15. The Story of Prophet Sulaymān

15. The Story of Sulaymānعليه السالم

We will start with the story of Sayyidnā Sulaymān عليه السالم . Allāh ﷻ says,

And (remember) Dāwūd (David) and Sulaymān (Solomon), when they gave judgement in the case of the field in which the sheep of certain people had pastured at night and We were witness to their judgement.(Al-Ambiyā – 21:78) These were two neighbours; one of them had a farm, and the other one had sheep. The owner of the sheep forgot to lock his gate at night-time, so the sheep went into the farm, and they enjoyed themselves, and they destroyed everything in the farm. The owner of the farm wakes up in the morning and sees that his farm is eaten by his neighbour’s goats or sheep. They went to Sayyidnā Dāwūd to ask him to give his Hukum – his judgment. Sayyidnā Dāwūd listened to both sides, and his Hukum was – his judgment was, that the owner of the farm takes over the sheep, because it was due to the carelessness of the owner of the sheep. The owner of the sheep should give up his sheep to the owner of the farm, as a compensation. ‘You damaged his farm, give up the sheep. Give it to him.’

Sayyidnā Sulaymān عليه السالم  was outside of the court. When they came out, he asked them what happened. They told him what the Hukum was. Sayyidnā Sulaymān took them back and he told his father, “I have another Hukum. My Hukum is that the owner of the sheep should give the owner of the farm, the sheep. The owner of the farm will keep the sheep with him, and make use of their milk, will drink from the milk, while the owner of the sheep fixes the farm. And as soon as the farm is fixed and returned to its normal state that it was in, then the owner of the sheep takes back his sheep again.” So, the Fatwa of Sayyidnā Sulaymān is, that the sheep are given to the owner of the farm for a while, so that he can live off the milk of the sheep, while the owner of the sheep fixes the problems caused by his sheep. As soon as the problem is fixed, and the farm is back to the state it was before, then he takes his sheep, and the owner of the farm goes back to his farm. And Sayyidnā Dāwūd realized that this is the right Hukum, so he ap- proved it. And Allāh ﷻ says in Qur’ān,

And We made Sulaymān (Solomon) to understand (the case).(Al-Ambiyā – 21:79)

‘We gave the right understanding to Sulaimān.’ Judgment in court – Al- Qadhā, it’s not a matter of only knowing the law, because both, Dāwūd and Sulaymān know the law. We cannot say, that Sayyidnā Dāwūd did not know the Hukum, did not know the law, did not know the Sharī’ah. They both knew the law, but to apply the law, to apply the law in situations; that is where people are different according to their understanding.

Now, Allāh ﷻ makes it clear to us that both of them had the understanding in applying the Sharī’ah of Allāh ﷻ. So Allāh ﷻ, after He said, “Fafahhamnāhā Sulaymāna,” Allāh ﷻ says,

And to each of them We gave Hukman (right judgement of the affairs and Prophethood) and knowledge.(Al-Ambiyā – 21:79)

Both, Dāwūd and Sulaimān, had the knowledge and had the right judgment. It is just that Allāh ﷻ gave this understanding to Sulaimān in these situations. And where was Sulaimān learning anyway? Who was training him? It was his father. I mean, he was learning from his father, but sometimes the son can be better than the father in some things. But both of them, Dāwūd and Sulaimān, Allāh ﷻ blessed them with the law of Allāh and the ability to apply it. And this point, I’ll mention it again: not everyone who has the understanding of the law, know how to apply it. You could have memorized all of the laws, all of the books of Fiqh, or all of the books of Hadīth, but you might not know how to apply it. This is a Mowhibah – it’s a gift from Allāh ﷻ to some people; that they have the ability to apply the law in real situations.

And this is something that some of the Sahāba were better than others in, and they excelled. Like, for example, Sayyidnā ‘Alī bin Abī Tālib was famous among the Sahāba as being a very wise judge. And ‘Umar bin Khattāb used to get assistance from ‘Alī ibn Abī Tālib, and he would appoint him as a judge. This is an understanding that Allāh ﷻ gives to the people.

There’s another case that was presented to Sayyidnā Dāwūd, and this is in a Hadīth narrated by Al-Bukhārī.(Sahih al-Bukhari 3426, 3427,6769, – Sahih Muslim 1720, – Sunan an-Nasa’i 5402) Two women disputed. What happened is, these two women were shepherds. So, they went out with their sheep, and they had their infants. The infants were the same age. And they left their infants somewhere, and they went, talking or maybe shepherding. A wolf came and ate one of the infants. When the women came back, and they found that one of the infants is eaten, both of them claimed that the infant who is alive belongs to them. Every one of them is saying, “He is my son!” And they fought with each other, and they couldn’t solve the problem. They went to Sayyidnā Dāwūd.

Sayyidnā Dāwūd listened to both sides of the story. He made the judgment that the child should go to the eldest of them – Al-Kubra. When they were leaving from the court, Sayyidnā Sulaymān asked them what happened. They told him what happened. Sayyidnā Sulaymān said, “Get me the child.” And he said, “Bring me a knife.” So, the women said, “What do you want to do with the knife?” Sayyidnā Sulaymān said, “If you’re not able to solve the problem, and know who this child belongs to, I’m going to split the child in two, between you.” The youngest woman immediately said, “No! It belongs to her! It’s her son!” Sulaymān عليه السالم  used a surprise against these two women because he knew that the mother would not want this to happen to her child, and reaction would immediately show on her. So Sayyidnā Sulaymān, by this, was able to tell that the youngest one is the mother, the one who said, “No, it belongs to the eldest one.” Because she wanted to save her son, so she said, “No. It belongs to her.” Sayyidnā Sulaymān said, “Then you take the child.” And he gave it back to the youngest among them. Rasūlullāh ﷺ says, ‘Sayyidnā Sulaymān عليه السالم  inherited his father, Dāwūd.’ Allāh ﷻ says,

And indeed We gave knowledge to Dāwūd and Sulaimān (Solomon).(An-Naml – 27:15) Knowledge is one of the things that we could become proud with. And it is similar to money; we always tend to give credit to our hard work. ‘I am successful because I studied hard’, or ‘I’m rich because I worked hard.’ But with anything, whether it is money, wealth, or knowledge, all of the credit goes back to Allāh ﷻ. It is Allāh ﷻ who made it possible for you to study. It is Allāh ﷻ who made it possible for you to work hard. Allāh ﷻ could have inflicted you with a disease, and no matter how hard a worker you are, you wouldn’t be able to do anything. So, it’s a Tawfīq from Allāh ﷻ. Allāh ﷻ is the one who made it possible for you to do this.

Sayyidnā Dāwūd and Sulaymān, were at the highest levels of knowledge in their time; nobody else had more knowledge than they did, nobody had more understanding than they did. They were the Ambiyā of Allāh ﷻ.

Allāh ﷻ says that “We gave them knowledge.” What was their response? Allāh ﷻ says,

And they both said: “All the praises and thanks be to Allāh, Who has preferred us above many of His believing slaves!”(An-Naml – 27:15)

So, the blessing is from Allāh ﷻ, and Allāh ﷻ is the One Who is thanked. And the issue of thanking is a very, very important ‘Ibādah.

Ibn Al-Qayyim says, that there are two wings for the bird; one of them is Shukur and one of them is Sabr. We have to have these two wings; on one side we have thanks, and on one side we are patient. If anything good happens to us, we thank Allāh ﷻ. If anything bad happens to us, we have patience. Allāh ﷻ says,

And Sulaymān (Solomon) inherited (the knowledge of) Dāwūd (David).(An-Naml – 27:16)

What did Sulaimān inherit from his father? He inherited from him: An- Nubūwwāh – Prophethood and Kingdom. It is not the wealth, because Al- Ambiyā do not leave behind wealth. What they leave behind is Sadaqāh, but it is the kingdom, and it is the Nubūwwāh – the Prophethood.

15.1 Sayyidnā Sulaymān عليه السالم Goes Through Some Tests

Allāh ﷻ tested Sayyidnā Sulaymān عليه السالم  with some tests.

Allāh ﷻ says, When there were displayed before him, in the afternoon, well traine horses of the highest breed [for Jihād (fighting in Allāh Cause)].(Sād – 38:31)

This was like an army parade in front of Sayyidnā Sulaymān, to show his army. So, they were marching the horses in front of him, and he was inspecting the horses. When he was inspecting the horses, he got busy with that, and the time of Salāh passed and he missed the Salāh.

And he said: “Alas! I did love the good (these horses) instead of remembering my Lord (in my ‘Asr prayer)” till the time was over, and (the sun) had hidden in the veil (of night).(Sād – 38:32)

Sulaymān was expecting these horses, and the time of Maghrib came, before he prayed ‘Asr; so, he missed ‘Asr. The next Āyah says,

Then he said “Bring them (horses) back to me.” Then he began to pass his hand over their legs and their necks (till the end of the display).(Sād – 38:33)

There are two opinions given in the Tafsīr of this Āyah, and both of them are nothing more than opinions; there’s no strong Hadīth, or evidence that either one of them is right, or maybe if both of them could be wrong. The two opinions are: one of them is that Sayyidnā Sulaimān passed his hands over the horses as an honouring for these horses of Jihād.

The other opinion is that Sayyidnā Sulaymān was upset, because the horses were the cause of distracting him from Salāh, so he cut off their necks and killed them. Ibn Jarīr At-Tabari refuses to accept the second opinion because he says, “How come Sayyidnā Sulaymān would blame the horses, who are innocent for this?” So, there’s no way to choose any one of the opinions. And then the first opinion, what does it mean by ‘passing his hand over them? But the lesson that we learn from the Āyah is clear, and first of all, we believe in the Āyāt of Allāh ﷻ. And the lesson is clear, that Allāh ﷻ was testing him and this test did also happen to Rasūlullāh ﷺ in one of the battles. Rasūlullāh ﷺ was busy with fighting and they missed the Salāh, and Rasūlullāh ﷺ says, “May Allāh curse them,” or “May Allāh fight them. They have distracted us from Salāh.”(Sunan Ibn Mājah 684, – Sunan an-Nasā’i 473, – Sahīh Muslim 627, – Sahīh alBukhārī 2931, 4111, 6396) And Rasūlullāh ﷺ could not pray until the sun has already set.

Some of the ‘Ulamā derive a Hukum from this; that if the battle ground allows you to pray Salāt Al-Khawf, then pray Salāt Al-Khawf. In case the fighting is so vicious and tough, and you’re not even able to pray Salāt Al- Khawf, then you can delay it and pray it when the battle is over. This is a Hukum that some of the ‘Ulamā derived from this Hadīth.

