In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
We are a sun that never sets.
If the caller calls, we respond.
We restore the stolen right.
We support the beloved Al-Aqsa.
In it is the best of creation, may peace be upon him.
It is indeed an excellent place of prayer.
An excellent place of prayer.
What is the greatest kingdom in history?
And where was its seat?
To answer this question,
we must point to a point of utmost importance:
that the city of Jerusalem
is an ancient and significant city throughout history.
Chronologically, its roots run deep,
dating back to the civilization of the Canaanite Arabs.
Geographically, it connects the continents of the world.
For this reason, it was subject to raids, destruction, and burning
more than any other place.
The city of Jerusalem has been rebuilt
more than eighteen times throughout history.
And every time the usurper and the aggressor departs,
the city remains standing and firm,
more firmly rooted than ever before.
However, we must pause at a golden era,
a period that was one of the most magnificent times for that land,
when the greatest kingdom was established upon it
to realize servitude to Allah and monotheism.
Ibn al-Jawzi, may Allah have mercy on him, said in his book,
*Al-Muntazam fi Tarikh al-Muluk wa al-Umam* (The Systematic History of Kings and Nations):
"We have narrated in a hadith from Mujahid that he said:
'Four individuals ruled the earth:
two believers and two disbelievers.
As for the two believers,
they are Sulayman ibn Dawud (peace be upon them both)
and Dhu al-Qarnayn.
As for the two disbelievers,
they are Nebuchadnezzar and Nimrod.'"
To visualize the greatness of this powerful and magnificent kingdom
which Sulayman (peace be upon him) established in Palestine,
let us look at how Allah the Almighty described
this state from its very inception.
The Almighty said:
﴾And Sulayman inherited Dawud.﴿
“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)
﴾We have been taught the language of birds.﴿
“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)
﴾Indeed, this is the clear bounty.﴿
Sulayman inherited Dawud (peace be upon them both)
in knowledge, kingship, and prophethood.
He bore the responsibility and fulfilled his servitude to Allah.
﴾And We gave to Dawud, Sulayman.﴿
﴾An excellent servant! Indeed, he was one who frequently returned [to Allah].﴿
It was a caliphate of faith,
a powerful state,
and a complete kingdom.
He preserved it, strengthened it, and expanded its borders,
incorporating other regions into it.
He implemented the law of Allah within it,
brought happiness to the people,
and led them on the path of Allah’s pleasure.
How magnificent is this kingdom
that combined religion and worldly life,
servitude to Allah, authority, and the power of kingship!
For the Lord of Might, the Almighty, shows us
a situation and a scene of that Prophet, King, and righteous servant,
and successful leader.
The Almighty said:
﴾And We gave to Dawud, Sulayman.﴿
﴾An excellent servant! Indeed, he was one who frequently returned [to Allah].﴿
“When there were shown to him at eventide lightfooted coursers” (38:31)
“And he said: Lo! I have preferred the good things (of the world) to the remembrance of my Lord; till they were taken out of sight behind the curtain.” (38:32)
until it vanished from sight.
"Bring them back to me."
“(Then he said): Bring them back to me, and fell to slashing (with his sword their) legs and necks.” (38:33)
﴾And We certainly tried Sulayman.﴿
“And verily We tried Solomon, and set upon his throne a (mere) body. Then did he repent.” (38:34)
﴾Then he turned [to Allah].﴿
“He said: My Lord! Forgive me and bestow on me sovereignty such as shall not belong to any after me. Lo! Thou art the Bestower.” (38:35)
“He said: My Lord! Forgive me and bestow on me sovereignty such as shall not belong to any after me. Lo! Thou art the Bestower.” (38:35)
﴾Indeed, You are the Bestower.﴿
So Allah answered his prayer,
as in the hadith of Abdullah ibn Umar,
that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:
"When Sulayman ibn Dawud (peace be upon them both)
finished building Bayt al-Maqdis (Jerusalem),
he asked Allah for three things:
among them, a kingdom that would not be granted to anyone after him—
meaning, anyone other than him—
and it was granted to him."
