The Prophet Sulayman (AS)
[Soloman]

(Taken from Stories of the Prophets by Muhammad Sadeq Rahmati)
Ansariyan Publications
P.O.B. 37185/187 QUM
Islamic Republic of Iran
    Hadhrat Daud (as) was a prophet of Allah (swt) and a king.  He had nineteen sons and every one of them wanted to inherit his throne.  He agreed with one of his wives to nominate their eldest son to the throne.  Allah (swt) commanded him not to appoint anyone, but to wait for His order.

    One day, he was asked to decide in a dispute between Elia, who was a cultivator, and his neighbour, Yohanna, who was a herdsman.  Elia complained that the sheep belonging to Yohanna had grazed in his cornfield and had eaten the vegetables, causing him a great loss.  Yohanna admitted that it had happened at night while he was asleap.  By the command of Allah (swt), Prophet Daud called all his sons and told them that whoever decided the case correctly, would become his heir.

    Sulayman, who was the youngest son, ruled that Yohanna would have to surrender to Elia the milk and the wool that he would obtain from his sheep during that year.  Prophet Daud (as) asked him how he had decided in this manner.

    Sulayman replied, "The sheep did not eat the plants, but only the fruits; thus only the produce from the sheep should make up for the loss." 

    Allah (swt) informed the Prophet Daud (as) that the ruling given by Sulayman was the best and he should be made his heir.  Daud (as) gathered all his sons in the presence of the learned people and chiefs of tribes and declared, by Allah's command, Sulayman to be a prophet of Allah (swt) and his heir to the throne. 

    Prophet Daud (as) died and Sulayman (as) became a king at the age of thirteen.   

    Once, the Prophet Sulayman said that he would have a son from each of his wives.  Since he did not leave the fulfillment of his desire upon the will of Allah (swt) by saying in sha Allah, only one of his wives bore him a child, and even then, it was stillborn.  When Sulayman (as) realized his mistake, he became very sorry and asked Allah (swt) to forgive him and to grant him a kingdom which no one else would have after him.  Allah (swt) accepted these prayers and granted him a mighty kingdom.

    He also gave him power over the jinns, birds, animals, and the wind.  They all had to obey his orders.  Allah (swt) also taught Sulayman (as) the languages of every living creature on earth.

    At the command of Sulayman (as), they built huge temples, fortresses, towers, palaces made of glass, large basins of water reserves, and immovable cooking pots.

    Once, Prophet Sulayman (as) and his army of jinns and animals were passing over the valley of the ants.  Seeing the pomp and glory of the army, the chief of the ants alerted all the ants to get into their holes so that the army would not trample over them.  With the help of the wind, Prophet Sulayman (as) heard what the chief of the ants had said.  He smiled and ordered his army not to move forward until the ants had got into their holes.

    He then addressed the chief of the ants, "How could my army harm you and your kind when we were passing well above you in the air?  And don't you know that I am the prophet of Allah and would never hurt anyone unjustly?"

    The ant replied, "O Prophet of Allah, I did not warn them because of any harm that they would suffer, but I was afraid they would forget the glory of Allah (swt) after seeing your army."

    In spite of his wealth, glory, and vast empire, Prophet Sulayman remained a humble and devoted servant of Allah (swt).  he spent his nights in prayers and fasted during the days.  He used his power and might only in the way of Allah (swt) to bring humankind to the right path.  For his livelihood, he used to make baskets and sell them in the market; and with the money he obtained, he bought food and shared it with the poor.

    One day, when he was inspecting the birds, he noticed that a bird called Hudhud was not present.  He said, "Where is Hudhud?  I will punish him severely if he remains absent without a good reason."

    Shortly after that, Hudhud arrived and told Prophet Sulayman (as) that he had flown over the land of Saba (Sheba) where he had seen a beautiful woman ruling over the people.  Her name was Bilqees.  She had plenty of wealth, a strong army and a throne made of gold, diamonds and other precious stones.  He saw her and the people worshipping the sun, instead of Allah (swt).

    Prophet Sulayman (as) was very pleased with Hudhud and gave him a letter to deliver to Bilqees.  Hudhud flew to the land of Saba and dropped the letter in the lap of Bilqees while she was in the palace. 

    When Bilqees received the letter, she called her advisors and said, "I have received an honourable letter from Sulayman.  It begins In the name of Allah, the beneficent, the merciful and it reads,

    Accept Allah (swt) and worship only Him.  I am his prophet, believe in what I say and accept my command.

    She then asked her advisors to advise her as to what she shuld do.  They replied, "We are very strong and have a powerful army to fight against Sulayman, but the decision is yours and we will obey your order."

    Bilqees was wise and decided not to fight Prophet Sulayman (as).  Instead, she sent him valuable gifts to see what he would do.  When the messangers of Bilqees arrived in the land of Prophet Sulayman (as) and saw his glory and his wealth, they were struck with wonder.  They thought the gifts they had brought were worthless.

    Prophet Sulayman (as) became very angry when he was presented with the gifts and said, "What!  Do you offer me wealth?  What Allah (swt) has given me is more superior to all the wealth on this earth.  Go back to your queen with her gifts and tell her that I will soon march to conquer her land with a huge army."

    When Bilqees heard what had happened, she decided to surrender herself to Prophet Sulayman (as) and make preparations to go meet him.

    Meanwhile, on the orders of Prophet Sulayman (as), a palace of glass was built in honor of Bilqees.  Even the floor was made of glass and water was put under it with different kinds of fish.  The whole floor looked like a pool of water without the glass showing on top.

    Sulayman (as) then asked who could bring the throne of Bilqees to him.  A jinn stepped forward and said, "I will bring the throne before you rise from your seat."  One man, who was given a little spiritual knowledge by Allah (swt), said, "I will bring it in the twinkling of an eye."  When Prophet Sulayman (as) saw the throne before him, he praised Allah (swt) and thanked Him for His favours.

    When Bilqees arrived, she was amazed to see her throne and realized what power Allah (swt) had given to Prophet Sulayman (as).  She then entered the palace through the courtyard whose floor was made of glass.  Thinking that it was a pool of water, she raised her clothes to pass through it.  When Prophet Sulayman (as) informed her what it was, she was overwhelmed with wonder and accepted him to be a prophet of Allah (swt).  She said, "O Lord, I have wronged myself in worshipping the sun instead of you.  I therefore give in myself with Sulayman to You, the Lord of the Worlds."

    Prophet Sulayman (as) then married Bilqees and thereafter she returned to her land, where he cisited her frequently.  The people of Saba who were sun-worshippers, were converted to believe in Allah (swt) and to worship none other than Him.

  One day, Prophet Sulayman (as), with the staff in his hand, was viewing the kingdom around him, when he saw a young man approaching him.  He was surprised and asked him, "Who are you and who gave you permission to enter the palace?"

    The visitor replied, "I have come in with the permission of Allah (swt), the owner of the universe.  I am the angel of death and Allah has sent me to take your life away."

    Prophet Sulayman (as) said, "Then discharge your duty."

    While Prophet Sulayman (as) stood leaning on his staff, his soul left him.  His body remained standing for such a long time that the people and the jinns believed him to have become a spirit or a magician.  They carried on with the work entrusted to them by Prophet Sulayman, until Allah (swt) caused the ants to eat away the staff he was leaning on and his body fell to the ground.  Prophet Sulayman ruled for forty years and died at the age of fifty-three.

 

Back to Contents