Another test happened to Sayyidnā Sulaymān. Allāh ﷻ says,

And, indeed We did try Sulaymān (Solomon) and We placed on his throne Jasadan (a devil, so he lost his kingdom for a while) but he did return (to his throne and kingdom by the Grace of Allāh and he did return) to Allāh with obedience and in repentance.(Sād – 38:34)

There is a Hadīth that is Sahīh, which could explain what this Āyah means. Rasūlullāh ﷺ says, ‘Sayyidnā Sulaymān عليه السالم  said that he will pass by all of his 70 wives.’ In other Hadīth it is 90, and this Hadīth is Sahīh in Bukhārī. So, he’s going to sleep with every one of his wives, and he did that with the intention of all of the children that will be born, they will fight in the sake of Allāh ﷻ. He wants to have Mujāhidīn, so he decided that he will sleep with every one of his wives, so that she could give birth to a Mujāhid in the sake of Allāh ﷻ. His associate told him, “Inshā’Allāh.” Sayyidnā Sulaymān عليه السالم  did not say ‘Inshā’Allāh’, and he went ahead and slept with every one of the wives, none of them became pregnant, except one of them. And then she delivered half a child, somehow it was mutilated, and only half of the child was remaining, and it was a dead body.” (Sahīh al-Bukhārī 2819, 3424, 5242, 6639, 6720, 7469, – Sahīh Muslim 1654 e, – Sunan an-Nasā’i 3831)

And this is the meaning of the Āyah, “We tested Sayyidnā Sulaymān.” It is a trial from Allāh ﷻ. “Wa ‘Alqaynā `Alá Kursīyihi Jasadāan – We threw on his throne, a dead body. Thumma ‘Anāba – then he returned to Allāh.”

It’s a test from Allāh ﷻ for him, to say Inshā’Allāh. And therefore, whenever we want to do something in the future, we always need to tie it to the will of Allāh ﷻ because nothing can happen if Allāh ﷻ does not will.

Sayyidnā Sulaymān عليه السالم , as Allāh ﷻ says, returned to Allāh ﷻ – Thumma ‘Anāba. Allāh ﷻ says,

He said: “My Lord! Forgive me, and bestow upon me a kingdom such as shall not belong to any other after me: Verily, You are the Bestower.”(Sād – 38:35)

15.2 The Miracles of Sayyidnā Sulaymān عليه السالم

Sayyidnā Sulaymān said, “Oh Allāh, forgive me.” And after he asked Allāh ﷻ for forgiveness, he made a Du’ā. He said, “Oh Allāh, give me a kingdom that will occur to nobody else after me. My Lord, forgive me, and bestow upon me a kingdom such as shall not belong to any other after me. Verily You are the Bestower.” Sayyidnā Sulaymān is not asking for kingdom for the sake of kingdom, that is not the action of the Ambiyā. Sayyidnā Sulaymān is asking for a kingdom that will be a miracle, that would be his miracle. So, the miracle of Sayyidnā Sulaymān would be his kingdom. Because every Nabī, Allāh ﷻ gives him a miracle. Sayyidnā Sulaymān asked Allāh ﷻ to give him a kingdom that will be unique, different from any other, and that would be the miracle of Sulaymān, and we will see that it was truly a miracle. And Sayyidnā Sulaymān, no other person, Nabī or not a Nabī, was given a kingdom similar to Sulaymān; the kingdom of Sulaymān was unique.

Allāh ﷻ accepted the Du’ā of Sayyidnā Sulaymān, Allāh ﷻ says,

So, We subjected to him the wind, it blew gently to his order whithersoever he willed.(Sād – 38:36)

And we’re going to talk about some other things in this kingdom, but first, let me read to you this Āyah. Sayyidnā Sulaymān said,

He said: “O mankind! We have been taught the language of birds, and on us have been bestowed all things. This, verily, is an evident grace (from Allāh).”(An-Naml – 27:16) What does “all things” mean?

Some of these things that the Āyāt talk about is, number one: wind. Sayyidnā Sulaymān had control over the wind for a distance of a month. So, he can use wind to travel for him, and accomplish things a distance of a month. That’s the span that Sayyidnā Sulaymān had control over; a distance of a month. That is the area of his control. Number one: control over wind.

And also the Shayātīn (devils) from the jinns (including) every kind of builder and diver.(Sād – 38:37)

Allāh ﷻ made the Shayātīn – the devils, servants with Sayyidnā Sulaymān عليه السالم , and he would command them with whatever order he wants; some of them would dive in the oceans, and some of them would build for him, and there’s other Āyāt that talk about this.

Allāh ﷻ also taught him the language of birds. And we also know from another Āyah, that he knew the language of the ants. And the other Āyah,

And We caused a fount of (molten) brass to flow for him.(Saba’ – 34:12)

This was a fountain, Allāhu A’lam how, but it would flow with brass. We know that his father, Dāwūd عليه السالم , had the ability to mould iron steel. With Sayyidnā Sulaymān, Allāh ﷻ provided him with a fountain of brass; this brass would come out molten, he can mould it in whatever form he wants. Allāh ﷻ says,

And there were Jinn that worked in front of him, by the Leave of his Lord,and whosoever of them turned aside from Our Command, We shall cause him to taste of the torment of the blazing Fire.(Saba’ – 34:12)

Any one of these jinn who would go against the orders of Sulaymān would be punished. Allāh ﷻ says,

They worked for him what he desired, (making) high rooms, images, basins as large as reservoirs, and (cooking) cauldrons fixed (in their places). “Work you, O family of Dāwūd (David), with thanks!” But few of My slaves are grateful.(Saba’ – 34:13)

These are things that the jinn would do for Sayyidnā Sulaymān عليه السالم .

And then Allāh ﷻ says, “A`malū ‘Āla Dāwūda Shukrāan.” Allāh ﷻ, here, is commanding the family of Dāwūd: Dāwūd and his son, to give thanks. But notice here, an important word in the Āyah. What does the Āyah say? “A`malū.” We always think of thanks as a word; to say Alhamdulillāh, but Allāh ﷻ is saying in the Āyah, “And act with thanks – A`malū Shukrāan.” So, thanking Allāh ﷻ is not only through the word, but also through the actions – ‘Amal – A`malū ‘Āla Dāwūda Shukrāan – act with gratitude and thanks to Allāh ﷻ.

So Shukur needs action; you thank Allāh ﷻ through your actions. And then Allāh ﷻ says, “Wa Qalīlun Min `Ibādiya Ash-Shakūru – and only a few of My servants are thankful and grateful.”

Rasūlullāh ﷺ was praying and he started making moves in his Salāh. So, the Sahāba asked Rasūlullāh ﷺ, “What were you doing?” Rasūlullāh ﷺ said, “A Shaitān came in front of my face, and he wanted to distract me from my Salāh.” Shaitān was trying to confuse Rasūlullāh ﷺ in his Qir’āh. Rasūlullāh ﷺ pushed him first, he came back. Pushed him a second time, he came back. Pushed him a third time, the Shaitān came back. Rasūlullāh ﷺ grabbed him and choked him. Rasūlullāh ﷺ said, “I felt his saliva dripping on my hand.” He choked him so hard, and then Rasūlullāh ﷺ said, “And I was about to bring him forward and tie him to a pillar in the masjid so that the kids could play with him; throw things at him, and he’s tied to a pillar.” Rasūlullāh ﷺ said, “But I didn’t do so because I remembered the Du’ā of my brother Sulaymān when he said, ‘Oh Allāh, give me a kingdom that will occur to no one else.’”(Sahīh al-Bukhārī 461, 1210, 3423, – Sahīh Muslim 541a)

What does this mean? Rasūlullāh ﷺ was about to take control of this jinn, this Shaitān, and tie him to the masjid. But the reason why he didn’t do so, is because he remembered that this is something that was unique with Sayyidnā Sulaymān. The control over jinn was something unique given to Sayyidnā Sulaymān; nobody else had the control over the jinn. And that’s why Rasūlullāh ﷺ released the jinn; because he knew that that’s something that belonged to the uniqueness of the Kingdom of Sayyidnā Sulaymān: the control of the wind, the control of the jinn, the ability to speak the language of the bird and the ant; these are some things that were unique with Sayyidnā Sulaymān عليه السالم , and he made a Du’ā to Allāh ﷻ, and Allāh ﷻ promised him that, ‘Your kingdom will be unique’. And that’s the uniqueness of the kingdom of Sayyidnā Sulaymān عليه السالم .

We talked about the Du’ā of Sayyidnā Sulaymān, we would talk about one of the major events, or the accomplishments of Sayyidnā Sulaymān عليه السالم , and that was the rebuilding and the expansion of Al-Masjid Al-Aqsa, the furthest mosque. Contrary to the belief of the Jews, it is not Sulaymān who established the so called ‘temple’. They call it ‘the temple’, it’s not a temple, it’s a masjid. They say Sulaymān is the one who built the temple. They call it Solomon’s temple. No, the Masjid Al-Aqsa was not established by Sulaymān. Who is the one who built it? It was Sayyidnā Ya’qūb عليه السالم . Because in the Hadīth, Rasūlullāh ﷺ is telling Abū Dhār that the first masjid that was built is Al-Masjid Al-Haram – Al-Ka’bah. That was the first house that was built. AbūDhār then said, “And then what next?” Rasūlullāh ﷺ said, “The furthest mosque – Al-Masjid Al-Aqsa.” Rasūlullāh ﷺ said, “And then the furthest mosque, and that was built by Sayyidnā Isrā’īl/ Ya’qūb, and between the time of building Al-Ka’bah and the furthest mosque is 40 years.”(Sunan an-Nasā’ī 690, – Sahīh al-Bukhārī 3366, 3425, – Sunan Ibn Mājah 753) And that is mentioned in the Hadīth.

What Sulaymān did, is that he expanded it or rebuilt it. After he finished the building of Al-Masjid Al-Aqsa, he made a Du’ā to Allāh ﷻ and he asked Allāh ﷻ for three things. Rasūlullāh ﷺ says, “Sulaymān asked Allāh ﷻ for three things, Allāh ﷻ has given him two. Allāh ﷻ granted him two, and we hope that Allāh ﷻ has granted him the third. Sulaymān asked Allāh ﷻ: number one, to give him a Hukum Yusādif Hukmah – to give him judgment that will be the same as the judgment of Allāh ﷻ.” Meaning that Sulaymān asked Allāh ﷻ to make his judgment according to what Allāh ﷻ wants, what pleases Allāh ﷻ. “So, whatever I would judge, that would be the right judgment. That is what Allāh ﷻ is pleased with.” And Rasūlullāh ﷺ says, “Allāh ﷻ has given him that.” He was granted that Du’ā.

The second Du’ā: “And he asked Allāh ﷻ to give him a kingdom that will occur to nobody else, a unique kingdom.” Rasūlullāh ﷺ says, “And Allāh ﷻ has given Sayyidnā Sulaymān, granted him that Du’ā.”

The third Du’ā: Rasūlullāh ﷺ says, “And the third Du’ā of Sayyidnā Sulay- mān, was that, if any man leaves his home with no intention other than praying in Al-Masjid Al-Aqsa, the furthest mosque, then “Oh Allāh take him out of the masjid as if he has left out with no sins, just like the day he was born.” And Rasūlullāh ﷺ says, “And we ask Allāh ﷻ that He has given him that Du’ā.”(Sunan Ibn Mājah 1408, – Sunan an-Nasā’ī 693)

So, this Du’ā was done by Sayyidnā Sulaymān and it was repeated by Sayyidnā Rasūlullāh ﷺ and we expect that Allāh ﷻ will accept that Du’ā. Therefore, the ‘Ulamā say that if you leave from your home with no intention other than praying in Al-Masjid Al-Aqsa, if you go there and pray two Rak’āh with the sincerity, by the time you leave the door of the Masjid, you would be leaving as if you were born with no sins. So, we ask Allāh ﷻ to grant us a Salāh in Al-Masjid Al-Aqsa, and to free it from Al-Yahūd – the Jewish terrorists who have taken over the third holy site of Islam; Al-Masjid Al-Aqsa.

