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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 utilised them in his
service. They carried out his orders ungrudgingly and were punished when
they became refractory The Holy Qur'an affirms:
"We gave (Sulaiman) certain of the Jinns who worked before him by the
permission of his Lord. And such of them as deviated from Our command, We
caused to taste the punishment of flaming fire to them. They made for him
what he willed; synagogues, images, basin-like reservoirs and cooking
cauldrons fixed into the ground. Give thanks, 0' House of David! Few of my
bondsmen are thankful." (24: 12, 13)
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. |
