Sulaiman (AS), also known as Solomon, was the son of Dawud (AS), both were Prophets and Kings. To Sulaiman (AS) Allah subjected the winds. They blew at his command and carried him from place to place so that he reached his destination quickly. Allah also subjected to him the strong and clever jinn and the rebellious satans. They obeyed his commands and carried out his construction plans.
‘And to Sulaiman (AS) the wind, blowing strongly, that ran at his command to the land which We had blessed. And We had knowledge of everything. Some of the satans dived for him (for pearls) and did other work as well; and We were watching over them.’ (Qur’an 21: 81-2)‘And to Sulaiman (AS) the wind, its morning course was a month's journey and its evening course was a month's journey. We made the fount of molten brass to flow for him. Some of the jinns worked for him by the leave of his Lord, and such of them as deviated from Our command We caused them to taste the punishment of the Blazing Fire. They made for him whatever he wanted: places of worship, statues, great pots like water-troughs, and boilers built into the ground. 'Work, House of Dawud, in thankfulness. Very few of My slaves are thankful.' ( Qur’an 34: 12)
FINE UNDERSTANDING AND DEEP KNOWLEDGE
Sulaiman (AS)'s intelligence and sound judgment was shown in a case which was presented before his noble father. There was a vineyard full of grape-vines which were full of grapes. Some sheep belonging to another person entered the vineyard and ruined it. Dawud (AS) gave a judgment that the sheep should be given to the owner of the vines in compensation.
Sulaiman (AS) said: 'That is not the more correct judgment, o' Prophet of Allah.' Dawud (AS) asked: 'What should it be then?'
Sulaiman (AS) said: 'Give the vines to the owner of the sheep and let him restore them to their previous condition. Give the sheep to the owner of the vines and he can profit from them until the vines are restored to their proper condition. Then the vines will be returned to their owner and the sheep will be returned to their owner.'
'And Dawud and Sulaiman (AS) when they gave judgment concerning the fields, when the sheep of the people strayed there, and We were witnesses to their judgment. We made Sulaiman (AS) understand it. We gave both of them judgment and knowledge.' (Qur’an 21 : 78-9)
SULAIMAN (AS) KNEW THE LANGUAGE OF THE BIRDS AND ANIMALS
The Qur'an tells a delightful story which illustrates Sulaiman (AS)'s wisdom in the management of his kingdom and his awesome power. It shows how Allah joined for him the happiness of this world and the Next World. With Sulaiman (AS), his kingdom in this world strengthened his work as Prophet and Messenger of the true religion.
Once he mustered his armies of jinn, men and birds and rode among them in splendor and might. They were perfectly organized and arranged under the command of their leaders. Sulaiman (AS) passed by the Valley of the Ants.
One of the ants, afraid that the hooves of the horses would crush his tribe without Sulaiman (AS) and his armies being aware of it, ordered his fellow-ants to go into their dwelling-places. Sulaiman (AS) heard and understood this. Being a Prophet of Allah, his response was not ruled by pride or arrogance. Rather, Sulaiman (AS) was moved to praise Allah and to be grateful for His blessing. Supplication and success are part of right action and treading in the path of the righteous slaves of Allah.
THE STORY OF THE HOOPOE
The hoopoe was Sulaiman (AS)'s scout and his eyes to seek out for him watering places and campsites for the army. On one occasion, Sulaiman (AS) could not locate the bird and this annoyed him.
The hoopoe was away for quite a time before finally returning with this news for Sulaiman (AS): 'I have learned something that neither you nor your armies know. I have brought you true information about the kingdom of Sheba. It is a great and a vast state. But in spite of the intelligence and skill of the people and their good leadership, I found them to be ignorant and foolish. They prostrate to the sun instead of Allah. They have no understanding and will not be guided to the worship of Allah alone.'