We ask Allāh ﷻ to free it from their hands, and to give it back to the Ummah of Islam, the Ummah of Muhammad ﷺ.

Allāh ﷻ says, and these Āyāt are from Sūrat Al-Naml. Sūrat An-Naml mentions a portion of the story of Sayyidnā Sulaymān. Allāh ﷻ says,

And there were gathered before Sulaymān his hosts of jinns and men, and birds, and they all were set in battle order (marching forwards).(An-Naml – 27:17)

Wa Ĥushira. ‘Ĥushira’ – means assembled and gathered in one place. Ĥushira – when you have things in different areas and you bring them together, that’s called Hashr. That’s why the Day of Judgment is called Yawm Al-Hashr; because you have people all over the world and you’re bringing them to one place, you’re assembling them together.

Over here, Sulaymān is gathering. Sayyidnā Sulaymān عليه السالم  is gathering his army, and the Āyah says that he has a battalion of men soldiers, and a battalion of jinn, and a squadron of birds. Imagine that army, that Allāh ﷻ put under his command and control; creation which nobody else had control over. So Sayyidnā Sulaymān عليه السالم  had control over the jinn, or at least part of them, or maybe all. Allāhu A’lam.

And he also had control over this army of birds that would join him in his army. Allāhu A’lam what uses he would find for them, but they were part of his army.

“Fahum Yūza`ūna.” Yūza`ūna – because the army is so large, and so huge and vast, and contains thousands or maybe millions of soldiers, they had to have security guards to monitor the army, and to make sure that all the army is there, and we’re not leaving anybody behind. So, they had to have this security around the army to make sure that everyone is moving together because it’s like an ocean moving. They were marching and they came into a valley. This valley was occupied by ants. There are many ants in this valley, and Allāh ﷻ called it Wādin Naml – the valley of ants. There were so many ants living in that valley, it was called the Valley of Ants. They found residence in that valley, and there were millions of them living in it. Sayyidnā Sulaymān عليه السالم  doesn’t know that this is the valley of ants; he was passing through it, his army was marching. Allāh ﷻ says,

Till, when they came to the valley of the ants, one of the ants said: “O ants! Enter your dwellings, lest Sulaymān (Solomon) and his hosts crush you, while they perceive not.”(An-Naml – 27:18)

And when they came across the valley of ants, one of the ants saw the army approaching; it was the first Ant to see the army coming. What would be a natural reaction when you see an army of humans, and jinn, and birds in the air, marching towards you, and you are this small creation, an insect? What would be the natural reaction in such a situation? To run. You would run. Run away from danger. This was not the reaction of the ant. We would expect the natural reaction is, that you would immediately run away from this approaching danger, but the ant didn’t do that, and Subhān’Allāh, we find a lesson. Allāh ﷻ doesn’t mention anything in Qur’ān, except for a reason.

We can have a whole talk about ants, and learn lessons from it, and find that we are lacking in things which this ant and its kingdom had. This ant knew that if it runs away, it’s not going to survive because it’s part of an Ummah, it’s part of a nation, and the survival of that ant depends on the survival of its Ummah because if the Ummah is destroyed, it wouldn’t do the ant any good, even if it’s alive; it’s going to end up dying in the end.

And this is something that every Muslim should learn and realize; that your survival is based on the survival of your Ummah. Never think that you can make it alone, you have to have the support of the Ummah, and you need to take care of the Ummah, and you need to be concerned about the Ummah. If you are not concerned about the Ummah, then realize that you’re dead. If you do not have the concern that this ant had for its Ummah, then know that you are already dead before you even die.

This ant said, “Yā ‘Ayyuhā An-Namlu Adkhulū Masākinakum – Oh you ants, enter into your dwellings!” Allāh ﷻ says, “And one of the ants said: “O ants! Enter your dwellings, lest Sulaymān (Solomon) and his hosts crush you, while they perceive not.”(An-Naml – 27:18) ‘They might crush you.’

So, it gave the advice to the whole Ummah of ants to, “Go down in your dwellings.” So, it fulfilled its responsibility towards its Ummah.

There’s also something else we notice in the end of the Āyah; Wa Hum Lā Yash`urūna – the ant said that Sulaymān and his army would crush you. And what’s worse than killing? I mean, the whole Ummah of the ant could be dead, nevertheless, the ant found an excuse for Sayyidnā Sulaymān and said, “Wa Hum Lā Yash`urūna – and they don’t perceive. So, they don’t know. It didn’t say that “They’re intentionally going to kill us and get rid of us.” It said, “Wa Hum Lā Yash`urūna.” Even though it’s a matter of life and death; ‘We are going to die if we don’t move from this place. Even though we’re going to lose our life, we’re still going to give him an excuse, and we’re going to say that he doesn’t intend to do so’ – Wa Hum Lā Yash`urūna.” The ant is finding an excuse for Sayyidnā Sulaymān in something that is so important; it is an issue of life and death. Sometimes very minor things could happen between us, very minor things, and we wouldn’t find an ex- cuse. In fact, we would try to indict a person, and to accuse a person. Instead of trying to find 70 excuses for the person, we would try to find 70 ways to accuse a person. Over here, it is an issue of life and death, and the ant is still finding an excuse for Sayyidnā Sulaymān and saying, “They don’t perceive so, they don’t know.” These are important things that we can learn from An-Namlah – the ant.

Sayyidnā Sulaymān عليه السالم  understands the language of the ants, and he heard what the ant said. Allāh ﷻ says,

So he [Sulaymān (Solomon)] smiled, amused at her speech.(An-Naml – 27:19)

When he heard this announcement from the ants, he smiled. This is a skill that Allāh ﷻ has given Sayyidnā Sulaymān; the ability to understand the language of the birds and the ants. He attributed the credit and the thanks to Allāh ﷻ.

And said: “My Lord! Inspire and bestow upon me the power and ability that I may be grateful for Your Favours which You have bestowed on me and on my parents, and that I may do righteous good deeds that will please You.”(An-Naml 27:19) “Oh Allāh, give me the ability to thank You, and be grateful for what You have given me.”

We, the Ummah of Muhammed ﷺ are the followers of the Ambiyā, and we inherited all of the valid teachings of the Prophets of Allāh ﷻ, in the form of the stories of Qur’ān and the stories of Hadīth, and all of the falsifications that were attributed to the Prophets, and they are free from. Alhamdulillāh, in the religion of Islam, with the protection of Allāh ﷻ for the Book of Islam, none of these crept into the religion. So, the valid teachings of the Ambiyā, whether we’re talking about ‘Īsā, or Mūsā, or Dāwūd, or Sulaymān, or Nūh, or Hūd or Sālih; their teachings are given to us through Qur’ān. And we follow the Sunan of the Ambiyā. We just talked about, for example, in Hajj, Rasūlullāh ﷺ was standing in Hajj and he said, “Stand on your Mashā’ir”, Mashā’ir are the places of worship, “because you are following, or you are on the inheritance of your father ‘Ibrāhīm.” (Sunan an-Nasā’i 3014, – Sunan Abī Dāwūd 1919, – Jāmi’ at-Tirmidhi 883)

These are things we inherited from Sayyidnā ‘Ibrāhīm عليه السالم . Over here, we find an important Sunnah; whenever Allāh ﷻ blesses you with a skill or blesses you with any Ni’mah, whether it is wealth, or intelligence, or any ability, whenever Allāh ﷻ gives you this Ni’mah, always thank Allāh ﷻ for it. And whenever something good happens to you due to that skill, then immediately follow it with Hamd. For example, when you pass an exam, the first reaction should not be jumping up and down and happiness. The first reaction should be: Alhamdulillāh. If your business goes well, the first reaction should be, not to say, “MāshāAllāh, I’m a very intelligent and wise businessman.” The first reaction, should be what? Alhamdulillāh! If Allāh ﷻ has given you knowledge and you were able to benefit someone with this knowledge, and you notice that knowledge that Allāh ﷻ given you, and you notice the fruits of that knowledge on somebody else, say Alhamdulillāh. If Allāh ﷻ has given you money and you have given away that money in the form of Sadaqāh, immediately after you give the Sadaqāh, say Alhamdulillāh.

Follow up every Ni’mah that Allāh ﷻ has given you with Shukr! That is the least that we could do to be grateful to Allāh ﷻ for what He has given us.

And said: “My Lord! Inspire and bestow upon me the power and ability that I may be grateful for Your Favours which You have bestowed on me and on my parents, and that I may do righteous good deeds that will please You, and admit me by Your Mercy among Your righteous slaves.”(An-Naml – 27:19) A beautiful Du’ā that we could remember: “Rabbi ‘Awzi`nī ‘An ‘Ashkura Ni`mataka Allatī ‘An`amta `Alayya Wa `Alá Wa A-Dayya Wa ‘An ‘A`mala Şāliĥāan Tarđāhu Wa ‘Adkhilnī Biraĥmatika Fī `Ibādika Aş-Şāliĥīna.

Let’s go back to the Āyah we talked about earlier. Allāh ﷻ says,

And there were gathered before Sulaymān his hosts of jinns and men, and birds, and they all were set in battle order (marching forwards).(An-Naml – 27:17)

And the army of Sulaymān was assembled: the humans, the soldiers, the men and the jinn and the birds; huge army. Keep this in mind, and then let’s look at the next Āyah.

He inspected the birds, and said: “What is the matter that I see not the hoopoe? Or is he among the absentees?”(An-Naml – 27:20)

Al-Hudhud is a bird, hoopoe. We’ll call it a bird. Sulaymān was inspecting his army, his army of thousands or maybe millions, this huge army which Allāh ﷻ said, “Fahum Yūza`ūna,” and he noticed the absence of one bird. We find an important tip for leaders in this. Sayyidnā Sulaymān was a king; he could spend his time in a palace, but he was there in the battlefield, inspecting the army, and he was able to notice the absence of one bird. One bird out of many. ‘Mā Lī Lā ‘Ará Al-Hud/huda ‘Am Kāna Mina Al-Ghā’ibīna.’ So, as I said, this might be a good tip or important lesson for anybody who’s in a position of leadership; to be able to realize the responsibility that they have towards the followers. He didn’t find Al-Hudhud, so he said,

“I will surely punish him with a severe torment, or slaughter him, unless he brings me a clear reason.”(An-Naml – 27:21)

The Hudhud was absent. Sayyidnā Sulaymān said, number one, ‘I would punish him a severe punishment, or slaughter him. If the sin is greater, then I would slaughter him. The bird is dead, unless the bird presents me with a clear reason for being absent.’ You find here that the rule is very strict. Sulaymān didn’t say, ‘I would let the bird go.’ It’s either punishment, and then he said, “Adhābāan Shadīdāan” – it’s not only punishment, but severe. The second option is execution – ‘Aw La’adhbaĥannahu, unless the bird brings me with a clear reason. The reason why the law over here is strict, is because here, we’re dealing with what? We’re dealing with a military situation. This is army.

