Allah says,
[وَلَقَدْ فَتَنَّا
سُلَيْمَـنَ]
(And indeed, We tried Sulayman) meaning, `We tested him.'
[وَأَلْقَيْنَا عَلَى
كُرْسِيِّهِ جَسَداً]
(and We placed on his throne Jasad (a body)).
[ثُمَّ
أَنَابَ]
(and he returned.) means, after this test, he turned back to Him and asked
for forgiveness and to be given a kingdom such as shall not belong to any other
after him.
[قَالَ رَبِّ اغْفِرْ
لِى وَهَبْ لِى مُلْكاً لاَّ يَنبَغِى لاًّحَدٍ مِّن بَعْدِى إِنَّكَ أَنتَ
الْوَهَّابُ ]
(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.'') Some of them
said, "No one after me will have the right to ask Allah for such a kingdom.''
This is the apparent meaning from the context of the Ayah, and several Hadiths
with a similar meaning have been narrated from the Messenger of Allah . In his
Tafsir of this Ayah, Al-Bukhari recorded that Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased
with him, said that the Prophet said:
«إِنَّ عِفْرِيتًا
مِنَ الْجِنِّ تَفَلَّتَ عَلَيَّ الْبَارِحَةَ أَوْ كَلِمَةً نَحْوَهَا لِيَقْطَعَ
عَلَيَّ الصَّلَاةَ فَأَمْكَنَنِي اللهُ تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى مِنْهُ، وَأَرَدْتُ
أَنْ أَرْبِطَهُ إِلَى سَارِيَةٍ مِنَ سَوَارِي الْمَسْجِدِ حَتْى
تُصْبِحُوا،وَتَنْظُرُوا إِلَيْهِ كُلُّكُمْ، فَذَكَرْتُ قَوْلَ أَخِي سُلَيْمَانَ
عَلَيْهِ الصَّلَاةُ وَالسَّلَامُ:
[رَبِّ اغْفِرْ لِى
وَهَبْ لِى مُلْكاً لاَّ يَنبَغِى لاًّحَدٍ مِّن بَعْدِى]»
(An `Ifrit from among the Jinn came and bothered me last night- or he said
something similar -Trying to stop me from praying. Allah enabled me to overpower
him, and I wanted to tie him to one of the pillars in the Masjid so that you
could see him this morning. Then I remembered what my brother Sulayman said, (My
Lord! Forgive me and bestow upon me a kingdom such as shall not belong to any
other after me)) Rawh said, "so he let him go, humiliated.'' ) This was also
recorded by Muslim and An-Nasa'i. In his Sahih, Muslim recorded that Abu
Ad-Darda', may Allah be pleased with him, said, "The Messenger of Allah stood up
to pray and we heard him say, r
«أَعُوذُ بِاللهِ
مِنْك»
(I seek refuge with Allah from you.) Then he said,
«أَلْعَنُكَ
بِلَعْنَةِ الله»
(I curse you with the curse of Allah.) three times, and he stretched out his
hand as if he was reaching out to take something. When he finished his prayer,
we said, `O Messenger of Allah, we heard you say something in your prayer which
we have never heard you say before, and we saw you stretching out your hand.' He
said:
«إِنَّ عَدُوَّ اللهِ
إِبْلِيسَ جَاءَ بِشِهَابٍ مِنْ نَارٍ لِيَجْعَلَهُ فِي وَجْهِي فَقُلْتُ: أَعُوذُ
بِاللهِ مِنْكَ، ثَلَاثَ مَرَّاتٍ، ثُمَّ قُلْتُ: أَلْعَنُكَ بِلَعْنَةِ اللهِ
التَّامَّةِ، فَلَمْ يَتَأَخَّرْ، ثَلَاثَ مَرَّاتٍ ثُمَّ أَرَدْتُ أَنْ
آخُذَهُ،وَاللهِ لَوْلَا دَعْوَةُ أَخِينَا سُلَيْمَانَ لَأَصْبَحَ مُوثَقًا،
يَلْعَبُ بِهِ صِبْيَانُ أَهْلِ الْمَدِينَة»
(The enemy of Allah Iblis came with a flame of fire to throw in my face, so I
said, "I seek refuge with Allah from you'' three times, then I said, "I curse
you with the complete curse of Allah,'' but he did not back off. I said it three
times. Then I wanted to seize him. By Allah, if it were not for the words of our
brother Sulayman, he would have been chained up and he would have become a
plaything for the children of the people of Al-Madinah.)'' Allah says:
[فَسَخَّرْنَا لَهُ
الرِّيحَ تَجْرِى بِأَمْرِهِ رُخَآءً حَيْثُ أَصَابَ ]
(So, We subjected to him the wind; it blew gently by his order wherever he
willed.) Al-Hasan Al-Basri, may Allah have mercy on him, said, "When Sulayman,
peace be upon him, slaughtered the horses out of anger for the sake of Allah,
Allah compensated him with something better and swifter, the wind whose morning
was a month's (journey), and its afternoon was a month's (journey).''
