34:14 Saba (Sheba)

فلم يزل الشياطين يعملون لسليمان, عليه الصلاة والسلام, كل بناء، وكانوا قد موهوا على الإنس, وأخبروهم أنهم يعلمون الغيب, ويطلعون على المكنونات، فأراد اللّه تعالى أن يُرِيَ العباد كذبهم في هذه الدعوى, فمكثوا يعملون على عملهم، وقضى اللّه الموت على سليمان عليه السلام, واتَّكأ على عصاه, وهي المنسأة، فصاروا إذا مروا به وهو متكئ عليها, ظنوه حيا, وهابوه.فغدوا على عملهم كذلك سنة كاملة على ما قيل, حتى سلطت دابة الأرض على عصاه, فلم تزل ترعاها, حتى باد وسقط فسقط سليمان عليه السلام وتفرقت الشياطين وتبينت الإنس أن الجن { لَوْ كَانُوا يَعْلَمُونَ الْغَيْبَ مَا لَبِثُوا فِي الْعَذَابِ الْمُهِينِ } وهو العمل الشاق عليهم، فلو علموا الغيب, لعلموا موت سليمان, الذي هم أحرص شيء عليه, ليسلموا مما هم فيه.

يذكر تعالى كيفية موت سليمان عليه السلام وكيف عمى الله موته على الجان المسخرين له في الأعمال الشاهقة فإنه مكث متوكئا على عصاه وهي منسأته كما قال ابن عباس رضي الله عنهما ومجاهد والحسن وقتادة وغير واحد مدة طويلة نحوا من سنة فلما أكلتها دابة الأرض وهي الأرضة ضعفت وسقط إلى الأرض وعلم أنه قد مات قبل ذلك بمدة طويلة تبينت الجن والإنس أيضا أن الجن لا يعلمون الغيب كما كانوا يتوهمون ويوهمون الناس ذلك قد ورد في ذلك حديث مرفوع غريب وفي صحته نظر قال ابن جرير حدثنا أحمد بن منصور حدثنا موسى بن مسعود حدثنا أبو حذيفة حدثنا إبراهيم بن طهمان عن عطاء عن السائب عن سعيد بن جبير عن ابن عباس رضي الله عنهما عن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم قال: كان نبي الله سليمان عليه السلام إذا صلى رأى شجرة نابتة بين يديه فيقول لها ما اسمك؟ فتقول كذا فيقول لأي شيء أنت فإن كانت تغرس غرست وإن كانت لدواء كتبت فبينما هو يصلى ذات يوم إذ رأى شجرة بين يديه فقال لها ما اسمك ؟ قالت الخروب قال لأي شيء أنت؟ قالت لخراب هذا البيت فقال سليمان عليه السلام اللهم عم على الجن موتي حتى يعلم الإنس أن الجن لا يعلمون الغيب فنحتها عصا فتوكأ عليها حولا ميتا والجن تعمل فأكلتها الأرضة فتبينت الإنس أن الجن لو كانوا يعلمون الغيب ما لبثوا حولا في العذاب المهين قال وكان ابن عباس يقرؤها كذلك قال فشكرت الجن للأرضة فكانت تأتيها بالماء وهكذا رواه ابن أبي حاتم من حديث إبراهيم بن طهمان به وفي رفعه غرابة ونكارة والأقرب أن يكون موقوفا وعطاء بن أبي مسلم الخراساني له غرابات وفي بعض حديثه نكارة وقال السدي في حديث ذكره عن أبي مالك عن أبي صالح عن ابن عباس رضي الله عنهما وعن مرة الهمداني عن ابن مسعود رضي الله عنه وعن ناس من أصحاب رسول الله رضي الله عنهم قال: كان سليمان عليه الصلاة والسلام يتحرر في بيت المقدس السنة والسنتين والشهر والشهرين وأقل من ذلك وأكثر فيدخل فيه ومعه طعامه وشرابه فأدخله فى المرة التي توفي فيها فكان بدء ذلك أنه لم يكن يوم يصبح فيه إلا ينبت الله في بيت المقدس شجرة فيأتيها فيسألها فيقول ما اسمك فتقول الشجرة اسمي كذا وكذا فإن كانت لغرس غرسها وإن كانت تنبت دواء قالت نبت دواء كذا وكذا فيجعلها كذلك حتى نبتت شجرة يقال لها الخروبة فسألها ما اسمك قالت أنا الخروبة قال ولأي شيء نبت؟ قالت نبت لخراب هذا المسجد قال سليمان عليه الصلاة والسلام ما كان الله ليخربه وأنا حي أنت التي على وجهك هلاكي وخراب بيت المقدس فنزعها وغرسها في حائط له ثم دخل المحراب فقام يصلي متكئا على عصاه فمات ولم تعلم به الشياطين وهم في ذلك يعملون له يخافون أن يخرج عليهم فيعاقبهم وكانت الشياطين تجتمع حول المحراب وكان المحراب له كوى بين يديه وخلفه فكان الشيطان الذي يريد أن يخلع يقول ألست جلدا إن دخلت فخرجت إن ذلك الجانب فيدخل حتى يخرج من الجانب الآخر فدخل شيطان من أولئك فمر ولم يكن شيطان ينظر إلى سليمان عليه السلام في المحراب إلا احترق فمر ولم يسمع صوت سليمان ثم رجع فلم يسلم ثم رجع فوقع في البيت ولم يحترق ونظر إلى سليمان عليه السلام فسقط ميتا فخرج فأخبر الناس أن سليمان قد مات ففتحوا عليه فأخرجوه ووجدوا منسأته وهي العصا بلسان الحبشة قد أكلتها الأرضة ولم يعلموا منذ كم مات فوضعوا الأرضة على العصا فأكلت منها يوما وليلة ثم حسبوا على ذلك النحو فوجدوه قد مات منذ سنة وهي في قراءة ابن مسعود رضي الله عنه فمكثوا يدينون له من بعد موته حولا كاملا فأيقن الناس عند ذلك أن الجن كانوا يكذبونهم ولو أنهم يطلعون على الغيب لعلموا بموت سليمان ولم يلبثوا في العذاب سنة يعملون له وذلك قول الله عز وجل " ما دلهم على موته إلا دابة الأرض تأكل منسأته فلما خر تبينت الجن أن لو كانوا يعلمون الغيب ما لبثوا في العذاب المهين " يقول تبين أمرهم للناس أنهم كانوا يكذبونهم ثم إن الشياطين قالوا للأرضة لو كنت تأكلين الطعام أتيناك بأطيب الطعام ولو كنت تشربين الشراب سقيناك أطيب الشراب ولكنا سننقل إليك الماء والطين قال فهم ينقلون إليها ذلك حيث كانت قال ألم تر إلى الطين الذي يكون في جوف الخشب؟ فهو ما تأتيها به الشياطين شكرا لها وهذا الأثر والله أعلم إنما هو مما تلقي من علماء أهل الكتاب وهي وقف لا يصدق منه إلا ما وافق الحق ولا يكذب منها إلا ما خالف الحق والباقي لا يصدق ولا يكذب وقال ابن وهب وأصبغ بن الفرج عن عبد الرحمن بن زيد بن أسلم في قوله تبارك وتعالى " ما دلهم على موته إلا دابة الأرض تأكل منسأته " قال: قال سليمان عليه السلام لملك الموت إذا أمرت بي فأعلمني فأتاه فقال: يا سليمان قد أمرت بك قد بقيت لك سويعة فدعا الشياطين فبنوا عليه صرحا من قوارير وليس له باب فقام يصلي فاتكأ على عصاه قال فدخل عليه ملك الموت فقبض روحه وهو متكئ على عصاه ولم يصنع ذلك فرارا من ملك الموت قال والجن تعمل بين يديه وينظرون إليه يحسبون أنه حي قال فبعث الله عز وجل دابة الأرض قال والدابة تأكل العيدان يقال لها القادح فدخلت فيها فأكلتها حتى إذا أكلت جوف العصا ضعفت وثقل عليها فخر ميتا فلما رأت ذلك الجن انفضوا وذهبوا قال فذلك قوله تعالى: " ما دلهم على موته إلا دابة الأرض تأكل منسأته " قال أصبغ بلغني عن غيره أنها قامت سنة تأكل منها قبل أن يخر وذكر غير واحد من السلف نحوا من هذا والله أعلم.