And if we look at the Sīrah of Rasūlullāh ﷺ, we would find then when Rasūlullāh ﷺ is in the battlefield and going to Jihād, the rules are strict. It’s a military order. It’s different than the rule in Medina. I’ll give an example. In the Battle of Tabūk, Rasūlullāh ﷺ said, “Only one with strong transportation should follow us,” because the Battle of Tabūk, in that battle they’re going to be crossing the long deserts of Arabia. They’re going to go all the way until the North, passing Sahra An-Nufūd, which is a very rigid and tough environment, and it’s a long way. Rasūlullāh ﷺ said, “Nobody should come with us unless their camel is strong. If your camel is weak, don’t come because you’re putting yourself in danger.”

One of the soldiers of the army really wanted to go out and fight in the sake of Allāh ﷻ. He disobeyed the order, and he came on a very weak camel, and he followed Rasūlullāh ﷺ on that weak camel. Rasūlullāh ﷺ has given clear orders; “Don’t come if you have a weak camel.” That man disobeyed the order. What happened is, his camel fell down and the man died, because the camel was weak, it couldn’t withhold this difficult situation, so the camel fell down and this soldier fell off the camel and died.

The Sahāba were saying, ”Ash-Shahīd! Ash-Shahīd! He became a Shahīd. He died in the sake of Allāh ﷻ.” Rasūlullāh ﷺ said, “Don’t say he’s Shahīd! He has disobeyed my orders.” He’s not a Shahīd because he disobeyed the order of Rasūlullāh ﷺ.

Let’s look at a similar situation in Medina. The mother of Anas ibn Mālik, brought her son Anas to Rasūlullāh ﷺ and said, “I’m giving you away my son to be your servant.” The Sahāba of Rasūlullāh ﷺ, they wanted to serve Rasūlullāh ﷺ with their own lives. They would give their lives for Rasūlullāh ﷺ. This mother came and she brought her son Anas ibn Mālik and said, “Take my son to be your servant.” So, he would serve Rasūlullāh ﷺ. One day, Rasūlullāh ﷺ told him, “Go out and buy me something,” and he gave Anas ibn Mālik some money. Anas ibn Mālik went to the market; he was still young. On the way, he saw some children playing, so he took a turn and went to play with the kids and forgot about the order of Rasūlullāh ﷺ. And time was dragging, and he was playing, and then Rasūlullāh ﷺ was waiting and waiting. Anas ibn Mālik didn’t come back. Rasūlullāh ﷺ went out looking for him, he found him playing with the kids. He told him, “What happened?” Anas ibn Mālik remembered the order of Rasūlullāh ﷺ. He was checking his pockets, he found that he lost the money. Rasūlullāh ﷺ told him, “Continue playing. Continue playing.” Rasūlullāh ﷺ forgave Ana’s ibn Mālik; he lost the money; he didn’t bring what Rasūlullāh ﷺ told him to bring. Rasūlullāh ﷺ told him, “Continue to play.”(Sahih Muslim 2309, 2310)

The more severe the situation, the stricter the rules are going to be, because in a military situation, in the army, it is a more severe situation, so the rules are stricter. And we find that the Muslims lost in the Battle of Uhud because of one rule that was broken.

Allāh ﷻ says, But the hoopoe stayed not long, he (came up and) said: “I have grasped (the knowledge of a thing) which you have not grasped and I have come to you from Saba’ (Sheba) with true news.”(An-Naml – 27:22)

The hoopoe, the bird, came back, and it came back with news. Faqāla ‘Aĥaţtu Bimā Lam Tuĥiţ Bihi – I have grasped knowledge which you have not grasped. This bird is telling Sayyidnā Sulaymān عليه السالم  that, “I have grasped knowledge, I came over knowledge that you don’t have.”

A statement like this cannot be said to many kings in the world today. If you say that, you’re dead. If you say that, “I have knowledge that you don’t have,” you could be dead. But Sayyidnā Sulaymān عليه السالم , a Nabī of Allāh ﷻ, with the humbleness of the Ambiyā, Sayyidnā Sulaymān was willing to listen and to learn, even if it’s coming from a bird.

“Wa Ji’tuka Min Saba’iin Binaba’iin Yaqīnin – I have brought you from Saba’, true news.” Saba’ is in Yemen, in an area called Ma’rib; that’s the centre or the capital of the Kingdom of Saba’. And the Kingdom of Saba’ was in a very fertile land and valley, but that area does not receive a lot of rain. The land is very fertile, but the area does not receive a lot of rain. It only receives rain in two seasons and in very scarce amounts. Because the rain is received in two seasons, it is called in Arabic: Al-Antār Al-Mawsimiyyah. Mawsim means season. Seasonal rain. The word Mawsim was taken into English and what is it called now? What do they call that type of rain? Mon- soon rain. So, the word ‘monsoon’ comes from the Arabic word ‘Mawsim’, which is seasonal rain. Because that area does not receive a lot of rain, the people of Saba’ invented a dam. They built a dam in Ma’rib, and this dam was holding a lot of water that was coming down from the valleys and from the mountains, and they made an irrigation network that spread through areas which are now in the Rub Al-Khāli – in the Empty Quarter, and that was all gardens. And Allāh ﷻ says in Qur’ān,

Indeed there was for Saba’ (Sheba) a sign in their dwelling place, – two gardens on the right hand and on the left.(Saba’ – 34:15)

Even though the land is desert, but because of that dam it turned into gardens. This bird visited the kingdom of Saba’. It went all the way from Jerusalem to Yemen; pretty long distance, and it came back with news to Sayyidnā Sulaymān عليه السالم . The bird said,

“I found a woman ruling over them, and she has been given all things that could be possessed by any ruler of the earth, and she has a great throne.”(An-Naml – 27:23) ‘I found a woman ruling over them and the name of this woman is Al-Malika Bilqīs.’ Her name is Bilqīs. “Wa ‘Ūtiyat Min Kulli Shay’in – and she was given from everything.” Ibn Al-Jawzi says, “This woman was given from everything that a king would want, or a queen would want. She had everything: wealth, power, “Wa Lahā `Arshun `Ažīmun – and she has a great throne.”

Now notice here that the bird said, “She has everything”, but then the bird singled out her throne. Why? Because that throne was a sign for the king- dom of Saba’. It was something that used to be a miracle of the world in its time; the throne of the queen of Saba’. Wa Lahā `Arshun `Ažīmun – she has a great throne. Up to this moment, it is praise of this huge and great civilization. ‘Ūtiyat Min Kulli Shay’in – she has everything, she has a great throne, it’s a huge kingdom.

These are the standards that the people of Dunyā use to classify nations. If the nation is rich, advanced, wealthy, we view that nation as civilized and advanced, and we try to imitate such nations. That is the standard that the people of Dunyā have. But the bird was a Muslim. Even though the bird said that “She has everything, and she has a great throne”, she said,

“I found her and her people worshipping the sun instead of Allāh, and Shaitān (Satan) has made their deeds fair-seeming to them, and has barred them from (Allāh’s) Way, so they have no guidance,”(An-Naml – 27:24)

The end result of this surveillance of the bird, is that these are people who are misguided. The wealth, the power, the fact that they have everything, did not take the bird away from stating the fact that this nation is a misguided nation. And this is the standard that we should view nations in. It is belief or Kufr, it is either believing or non-believing, and that is what counts on the Day of Judgment. A nation that could be heavy and strong in Dunyā, could be very light on the scale on the Day of Judgment. And then the bird said,

Al-La (this word has two interpretations) (A) [As Shaitān (Satan) has barred them from Allāh’s Way] so that they do not worship (prostrate before) Allāh, or (B) So that they may worship (prostrate before) Allāh, Who brings to light what is hidden in the heavens and the earth, and knows what you conceal and what you reveal.(An-Naml – 27:25)

Allāh, Lā ilāha illā Huwa (none has the right to be worshipped but He), the Lord of the Supreme Throne!(An-Naml – 27:26) Because the bird, in the beginning, said that “She has a great throne.” Then the bird said, “Allāh ﷻ is the One Who has a Supreme Throne.” Even though her throne is big, but Allāh ﷻ is the One Who has THE Supreme Throne. This is an Āyah of Sujūd, this is an Āyah of Sujūd At-Tilāwah, so we will make now Sujūd. Sayyidnā Sulaymān said,

 [Sulaymān (Solomon)] said: “We shall see whether you speak the truth or you are (one) of the liars.

Go you with this letter of mine, and deliver it to them, then draw back from them, and see what (answer) they return.”(An-Naml – 27:27, 28)

Sayyidnā Sulaymān عليه السالم  wrote a letter and the Hudhud delivered this letter to the queen of Saba’ – in English, Sheba. Her name is Bilqīs. So, the Hudhud carried this letter, and the story says that the Hudhud delivered the letter on her lap, and then the Hudhud withdrew. So, they didn’t know where this letter came from, she just saw that this letter fell down on her lap. And Sayyidnā Sulaymān said, “Fānžur Mādhā Yarji`ūna – see what they’re going to do.”

So, the Hudhud, even though it withdrew from their sight, but it was monitoring their actions. The Hudhud was monitoring their actions to see what their response will be. So, the Queen opened the letter and she read it. The letter was very brief, and the contents were revealed to us in Qur’ān.

15.3 The Queen Receives Sulaymān’s Letter

She said: “O chiefs! Verily! Here is delivered to me a noble letter,(An-Naml – 27:29) Kitābun Karīmun – she said the letter is noble. Why did she call it noble? Allāhu A’lam. It could be because of the, some of the Mufassirīn said, “The way it looked and the seal”; it looked very noble. Some of them say, “Because of the contents of the letter”, which were noble. Some of them say, “Because of the source of the letter”, which is Sayyidnā Sulaymān, who is the noblest of his time.

She said, “’Ulqiya ‘Ilayya Kitābun Karīmun – a noble letter has been sent to me.” Or actually, ‘’Ulqiya ‘Ilayya’ – means it fell on me. She doesn’t even know who delivered it. And then she read the contents of this letter; it’s very brief. And listen to the contents,

“Verily! It is from Sulaymān (Solomon), and verily! It (reads): In the Name of Allāh ﷻ, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful;(An-Naml – 27:30)

It is from Sulaymān. That’s the source, that’s the one who’s sending the let- ter. And keep in mind that Sulaymān is a king. He’s a prophet, but he’s also a king. And he’s sending a letter to who? To a queen. If we don’t know what the contents are, and we would be quizzed to guess what the contents would be, I think it would be very difficult for us to reach to the right answer. If we’re basing our opinion on the perception that we have of what politics is, and how Rulers rule, we would assume that the letter would have contents which we hear regularly in the letters that are sent between kings and presidents all over the world. But if we are basing our opinion on the comprehensivity of Islam, and that Islam includes everything in life, and that the Shar’ of Allāh ﷻ dominates everything that we do, then we would understand the contents of this letter. The letter is,

“Verily! It is from Sulaymān (Solomon), and verily! It (reads): In the Name of Allāh, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful;(An-Naml – 27:30)

The letter starts with what? It starts with ‘Bismi Allāhi Ar-Raĥmani Ar- Raĥīm.’ We start our actions in the Name of Allāh ﷻ. We start eating by mentioning the Name of Allāh, when we start a Sūrah, we start by the Name of Allāh, when we ride our cars, we say Bismillāh, when we go on the airplane, we say Bismillāh; everything that we do, we should start it in the Name of Allāh, and this is how we would be following the Sunnah of the Ambiyā. “Innahu Bismi Allāhi Ar-Raĥmani Ar-Raĥīmi – Verily, it is from Sulaymān and verily it reads: In the Name of Allāh, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.” And then what did he say?

