King Solomon Prophet Sulaiman (peace be upon him)

PROPHET SULAIMAN (peace be upon him), Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, Jerusalam

King Solomon  was a king and a prophet of ancient Israel, and is recognized as a prophet and divinely-appointed monarch by all Muslims. Muslim belief holds that Solomon was one of the elect of God, and was bestowed upon with many God-given gifts, including the ability to speak to birds and control over Djinn. Muslims further maintain that Solomon remained faithful to God throughout his life; constructed the Temple of Solomon, which became one of the key houses of worship; reigned justly over the whole of Israel; was blessed with a level of kingship which was given to none after him;and fulfilled all of his commandments, being promised nearness to God in Heaven at the end of his life. Solomon remains one of the most commemorated and popular holy figures in Muslim culture and tradition. Muslim tradition further maintains that, along with David and Dhul-Qarnayn, Solomon was one of three great monarchs of all time.


Narrative

Note: The following is a brief narrative of Solomon from the Qur'an and Islamic tradition
Muslims believe that Solomon inherited the throne when David died and became the third King of Israel. He was the successor to his father as both king as well as prophet to the Children of Israel. From the day of his birth, God bestowed many gifts upon Solomon, as He had upon David. Solomon had shown signs of his God-given wisdom even as a youth. In the earliest narrative involving Solomon in the Qur'an, the Qur'an says that Solomon was once in the company of his father, when two men came to ask David to judge between them. The first of the two men said that he owned a vineyard of which he took great care the whole year through. But one day when he was absent the other man's sheep had strayed into the vineyard and devoured the grapes. He asked to be compensated for this damage.Upon hearing the man's complaint, Solomon suggested that the owner of the sheep take the other man's vineyard to repair and cultivate until the vines returned to their former state, whereupon he should return it to its owner. At the same time, the owner of the vineyard would care for the sheep and benefit from their wool and milk until his land was returned to him, at which point he would return the sheep to their owner. Solomon's level of judgement, which the Qur'an says in this particular incident surpassed that of David, would characterize Solomon throughout his life. Wisdom, according to Muslim tradition, would always be associated with Solomon, who would later even be referred to as 'Solomon the Wise'.
When Solomon inherited the position of king over Israel, he prayed to God to grant him a kingdom which would be greater than that of any after him. God accepted Solomon's prayer and gave the prophet what he pleased. It was at this stage that Solomon began to acquire the many gifts that God would bestow upon him throughout his life. The Qur'an narrates that the wind was made subservient to Solomon, and he could control it of his own will, and that the djinn also came under Solomon's control. The djinn helped strengthen Solomon's reign, building for him monuments, houses of worship, artwork, and reservoirs. God also caused a miraculous spring of tar to flow for Solomon, inevitably to be used by the djinn in their construction. Solomon was even taught the languages of various animals, in particular all the birds. The Qur'an recounts that, one day, Solomon and his army entered a valley, where there were many ant colonies. On seeing Solomon and his army, one of the ants warned all the others to "enter your dwellings lest Solomon and his armies crush you, without knowing". Immediately understanding what the ant said, Solomon, as always, prayed to God, thanking Him for bestowing upon him such gifts and further avoided trampling over the ant colonies. Solomon's wisdom, however, was yet another of the gifts he received from God, and Muslims strongly maintain that Solomon never forgot his daily prayer, which, to him, was more important than any of his gifts.
Another important aspect of Solomon's kingship was the size of his army, which consisted of both men and djinn. Solomon would frequently assess his troops and warriors as well as the djinn and all the animals who worked under him. One day, when inspecting his troops, Solomon found the hoopoe missing from the assembly. Shortly later, the hoopoe, however, arrived to Solomon's court, saying "I have been to a territory that you have not been to, and I have come to you from Sheba with true tidings". Thus, the hoopoe informed Solomon about the kingdom of Sheba. He further told the prophet that the people of Sheba worshiped the sun, but that the woman who ruled the kingdom was highly intelligent and powerful. Solomon, who listened closely, chose to write a letter to the land of Sheba, through which he would try to convince the people of Sheba to cease in worshiping the sun and to come to the worship of God. Solomon ordered the hoopoe to give the letter to the Queen of Sheba, but to hide and observe her reaction. The hoopoe accepted Solomon's orders and flew to give the letter to the Queen of Sheba.


