in Him
“And (all) that she was wont to worship instead of Allah hindered her, for she came of disbelieving folk.” (27:43)
was merely following her people
and blindly imitating them,
“And (all) that she was wont to worship instead of Allah hindered her, for she came of disbelieving folk.” (27:43)
who were disbelievers.
Then it was said to her:
"Enter the palace."
Its courtyard was made of clear glass,
beneath which water flowed.
When she saw it,
she thought it was deep, rippling water,
so she bared her legs
to wade through it.
Thereupon, Solomon
(peace be upon him) said to her:
"It is made of smooth, clear glass,
with water beneath it."
At that moment, she realized the greatness
of Solomon's kingdom,
and she said:
"My Lord, indeed I have wronged myself"
through polytheism,
and she yielded in submission, following Solomon,
entering
into the religion of Allah,
the Lord of the worlds.
Allah Almighty said:
“He said: O chiefs! Which of you will bring me her throne before they come unto me, surrendering?” (27:38)
"Which of you will bring me
her throne before
they come to me in submission?"
Said
a stalwart of the jinn:
"I will bring it to you
before
“A stalwart of the jinn said: I will bring it thee before thou canst rise from thy place. Lo! I verily am strong and trusty for such work.” (27:39)
you rise from your place, and indeed,
I am strong enough for it
and trustworthy."
Said the one
who had knowledge
of the Scripture:
"I will bring it to you
before
your glance returns
to you."
And when he saw it
placed firmly before him,
“One with whom was knowledge of the Scripture said: I will bring it thee before thy gaze returneth unto thee. And when he saw it set in his presence, (Solomon) said: This is of the bounty of my Lord, that He may try me whether I give thanks or am ungrateful. Whosoever giveth thanks he only giveth thanks for (the good of) his own soul; and whosoever is ungrateful (is ungrateful only to his own soul's hurt). For lo! my Lord is Absolute in independence, Bountiful.” (27:40)
he said: "This is from the favor of my Lord,
“One with whom was knowledge of the Scripture said: I will bring it thee before thy gaze returneth unto thee. And when he saw it set in his presence, (Solomon) said: This is of the bounty of my Lord, that He may try me whether I give thanks or am ungrateful. Whosoever giveth thanks he only giveth thanks for (the good of) his own soul; and whosoever is ungrateful (is ungrateful only to his own soul's hurt). For lo! my Lord is Absolute in independence, Bountiful.” (27:40)
to test me whether
I will be grateful or ungrateful.
And whoever is grateful,
his gratitude is only
for his own soul;
and whoever is ungrateful—
then surely my Lord
is Self-Sufficient, Generous."
He said:
"Disguise her throne for her;
let us see whether she will be guided [to recognize it]
“He said: Disguise her throne for her that we may see whether she will go aright or be of those not rightly guided.” (27:41)
or be among those who are not guided."
So when she arrived,
it was said: "Is
your throne like this?"
She said: "It is as though
it were the very same."
[Solomon said]: "And we were given knowledge
before her, and we have been
Muslims [in submission to Allah]."
But what she used to worship
besides Allah
had prevented her [from believing];
indeed, she was
from a people
of disbelievers.
She was told: "Enter
the palace."
But when she saw it,
she thought it was a body of water
and uncovered
her legs.
He said: "Indeed, it is
a palace paved smooth
with crystal."
She said:
"My Lord, indeed I have wronged
myself, and I submit,
along with Solomon, to Allah,
Lord of the worlds."
He then began striking their legs
and necks with the sword,
seeking nearness to Allah Almighty
and pursuing His pleasure,
because he had been distracted
by them from His obedience.
And when he slaughtered the horses
for the sake of Allah,
Allah Almighty replaced them
with something far better and swifter:
the wind,
blowing by his command wherever he willed.
Allah Almighty said:
"And We granted
to David, Solomon.
An excellent servant he was! Indeed, he was
ever-turning in repentance.
When there were displayed before him
in the afternoon well-trained,
noble steeds,
he said: 'Indeed,
I have preferred the love of good things
over the remembrance of my Lord,
until they were hidden behind the veil [of sunset].
Bring them back
to me!'
And he began passing his hand over their legs
and necks."
And it is narrated
that among these horses
were some with wings,
which had come from the sea—
and Allah knows best.
On the authority of 'A'ishah (may Allah be pleased
with her), she said:
"The Messenger of Allah
(peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) returned from the expedition
of Tabuk or Khaybar,
and in her room was a curtain.
A gust of wind blew,
uncovering a corner of the curtain
to reveal 'A'ishah's doll-figures—
that is, toys.
He asked:
'What is this, O 'A'ishah?'
She replied: 'My dolls.'
And he saw among them
a horse with two wings,
so he asked:
'What is this I see in their midst?'
She replied: 'A horse.'
He said:
'And what is this upon it?'
She said: 'Two wings.'
He asked:
'A horse with two wings?'
She replied:
'Have you not heard that Solomon had
horses that possessed wings?'
She said:
'He laughed until I could see
his molar teeth, peace and blessings of Allah
be upon him.'"
Narrated by Abu Dawud.
The hadith will be continued,
if Allah wills.
And Allah knows best.
All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds.
May Allah send blessings and peace
upon our Prophet Muhammad,
and upon his family and companions,
one and all.
You have been listening to *Stories of the Prophets*.