“Be you not exalted against me, but come to me as Muslims (true believers who submit to Allāh with full submission)’”(An-Naml – 27:31)

‘Submit to me.’ And that’s the end of the letter. ‘Allā Ta`lū `Alayya – don’t be exalted over me, don’t view yourself in a better position, or in a higher position, or in a position of arrogance. And Sulaymān is not saying that to satisfy a personal desire, but he’s saying that because he’s the Nabī of Allāh, and Allāh ﷻ says,

We sent no Messenger, but to be obeyed by Allāh’s Leave.(An-Nisā’ – 4:64)

The messengers, we obey them. They are the ones who are in the high level, and they are the ones who issued orders to us. So, he is telling her, ‘Don’t think that since you are in the same political rank; I’m the king and you’re the queen, that we are on the same level. I am the Nabī of Allāh ﷻ. Don’t see me as a king now, see me as the Nabī of Allāh.” ‘Allā Ta`lū `Alayya – don’t be exalted against me. Wa ‘Tūnī Muslimīna – and come to me, it is translated here as Muslims, but many of the Mufassirīn say it means submission. Come to me in the form of submission. Submit to me, and then he’s going to give them Da’wah. So over here, Muslimīn does not mean the religion; come to me as Muslims. It means come to me in the form of submission because that’s what Islam means. Wa ‘Tūnī Muslimīna – it means submit to my orders and commands to you.

15.3.1 The Queen holds Shūrā before Making her Decision

This Queen was, what we call today, very democratic, or Shūrā; a better word – she would seek the advice of her followers. And Subhān’Allāh, we see in this Queen many good qualities before Islām. And Allāh ﷻ guided her through her Hikmah. You can see from her personality that she was very wise, and her wisdom ended up leading her into Islām. Because Al-’Aql – the mind, would lead us toward truth, would lead us to understand the message of the Ambiyā’, by the will of Allāh ﷻ. And that’s why the non-believers on the Day of Judgement, no matter how intelligent they were on the face of the earth, on the Day of Judgment when they see the punishment and they see hellfire, what would they say? Allāh ﷻ says,

And they will say: “Had we but listened or used our intelligence, we would not have been among the dwellers of the blazing Fire!”(Al-Mulk – 67:10)

So, they say, “We didn’t have any understanding when we were on earth, and we didn’t have any hearing.” So, the true mind, and the true understanding, is the understanding that would lead a person towards the truth or lead the person towards Islām. She was soliciting advice from her Mala’. Al-Mala’ in Qur’ān means the chiefs, or the leaders of the society.

She said: “O chiefs! Advise me in (this) case of mine. I decide no case till you are present with me.”(An-Naml – 27:32)

She said, “I want your advice in this case”. And then she said, “And you know me, I never take a decision until I seek your advice”, [which is] Shūrā.

15.3.2 Avoid Confrontation, But Stay Firm When It’s Inevitable

Their response was, They said: “We have great strength, and great ability for war, but it is for you to command; so think over what you will command.”(An-Naml – 27:33)

They said, “If you want us to fight, we are ready. The army is prepared, it is powerful. We’re ready to go to war, but it is for you to command, so think over what you will command.” So, their opinion was, “We are ready to do whatever you want us to do. If you want us to fight, we’re ready to fight.” So, they gave her the green light to go to war. Actually, they may have encouraged her; they said, “We are ready to fight. It’s your decision now.” Her wisdom, now, shows up. She wants to deal with the situation in the softest way possible, and confrontation could be an option, but later.

Why start with confrontation when there are other means? And we know that, that was the policy of Rasūlullāh ﷺ in dealing with situations. Rasūlullāh ﷺ was described as, “Mā Khuyyira bayna amrayni illā akhtāra aysarahumā – Whenever Rasūlullāh ﷺ would be offered two options, he would always choose the easiest.(Sahih al-Bukhari 3560, 6126)

Rasūlullāh ﷺ would try to avoid confrontation, whether it is with Quraysh or any other people, as much as he can. And that is why when, in Sulh al- Hudaybīyyah, an agreement was reached, Rasūlullāh ﷺ accepted it, even though many of the Sahāba were reluctant to accept it. They felt that ‘We are ready to fight’. But we should not understand that this means we give up principles, or we compromise in the religion as we find in the peace process that’s happening now. That is something different, that is not peace. That is giving up all of your principles and giving up the Muslim land. That’s not called peace, it’s misleading; the naming itself is misleading.

What was the response of Al-Malikah – the Queen?

She said: “Verily! Kings, when they enter a town (country), they despoil it, and make the most honourable amongst its people low. And thus they do.”(An-Naml – 27:34) And then Allāh ﷻ approved what she said, and said, “Thus they do – Wa Kadhalika Yaf`alūna.”

15.3.3 When Governments Overtake Countries by Force

What did she mean by this? When the Kings enter into our land, they corrupt it. She means that when you enter into a confrontation with another nation, king, or president or government whatever; when you enter into a confrontation with another state or nation, and the other nation wins through war, when they enter into the land they would occupy it, and they would disrupt the system that was there because they entered by force. And, because they were fighting another government, because who is the one who took the decision to fight? It is the government. They would make that government and the king, or whoever is in a position of responsibility, the lowest, because ‘They are our enemy. I won against you! You were the one who was fighting me. You are going to be the lowest!’

Most likely they kill them. But then they need assistance from the local people, so who do they promote? They usually promote the lowest class, who are enemies of the former government, and that’s something that you find always in wars between states.

So, the queen, over here is saying, “If we enter into a war with Sulaimān and he wins through war, then us (the government), we are going to be done with. He’s going to get rid of us, and he’s going to take our land as Ghanīmah [spoils of war]. He’s going to invade our land, occupy it and he will do corruption to our land”, because she is assuming that Sulaimān عليه السالم  is like any other king. She doesn’t know that Sulaimān عليه السالم  is different; he is a Nabī of Allāh ﷻ.

And we find how corrupt the Muslim lands were under the European occupation, and now we are still suffering from that corruption, until this moment, because they entered through a state of war.

15.3.4 Queen Bilqīs Sends Sulaimān عليه السالم  a Gift

So, she said, “I will send them a gift, rather than fighting them.”

“But verily! I am going to send him a present, and see with what (answer) the messengers return.”(An-Naml – 27:35)

This method of dealing really shows her intelligence, because it’s going to work if Sulaimān عليه السالم  was not a prophet. Because why do kings invade lands? Why do governments go in war to other countries? Money. To take that land as a Ghanīmah. So, she wants to send a gift to Sayyidnā Sulaimān عليه السالم , to convince him that, ‘We’re going to pay you, rather than go to war with us and spend a lot of money in war. We’re going to give you whatever you want.’ ‘Here, I’ll send you a gift and see what the response will be.’ She called it a gift, we can maybe call it a gift, but it also has to what it seems, that it’s a little bit tilting towards being a bribe. And then she said, “I will see what happens – Fanāžiratun Bima Yarji`u Al-Mursalūna – I am going to see what the response is.”

Allāh ﷻ says, So when (the messengers with the present) came to Sulaimān (Solomon), he said: “Will you help me in wealth? What Allāh has given me is better than that which He has given you! Nay, you rejoice in your gift!”(An-Naml – 27:36)

Sayyidnā Sulaymān عليه السالم  said, ‘Are you trying to give me money?’ He said, ‘First of all, what Allāh ﷻ has given me is better than what you have. What can you offer me?’ And many of the Mufassirīn say that Sulaymān عليه السالم , here, was not referring to the material possessions that he has, even though his material possessions are better than theirs. But Sayyidnā Sulaymān عليه السالم  was referring to the Nubūwwāh that Allāh ﷻ has given him – the Prophethood and the ‘Ilm of religion. “What I have is better than what you have”, and then he said, “Bal ‘Antum Bihadīyatikum Tafraĥūna – you are the ones who are happy with gifts.”

‘You cannot buy me with this gift. This gift is not what will make me happy and pleasant. You are the ones who can be bought off by gifts! Gifts make you happy, but this strategy will not work with me.’ And then Sayyidnā Sulaymān عليه السالم  said,

[Then Sulaymān (Solomon) said to the chief of her messengers who brought the present]: “Go back to them. We verily shall come to them with hosts that they cannot resist, and we shall drive them out from there in disgrace, and they will be abased.”(An-Naml – 27:37)

Sayyidnā Sulaymān عليه السالم  said, “Go back and tell her that we are going to send her an army that she will not be able to resist. And we are going to drive them out of their land in a state of humility.” Sulaymān said, “Don’t bring me these gifts. Take your gifts back!”, and he refused the gift. So, the messengers went back to her and told her, “He refused the gift.” She realized, this was the first step in her, realizing, that this man is not a man of Dunyā. He’s not a man of this world, he’s not seeking Dunyā; he is up to something else. That was the first step for her to come towards the religion.

15.4 The Queen’s Throne

She decided not to go to war, even though Sulaimān عليه السالم  gave her a clear threat. She decided she is not going to go to war, and she is going to go and meet him personally. She prepared her delegation, and they went out to meet with Sayyidnā Sulaymān عليه السالم . Sayyidnā Sulaimān when she was on her way, said to his chiefs,

He said: “O chiefs! Which of you can bring me her throne before they come to me surrendering themselves in obedience?”(An-Naml – 27:38)

What did the Hudhud – the bird, describe in the kingdom of Saba’? He described the throne. The throne was the symbol of their kingdom, the throne was their pride. This was a unique thing that only the kingdom of Shaba’ had; it was the symbol of their kingdom. Sayyidnā Sulaimān عليه السالم  said, “Bring it to me before they come to me.”

Now you might ask the question, ‘How come Sulaimān عليه السالم  wanted to bring the throne?’ What’s the reason? Well, the scholars, the Mufassirīn, have responded to that, they said that “Sayyidnā Sulaimān عليه السالم  wanted to show her a miracle.” The Ambiyā’ عليه السالم م, they exhibit their miracles in front of the people to prove the authenticity of the message. One of the methods they do that, is through the miracles, presenting the miracles to the society. And we know that something unique about Sayyidnā Sulaimān was his kingdom.

And grant me a kingdom never to be attained by anyone after me.(Sād – 38:35)

So, the kingdom of Sulaimān عليه السالم  was his miracle, and he wanted to present her some of the powers that are under his control, by the will of Allāh ﷻ, to show her that he is a Nabī of Allah ﷻ. And he is not just a king, because this was something out of the capability of kings in that time. So, he wanted to bring the throne, before she arrives.