[حَيْثُ
أَصَابَ]
(wherever he willed.) means, wherever in the world he wanted.
[وَالشَّيَـطِينَ
كُلَّ بَنَّآءٍ وَغَوَّاصٍ ]
(And also the Shayatin, from every kind of builder and diver,) means, among
them were some whom he used to build high rooms, images, basins as large as
reservoirs, and cauldrons fixed (in their places), and other difficult tasks
which humans were unable to do. And there was another group, who dived into the
sea recovering pearls, jewels and other precious things which cannot be found
anywhere else.
[وَءَاخَرِينَ
مُقَرَّنِينَ فِى الاٌّصْفَادِ ]
(And also others bound in fetters.) means, tied up in chains. These were the
ones who had rebelled and refused to work, or else their work was bad and they
were wrongdoers.
[هَـذَا عَطَآؤُنَا
فَامْنُنْ أَوْ أَمْسِكْ بِغَيْرِ حِسَابٍ ]
([Allah said to Sulayman]: "This is Our Gift, so spend you or withhold, no
account will be asked of you.'') means, `this that We have given to you of
kingship and perfect power, as you asked for, you may give to whomsoever you
wish and deny to whomsoever you wish, and you will not be brought to account.
Whatever you do is permissible for you, so however you judge, it will be right.'
It was reported in the Two Sahihs that when the Messenger of Allah was given the
choice between being a servant and a Messenger -- who does what he is commanded
to do and distributes things among the people as Allah commands him to do -- or
being a Prophet and a king, who can give to whomever he wishes and withhold from
whomever he wishes without being held accountable for anything, he chose the
former. He consulted with Jibril, peace be upon him, who said, "Be humble.'' So
he chose the former because it has a greater value before Allah and brings a
higher status in the Hereafter, even though the second option, prophethood
combined with kingship, is also a great thing both in this world and in the
Hereafter, when Allah tells us what He gave to Sulayman, peace be upon him, in
this world, He tells us that he will have a great share with Allah on the Day of
Resurrection. He says:
[وَإِنَّ لَهُ
عِندَنَا لَزُلْفَى وَحُسْنَ مَـَابٍ ]
(And verily, for him is a near access to Us, and a good (final) return.)
meaning, in this world and the Hereafter.
[وَاذْكُرْ عَبْدَنَآ
أَيُّوبَ إِذْ نَادَى رَبَّهُ أَنِّى مَسَّنِىَ الشَّيْطَـنُ بِنُصْبٍ وَعَذَابٍ -
ارْكُضْ بِرِجْلِكَ هَـذَا مُغْتَسَلٌ بَارِدٌ وَشَرَابٌ - وَوَهَبْنَا لَهُ
أَهْلَهُ وَمِثْلَهُمْ مَّعَهُمْ رَحْمَةً مِّنَّا وَذِكْرَى لاٌّوْلِى
الاٌّلْبَـبِ - وَخُذْ بِيَدِكَ ضِغْثاً فَاضْرِب بِّهِ وَلاَ تَحْنَثْ إِنَّا
وَجَدْنَـهُ صَابِراً نِّعْمَ الْعَبْدُ إِنَّهُ أَوَّابٌ ]
(41. And remember Our servant Ayyub, when he invoked his Lord (saying):
"Verily, Shaytan has afflicted me with distress and torment!'') (42. (Allah said
to him): "Strike the ground with your foot. This is (a spring of) water to wash
in, cool and a drink.'') (43. And We gave him (back) his family, and along with
them the like thereof, as a mercy from Us, and a reminder for those who
understand.) (44. "And take in your hand a bundle of thin grass and strike
therewith (your wife), and break not your oath.'' Truly, We found him patient.
How excellent a servant! Verily, he was ever oft-returning in repentance (to
Us)!)
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