Part 1: Introduction: Alphabets in the Qur'an (verses1-2)
Here is a discussion of some of the verses of surah Mriam which is a beautiful surah in the Quran. You can listen to the lecture by Hajj Usama Alattar from here:
http://www.4shared.com/audio/J4sLHhLW/Introduction_Alphabets_in_the_.html
The first part of the surah (the first verses up to verse number 15) talks about prophet Zechariah(as), the father of Yehya(as)( in the Bible is referred to as John the Baptist). The next verses from 16 up to verse 36 talk about Mary(as), the holy noble lady whom the surah is named after. She is the only woman in the Quran who is mentioned by name. A whole chapter named after her in the Quran. The Quran highly praises Mary of her virtues, of her devoutness, of her great character. In addition to how great she was, this part talks about the birth of Jesus(as). The Quran mentioned something about the birth of Jesus that the Bible does not mention which is a miracle of Jesus(as). It is speaking in the cradle.
Let us start with the first verse " كهيعص"
Several surahs in the holy Quran starts with alphabets such as Albaqarah, Yousof, Qaf, Ssad and so on.
What is the meaning (reasons) of these letters and alphabets?
The interpreters of the Quran have given twelve reasons. The most reliable justifications are the following:
One justification suggests that when the Quran was revealed in Arabic, the people at the time.. people of Makkah and Arab people were very eloquent in Arabic and they had so many good poets.. They would write some beautiful poetry.. They were so articulate.. Arabic language was so structured and well-mastered by the Arabs. Unlike the time of other prophets, language was not one of the miracles. For example, at the time of Moses(as), it was not the language which was well-known.. It was magic.. They were so good at magic.. That is why he had to come with something that surpasses everything that they are known for. That is why among the first people who believed in Moses were the magicians themselves because what they saw in Moses is not magic according to their knowledge of their profession. Whatever he is bringing is something serious…unlike what they do. They realized that this is not magic so that they immediately believed in him. At the time of Jesus, people were well-known for medicine. That is why his miracle was bringing people back to life and he surpasses them. At the time of prophet Mohammad( peace be upon him), language was so eloquent and people were well-versed in language. So, the Quran, as a miracle, came to challenge their language. That is why the Quran in more than one occasion tells the people of Arabia that if you doubt that this Quran is revealed from Allah(swt), try to bring a Quran like this.., you will not succeed.. Then , Allah reduced the challenge and said bring ten surahs like the Quran… then, Allah reduced the challenge even further.. bring one surah..
Fourteen hundred years ago and until today, no one has been able to come up with verses like those of the Quran because any person who understand Arabic language very well( Just like the magicians understood the magic of Moses, they realized it was not magic..) knows that this is not words of a human being. People who are experts in language realize that this could not be challenged. Whatever Allah(swt) has revealed is, indeed, a miracle of time and of life.
What Allah is trying to challenge the people of Arabia and until the day of judgment is that these letters, some interpreters say, are just like a painter who paints a painting. The painter uses brushes, colors.. but, he paints a masterpiece.. Using the same tools does not mean that you are able to get similar painting. Similarly, one interpretation says Allah is giving these alphabets just to say to those who are challenging the Quran and saying that it is not from Allah that the Quran is composed of alphabets.. use them and see if you can come up with something that is better… This is one interpretation.
Another interpretation says that these alphabets contain some of the names of Allah(swt).
الله الكافي = ك=The one who suffices his servants.
الله الهادي =هـ= The one who guides them.
الله الولي= ي= The master.
الله العالي=ع= The one who is high and elevated.
الصادق الوعد= ص = The one who fulfils His promise.
Similarly, for other alphabets of the Quran, those alphabets could mean other things.
The third interpretation suggests that these alphabets have a hidden meaning.. Not every human being can discover their meaning and this is done for reason which is to keep the miraculousness and the holiness of the Quran.. That no matter you, human being, excel in science and language and so and so forth, there are certain things that you are not able to understand. So, it is one of these challenges made by Allah(swt) until the day of judgment where, except the prophet and the Imams( peace be upon them), nobody knows the meaning of these letters." ذكر رحمة ربك عبده زكريا(2)" سورة مريمThe second verse is talking about prophet Zachariah(as) which means" This is the mention of your lord's mercy His servant Zachariah".