The Death of Sulayman

Allah tells us how Sulayman, peace be upon him, died and how Allah concealed his death from the Jinn who were subjugated to him to do hard labor. He remained leaning on his stick, which was his staff, as Ibn `Abbas may Allah be pleased with him, Mujahid, Al-Hasan, Qatadah and others said. He stayed like that for a long time, nearly a year. When a creature of the earth, which was a kind of worm, ate through the stick, it became weak and fell to the ground. Then it became apparent that he had died a long time before. It also became clear to Jinn and men alike that the Jinn do not know the Unseen as they (the Jinn) used to imagine and tried to deceive people. This is what Allah says:

مَا دَلَّهُمْ عَلَى مَوْتِهِ إِلاَّ دَابَّةُ الاٌّرْضِ تَأْكُلُ مِنسَأَتَهُ فَلَمَّا خَرَّ تَبَيَّنَتِ الْجِنُّ أَن لَّوْ كَانُواْ يَعْلَمُونَ الْغَيْبَ مَا لَبِثُواْ فِى الْعَذَابِ الْمُهِينِ

(nothing informed them (Jinn) of his death except a little worm of the earth which kept (slowly) gnawing away at his stick. So when he fell down, the Jinn saw clearly that if they had known the Unseen, they would not have stayed in the humiliating torment.) meaning, it became clear to the people that they (the Jinn) were lying.

And when We decreed for him for Solomon death in other words when he died — he remained supported against his staff an entire year while the jinn continued to toil in hard labour as was customary unaware of his death until finally when a termite ate through his staff he fell to the ground and was seen to be dead — nothing indicated to them that he had died except a termite al-ard is the verbal noun from uridat al-khashaba passive verbal form in other words ‘it the piece of wood was eaten away by a termite al-arada’ that gnawed away at his staff read minsa’atahu or minsātahu replacing the hamza with an alif meaning a ‘staff’ so called because when describing it one would say yunsa’u bihā to mean it is used to repel or drive away creatures’. And when he fell down dead the jinn realised it became apparent to them that an is softened in other words annahum had they known the Unseen — comprising what was hidden from them in the way of Solomon being dead — they would not have continued in the humiliating chastisement in that hard labour of theirs in which they continued as they supposed him to be alive which is in contrast to what they would have supposed had they known the Unseen and the fact that he had been there an entire year judging by how much of the staff the termite had eaten through after his death; in other words they would not have continued in the humiliating chastisement for a single day or even a single night longer.

The word: مِنسَأ (minsa'ah, translated in the text as 'scepter' ) in verse 14 beginning with: فَلَمَّا قَضَيْنَا عَلَيْهِ الْمَوْتَ (So, when We decided (that) death (should come) upon him, - 14) appears in the sense of staff or pole (as of purpose or authority). Some early commentators have said that it is a word taken from the Ethiopian language and denotes staff. Others have said that it is an Arabic word from: نَسَاء (nasa) which means move back, drive away, postpone. Since a staff or stick is used to remove things undesirable or harmful, therefore, it was called: مِنسأۃ : 'minsa'ah,' that is, the device to remove. By describing the circumstances of Sayyidna Sulayman's (علیہ السلام) unusual death, the text has opened a gateway of many lessons and gems of guidance.

The strange event of the death of Sayyidna Sulayman (علیہ السلام)

The elements of guidance embedded in this event are many. For example, Sayyidna Sulayman (علیہ السلام) was a ruler having such an unmatched state at his command that ruled not simply over the world of his time, but over the Jinns and birds and the wind as well. Yet, despite all these assets at his command, he too had no escape from death, and that it had to come only when the time was appointed for it to come. The construction of Baytul-Maqdis started by Sayyidna Dawud (علیہ السلام) and completed by Sayyidna Sulayman (علیہ السلام) had part of it still unfinished. This construction job was entrusted with the Jinns. They were contumacious by nature but kept working in fear of Sayyidna Sulayman (علیہ السلام) . If they were to find out that he had died, they would have stopped working instantly and the structure would have been left incomplete. With the leave of Allah, Sayyidna Sulayman (علیہ السلام) made appropriate arrangements to offset this situation. So, when came the time of his death, he got ready for it and entered the mihrab (seat of authority in the palace) which was made of sparking transparent glass. His presence could be clearly seen from outside. As was his routine, he stood there in a stance of worship slightly supported by his scepter, so that, once his soul departs (when he dies), the body remains poised at its place with the support of his staff.