Death of Solomon




According to the Qur'an, the death of Solomon was a lesson to be learned,
Then, when We decreed (Solomon's) death, nothing showed them his death except a little worm of the earth, which kept (slowly) gnawing away at his staff: so when he fell down, the Jinns saw plainly that if they had known the unseen, they would not have tarried in the humiliating Penalty (of their Task).
—Qur'an, sura 34 (Saba), ayah 14
When Solomon was to die, he stood up in prayer holding his cane. There he silently died, but, by God's will, did not fall. He remained in this position, and everyone including the Jinns thought that he was still alive. Finally God ordered a termite to weaken the cane so that the body of Solomon fell. It was thereafter believed that the Jinn (along with all humans) did not know everything and only God had knowledge of all.



THE PROPHET SULAIMAN (peace be upon him)      


The Prophet Sulaiman (Solomon) was the youngest son of the Prophet Dawud (peace be upon him).  He was born at Jerusalem.  The name of his mother was Saba.  As he was a talented fellow with versatile gifts, his father made him his heir.  After the death of Prophet Dawud (peace be upon him) he ascended the throne of Judia on account of his sagacity, power of judgement, right understanding and spiritual insight.  The Holy Qur'an says: "And We verily gave knowledge to Dawud and Sulaiman and they said: praise be to Allah Who has preferred us above many of his believing sons".  (27: I5)



The Prophet Sulaiman Makes Sound Decisions:
The Prophet Sulaiman (peace be upon him) was endowed with the quality of giving sound decision in complicated cases.  Once a dispute arose between two persons.  They were present before the Prophet Dawud (peace be upon him).  One of them said: Sir, the sheep of that person have trampled over my crops.  They have grazed and caused me a considerable loss.  It must be compensated by the owner.  The shepherd was very poor.  He had nothing except sheep and the damage done to the crops exceeded the price of the sheep.  The Prophet Dawud (peace be upon him) ordered the defaulter to give his sheep to the owner of the land as reparation.  Sulaiman, the teen-aged child was listening to the judgement of his father.  He, respectfully, spoke out: Dear father, undoubtedly, your decision is correct but it will be handed over to more appropriate if all the sheep are the plaintiff for the utilisation of their milk and wool only.  The respondent should be directed to render services to the owner of the field until the condition of the damaged fields restores to the normal position.  When it is done, sheep must be given back to the shepherd.  The Prophet Dawud (peace be upon him) appreciated this novel way of awarding justice and the Holy Qur'an speaks very highly of him:

"And Dawud (David) and Sulaiman (Solomon)  when they gave judgement concerning the field, when people's sheep had strayed and browsed therein by night; and We were witnesses to their judgement.  And We made Sulaiman to understand (the case); and unto each of them We gave judgement and knowledge." (21: 78, 79)



Prevalence over Wind:
The Prophet Sulaiman (peace be upon him) inherited many virtues from his illustrious father.  He was endowed with special gifts.  Wind was made subservient to him and he could easily perform long journey in the twinkling of an eye.  The Holy Qur'an affirms:

"And (We made) the wind subservient to Sulaiman whereof the morning course was a month's journey and the course a month's journey." (54:12)

"So We subjected the wind to his power, setting fair by his command withersoever he intended" (38:36)

"And unto Sulaiman We subdued the wind in its raging.  It flows by his order towards the land which We had blessed And of every thing We are aware." (21:81)



The Prophet Dawud Perceives the Speech of the Birds:
The Prophet Sulaiman peace be upon him) was gifted with the knowledge of understanding the speech of birds, animals and insects.  He was also capable to talk to them.  The Holy Qur'an testifies to it in the following Verses:

"He (Sulaiman) said: O' People! We have been taught the language of the birds and have been given (abundance) of all things; this is indeed grace manifest (from Allah)."



Jinns are Subdued to Him:
He was also given the power over Jinns and Devils.  He utilized them in his service.   They carried out his orders ungrudgingly and were punished when they became refractory The Holy Qur'an affirms:

034.012 And to Solomon (We made) the Wind (obedient): Its early morning (stride)
was a month's (journey), and its evening (stride) was a month's (journey); and We
made a Font of molten brass to flow for him; and there were Jinns that worked in
front of him, by the leave of his Lord, and if any of them turned aside from our
command, We made him taste of the Penalty of the Blazing Fire.

034.013 They worked for him as he desired, (making) arches, images, basons as large
as reservoirs, and (cooking) cauldrons fixed (in their places): "Work ye, sons of
David, with thanks! but few of My servants are grateful!"

In another Verse the Holy Qur'an says: "And before Sulaiman were marshalled his hosts--of Jinns, and men and birds and they were all in order and ranks." (21: 17)

It is stated that the Jinns were subjugated to the Prophet Sulaiman (peace be upon him) to help him in the construction of the Holy Temple - Baitul Muqaddas (Masjid Aqsa).