It is a pride for every human being to be a slave of God. As a human being, God wants us to be free human beings, not slaves of other human beings. That is the prophet(pbuh) used to ask the companions to free servants and slaves, treat them with respect because they are human beings. Similarly, the Imams(as) used to buy the slaves and free them because human being in his nature does not want to be a slave.. He wants to be free and wants to be respected. However, when it comes to being the slave of Allah, we take pride of this. Not only we, Allah refers to prophet Mohammad(pbuh) in surah Al'isra which is surah number 17 as His servant and says
" سبحان الذي أسرى بعبده ليلاً من المسجد الحرام إلى المسجد الأقصى"" Glorified be Him, the one who migrated at night his servant( prophet Mohammad) from the Sacred Mosque to Jerusalem"
So, devout people take pride in being slaves of Allah(swt) and no one and nothing else other than Allah. some people are slaves of money. They do not donate and give money to charity. Other people are slaves of desires and other things, God forbid.
Sunday 27 February 2011
Saturday 19 February 2011
The Story of The City of Saba
" لقد كان لسبأٍ في مسكنهم آية جنتان عن يمين و شمال كلوا من رزق ربكم و اشكروا له بلدة طيبة و رب غفور(15) فأعرضوا فأرسلنا عليهم سيل العرم و بدلناهم بجنتيهم جنتين ذواتي أكل خمط و أثل و شيء من سدر قليل(16) ذلك جزيناهم بما كفروا و هل نجازي إلا الكفور(17) و جعلنا بينهم و بين القرى التي باركنا فيها قرى ظاهرة و قدرنا فيها السير سيروا فيها ليالي و أياماً آمنين(18) فقالوا ربنا باعد بين أسفارنا و ظلموا أنفسهم فجعلناهم أحاديث و مزقناهم كل ممزق إن في ذلك لآيات لكل صبار شكور(19) و لقد صدق عليهم إبليس ظنه فاتبعوه إلا فريقاً من المؤمنين(20)" سورة سبأ
Everything you do for the sake of Allah will be given to you as a credit. So, if you dedicate your life for the sake of Allah(swt), Allah will make that whole life of yours a blessed life full of blessings and rewards. On the contrary, If you claim yourself or your life not for the service of God, that life of yours will not be a life of joy and happiness, both in this world and in the hereafter.
When Allah(swt) showers a person, is it possible that he removes these blessings from a person? Or they are there forever?
The Quran is a great book that we can learn from. It contains so many stories that we have to reflect upon. These stories did not happen a thousand, two thousands or five thousand years ago. Although they occurred so much time ago, they are observed today. Every society continues observing them. That is the beauty of the Quran. It is a book written for eternity. Allah(swt) gives us a beautiful example to reflect upon, the story of Saba( A city known as Saba). Allah says in surat Saba verse 15:
" لقد كان لسبأٍ في مسكنهم آية جنتان عن يمين و شمال كلوا من رزق ربكم و اشكروا له بلدة طيبة و رب غفور(15)= Indeed, the way Saba used to live with was a miracle. It was unbelievable in that day and age. They had two heavens, one was on the right hand side and the other on the left hand side. (Heaven here means a land covered with trees such that no sun can get to that land). People were able to travel for days without needing an umbrella or needing to cover themselves from the heat. There were so many trees around which makes the land constantly shaded. Then, Allah said" Eat from the sustenance that Allah gave to you and thank Him and be grateful to Him. A city which is blessed and a lord who is forgiving and merciful."
It is said that Allah(swt) cleaned the air for them. The air constantly clean so people did not get sick… No germs or bacteria. It is said that that city had no scorpions or snakes. So you can walk safely without being worried about some snakes or scorpions or things may be attacking you. Allah blessed the city of Saba.
Among all these blessings, what did they do?
People of Saba were not grateful.
By the way, thanking is not only by speaking and saying" Thank you, my lord". You need to act and be grateful both ways; thanking him verbally and with an action. If Allah(swt) has given you knowledge, you have to give some of this knowledge to the others. In fact, if a scholar or a person of knowledge does not pass his\her knowledge on to the others, Allah will hold him\her responsible on the day of judgment. Allah would say" I provided you with the opportunity that you can go and learn, Why did you stop this knowledge from being pass on to the others?"
( Look how great Islam is! It tries to promote education. The scholar had a duty towards other people. He had to educate them. Islam eradicated ignorance. The number of people who can read before the prophet came was six. Because they were few, their names had been recorded in history. After Islam and within twenty-three years only, so many people became literate.) So, whatever blessing Allah gives a human being, He wants the human being to act.
What happened to them, then?
It is said that Saba was in a place which was a valley between two mountains. What used to happen is that their soil was very good for cultivating and harvesting. The only problem was they could not get water, there was no river round that area. There was a lot of rain but that rain goes to waste. What did they do?
They actually were smart. They built a dam so that the water which used to come to the mountains would go and get trapped behind the dam. In addition, they built some windows or doors through the dam so that they can regulate how much water they want to flow. Finally, they made a river that can give as much water as they want. Then, they had no problem whatsoever with water. That is how they managed to build all these paradises that they were able to harvest.
