Solomon

One evening, swift steeds were paraded before him.

He said, “I have loved these horses for the sake of my Lord,” until they disappeared from sight.

“Bring them back to me!” Then he stroked their legs and necks.

And We tested Solomon, placing a lifeless body upon his throne, then he turned to Us.

He said, “My Lord, forgive me and grant me a kingdom that none shall inherit after me. Truly, You are the Bestower.”

So, We subjected the wind to him, flowing gently at his command.

And the jinn, builders and divers, were placed at his service.

And others bound in chains.

“This is Our gift, give freely or withhold, without account.”

And for him is nearness to Us and a noble return.

His armies of jinn, humans, and birds were assembled before him, kept in perfect ranks.

Until they reached the Valley of the Ants, and an ant said, “O ants, enter your homes, lest Solomon and his troops crush you unknowingly.”

He smiled, amused by her words, and said, “My Lord, inspire me to be grateful for Your blessings upon my parents and me, and to do righteous deeds that please You. And admit me, by Your mercy, among Your righteous servants.”

Then he inspected the birds and said, “Why do I not see the hoopoe? Is he absent?

I will punish him severely, or even execute him, unless he brings me a valid excuse.”

But he did not stay long, and said, “I have learned something you do not know, I have come to you from Sheba with reliable news.

I found a woman ruling over them, blessed with all things, and possessing a magnificent throne.

But I found her and her people worshiping the sun instead of Allah. Satan has made their deeds seem appealing and diverted them from the path, so they are not guided.

Should they not worship Allah, who brings forth what is hidden in the heavens and the earth, and knows what you conceal and what you reveal?

Allah, there is no Allah but Him, Lord of the Mighty Throne.”

Solomon said, “We shall see whether you speak the truth or are lying.

Take this letter of mine, deliver it to them, then step aside and observe their response.”

She said, “O nobles, a letter has been delivered to me

It is from Solomon, and it reads: ‘In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate.

Do not act arrogantly toward me, but come to me in submission.’”

She said, “O nobles, advise me in this matter, I do not decide anything without your counsel.”

They said, “We are strong and capable of war, but the decision is yours; consider what you will command.”

She said, “When kings enter a land, they ruin it and humiliate its noblest people. This is what they do.

But I will send them a gift and see what response the envoys bring.”

When her envoy arrived, Solomon said, “Do you offer me wealth? What Allah has given me is far greater than what He has given you. No, you rejoice in your gift.

Return to them, for we will come upon them with forces they cannot resist, and we will expel them in disgrace.”

He said, “O nobles, who among you can bring me her throne before she arrives in submission?”

A powerful jinn said, “I will bring it to you before you rise from your seat. I am strong and trustworthy.”

But one who had knowledge of the Book said, “I will bring it to you in the blink of an eye.” And when Solomon saw it placed before him, he said, “This is by the grace of my Lord, to test whether I am grateful or ungrateful. Whoever is grateful, benefits himself; and whoever is ungrateful, my Lord is Self-Sufficient, Most Generous.”

He said, “Disguise her throne, we shall see whether she recognizes it or remains unaware.”

When she arrived, she was asked, “Is this your throne?” She said, “It appears to be so.” Solomon said, “We were given knowledge before her, and we have submitted to Allah.”

But she had been hindered by what she worshiped besides Allah, she was from a disbelieving people.

She was told, “Enter the palace.” But when she saw its floor, she thought it was a pool of water and lifted her dress. Solomon said, “It is a palace paved with glass.” She said, “My Lord, I have wronged myself, but now I submit to Allah, Lord of the Worlds, along with Solomon.”

And to Solomon, We subjected the wind, its morning course a month’s journey, and its evening course the same. We made a fountain of molten copper flow for him, and among the jinn were those who worked under his command by his Lord’s permission. Whoever among them deviated from Our command, We made him taste the torment of the Blaze.

They made for him whatever he wished, palaces, statues, basins like reservoirs, and heavy cauldrons fixed in place. “Work thankfully, O family of David!” But few of My servants are truly grateful.

When We decreed Solomon’s death, nothing indicated his passing to the jinn except a creature of the earth gnawing at his staff. When he fell, the jinn realized that had they known the unseen, they would not have remained in humiliating labour.

There was indeed a sign for the people of Sheba in their homeland: two gardens, one to the right and one to the left. “Eat from your Lord’s provision and give thanks, a good land and a forgiving Lord.”

But they turned away, so We sent upon them a flood from the dam, and replaced their gardens with ones bearing bitter fruit, tamarisks, and a few sparse lote trees.

Thus, We repaid them for their ingratitude. Do We repay any but the ungrateful?

We placed between them and the towns We had blessed, well-known settlements, and We set measured stages between them: “Travel safely by night and day.”

But they said, “Our Lord, make the distances between our journeys longer,” and they wronged themselves. So We made them stories of the past and scattered them completely. Surely in this are signs for every steadfast, grateful heart.

Iblis proved his assumption about them true, they followed him, except for a group of true believers.

They followed what the devils taught during Solomon’s reign. But Solomon did not disbelieve; it was the devils who spread falsehood, teaching people magic and what was revealed to Harut and Marut, the two angels in Babylon. Yet these angels never taught anyone without first warning, 'We are only a test, so do not fall into disbelief.' But people learned from them how to sow discord between spouses. Though they could not harm anyone except by Allah’s permission, they learned what would harm them rather than benefit them. They knew that whoever practiced such things would have no share in the Hereafter. How terrible was the price for which they sold their souls, if only they knew!

Had they believed and been mindful, their reward from Allah would have been far better, if only they understood.