And how magnificent a structure is the Al-Aqsa Mosque,
existing under the shadow of this great and powerful kingdom!
Therefore, when an ifrit (demon) from the jinn escaped
to our Prophet (peace be upon him)
to interrupt his prayer,
he was able to overpower him,
and he wanted to tie him to a pillar of the mosque
so that the Companions could see him,
but he remembered the prayer of Sulayman (peace be upon him):
“He said: My Lord! Forgive me and bestow on me sovereignty such as shall not belong to any after me. Lo! Thou art the Bestower.” (38:35)
“He said: My Lord! Forgive me and bestow on me sovereignty such as shall not belong to any after me. Lo! Thou art the Bestower.” (38:35)
﴾Indeed, You are the Bestower.﴿
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said:
"So I sent him away, humiliated."
Then Allah the Almighty explained a portion of the miracles of Sulayman (peace be upon him)
and the nature of that great kingdom,
such as the subjection of the wind and the devils:
some of them building whatever he desired,
and others diving for him,
extracting pearls and ornaments.
And whoever disobeyed and deviated from his command,
his fate was imprisonment and chains.
The Almighty said:
“So We made the wind subservient unto him, setting fair by his command whithersoever he intended.” (38:36)
“And the unruly, every builder and diver (made We subservient),” (38:37)
“And others linked together in chains,” (38:38)
﴾This is Our gift, so grant or withhold without account.﴿
﴾And indeed, for him is nearness to Us and a good place of return.﴿
If we want a further visualization of the greatness of that kingdom,
let us contemplate the nature of the army and the soldiers of Sulayman (peace be upon him),
with precision and order, where no one moved ahead of another.
And the observer of the method and nature of travel to and from that great kingdom
finds a wondrous matter,
a divine power and a providential care.
“And unto Solomon (We subdued) the wind in its raging. It set by his command toward the land which We had blessed. And of everything We are Aware.” (21:81)
“And unto Solomon (We subdued) the wind in its raging. It set by his command toward the land which We had blessed. And of everything We are Aware.” (21:81)
If he wanted to speed up the journey, it moved like a storm.
If he wanted gentleness, it moved softly.
The context implies that it was subject to the will of Sulayman (peace be upon him).
And one who contemplates deeply the story of Sulayman (peace be upon him) and his inspection of the hoopoe,
and then the beautiful dialogue that took place between them,
and how the Queen of Sheba indicated
through her intelligence, wisdom, and discernment, the greatness of this king through his letter...
“(The Queen of Sheba) said (when she received the letter): O chieftains! Lo! there hath been thrown unto me a noble letter.” (27:29)
“Lo! it is from Solomon, and lo! it is: In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful;” (27:30)
“Exalt not yourselves against me, but come unto me as those who surrender.” (27:31)
The result was that Bilqis and those with her among the kings, princes, and the army entered the religion of Islam,
because they saw the greatness and majesty of the kingdom,
along with truthfulness, reverence, wisdom, and good conduct,
and they submitted to his authority and his rule.
“It was said unto her: Enter the hall. And when she saw it she deemed it a pool and bared her legs. (Solomon) said: Lo! it is a hall, made smooth, of glass. She said: My Lord! Lo! I have wronged myself, and I surrender with Solomon unto Allah, the Lord of the Worlds.” (27:44)
An excellent place of prayer.
We are a sun that never sets.
If the caller calls, we respond.
We restore the right, intact.
We support the beloved Al-Aqsa.
In it is the best of creation, may peace be upon him.
It is indeed an excellent place of prayer.
The landing place of the trustworthy revelation.
The place of mission for the messengers.
The qibla for the Muslims.
The destination for the conquerors.
In it is the best of creation, may peace be upon him.
It is indeed an excellent place of prayer.
It is indeed an excellent place of prayer.