Who gave them the idea to build a dam? Who enabled them to do so?
Sometimes, the human being gets an idea that he got these things himself. Allah says
" خلق الإنسان(3) علمه البيان(4)" سورة الرحمن = " Allah created the human being and taught him how to speak and communicate"
And Allah said " اقرأ باسم ربك الذي خلق(1) خلق الإنسان من علق(2) اقرأ و ربك الأكرم(3) الذي علم بالقلم(4) علم الإنسان ما لم يعلم(5)" سورة العلق =" Read in the name of your lord who created you from a sperm, lifeless, ignorant. You do not know anything. Recite in the name of your lord the honorable. The one who taught by the pen. He taught the human being things he did not even think about or know about"
Allah is the teacher, not us. We think that we come up with ideas and inventions, but it is only that Allah is showing us the way and giving us the ability to think of them. That is why, sometimes, when some scientists really indulged into science, they realized that whatever they end to and whatever they get into, is not just coincidence or chance. There is definitely a creator. One of those scientists is by the name of Pehe. Through science, he discovered that this universe could not have come through evolution. And he himself does not necessarily believe in God but he came up with a theory that this universe must have a creator. So, when people reflect upon the creation of Allah(swt) and upon what He has given to them, they realize that whatever things we are doing or looking out right here could not have come just by ourselves. There is Someone who is helping us to find all this.
So, Allah gave people of Saba the ability to build the dam, to control the water flow, etc. When they rejected Allah(swt) and they were not being grateful to Allah, the dam that was a blessing became a curse. Allah(swt) sent many rats that would bite the wood which the dam was made of. Over years and years, the dam became weaker and they never checked upon it regularly to maintain it. One time, there was a lot of rain. The dam was not strong enough anymore and flood. That is how Allah(swt) destroyed all their heavens and their crops and everything within few hours. Instead of all these beautiful trees and fruits that they used to have, everything has changed into a desert. Then, they had two other heavens of useless trees that have terrible taste. They had no benefit whatsoever. Allah said" That was their punishment for what they did. This was the result of their own deeds. We only give the punishment to those who are not grateful."
This is a beautiful example to be careful with Allah's blessings.
"و جعلنا بينهم و بين القرى التي باركنا فيها قرى ظاهرة و قدرنا فيها السير سيروا فيها ليالي و أياماً آمنين(18)"= " They could walk from one city to another village and from one village to the others. They were so close to each other. They were all integrated into one another. Furthermore, they could walk from one village to the other with safety. You never have to worry about some thieves who would come and steal you. You do not have to worry about any animal that might attack you. You do not have to worry about food, too."
Again, were they grateful?
فقالوا ربنا باعد بين أسفارنا و ظلموا أنفسهم فجعلناهم أحاديث و مزقناهم كل ممزق إن في ذلك لآيات لكل صبار شكور(19)" " =" They said" O' our lord, make the distances that we travel far and long" They were unjust to themselves."
Why did they ask for this?
Ahadeeth tells us that the rich people in those cities started getting tired because they were so much integrated with the poor. The rich can travel easily and so can the poor because during their travel, they did not need food, water or any preparation and they can travel safely. They were equal. The poor can sit next to the rich and the rich can sit next to the poor. ( I am so rich and popular and got this mansion and now I got this guy living in a tent right next to me! that does not work.)
( In some areas in our time, there are certain areas where the poor cannot afford to buy housing and they keep in this way. They raise the prices of those areas such that the poor does not get into these areas. The rich stays there and the poor goes into other areas because they are cheaper.)
So, they prayed to Allah that they do not want these close distances.. these abundant food.. and security. They prayed to make it difficult such that only the rich are able to travel.. and have horses and camels to travel those distances.
( Imagine the psychology of those people! However, until today, we have people like that in societies. They cannot see a mix or equality. Even in countries that call for equality, You see the same thing happening. )
What happened for them?
Allah destroyed their gardens by the flood. Those beautiful trees and security were all changed with deserts. Everything was gone.
Then, Allah said" Indeed, these are signs for every person who practices patience and gratitude". So, a human being has to be so patient and so grateful to Allah in order for him\her to perceive the signs that Allah has given to us in this humble five verses in surat Saba.
Then Allah said ولقد صدق عليهم إبليس ظنه فاتبعوه إلا فريقاً من المؤمنين(20)"" = Iblees( The devil) managed to fool them and made them think this is the best for them. ( Why should the poor live next to you?!! Why should you be praying to Allah and being grateful to Him?! You got everything..what do you need Allah for?!)They followed him and forgot about Allah except for very few individuals.
