Prophet Sulayman (peace be upon him) was one of the prophets of Allah mentioned in the Noble Qur’an. He was a great king and the son of Prophet Dawud (peace be upon him), who was also a great king and prophet. Allah, the Exalted, says in His Holy Quran:
“And Sulayman inherited Dawud.”
(وَوَرِثَ سُلَيْمَانُ دَاوُدَ)
(An-Naml 27:16).
He was Sulayman ibn Dawud ibn Isha ibn Uwayd ibn Abir, whose lineage traces back to Yahudha ibn Ya‘qub ibn Ishaq ibn Ibrahim (peace be upon them all). He was one of the prophets sent to the Children of Israel. Allah granted him knowledge and wisdom and bestowed upon him a magnificent kingdom. Allah, the Exalted, says:
“He said, ‘My Lord, forgive me and grant me a kingdom such as will not belong to anyone after me. Indeed, You are the Bestower.’”
(قَالَ رَبِّ اغْفِرْ لِي وَهَبْ لِي مُلْكًا لَّا يَنبَغِي لِأَحَدٍ مِّن بَعْدِي ۖ إِنَّكَ أَنتَ الْوَهَّابُ) (Sad 38:35)
The renowned early Muslim scholar, Mujahid ibn Jabr, “The world was ruled by four people: two believers and two disbelievers. The two believers were Sulayman ibn Dawud and Dhul-Qarnayn, while the two disbelievers were Nimrod ibn Canaan and Bukhtanassar.”
The Attributes of Prophet Sulayman (Peace Be Upon Him)
Allah, Glorified and Exalted be He, blessed Prophet Sulayman (peace be upon him) from an early age with intelligence, wisdom, and sound judgement. During his reign, his father would consult him on various matters despite his young age, owing to his wisdom and insight. The Noble Qur’an highlights an example of Sulayman’s remarkable intelligence and wisdom in the story of the field and the crops.
Allah, the Exalted, says:
“And [mention] Dawud and Sulayman, when they judged concerning the field, when the sheep of a people had strayed into it at night, and We were witnesses to their judgement. And We gave Sulayman understanding of the case, and to each of them We granted wisdom and knowledge. And We subjected the mountains and the birds to glorify [Us] along with Dawud. And We were the Doer [of all things].”
(وَداودَ وَسُلَيمانَ إِذ يَحكُمانِ فِي الحَرثِ إِذ نَفَشَت فيهِ غَنَمُ القَومِ وَكُنّا لِحُكمِهِم شاهِدينَ` فَفَهَّمناها سُلَيمانَ وَكُلًّا آتَينا حُكمًا وَعِلمًا وَسَخَّرنا مَعَ داوودَ الجِبالَ يُسَبِّحنَ وَالطَّيرَ وَكُنّا فاعِلينَ)
(Al-Anbiya 21:78–79)
The story is that two men came to Prophet Dawud (peace be upon him). One of them owned a field, while the other owned a flock of sheep. The owner of the field complained, saying, “This man’s sheep strayed into my field and destroyed its crops.”
Prophet Dawud (peace be upon him) ruled that the owner of the field should be compensated with the sheep. However, Prophet Sulayman (peace be upon him) proposed a different judgement: the owner of the field would take the sheep and benefit from their milk and wool while cultivating his land until it returned to its former condition. Once the field was restored, he would return the sheep to their owner. Prophet Dawud accepted Sulayman’s judgement, peace be upon them both.
The Kingdom of Prophet Sulayman (Peace Be Upon Him)
Allah, the Exalted, bestowed upon Prophet Sulayman (peace be upon him) unique blessings, some of which are mentioned in the Noble Qur’an. Among them was the ability to understand the language of birds and his dominion over humans, jinn, and birds. Allah, the Exalted, says:
“And gathered for Sulayman were his soldiers of jinn, humans, and birds, and they were [marching] in rows.”
(وَحُشِرَ لِسُلَيْمَانَ جُنُودُهُ مِنَ الْجِنِّ وَالْإِنْسِ وَالطَّيْرِ فَهُمْ يُوزَعُونَ)
(An-Naml 27:17).
Allah, the Exalted, says:
“He said, ‘My Lord, forgive me and grant me a kingdom such as will not belong to anyone after me. Indeed, You are the Bestower.’ So We subjected the wind to him, blowing gently by his command wherever he directed. And [We subjected to him] the devils, every builder and diver, and others bound together in chains. [We said], ‘This is Our gift, so grant or withhold as you wish, without account.’”
(قَالَ رَبِّ اغْفِرْ لِي وَهَبْ لِي مُلْكًا لَا يَنْبَغِي لِأَحَدٍ مِنْ بَعْدِي إِنَّكَ أَنْتَ الْوَهَّابُ * فَسَخَّرْنَا لَهُ الرِّيحَ تَجْرِي بِأَمْرِهِ رُخَاءً حَيْثُ أَصَابَ * وَالشَّيَاطِينَ كُلَّ بَنَّاءٍ وَغَوَّاصٍ * وَآخَرِينَ مُقَرَّنِينَ فِي الْأَصْفَادِ * هَذَا عَطَاؤُنَا فَامْنُنْ أَوْ أَمْسِكْ بِغَيْرِ حِسَابٍ)
(Sad 38:35–39).
Prophet Sulayman (peace be upon him) needed materials to manufacture weapons for use in his battles, so Allah, the Exalted, provided him with a flowing spring of molten copper, which he could shape as he wished. Allah, the Exalted, says:
“And We made a spring of molten copper flow for him.”
(وَأَسَلْنَا لَهُ عَيْنَ الْقِطْرِ)
(Saba 34:12).
Prophet Sulayman (peace be upon him) was blessed with a kingdom unlike any other, along with extraordinary abilities and countless blessings from Allah. His remarkable story holds many more events and lessons, which we will explore in the second part.