SULAIMAN (AS) CALLS THE QUEEN OF SHEBA TO TRUE RELIGION
It grieved the Prophet of Allah to learn of such a kingdom, with a people he had not known about. His call had not been able to reach these people, so they still worshipped the sun. The zeal of Prophethood moved him to write to their idol-worshipping Queen, calling her to Islam and submission, before he advanced with his powerful armies to conquer her land. He wrote her an eloquent letter in which he called on her to enter Islam and submit to him. The letter, which was polite but firm, expressed prophetic humility as well as kingly honour.
The Queen of Sheba was intelligent and not given to hasty judgments. She had great experience of the conduct of kings and the history of conquerors. However, her intellect had deceived her as she had failed to recognize Allah and worship Him. She told her most intelligent counselors that she had received a letter, different from all other letters. It was from the greatest king of that time who was a Prophet calling people to Allah. She asked for their advice.
The leaders in her kingdom began to vaunt their strength and the size of their armies. That is what companions of kings and rulers do in every time and place. The Queen did not agree with what they were doing, so they left the decision to her. She warned them about coming to a bad end. She reminded them how victorious kings despoil nations they have conquered, and humiliate even the noblest of people. She told them: 'I will send him some splendid gifts in order to test him. If he accepts the gifts, then he is a king and we will fight against him. If he does not accept them, then he is a Prophet and we will follow him.'
A BARGAINED GIFT
She sent a delegation with gifts of great value as befits a king. When the gifts reached Sulaiman (AS), he refused to accept them, saying:
'Are you trying to use wealth to bargain with me so that I should leave you to hold your kingdom and your people in idol-worship? The kingdom, property and armies that Allah has given me are better than those you have. This is no light matter, but a serious and solemn call to true religion. It is a case of being summoned and of submitting, and not to be haggled over.' He sent the delegation back, declaring that he would march against their kingdom.
THE QUEEN COMES IN SUBMISSION
When the delegation returned to the kingdom of Sheba and gave the Queen Sulaiman (AS)'s message, she and her people decided they should obey. In submission, she set out to meet Sulaiman (AS) with her armies. When Sulaiman (AS) learned of the decision, he was pleased and praised Allah.
He wanted to show her a sign to illustrate the power of Allah and His blessings to Sulaiman (AS). He decided to present her with her own throne, which was guarded by her strong, trustworthy men. He asked his Council to bring her throne to him before the Queen's great retinue arrived. The throne was brought miraculously to Sulaiman (AS) in the shortest possible time. Then, Sulaiman (AS) commanded some of the finer details of the throne to be altered so that he could test whether the Queen would recognize it when she saw it. If she did not recognize it, that would prove that she was short-sighted in still finer matters that are even more difficult to grasp.
A GREAT PAVILION OF GLASS
Sulaiman (AS) commanded his builders, both jinn and men, to build a great pavilion with water flowing under a glass floor. Anyone who did not know the truth of the matter would have thought that they were really stepping into the water. The Queen would surely assume that it was water and raise the hem of her dress above the water, and her mistake would be clear. She would then realize that she was short-sighted and had been deceived by outward appearances. She and her people were bowing to the sun because it was the clearest source of light and life, which are but two of Allah's attributes. Then the veil would fall from her eyes and she would realize that just as she had made a mistake in assuming the glass to be water when she raised the hem of her dress, so too she had been mistaken when she treated the sun as the Creator by prostrating to it and worshipping it.
THE QUEEN SURRENDERS WITH SULAIMAN (AS) TO ALLAH
All of that indeed happened. The Queen fell into this absurd error in spite of her cleverness. She thought that the glass was flowing, glistening water. She raised the hem of her dress above what she thought was the water. Then the Prophet of Allah, Sulaiman (AS), informed her of her mistake, saying: 'It is a pavilion paved with crystal.'
The veil fell from her eyes and she recognized her ignorance in taking an outward appearance at face value by worshipping the sun and prostrating to it. She was quick to exclaim:
'My Lord, I have wronged myself! I surrender with Sulaiman (AS) to Allah, the Lord of all being.'
Source: Stories of The Prophets - Sayyed Abul Hasan Ali Nadwi
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