We have to train ourselves to be among those few individuals. In order for people to be like that, they have to work at it.. to understand.. and to reflect.. Allah(swt) is trying to give us here lots of lessons:
1- No matter how great you get.. No matter how powerful you become, Allah can destroy all this within seconds. These days, people invest in stocks. Overnight, stocks change and everybody is out. So, whatever blessing you have, make sure not to be so arrogant or powerful because Allah will be more powerful than you.
2- Allah is trying to tell us that we, human beings, should remember that the blessing He is giving us comes from Him.. We did not make it ourselves.. It is right that we work hard.. we get what we strive for.. But, Allah is the one who enabled us to work hard and provided us with the ability to do so. If we are not grateful, that same blessing we have will turn into a curse.( The same dam they used as a blessing was turned into a curse).
3- Allah is trying to tell us that we should not think of classes: rich\poor, educated\uneducated.
( That is one of the beauties of hajj. In hajj, everybody is wearing their shroud. Everybody is praying and doing Tawaf at the same time. You cannot tell who is a doctor and who is a regular, illiterate person. You cannot tell the difference.)
We shall work hard in this world such that we can achieve high status before Allah, not before other individuals. Other individuals will not help us on the day of judgment.
When the human being elevates his soul and his life before Allah and combines his faith with the understanding in Allah(swt), you can see him giving fruits and lots of blessings to other human beings. He\She becomes a blessing, a blessed garden of abundance such as inventors, worshipers and those who give so much to the society and the world and people pray they live forever. On the contrary, when the person forgets about Allah and does not connect himself with Allah, he\she becomes a curse towards human beings such as dictators, tyrants, oppressors that people wish they never existed in history.
(Note: This is a transcription of a lecture by Sayyed Usama Alattar. Here is the link if you want to listen to it:
http://www.4shared.com/audio/214ahntk/sabaa.html
Everything you do for the sake of Allah will be given to you as a credit. So, if you dedicate your life for the sake of Allah(swt), Allah will make that whole life of yours a blessed life full of blessings and rewards. On the contrary, If you claim yourself or your life not for the service of God, that life of yours will not be a life of joy and happiness, both in this world and in the hereafter.
When Allah(swt) showers a person, is it possible that he removes these blessings from a person? Or they are there forever?
The Quran is a great book that we can learn from. It contains so many stories that we have to reflect upon. These stories did not happen a thousand, two thousands or five thousand years ago. Although they occurred so much time ago, they are observed today. Every society continues observing them. That is the beauty of the Quran. It is a book written for eternity. Allah(swt) gives us a beautiful example to reflect upon, the story of Saba( A city known as Saba). Allah says in surat Saba verse 15:
" لقد كان لسبأٍ في مسكنهم آية جنتان عن يمين و شمال كلوا من رزق ربكم و اشكروا له بلدة طيبة و رب غفور(15)= Indeed, the way Saba used to live with was a miracle. It was unbelievable in that day and age. They had two heavens, one was on the right hand side and the other on the left hand side. (Heaven here means a land covered with trees such that no sun can get to that land). People were able to travel for days without needing an umbrella or needing to cover themselves from the heat. There were so many trees around which makes the land constantly shaded. Then, Allah said" Eat from the sustenance that Allah gave to you and thank Him and be grateful to Him. A city which is blessed and a lord who is forgiving and merciful."
It is said that Allah(swt) cleaned the air for them. The air constantly clean so people did not get sick… No germs or bacteria. It is said that that city had no scorpions or snakes. So you can walk safely without being worried about some snakes or scorpions or things may be attacking you. Allah blessed the city of Saba.
Among all these blessings, what did they do?
People of Saba were not grateful.
By the way, thanking is not only by speaking and saying" Thank you, my lord". You need to act and be grateful both ways; thanking him verbally and with an action. If Allah(swt) has given you knowledge, you have to give some of this knowledge to the others. In fact, if a scholar or a person of knowledge does not pass his\her knowledge on to the others, Allah will hold him\her responsible on the day of judgment. Allah would say" I provided you with the opportunity that you can go and learn, Why did you stop this knowledge from being pass on to the others?"
( Look how great Islam is! It tries to promote education. The scholar had a duty towards other people. He had to educate them. Islam eradicated ignorance. The number of people who can read before the prophet came was six. Because they were few, their names had been recorded in history. After Islam and within twenty-three years only, so many people became literate.) So, whatever blessing Allah gives a human being, He wants the human being to act.
What happened to them, then?
It is said that Saba was in a place which was a valley between two mountains. What used to happen is that their soil was very good for cultivating and harvesting. The only problem was they could not get water, there was no river round that area. There was a lot of rain but that rain goes to waste. What did they do?