The soul of Sayyidna Sulayman (علیہ السلام) was taken away at the appointed hour, but he kept firmly reclining on his staff and from the outside it appeared as if he was engrossed in worship. In that state, Jinns would not dare come close and peek at him. They kept working under the impression that Sayyidna Sulayman (علیہ السلام) was alive. Thus passed a full year and when the remaining work on Baytul-Maqdis was complete, Allah Ta’ ala empowered the termite, (which is referred to by the Qur'an as دَابَّۃ الارض (dabbatul-ard: a creature of the earth), to occupy the staff of Sayyidna Sulayman (علیہ السلام) . The termite ate out the wood and weakened the staff. When the staff was gone, Sayyidna Sulayman (علیہ السلام) fell down. That was the time when the Jinns came to know about his death.

Allah Ta’ ala has given the Jinns the capability of traversing very long distances within moments. They used to be aware of many circumstances and events not known by human beings. When they would communicate this information to human beings, they took it to be news from the unseen surmising that the Jinns too possess the knowledge of the unseen ('ilm-ul-ghaib). Moreover, the possibility that the Jinns themselves had a claim of possessing the knowledge of the unseen cannot be ruled out. But, this unusual incidence of death unfolded the reality of all that. The Jinns themselves found out - and human beings too - that the Jinns are no possessors of the knowledge of the unseen. Because, had that been the case and had they been aware of the workings of the unseen, they would have come to know about the death of Sayyidna Sulayman (علیہ السلام) more than a year ago, and would have been spared of the hard labor they went on doing on the assumption that he was alive. This is what has been stated in the last sentence of the verse:

فَلَمَّا خَرَّ‌ تَبَيَّنَتِ الْجِنُّ أَن لَّوْ كَانُوا يَعْلَمُونَ الْغَيْبَ مَا لَبِثُوا فِي الْعَذَابِ الْمُهِينِ

So, when he fell down, the Jinns came to know that if they had the knowledge of the Unseen, they would not have stayed (so long) in the humiliating punishment. (34:14).

Here, the expression: الْعَذَابِ الْمُهِينِ (al-'adhabil-muhin: humiliating punishment) refers to the hard labor they had to do in completing the edifice of Baytul-Maqdis under the orders of Sayyidna Sulayman Part of this unusual event of the death of Sayyidna Sulayman (علیہ السلام) has been mentioned in this very verse of the Qur'an while its details have been reported from several Tafsir authorities, including Sayyidna ` Abdullah Ibn ` Abbas ؓ ، and are there in Ibn Kathir and all other Tafsirs.

From this unusual event, we also learn the essential lesson that there is no escape from death for anyone and also that Allah Ta’ ala can, when He decides to have someone do something, arrange to have it done the way He wills. This is exactly as it happened during the course of this event when Sayyidna Sulayman (علیہ السلام) was kept, despite his death, standing at his place and the Jinns were made to complete the work assigned to them. This event also shows that all causes and instruments of the whole world keep fulfilling their function until such time as Allah would let them do so. When He would not let them do so, causes and instruments fail, like the support of the staff here that was terminated through the termite. Moreover, soon after the death of Sayyidna Sulayman ill there existed the danger that people, who notice the astonishing performance of the Jinns and come across their apparently unbelievable access to things unseen, might take them as their objects of worship. This danger was also eliminated by this event of death. Everyone came to know that the Jinns were really unaware and helpless in this matter.

From this submission, it becomes clear that Sayyidna Sulayman (علیہ السلام) had adopted this particular mode at the time of his death for two reasons: (1) That the remaining work on the construction of Baytul-Maqdis gets to be completed. (2) That people find out the truth about the Jinns, realize that they were really unaware and helpless, and thus there remains no danger of Jinns being taken by them as objects of veneration and worship. (Qurtubi)

According to a narration of Sayyidna ` Abdullah Ibn ` Amr reported by Imam Nasa'i with sound chains of authority, the Holy Prophet ﷺ said, "When Sulayman (علیہ السلام) accomplished the building of Baytul-Maqdis, he made some prayers that were answered. One of these was: 0 Allah, whoever enters this masjid with the sole intention of making Salah (and having no other worldly motive), purify him before he goes out of this masjid, from all his sins (making him) as pure as he was when born from the womb of his mother."