15.5 The Powerful Jinn – ‘Ifrīt

The first offer was made by ‘Ifrīt min al-Jinn. ‘Ifrīt – is a name given to some- body who has excelled in his field and reached to the highest levels. It is called ‘Ifrīt. So ‘Ifrīt min al-Jinn – an ‘Ifrīt of the Jinn is a Jinn who is at the highest levels of power among the Jinn. You call that Jinn, ‘Ifrīt. So, he is not just a Jinn, but he is a ‘Ifrīt from the Jinn; a powerful jinn. And the word, nowadays in Arabic, has been always used in reference to Jinn, but in the Arabic language it could mean somebody who has excelled and reached a high, very high level in that particular field. ‘Ifrīt min al-Jinn, he made an offer, Allāh ﷻ says,

An ‘Ifrīt (strong) from the jinns said: “I will bring it to you before you rise from your place (council). And verily, I am indeed strong, and trustworthy for such work.”(An-Naml – 27:39)

His credentials, his resume was, that ‘I am strong and trustworthy, and I can bring it to you before you rise up from your council.’ It is said that Sayyidnā Sulaimān عليه السالم  used to sit in Majlis al-Qadha, his government seat, his throne; he used to sit in it from Fajr until Dhuhr. So, dependant on when this offer was made, we can know that it’s a few hours. And from Yemen to Jerusalem is maybe four hours flight, by airplane, four or five hours. That’s how long it will take by air. So, this ‘Ifrīt was around that speed. Allāhu A’lam exactly how long it was, but they say that he used to sit between Fajr and Dhuhr. Even though according to the standard of that time, this was something that was out of the reach of anyone; to bring it in a few hours, when the methods of transportation in their time was horse and camel. Nevertheless, there was a better offer, and Sayyidnā Sulaimān عليه السالم  turned this offer down. A few hours were not enough, because he got another offer from, Al-Ladhī `Indahu `Ilmun Mina Al-Kitābi – the one who has knowledge of the book. And this shows you the power of knowledge. The one who has knowledge had a better offer than the ‘Ifrīt of the Jinn.

15.6 The Power Under the Hands of Sulaymān عليه السالم

Allāh ﷻ says, One with whom was knowledge of the Scripture said: “I will bring it to you within the twinkling of an eye!”(An-Naml – 27:40)

Before your eye blinks, the throne is going to be in front of you. ‘Ilm – we know that it’s knowledge. What type of knowledge? We don’t know, because Allah ﷻ said, “Al-Kitābi – the Scripture. What Scripture? Was it the Scripture of Dāwūd عليه السالم ? Was it a different scripture? What exactly? We do not involve in this discussion, because this is Ghayb – it is unknown. What we know is what Allāh ﷻ told us in Qur’ān, and we do not follow the Isrāīliyāt stories. We don’t go after that, but we stop at what information Allāh ﷻ has provided us with; we know that it’s knowledge, and we learn from this that knowledge has power. With a twinkling of an eye, the throne was right there in front of Sayyidnā Sulaymān عليه السالم . This is power under the hands of Sulaymān عليه السالم .

15.7 Allāh ﷻ Tests Us Whether We Will be Grateful or Ungrateful

What was the response of Sayyidnā Sulaymān عليه السالم ?

Then when [Sulaymān (Solomon)] saw it placed before him, he said: “This is by the Grace of my Lord to test me whether I am grateful or ungrateful!”(An-Naml – 27:40)

He didn’t say, ‘This is by the grace of the one who has knowledge.’ He said, “This is by the grace of Allāh ﷻ.” That’s why it’s very important for us, always, to believe and to say, ‘Whatever good I have done is from Allāh ﷻ, and whatever mistakes I have done are from myself.’ Whatever good we do, or happens to us, or anybody does is from Allāh ﷻ. And then Sayyidnā Sulaymān عليه السالم  said, “Liyabluwanī ‘A’ashkuru ‘Am ‘Akfuru – ‘Allāh ﷻ is testing me to see whether I’m grateful or ungrateful.” Whatever Allāh ﷻ has given you, and we talked about this a lot; whatever Allāh ﷻ has given you is a test from Allāh ﷻ for you, to see if you will be grateful or not. And then he said,

And whoever is grateful, truly, his gratitude is for (the good of) his ownself.(An-Naml – 27:40)

You are not going to benefit Allāh ﷻ at all, by being grateful to him; you are benefiting yourself.

And whoever is ungrateful, (he is ungrateful only for the loss of his ownself). Certainly! My Lord is Rich (Free of all wants), Bountiful.”(An-Naml – 27:40)

If you are not grateful, believe me, Allāh ﷻ does not need you. We need to tell ourselves this because sometimes we feel that the money we pay, we’re doing a favour to the religion of Allāh ﷻ. Whatever we donate of our time, or effort to the religion of Allāh ﷻ; sometimes we brag about it. The religion of Allāh ﷻ does not need me, it does not need you, it does not need anyone. Allāh ﷻ is Sufficient of all needs. We are doing this for our own benefit.

15.8 Changing the Look of the Throne

Sayyidnā Sulaymān عليه السالم  said, “Qāla Nakkirū Lahā `Arshahā – disguise her thrown for her.” Change the outlook of the throne a little bit, make some alterations to it. Why? Allāh ﷻ says,

He said: “Disguise her throne for her that we may see whether she will be guided (to recognise her throne), or she will be one of those not guided.”(An-Naml – 27:41)

So, they made some alterations to her throne, changed the way it looks a little bit. But the essence of it was the same; the uniqueness and the greatness of that throne was untouched.

So when she came, it was said (to her): “Is your throne like this?”(An-Naml – 27:42)

This is a straightforward question, yes or no question. “Is this your throne?” What should the answer be? Yes or no. Now, if she said, ‘Yes. It looks like her throne, but it’s a little bit different.’ And if she said, ‘No. It’s true that there are some alterations to it, but it’s very similar to my throne.’ So, she avoided the yes or no answer and she said,

She said: “(It is) as though it were the very same.”(An-Naml – 27:42)

A very diplomatic answer. So, it’s not a yes answer, and it’s not a no answer, and this is part of her wisdom and Hikmah. She didn’t give a straight answer of yes or no, and she made her answer right in between, because, it looks like her throne, but it’s a little bit different. Allāh ﷻ says,

And [Sulaymān (Solomon) said]: ”Knowledge was bestowed on us before her, and we were submitted to Allāh (in Islam as Muslims before her). And that which she used to worship besides Allāh has prevented her (from Islam), for she was of a disbelieving people.(An-Naml – 27:42, 43)

Allāh ﷻ is saying, what prevented her from being a Muslim is because the way she was brought up; refusing the gift was one step for her towards Islām, bringing the throne was a second step for her towards Islām.

15.9 What is As-Sarh?

It was said to her: “Enter As-Sarh” [(a glass surface with water underneath it) or a palace].(An-Naml – 27:44)

What is As-Sarh? As-Sarh is a special palace, that was built for Sayyidnā Sulaimān عليه السالم . This palace had very amazing things in it, one of which was the flooring of this palace. The floor was made out of glass, transparent glass, and under that glass was a flowing river. So, this palace is erected on water, and the floor was glass. Glass was something that the people in that time might not have known, this transparent material. So, when Sayyidnā Sulaimān told her to enter into this palace, when she saw it, what did she think? She thought it was water, so she raised up her skirt. Allāh ﷻ says,

But when she saw it, she thought it was a pool, and she (tucked up her clothes) uncovering her legs.(An-Naml – 27:44)

Something very embarrassing. Why is it embarrassing? Because it shows her ignorance. It shows that she is backward, considering the advanced stage that Sayyidnā Sulaymān was at. She doesn’t know about this technology. She was raising up her skirt, trying to walk into that water, so it was embarrassing for her. Why did Sayyidnā Sulaymān عليه السالم  do all of this? Again, to show her what Allāh ﷻ has given him. It’s part of the miracle of what Allāh ﷻ has given him, to show to her the truth of his message. Sayyidnā Sulaymān عليه السالم  told her,

Sulaymān (Solomon) said: “Verily, it is Sarh [(a glass surface with water underneath it) or a palace] paved smooth with slab of glass.”(An-Naml – 27:44)

15.9 Queen Bilqīs Embraces Islam

In that moment, that was the third step towards Islām for her. Finally, Bilqīs submitted and said,

She said: “My Lord! Verily, I have wronged myself, and I submit (in Islam, together with Sulaymān (Solomon), to Allāh, the Lord of the ‘Alamin (mankind, jinns and all that exists).”(An-Naml – 27:44)

And she became a Muslim. That’s the end of the story in Qur’ān.

15.10 The Fairy tales about Sulaymān عليه السالم  Which Have No Proof

And again, we don’t go beyond that, because there’s many fairy tales about what happened after that, and there is no proof of the authenticity of any of these stories. They say that Sulaymān عليه السالم  married Bilqīs, and it turned into a romantic story. And we do not, again, get in this because if it’s not true, it is being very disrespectful with the Ambiyā’ of Allāh ﷻ, so we avoid it completely. And Allāh ﷻ, again, whatever has been mentioned in Qur’ān is for us to learn the lessons from – Al-‘Ibrah. And whatever has not been mentioned in Qur’ān has not been mentioned because there is no ‘Ibrah in it – there is no lesson in it. And we need to be practical and learn what will benefit us, Al-‘Ilm al-Nāfi’ – the beneficial knowledge and get away from the knowledge that doesn’t do us any good, and doesn’t have any practicality, or applications for it. Essence of the story is that at the end, Bilqīs became a Muslim, after she saw what Allāh ﷻ has given Sulaimān.

15.11 Al-Yahūd Attribute Magic to Sayyidnā Sulaimān عليه السالم

We move on to another part of the story of Sayyidnā Sulaimān عليه السالم . In the time of Rasūlullāh ﷺ, and until now, a lot of things have been attributed to Sayyidnā Sulaimān عليه السالم , which are untrue; one of which is magic. There are some of Al-Yahūd – the Jews, who attribute magic to Sayyidnā Sulaimān. And the whole story of the temple, also, is attributed to Sayyidnā Sulaimān عليه السالم .