They actually were smart. They built a dam so that the water which used to come to the mountains would go and get trapped behind the dam. In addition, they built some windows or doors through the dam so that they can regulate how much water they want to flow. Finally, they made a river that can give as much water as they want. Then, they had no problem whatsoever with water. That is how they managed to build all these paradises that they were able to harvest.
Who gave them the idea to build a dam? Who enabled them to do so?
Sometimes, the human being gets an idea that he got these things himself. Allah says
" خلق الإنسان(3) علمه البيان(4)" سورة الرحمن = " Allah created the human being and taught him how to speak and communicate"
And Allah said " اقرأ باسم ربك الذي خلق(1) خلق الإنسان من علق(2) اقرأ و ربك الأكرم(3) الذي علم بالقلم(4) علم الإنسان ما لم يعلم(5)" سورة العلق =" Read in the name of your lord who created you from a sperm, lifeless, ignorant. You do not know anything. Recite in the name of your lord the honorable. The one who taught by the pen. He taught the human being things he did not even think about or know about"
Allah is the teacher, not us. We think that we come up with ideas and inventions, but it is only that Allah is showing us the way and giving us the ability to think of them. That is why, sometimes, when some scientists really indulged into science, they realized that whatever they end to and whatever they get into, is not just coincidence or chance. There is definitely a creator. One of those scientists is by the name of Pehe. Through science, he discovered that this universe could not have come through evolution. And he himself does not necessarily believe in God but he came up with a theory that this universe must have a creator. So, when people reflect upon the creation of Allah(swt) and upon what He has given to them, they realize that whatever things we are doing or looking out right here could not have come just by ourselves. There is Someone who is helping us to find all this.
So, Allah gave people of Saba the ability to build the dam, to control the water flow, etc. When they rejected Allah(swt) and they were not being grateful to Allah, the dam that was a blessing became a curse. Allah(swt) sent many rats that would bite the wood which the dam was made of. Over years and years, the dam became weaker and they never checked upon it regularly to maintain it. One time, there was a lot of rain. The dam was not strong enough anymore and flood. That is how Allah(swt) destroyed all their heavens and their crops and everything within few hours. Instead of all these beautiful trees and fruits that they used to have, everything has changed into a desert. Then, they had two other heavens of useless trees that have terrible taste. They had no benefit whatsoever. Allah said" That was their punishment for what they did. This was the result of their own deeds. We only give the punishment to those who are not grateful."
This is a beautiful example to be careful with Allah's blessings.
"و جعلنا بينهم و بين القرى التي باركنا فيها قرى ظاهرة و قدرنا فيها السير سيروا فيها ليالي و أياماً آمنين(18)"= " They could walk from one city to another village and from one village to the others. They were so close to each other. They were all integrated into one another. Furthermore, they could walk from one village to the other with safety. You never have to worry about some thieves who would come and steal you. You do not have to worry about any animal that might attack you. You do not have to worry about food, too."
Again, were they grateful?
فقالوا ربنا باعد بين أسفارنا و ظلموا أنفسهم فجعلناهم أحاديث و مزقناهم كل ممزق إن في ذلك لآيات لكل صبار شكور(19)" " =" They said" O' our lord, make the distances that we travel far and long" They were unjust to themselves."
Why did they ask for this?
Ahadeeth tells us that the rich people in those cities started getting tired because they were so much integrated with the poor. The rich can travel easily and so can the poor because during their travel, they did not need food, water or any preparation and they can travel safely. They were equal. The poor can sit next to the rich and the rich can sit next to the poor. ( I am so rich and popular and got this mansion and now I got this guy living in a tent right next to me! that does not work.)
( In some areas in our time, there are certain areas where the poor cannot afford to buy housing and they keep in this way. They raise the prices of those areas such that the poor does not get into these areas. The rich stays there and the poor goes into other areas because they are cheaper.)
So, they prayed to Allah that they do not want these close distances.. these abundant food.. and security. They prayed to make it difficult such that only the rich are able to travel.. and have horses and camels to travel those distances.
( Imagine the psychology of those people! However, until today, we have people like that in societies. They cannot see a mix or equality. Even in countries that call for equality, You see the same thing happening. )
What happened for them?
Allah destroyed their gardens by the flood. Those beautiful trees and security were all changed with deserts. Everything was gone.
Then, Allah said" Indeed, these are signs for every person who practices patience and gratitude". So, a human being has to be so patient and so grateful to Allah in order for him\her to perceive the signs that Allah has given to us in this humble five verses in surat Saba.
Then Allah said ولقد صدق عليهم إبليس ظنه فاتبعوه إلا فريقاً من المؤمنين(20)"" = Iblees( The devil) managed to fool them and made them think this is the best for them. ( Why should the poor live next to you?!! Why should you be praying to Allah and being grateful to Him?! You got everything..what do you need Allah for?!)They followed him and forgot about Allah except for very few individuals.
