Prophet Sulayman (A)

Prophet Sulayman (A)

Prophet Sulayman (A) was the youngest son of Prophet Dawood (A) and
inherited him. Allah granted him the greatest kingdom that any king
has ever ruled over. He had control over the wind and could use it do
direct his throne through the air. Both men and jinn served him
faithfully and he could order the birds to carry out his commands by
speaking to them in their own language. As a result of these special
blessings, Prophet Sulayman's (A) kingdom was very powerful and many
countries were under its control. When the army of Prophet Sulayman
(A) marched on a mission, it was an awe-inspiring sight. The Holy
Qur'an describes one such episode as follows:

Sulayman's army consisting of men, jinn and birds were gathered
together in his presence in ranks. When they arrived in the valley of
the ants, an ant said (to the others), "O ants, enter your dwellings
lest you are crushed by Sulayman and his army by mistake." (Quran
27:17-18)

Prophet Sulayman (A) heard the warning of the chief of the ants and
asked it to come forward. He said to it, "Did you think that a Prophet
of Allah would ever harm any of His creatures?" The ant replied, "No I
did not, but I was worried that when my fellow ants would see the
grandeur of your army, they would underestimate their own bounties
from Allah and become ungrateful. It is for this reason that I asked
them to hide out of sight."

One day Prophet Sulayman (A) noticed that his messenger bird, Hud Hud
(a Hoopoe bird) was missing. The Holy Qur'an says:

And (Sulayman) inspected the birds and said, "How is it that I
cannot see Hud Hud. Is he absent? I shall certainly punish him
severely or slaughter him unless he has a good reason (for his
absence). (Quran 27:20-21)

It was not long before Hud Hud appeared, saying,
"I have been to a country about which you may know nothing. The
country is Saba (Sheba) and it is ruled by a woman who has complete
control over her people. Her throne is especially grand. However, they
all worship the sun and have forsaken Allah."

Prophet Sulayman (A) sent a letter to Bilqees, the Queen of Saba,
saying, "In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent the Most Merciful. Do
not rebel against me and come towards me in submission to Allah."

When Bilqees received the letter, she asked her ministers about their
opinion on the matter. They replied that they had powerful armies and
they were not afraid to go to war, but the final decision was in her
hands.

Bilqees wanted to settle the matter peacefully so she sent her
messengers to Prophet Sulayman (A) with costly gifts and waited for
his reaction. When the representatives of Saba arrived in the kingdom
of Prophet Sulayman (A), they were amazed to see the splendour of his
buildings and palace.

Prophet Sulayman (A) welcomed them and asked for the reply to his
letter. When they presented him with the gifts, he impatiently put
them aside, and told them, "What are these riches? I have been given
such bounties from Allah that are possessed by none. Return to your
country and inform your Queen that I am sending such an army towards
Saba that no one will be able to withstand."

When Bilqees received this message and the report about Prophet
Sulayman's (A) power, she decided to submit herself before him and
accept his invitation to embrace Islam. When Prophet Sulayman (A)
learnt that she was coming to his kingdom, he turned to his people and
said, "Who amongst you can bring me the throne of the Queen of Saba
before she herself gets here?"

One jinn said,
"I will bring it before you rise from your place."
But Asife Barqiah, who had been taught the special Name of Allah by
Prophet Sulayman (A), said, according to the Holy Qur'an:

Said he who had some knowledge of the Book, "I will bring it to
you before your eye blinks", and when he (Sulayman) saw the throne
settle beside him, he said, "This is by the Grace of my Lord so that
He may test whether I am grateful or ungrateful.. . (Quran 27:40)

In preparation for the arrival of Bilqees, Prophet Sulayman (A) had
ordered a palace of glass to be built. Under the glass floors, there
was a pool of water with various kinds of fish swimming in it. When
Bilqees arrived, he took her to the palace. The Holy Qur'an says:

She was told, "Enter the palace."; but when she saw it she thought
there was a pool of water and bared her legs. (Sulayman) said, "Indeed
this is but a place of glass." (She) said, "My Lord! verily I have
been unjust to myself. I submit with Sulayman to Allah, the Lord of
the worlds." (Quran 27:44)

Bilqees was fooled by the appearance of water and hitched up her dress
to her knees to save it from getting wet. When she realised her
mistake, she at once understood the subtle point that Prophet Sulayman
(A) was making to her. He was showing her that things are not always
what they seem, and even if the sun she worshipped was the most
powerful force she could see, there was another, more powerful, Force
behind it.

The intelligent lady understood the message and turned to Allah in
repentance and faith.

Prophet Sulayman (A) then returned her to Saba and allowed her to rule
in his name. Prophet Sulayman (A) ruled over his people with justice
for a long time. His power extended across most of the known world.
This unique blessing was in response to his prayer which is recorded
in the Holy Qur'an:

He said, "O my Lord! Forgive me and grant me a kingdom such as
shall not befit anyone after me, verily You are the Granter of
bounties (without measure). (Quran 38:35)