For example, the Jews or the people of the book, associate Sulaimān with someone called Asmodeus. And this Asmodeus, was the chief of the devils. And they associate him with Sayyidnā Sulaimān, and they say that this devil, chief of the devils, was the one who assisted Sulaimān in building and constructing, and he is the one who used to tutor and teach Sulaimān magic, and to teach him many of the skills that they say that Sulaimān عليه السالم  had. And you would find that many cults and movements attach themselves to Sulaimān عليه السالم . Many of these secret orders, they claim that they go back to Sulaimān عليه السالم . And the most famous of them is the Masonic movement, Al-Māsuniyyā – the Freemasons. You would find that the concept of the temple, the Temple of Solomon, is something that is central, or it is very influential on the ideology of the Freemasons. Also, movements like the Kabalah and some of these other mystical Jewish cults, they practice magic which they claim they have learnt from Sulaimān عليه السالم , and they claim that the lineage goes back to Sulaimān عليه السالم . There is some truth that there is magic that goes back in lineage to some very early Jews, but it does not go back to Sayyidnā Sulaimān عليه السالم . It all goes back to where? Where did the Jews learn this magic? Some of which still exists, until now, and it’s very powerful magic; we’re not talking about tricks where you hide a coin and you bring it out from somewhere, or you bring something out of a hat, we’re not talking about those tricks which they fool the kids with. We are talking about some serious magic that could do some serious harm. Where was that learnt from? We know that Fir’aun, in the time of Fir’aun, there was some magic, but Allāhu A’lam, even though it was very powerful magic, but it was limited to the field of ‘optical illusion’. Because Allāh ﷻ says,

So when they threw, they bewitched the eyes of the people.(Al-A’rāf – 7:116)

They have committed magic to the eyes of people. But we’re talking about some other magic that could influence the psychology, and the spirit of people. Where was that learned? In Bābil. And how, how did they get it from Bābil? We know from the history that the kingdom of the Jews was destroyed by who? Nebuchadnezzar, the Babylonian kingdom, they defeated the Jews in the Holy Land, and they broke up their kingdom. Not only that, but they also took them as slaves back to Iraq in Bābil – in Babylon. They took them back to Bābil, and the Jews were cut off from the true religion of Allāh ﷻ; they were cut off from the scripture for quite a while, and they were under the influence, and the dictatorship, and the oppression, and the tyranny of the Babylonians. And that is where, a lot of the distortion that happened to the religion of Judaism, that is where it occurred; it occurred in Bābil.

15.12 The Talmūd

Where was the Talmūd written, and who wrote it? It was written by the 70 Rabbis who were in Babylon. And now, that is the law and the central focus of the Yahūd. Now, they have left the Torah and they are following the Talmūd. And the Talmūd was written by the rabbis who were influenced by the regime, and the environment in Babylon. So, if you read about this history, you find that Babylon is associated to it all. There’s a lot of association with Babylon; At-Talmūd came out of there, and magic, and these secret orders, they came from Babylon, rather than from Sayyidnā Sulaimān, even though they attribute it to Sayyidnā Sulaimān عليه السالم .

15.13 The Issue of the Temple of Solomon

The other point is the issue of the temple: this Temple of Sulaymān is a myth. There is no such thing called Temple of Sulaymān. The one who built the masjid was who? It was Ya’qūbعليه السالم , and we know it by the Hadīth of Rasūlullāh ﷺ. Abū Dhār عنههللايض ّ ر came to Rasūlullāh ﷺ and said, “What was the first house established for the worship of Allāh ﷻ?” Rasūlullāh ﷺ said, “Al-Masjid al-Harām, Al-Ka’bah.” And then he said, “And then what?” Rasūlullāh ﷺ said, “Al-Masjid al-Aqsa, Wabaynahum arba’īna ‘āmā – then the Masjid of al-Aqsa, Jerusalem, and between them was 40 years.”(Sahih al-Bukhari 3366, – Sahih Muslim 520)

Forty years is the time between ‘Ibrāhīm and Ya’qūb عليه السالم . So, Ya’qūb is one of who built the Masjid, or established it. What was the role of Sulaymān? Sulaymān عليه السالم , he is the one who expanded the Masjid, and built it in its great form. Sayyidnā Sulaymān is the one who erected the Masjid and expanded it during his kingdom. It was not a temple, it was a Masjid, established for the worship of Allāh ﷻ. It’s a Masjid, a mosque. Now, let’s read from Sūrah al-Baqarah, Āyah 101. Allāh ﷻ says,

And when there came to them a Messenger from Allāh (i.e. Muhammad) confirming what was with them, a party of those who were given the Scripture threw away the Book of Allāh behind their backs as if they did not know!(Al-Baqarah – 2:101) Came to who? This is talking about Al-Yahūd – the Jews. So, they threw away the book of Allāh ﷻ when Rasūlullāh ﷺ came, because they don’t want to follow him. And what did they follow?

They followed what the Shayātīn (devils) gave out (falsely of the magic) in the lifetime of Sulaimān (Solomon).(Al-Baqarah – 2:102)

What is this talking about? The devils were teaching the people magic. Ash- Shayātīn – the devils, were teaching the people magic, before the time of Sulaymān and during the kingdom of Sulaymān. As-SuddĪ, in his Tafsīr of this Āyah, says, “Sulaymān came to know that the devils are teaching people magic. So, he gathered all of their manuals and books. He took them away from the devils, from the people, because the people used to record what they would learn from the devils. Sulaymān took away all of those manuals and books, and he made a law: ‘that whoever learns magic, or practices magic, or teaches magic will be executed.’ And he took away all of these books and manuals, and he buried them.” As the story goes, under his throne. He buried them, to get rid of them. And he made a law in his time, that nobody should learn, or teach, or practice magic. This is from Shayātīn.

15.14 When Sayyidnā Sulaymān Passed Away

What happened when Sayyidnā Sulaimān passed away? Ash-Shaitān – Iblīs, came to the people in the form of a human being. And he said, “Do you know where Sulaimān used to get his power from? The devils are the ones who used to teach him, and I’ll show you the proof. Go and dig under his throne and see what you will find.” They went to dig under the throne. They saw the manuals and the books of magic. So, they made a rumour and they said that “Sulaymān, this is how he used to control the Jinn, and this is how he achieved all of that power; it is through magic.” And that’s how they propagated this false rumour against Sayyidnā Sulaymān. So Allāh ﷻ responds to this claim and says,

Sulaymān did not disbelieve, but the Shayātīn (devils) disbelieved, teaching men magic and such things that came down at Babylon to the two angels, Hārūt and Mārūt.(Al-Baqarah – 2:102)

Sulaimān has not committed Kufr, Sulaimān did not disbelieve. This part of the Āyah tells us two things:

1.First of all, it tells us that Sulaymān did not commit disbelief

2.It tells us that Sihr – magic, what is it considered? It’s considered to be Kufr. It’s considered to be disbelief.

Because Allāh ﷻ says, “Wa Mā Kafara Sulaymānu – Sulaimān did not disbelieve.” This magic is not from him, because magic is disbelief, and Sulaymān عليه السالم  did not disbelieve. But the devils are the ones who disbelieved, teaching men magic. Who are the ones who are teaching magic? The devils. Wa Mā ‘Unzila `Alá Al-Malakayni – and what was revealed to the two angels. And we’ll get into this Inshā’Allāh. Hārūt and Mārūt.

Wa Mā ‘Unzila `Alá Al-Malakayni. Now, in Qur’an, Allāh ﷻ rarely mentions places, unless there is reason for mentioning a locality, or a place. The Book of Allāh ﷻ is a Book of guidance; so, you don’t find a lot of dates, and numbers, and chronological order of events, and places, like you would find in the Old Testament or New Testament. Allāh ﷻ says, “Wa Mā ‘Unzila `Alá Al-Malakayni.” Where? Bi’bābila – in Bābil. Allāh ﷻ mentioned the place, over here, in the Āyah, and Allāhu A’lam, the reason is because all of this magic, or secret orders, or distorted teachings came out of Bābil, and we know that through history. And Allāh ﷻ wanted to record that in Qur’ān, so that we would learn where the source of all of this came from. It came from Bābil, because without reading Qur’ān, by just reading the history and books that deal with this, you would be able to see the association with Bābil. So, when you read it in Qur’ān, it’s an amazing thing to see how Allāh ﷻ tied this into Bābil and that, then gives us the complete picture of what happened. Because you could do readings; the secular reading on one side, on the history and what was happening. And then, when you read Qur’ān, it would put everything in perspective for you, because Allāh ﷻ says, “Wa Mā ‘Unzila `Alá Al-Malakayni Bibābila’ – what was revealed to the angels in Bābil – Hārūta Wa Mārūta – Hārūt and Mārūt; the Mufassirīn have a few opinions, and they could be contradictory to each other. I’ll mention one that was mentioned by a few of the Mufassirīn and seems to fit the Āyah most. And that is that Hārūt and Mārūt were two angels who descended to Bābil, and they were teaching people magic. These two angels were teaching people magic, and they were doing it with the permission of Allāh ﷻ, by the will of Allāh ﷻ. We will read the Āyah and then elaborate on this a little bit. Allāh ﷻ says,

Sulaymān did not disbelieve, but the Shayātīn (devils) disbelieved, teaching men magic and such things that came down at Babylon to the two angels, Hārūt and Mārūt, but neither of these two (angels) taught anyone (such things) till they had said, “We are only for trial, so disbelieve not (by learning this magic from us).”(Al-Baqarah – 2:102)

These two angels descended to Bābil, and they knew about magic, they knew this knowledge of magic. And people would come to them to learn. The angels would tell them, “This knowledge that we are offering is Kufr. So do not learn it, because this is fitnah.” Allāh ﷻ wanted this to be a test.

Knowledge that is offered for you, but you shouldn’t learn it. That’s what it’s about. It’s a test from Allāh ﷻ. Here is knowledge, that you’re not supposed to learn, and this is knowledge that will make you disbelieve in Allāh ﷻ. And it’s offered; this is the address, if you want to go and learn it, but the angels would not offer it to anyone until they would tell them, “’Innamā Naĥnu Fitnatun Falā Takfur – this is a fitnah, so do not disbelieve.”

15.15 Magic Still Exists Until Now

The other stories that are mentioned in the books of Tafsīr is that these two angels, actually the test was for them. They say that these two angels said, “How come these people are sinning?” So Allāh ﷻ said, “Go down to earth,” and Allāh ﷻ put in them the Shahawāt of a human being – the desires of a human being. And when Allāh ﷻ put in them the desires of the human being, they committed sins, and they started practicing magic, but this does not seem to make sense, because we know that the angels,

Disobey not, (from executing) the Commands they receive from Allāh but do that which they are commanded.(At-Tahrīm – 66:6)

So, it doesn’t seem to make sense, especially that there is no evidence to support it. If we would go with the literal meaning of the Āyah, it would mean that these are two angels who came down, with the permission of Allāh ﷻ, to test the people, and to offer them something that is Kufr, and they should not learn it. This knowledge was learned by a faction of al- Yahūd – the Jews, and it has been inherited from generation to generation through secret orders. And part of that magic still exists until now. Allāh ﷻ has told us one effect of such brand, or type of magic. Allāh ﷻ says,

And from these (angels) people learn that by which they cause separation between man and his wife.(Al-Baqarah – 2:102)

This is a kind of magic. It’s a magic spell that is cast on the husband or the wife, and it would cause hatred in the heart of the husband or the wife, and it would make it unbearable. And eventually, it would cause divorce, separation, and this exists! And I personally happen to know a few cases, first-hand knowledge of some cases, where this happened. It is true that this exists, but also it is true that many people take it out of context; and whenever there’s a problem between husband and wife, they hang it on magic, they say there is magic between them. That’s not true. There are a few cases, and it is not always, we should not always say that there’s magic between them, and that’s where there is a problem. No. Sometimes it’s magic, sometimes it’s incompatibility of two persons. But this type of magic is not only limited to putting these differences between husband and wife, but it could also cause some other harm, and the way it’s done, they have to have a part of your body; a hair, a nail with the assistance of the Jinn, [the magician] would wrap it in what is called ‘Uqdah, al-‘aqd. And they would wrap it with that part of your body in it, and that is what would cause this problem or magic to take effect, and they would throw it somewhere.