We have to train ourselves to be among those few individuals. In order for people to be like that, they have to work at it.. to understand.. and to reflect.. Allah(swt) is trying to give us here lots of lessons:
1- No matter how great you get.. No matter how powerful you become, Allah can destroy all this within seconds. These days, people invest in stocks. Overnight, stocks change and everybody is out. So, whatever blessing you have, make sure not to be so arrogant or powerful because Allah will be more powerful than you.
2- Allah is trying to tell us that we, human beings, should remember that the blessing He is giving us comes from Him.. We did not make it ourselves.. It is right that we work hard.. we get what we strive for.. But, Allah is the one who enabled us to work hard and provided us with the ability to do so. If we are not grateful, that same blessing we have will turn into a curse.( The same dam they used as a blessing was turned into a curse).
3- Allah is trying to tell us that we should not think of classes: rich\poor, educated\uneducated.
( That is one of the beauties of hajj. In hajj, everybody is wearing their shroud. Everybody is praying and doing Tawaf at the same time. You cannot tell who is a doctor and who is a regular, illiterate person. You cannot tell the difference.)
We shall work hard in this world such that we can achieve high status before Allah, not before other individuals. Other individuals will not help us on the day of judgment.
When the human being elevates his soul and his life before Allah and combines his faith with the understanding in Allah(swt), you can see him giving fruits and lots of blessings to other human beings. He\She becomes a blessing, a blessed garden of abundance such as inventors, worshipers and those who give so much to the society and the world and people pray they live forever. On the contrary, when the person forgets about Allah and does not connect himself with Allah, he\she becomes a curse towards human beings such as dictators, tyrants, oppressors that people wish they never existed in history.
(Note: This is a transcription of a lecture by Sayyed Usama Alattar. Here is the link if you want to listen to it:
http://www.4shared.com/audio/214ahntk/sabaa.html
Thursday 10 February 2011
The Story of Prophet Solomon( as) -5-
Lecture No.5This is a transcription of a lecture by Sayyed Usama Alattar. You can listen to it from here:http://www.4shared.com/audio/AOeH0s5L/soleimanpart5.html
After she sent the ambassador who told her about what happened and what he saw there, Balqees herself came to visit Solomon(as) to investigate the situation. When Solomon(as) heard about her coming, he asked his people and the workers to decorate his castle for him in a way that has not ever done before so that when she comes she gets mesmerized by the power that Allah( swt) has bestowed upon Solomon(as). Indeed, they did so for him. In addition, they built him a mansion made only of glass and it was made on top of the river( As you look down, there is a river flowing right underneath you). When she arrived, he purposely took her to this mansion. The glass was so perfectly made that she actually thought at first that there was nothing in there and she was going to step onto the water because the water was flowing right underneath the glass. She moved her dress so that it would not be wet. Solomon(as) told her " You do not need to do this. This is actually glass. You can walk on this." She realized that this was something that has never been done before. Then, Solomon(as) showed her her own throne because he tried to examine her. He asked her" Do you recognize this?" She looked at it then guessed but really she was astonished at the same time. How could her throne come from all the way from Saba' located in Yemen to here( Jerusalem) ?!! Yet, she smiled and realized that this was her own throne. Seeing the great magnificence of prophet Solomon(as), she submitted with him and became a Muslim. She entered into the religion of Solomon(as) and accepted Allah( swt) as the mighty authority and she worshiped him instead of the sun.
(That tells us how beautiful the way Solomon(as) interacted with this lady. His letter from the beginning, the way he wrote his letter, the way he dealt with her was so professional, diplomatic and so politically correct that indeed it made him achieve all his goals without causing any problems or wars or distraction. Everything was done through dialogue and understanding. This is really what we have to do at this day and age, having dialogues and understanding and establishing communication. This is one of the beauties that we can derive from this fortune of the story.)
In surat Saba', Allah( swt) goes further in describing the great kingdom of Solomon( as). Solomon( as) had the control of the wind and jinn used to work for him. They make for him whatever he wants. That is why during his time he invested a lot of this power in building places of worship. This is again a beautiful thing because when Allah( swt) gives somebody the ability to contribute, he\she should use this ability in a positive way such as building religious places, educational places, hospitals, etc. These places are what is required in each and every society to be perfect and able to generate only those who are the best. If the billions of dollars that are being spent today can be reorganized such that they can sustain economies of poor countries and help them build institutions of education, hospitals, religious places, you would find these countries all developing, knowledge being spread, fighting and wars being decreased because no longer people being either ignorant or being forced to fight because they do not understand what is going on. Ignorance will be eradicated and we will have a much better world. That what Solomon( as) did in his society. He established this system where nobody was poor. Everybody had their share even the ant and jinn. He established places of worship which are at the same time used as institutions of education. He used his power for the sake of Allah(swt).