And in the narration of Suddiyy, it also appears that soon after Sayyidna Sulayman (علیہ السلام) was finished with the building of Baytul-Maqdis, he sacrificed twelve thousand cows and heifers and twenty thousand goats as a token of thanksgiving and declared the feast open to all. Celebrating the day as a day of rejoicing, he stood on the Sakhrah of Baytul-Maqdis praying: 0 Allah, it is You who bestowed this power, and all these resources, on me by virtue of which the edifice of Baytul-Maqdis reached its completion. Now, also give me the ability to thank you for this blessing; and give me death while adhering to the faith you chose for me; and once you have given me right guidance, let there come no crookedness or deviation in it." And he further supplicated, "0 my Lord, for a person who enters this masjid, I ask you of five things:

(1) Accept the repentance of a sinner who enters this masjid to confess and repent, and forgive his sins.

(2) Guarantee peace for a person who enters this masjid to remain safe from fear and danger, and deliver him from all dangers.

(3) Heal the sick person who enters this masjid.

(4) Make the poor person who enters here need-free.

(5) Let Your mercy be on the person who enters it as long as he remains here - except a person who is busy doing something unjust or faithless. (Qurtubi)

This Hadith tells us that the work of building Baytul-Maqdis was already completed during the lifetime of Sayyidna Sulayman. But, the event mentioned above is really not contrary to the possibility that there remained some construction work left out even after the completion of the main building, as is usually done in the case of such huge projects. May be, Sayyidna Sulayman (علیہ السلام) had devised the plan mentioned above for the completion of the remaining work.

It has also been reported from Sayyidna ` Abdullah Ibn ` Abbas ؓ that Sayyidna Sulayman (علیہ السلام) kept standing for a year supported by his staff, even after his death. (Qurtubi) And according to some narrations, when the Jinns found out that a long time had passed since the death of Sayyidna Sulayman علیہ لسلام while they had remained in the dark all along, they tried to determine the time of his death, and for that purpose, they went for an experiment. They released a termite on a piece of wood. Thus, from whatever of the wood was eaten by the termite in one day and night, they calculated that a year had passed over the staff of Sayyidna Sulayman (علیہ السلام) in that state.

Special Note

Citing historians, al-Baghawi has said that Sayyidna Sulayman (علیہ السلام) lived for fifty three years and ruled for forty years. He had succeeded to the throne at the age of thirteen years and had started building Baytul-Maqdis in the fourth year of his reign. (Mazhari, Qurtubi)

When We decreed death for him.... Death is of two sorts: outward death and inward death. Outward death is obvious to everyone. Friend and enemy follow the road that leads to it, the common people and the elect are the same in it. Every soul shall taste death [3:185]. Inward death is that a man dies in himself from himself without himself and comes to life from the Real in the Real with the Real. It is the same as that chevalier said: “Die, O friend, before your death, if you want to live- long ago, by such a death, Idris went up to paradise.” [DS 52] True life is that given by the opening of faith, not what is put in place by the animal spirit. Abu'l- Ḥasan Kharaqānī said, “It is twenty years since they brought my shroud from heaven. What is strange is that He keeps me with the people in the form of the living, but He has wrapped me in a shroud in His own Presence.” Don't think of that talk, put on the shroud, then clap your hands like a man. Say, “Either You or me in the city”- A realm with two heads is in turmoil. O chevalier! One drop of sperm that comes out from inside a man establishes his pollution, but this outward pollution is made pure with water. What is difficult is that if one iota of the sperm of self-seing takes up residence inside you, a pollutedness will come that cannot be eliminated with all the world's oceans. Quit being the companion of self-nurturing habit-worshipers! Kiss the dust beneath the feet of those who have disowned self! [DS 972] At this threshold, self-seeing has no reason, self-painting no worth. There is no reason whatsoever to take anything other than incapacity, need, poverty, and want. The sons of Jacob went to Joseph and took poverty and want, saying, “We came with scant goods” [12:88]. Hence Joseph lifted the mask from beauty and came forward with the tongue of generosity: “No reproof is upon you today” [12:92]. You do the same thing, O man with ruined life, indigent of the times! At the moment of dawn, when He lets down the carpet of descent and opens up the arms of generosity, go again to His door like the indigent and the incapable.