Ardent Lover of Horses:
The Prophet Sulaiman (peace be upon him) was also a great lover of horses.  They constituted an essential part of his army.  When they returned after a mission, he would give them strokes of affections on ankles and necks.  The Prophet Sulaiman (peace be upon him) did so in approbation of their loyalty and high speed.



The Incident of the Queen of Saba:
The area which now comprises Yemen and is known as Saba was ruled by a queen.  It was a prosperous kingdom.  The queen enabled its people to attain a high degree of civilisation.  One day Hud informed the Prophet Sulaiman (peace be upon him) of the flourishing kingdom of Saba.  It said:

"The ruler of Saba is the queen upon whom, God has bestowed His unlimited favours.   Her throne is magnificent.  She is depraved.  The inhabitants of her kingdom worship the sun and the moon.  They do not make obeisance to Allah and refrain from thanking Him Who has created all these objects." Sulaiman, the Prophet of Allah and the King wrote a letter and handed over to Hud to be conveyed to the queen of Saba.  He warned her not to be arrogant of her power.  He advised her to submit to God and abide by His Commandments.  The queen read this letter and was much puzzled.  As she was a prudent lady, she called her chiefs and sought their counsels.   Some proud chiefs suggested to fight tooth and nail against the Prophet Sulaiman (peace be upon him) whereas the others left the matter for her to decide.  The Holy Qur'an says:

''She said: O' chiefs! Advise me in this affair for I never decide an affair until you are in my presence.  They said: We are endowed with strength and ale possessors of mighty powers  but the command is thine.  Therefore see what you will command." (27:29-33)

The queen did not like to embroil her country into war because it would cause destruction.  She thought of a plan and arranged for precious gifts for the monarch.   She planned to germinate cordial relations and pacify her warlike subjects by using this device.  But wealth had no value for the Prophet Sulaiman (peace be upon him).   He was annoyed at the delivery of the presents.  He returned them with harsh words and said to the messenger:

"I do not hanker after wealth.  I, therefore, attach no importance to there Costly gifts.  I wish that the queen and his followers should submit to God and follow the true faith.  I shall invade your country if the queen does not come to me in submission.''

After some time the King marched with an army and passed through the Valley of Ants on his way to the kingdom of Saba.  In the Valley he overheard the conversation among the terrified ants who hurried towards their holes for fear of being crushed under the feet of the marching army.  The King was moved to pity and learnt the lesson to protect the life and honour of the humble creatures.  He thought that the queen and his people are just like humble ants.  They should not be trampled upon and killed to win Fame in the world.  An account of this incident is related in the following Verses:

"At length when they came to a valley of ants, one of the ants said: 0' ants! Get into your holes lest Sulaiman and his hosts crush you without knowing it.   Thereupon he smiled at her speech and he said: 0' my Lord! So order the that I may be grateful for Your favours which You have bestowed upon me and my father and that I may work the righteousness that will please Thee and admit me by Your grace into the ranks of Your righteous servants.'' (27: 18, 19)

The King did not proceed further because he did not like the massacre which would result in case of clash between two armies.  His aim was to reform the queen and the inhabitants of Saba.  He desired to bring them to the right path.  He wished to save the depraved people from seduction.

When the queen got wind of an expected attack of the Prophet Sulaiman (peace be upon him) she proceeded towards him to patch up differences.  When the King came to know of her departure, he ordered one of the Jinns to bring the magnificent throne of the queen in the twinkling of an eye.  The command was obeyed immediately.  When the queen arrived at the court of Prophet Sulaiman (peace be upon him) after a long journey, she was asked to identify her throne.  She recognised the throne and said:

"I am already aware of your power and majesty.  I have come to you as your submissive servant."

The Holy Qur'an states:

"So when she arrived she was asked: Is it your throne? She said: It was just like this and we were given the knowledge before it and we were already submissive and he diverted her from the worship of others besides Allah, for she was Sprung of a people that have no faith." (7:4L, 43)

The queen was taken to the lofty palace.  Its floor was made of slabs of polished glass that deceived the eyes and looked like water.  The queen tucked up her shirt to pass through it.  She was reminded that that was not water.  She then realised that reality did not lay at the surface and it needed eyes to see.  According to the Holy Qur'an she said:

"O' my Lord! I have indeed wronged myself; I do submit with Sulaiman to the Lord of the Worlds." (27:45)

The queen of Saba felt penitence and accepted the religion of God.   The Prophet Sulaiman (peace be upon him) ruled for thirty years.  He died at the age of eighty-nine years.  After his death Rohoboam, his son became a king.   He led a luxurious life and yielded to pleasure seeking temptations.  The people revolted against him and soon the glorious chapter of the reign of Prophet Dawud's family came to an end.