The Third Part:
Then, Allah came to the final end which is quite interesting. Allah( swt) does not explicitly mention the death of any prophet in the Holy Quran except Solomon( as). Allah( swt) said:" فلما قضينا عليه الموت ما دلهم على موته إلا دابة الأرض تأكل منسأته فلما خر تبينت الجن أن لو كانوا يعلمون الغيب ما لبثوا في العذاب المبين(14)" سبأ
It is said that one day Solomon( as) asked his jinn to build him a special room made all of jewelry. Indeed, they did so. He stayed in that room and said " nobody is allowed to enter. I am going to go there and no one is allowed to come and see me in this room" That room was designed in a way that Solomon( as) can take a look and can see his entire kingdom. Everybody is working, the jinn, ants, animals, people. At that moment, all of the sudden, he found someone entering. Solomon( as) asked" Who are you?? and how did you get in here?? I asked that nobody is allowed to enter. Did you have a permission to come and see me?" The person responded" I am the one who comes and enters without needing any permissions." Solomon( as) said " Who are you?" He said" I am the one who is going to be facing each and every human being." Again, Solomon( as) asked " Who are you?" He said" I am Malakulmawt, the angel of death"
(The angel of death does not need permissions to come and see places or to go places. Nor are there any places from which he cannot enter. Allah( swt) says " أينما تكونوا يدرككم الموت و لو كنتم في بروج مشيدة" (78) النساء =" Even if you go into places that are fully fenced and fully surrounded and guarded, Malakulmawt will come right there. You cannot escape.)Solomon( as) said" This is the end." The interesting thing is the following:
Solomon( as) was sitting on his stick. The angel of death took his life right at that moment. He was actually sitting on this cane of his. He remained in that state for one whole year. He was dead on this cane of his for one whole year. Then, Allah( swt) sent a termite which started eating his cane such that his cane became weaker and weaker. And after a year, he fell off on the ground and that is when the people, the jinn and the kingdom realized that Solomon( as) had been dead for all this time and they did not even know that. Only when he fell down, the jinn realized that they thought they know everything but it turns they do not.( Allah(swt) want to teach each and everybody of us that no matter how great you might get in this world, you are not going to get better than Solomon( as) in terms of his kingdom. You are not going to have jinn, animals, the command of the wind working for you. Yet, even that man who is so powerful, he is not going to be eternal and he will have a moment. That is why Allah (swt) describes the life of Solomon( as) in such a beautiful and eloquent way, then describes his death. Allah does not describe the death of prophets in the Holy Quran except Solomon( as) because Allah (swt) wants to tell us, human beings, to be aware. No matter how strong we get, it is not going to be forever. Look at Solomon( as). He was a great king. He died while he was leaning on a cane.)
It is said that David( as), one day, walked by another prophet by the name of Haskell who used to live a very humble life in the mountains. He dedicated his time to praying to Allah( swt).
David asked him" You spend the whole time worshiping Allah( swt), has it ever appeared to you that you are such a good worshiper and there is no one better than you?"
Haskell said" No.. No matter how much I pray to Allah(swt), I still find I am not doing enough and I need to pray hard." Then, David asked" Do you ever try to sin, even to think about committing a sin?"
- " Never.. I never ever think of committing a sin." Haskell said
- " Has it ever appeared to you that you need to give up this modest life, go out, try to see the world and to build yourself a house, live a better life and eat better fruit?" David asked
- " Yes.. That thought has appeared to me"
- "Then, What do you do when that happens?"
- " I enter into this cave and come out. I learn from what is inside that cave."
- " May I go into that cave?"
- " Yes, you may."
He went inside the cave and found a skeleton lying on a bed made of iron and the skull is lying on a rock. Next to that skeleton is a piece of writing, a manuscript. He picked up the manuscript and started reading it. It said the following:
" I am so-and-so. I have ruled for one thousand years as a king. I built one thousand cities. I married so many women and enjoyed my life. I had everything I wanted. However, when my time came, I realized that my soft bed that I used to sleep on everyday is now going to be changed with a bed made of iron. That beautiful pillow I used to rest on is now going to be changed with a rock. Instead of having all those ministers and kings being my friends and neighbors treating me so kindly with respect are changed with the snakes and the scorpions which used to come and eat of my flesh. Thus, I realized that this world is not worth it. So, whomever is reading this manuscript, my advice to you is not to be fooled by this world and its attractions because it is not eternal."