15.16 Magic Was Done to Rasūlullāh ﷺ

And when this type of magic was done on Rasūlullāh ﷺ, according to the authentic Ahādīth, one of the Yahūd has done a magic spell on Rasūlullāh ﷺ. He threw it. Where did he throw it? He threw it in a well. So Rasūlullāh ﷺ was suffering from that magic. Jibrīl عليه السالم  came to Rasūlullāh ﷺ and said that “It is in this well.” So, they retrieved it out of the well, and they opened it up and the magic was released.(Sahih al-Bukhari 5763, 5765, 5766, 6063, 6391, – Sunan Ibn Mājah 3545) So that ‘Uqdah – ‘uqdah means a knot; that knot has to be released for the magic to be released. Sometimes they throw it in the ocean, or they bury it in the desert. That’s how difficult it could be.

Magic has no power without the Will of Allāh ﷻ, but because this seems to be a power that is in the hands of the magician, and seems to be supernatural abilities, Allāh ﷻ is telling us,

But they could not thus harm anyone except by Allāh’s Leave.(Al-Baqarah – 2:102)

So Allāh ﷻ is telling us, that this is not power in the hands of the magicians that Allāh ﷻ is not able to control. Allāh ﷻ is telling us, that everything that is happening, is by His Mashī’ah – by His will, as a test. And for us it is a test because we need to read Al-Mu’awwidhāt, and we need to read Āyāt al- Kursī and we need to read what will save us from such things. So, it is just like any other disease that exists. Allāh ﷻ has created Ad-Dā’, and Allāh ﷻ created ad-Dawā; Allāh ﷻ created the illness, and Allāh ﷻ created the cure. Rasūlullāh ﷺ says, “Mā min dā’ illā lahu dawā – every illness, Allāh ﷻ has created a cure for.”(Sahih Muslim 2204, – Sunan Ibn Mājah 3438, – Sunan Abi Dawud 3874) So there is a cure for cancer, there’s a cure for AIDS, there is a cure for everything. ‘Alimahum man ‘alima wa jahalu man jahala – some people would know it and some people won’t. It’s knowledge that needs to be investigated. This is a disease or an illness, this issue of magic, and there’s a cure for it, and the cure is, Qul ‘A`ūdhu Birabbi Al-Falaqi and Qul ‘A`ūdhu Birabbi An-Nāsi, and the other types of Isti’ādha that Rasūlullāh ﷺ would do, and Āyāt al-Kursī. And that’s why we need to always practice repeating these Ad’iyyah.

15.17 Magic Brings no Benefit but Harm

Allāh ﷻ says, And they learn that which harms them and profits them not.(Al-Baqarah – 2:102)

The Magician would think that by learning this knowledge, they could benefit. The person who goes to the magician, thinks that the magician could benefit them. So, Allāh ﷻ tells us that magic is purely harm, and there is no benefit in it whatsoever. And when Ibn Taymiyyah talks about the suffering and the misery the magicians go through when they follow this path, you would be amazed. Don’t think, that the devils teach them this knowledge for free. They pay for it, and they pay for it in the worst ways. And when Ibn Taymiyyah talks about the rituals, the magicians go through before they are incepted in the ranks of the magicians, it is things that would make the hair on your body stand.

They would make them drink the blood of menstrual, they would make them eat frogs, snakes, and insects. They would make them write Āyāt of Qur’ān with blood and step over it. They would make them make Istinjā with pages of Qur’ān. They would make them make Sujūd to the devils, they would make them make Sujūd to idols. These are rituals that the magicians have to go through, before they get the assistance of the Jinn. Jinn do not offer their services for free. And the right way to heal, is by reading Qur’ān. And by the Shuyūkh who read Qur’ān, that is a valid way because ‘fīhi shifā’. Allāh ﷻ says, in Qur’ān is healing. Allāh ﷻ then says,

And indeed they knew that the buyers of it (magic) would have no share in the Hereafter. And how bad indeed was that for which they sold their ownselves, if they but knew.(Al-Baqarah – 2:102)

15.18 Practising Magic Takes a Person Out of the Fold of Islām

Allāh ﷻ says, And if they had believed, and guarded themselves from evil and kept their duty to Allāh, far better would have been the reward from their Lord, if they but knew!(Al-Baqarah – 2:103)

So, from these Āyāt, the Sahāba, and also the Ahādīth of Rasūlullāh ﷺ, the Sahāba reached to the conclusion that magic is Kufr mukhrija ‘an al-millah – It is an act that will take a person out of the fold of Islam.

15.19 Hadd (Punishment) for Practising Magic

And that is why ‘Umar bin al-Khattāb, he sent out messages to the Islamic States, or the governance, through Wilāyāt saying, “Uqtulu kullu Sāhir – Kill any magician.” And one of the Sahāba said, “We found three magicians and we executed them.” So, the ‘Ulamā say, that this is the hadd of magic, it is execution because, Wallāhi, if you know stories of how magicians harm people, you will say that this is a little punishment for them. They have destroyed, they have broken houses and they have caused harm.

The amazing thing is that nowadays, this particular type of knowledge, where is it most widespread? In the Muslim world. It does exist everywhere else, but it’s quite widespread in the Muslim world, and obviously the reason is: the work of Shaitān. That is where he wants to break up families, because we know from the Hadīth of Rasūlullāh ﷺ, that Shaitān sets his throne on water, and then the devils come and report to him, and everyone brings in a report. And Shaitān tells them, “Sit down! Sit down! Sit down!” And then eventually one would come and say, “I have good news for you. I did not leave the husband and wife, until I separated them.” Shaitān would say, “You are the one! Come and sit next to me.”(Sahih Muslim 2813)

Breaking up our families is ‘amal Ash-Shaitān, and that is why Shaitān tries to cause all of these Fitān among the Muslims in general. ‘Inna Ash-Shayţāna Yanzaghu Baynahum – Shaitan verily, sows a state of conflict and disagreements among them. [Al-‘Isrā’ – 17:53]

15.20 Speak Good Words

Allāh ﷻ says,

And say to My slaves (i.e. the true believers of Islamic Monotheism) that they should (only) say those words that are the best. (Because) Shaytān (Satan) verily, sows disagreements among them.(Al-Isrā’ – 17:53)

So, one of the solutions to counter that, is to say a good word because our words, are arms, are weapon in the hand of Shaitān. He takes that word, and he makes Sū’ adh-Dhan in the heart of the other person – bad suspicion, and that’s how problems start. Usually, problems start because of what? Words. So Allāh ﷻ says, “Wa Qul Li`ibādī Yaqūlū Allatī Hiya ‘Aĥsanu – tell my servants to say the good word.”(Al-Isrā’ – 17:53) If we would just monitor our words, believe me, all of these problems would cease to exist.

15.21 Sayyidnā Sulaymān Has Control Over Jinn and ash-Shayātīn

Allāh ﷻ has fulfilled his Du’ā, when he said, “Hab Lī Mulkāan Lā Yanbaghī Li’ĥadin Min Ba`dī – Oh Allāh, bestow upon me a kingdom such as shall not belong to any other after me.”(Sād – 38:35) Allāh ﷻ gave him a unique kingdom, and part of the uniqueness of the kingdom of Sayyidnā Sulaimān عليه السالم  is he had control over ash-Shayātīn. And Sayyidnā Sulaimān عليه السالم  would put ash-Shayātīn under slave labour, they would work for him, in what Allāh ﷻ has called, ‘Adhāb muhīn. He would have them work, and serve him, and he would command them to do very difficult tasks. This is what Allāh ﷻ has given Sayyidnā Sulaymān the ability to do. So, it’s a service for Sayyidnā Sulaymān, and in the same time it’s a punishment for Ash-Shayātīn; they had to do this slave labour for him. But Al-Yahūd, they accused Sayyidnā Sulaimān of being influenced by Ash-Shayātīn and being controlled by Ash- Shayātīn. Sayyidnā Sulaimān عليه السالم , he had this control over Al Jinn.

15.22 Sayyidnā Sulaimān عليه السالم  Passes Away

Sayyidnā Sulaimān عليه السالم , when he passed away, the Jinn continued working for him and the Ash-Shayātīn, even though he was already dead. Because he was kneeling on his cane, and he was dead, but the Shayātīn used to think that he was alive, even though he already passed away. And termites were eating from his cane from the inside, and the cane was going hollow, but he was still supported by his cane, sitting on the throne.

15.23 The Jinn and the Shayātīn Do Not Know Al-Ghaib

And then when the termites kept on drilling the cane, and the cane broke down, then Sayyidnā Sulaimān عليه السالم  fell down. Only then did the Jinn and the Shayātīn realize that Sayyidnā Sulaimān عليه السالم  was dead. But before that, they continued serving and going through the slave labour, because they were still seeing Sayyidnā Sulaimān sitting on his ‘arsh – on his throne. And Allāh ﷻ has mentioned this in Qur’ān, to refute the claims of Al Yahūd, that Sayyidnā Sulaimān was controlled or influenced by Jinn.

Allāh ﷻ says, Then when We decreed death for him [Sulaimān (Solomon)], nothing informed them (jinns) of his death except a little worm of the earth, which kept (slowly) gnawing away at his stick, so when he fell down, the jinns saw clearly that if they had known the unseen, they would not have stayed in the humiliating torment.(Sabā’ – 34 :14)

This Āyah responds two things:
1. First of all, it responds to the claim that the Jinn were influencing Sulaimān Sayyidnā عليه السالم
2. It responds to the claim that the Jinn know Al-Ghaib

The Jinn do not know al-Ghaib. And al-Kahanah and al-Saharā – the magicians and the fortune-tellers, they depend on the Jinn, and they claim that Jinn know the future. And since we have connection with the Jinn, we can know, and tell what will happen in the future, but Allāh ﷻ says, “If the Jinn knew al-Ghaib – if they knew the unseen, they wouldn’t have remained in this punishment”, because the kind of tasks that Sayyidnā Sulaimān was putting them through, was a form of punishment and humiliation for Ash- Shayātīn and al-Jinn. And they kept on doing it, even though Sayyidnā Sulaimān was dead, and this is a proof that al-Jinn and Ash-Shayātīn, do not know al-Ghaib – they do not know the unseen. The Jinn, they do not have any knowledge, whatsoever, about the unseen, except what they steal from the conversations, when they eavesdrop on the angels. That’s the only information that they have, and they mix one piece of truth with ninety-nine lies. Sayyidnā Sulaimān عليه السالم  passed away, and that’s when the Jinn realised that they have been working overtime. And they know that he is the only human being that has control over us. So as soon as Sulaymān عليه السالم  passed away, they went to their normal jobs of the pre- Sulaymānic era, and that is to deviate people. Sayyidnā Sulaimān عليه السالم  didn’t have control over all of the Jinn and Ash-Shayātīn. Allāh ﷻ put under his control, some of al-Jinn and Ash-Shayātīn. This is the story of Sayyidnā Sulaimān عليه السالم .

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