David( as) read that manuscript and said" Yes.. Haskell.. You have a point.. Now I know why you do not ever care about this world and its materialistic life. "
However, that does not mean that we should all now go and live in a cave and abandon this world, sell our houses and our cars, and donate them all to charity. This is not the meaning here because a man came to Imam Ali bin Abi Talib( as) and told him" O' Ameer Almoameneen, my brother and I are very good businessmen. We had such a great life. But he sold his house, abandoned his family and gave up everything all to charity and now he is going to live in a mountain. He said that this is how he would like to worship Allah." Imam Ali said" Call your brother over." He called his brother over and Imam Ali asked him" What is going on?" He said" O' Ameer Almoameneen, you are the teacher. You are the one who is telling us to abandon this world. Look at the way you are living, Imam Ali." Imam Ali said" You have completely misunderstood my message and my words. It is correct that I told you not to be attached to this world. In other words, it did not mean that you could not have a big house or a good life as long as you are owning them and they are not owning you. Whenever you need to give, you give with generosity. As long as that happens, you are a true devout. Asceticism in its true meaning is when you stop yourself from committing sins and disobeying your lord. For me, however, since I am the khalefa( leader) of the Muslims, I have to live the way that the average Muslim is living. So, you cannot compare yourself to me because I am the leader and that is why I live the humble and modest life like the average Muslim."
To give this message to us, Allah( swt) described the death of Solomon( as).The Fourth Part:
Finally, Allah( swt) told us in surat Albaqara what happened after Solomon's death. Allah shed a brief light about what happened after Solomon. It seems that during the time of prophet Solomon(as), he managed to gather all the magicians and look it up. He stopped everybody from committing these magician works. After he died, for a whole year, people were running as a normal society. They did not recognize that he was dead. Some interpreters said that his successor, Assef, realized that Solomon had died. He was the first person to recognize this but he kept it quiet and started to manage the affairs of the kingdom keeping it quiet until Allah( swt) sent that termite and Solomon fell. Then, the jinn realized that Assef , indeed, is a great successor that he managed all these affairs for a whole year without things collapsing. But, some of the jinn, upon realizing the death of Solomon(as), started to disobey. What they did is that they went and unlocked those cabined with the magic. They took it out and started teaching people magic and spreading the rumors that Solomon was not a prophet of Allah( swt). Instead, he was a great magician having everything commanding at his own will. Some people started to believe this and that caused distortion in the society. The propaganda started to play a role. Again, this is something we experienced in this day and age, not with magicians but with propaganda. It happens in every society.
Allah( swt) in surat Albaqara defended him saying" No.. That is not the case. Solomon was indeed a prophet of Allah( swt). He was a great man. It is some of the jinn that disobeyed and caused all this corruption in the land." That verse is very beautiful because it tells us about magic and how people perceive magic.
With that, we conclude the story of Solomon( as) and his life." و لسليمان الريح غدوها شهر و رواحها شهر و من الجن من يعمل بين يديه بإذن ربه و من يزغ منهم عن أمرنا نذقه من عذاب السعير(12) يعملون له ما يشاء من محاريب و تماثيل و جفان كالجواب و قدور راسيات اعملوا آل داود شكراً و قليل من عبادي الشكور(13) فلما قضينا عليه الموت ما دلهم على موته إلا دابة الأرض تأكل منسأته فلما خر تبينت الجن أن لو كانوا يعلمون الغيب ما لبثوا في العذاب المبين(14)" سبأ
After she sent the ambassador who told her about what happened and what he saw there, Balqees herself came to visit Solomon(as) to investigate the situation. When Solomon(as) heard about her coming, he asked his people and the workers to decorate his castle for him in a way that has not ever done before so that when she comes she gets mesmerized by the power that Allah( swt) has bestowed upon Solomon(as). Indeed, they did so for him. In addition, they built him a mansion made only of glass and it was made on top of the river( As you look down, there is a river flowing right underneath you). When she arrived, he purposely took her to this mansion. The glass was so perfectly made that she actually thought at first that there was nothing in there and she was going to step onto the water because the water was flowing right underneath the glass. She moved her dress so that it would not be wet. Solomon(as) told her " You do not need to do this. This is actually glass. You can walk on this." She realized that this was something that has never been done before. Then, Solomon(as) showed her her own throne because he tried to examine her. He asked her" Do you recognize this?" She looked at it then guessed but really she was astonished at the same time. How could her throne come from all the way from Saba' located in Yemen to here( Jerusalem) ?!! Yet, she smiled and realized that this was her own throne. Seeing the great magnificence of prophet Solomon(as), she submitted with him and became a Muslim. She entered into the religion of Solomon(as) and accepted Allah( swt) as the mighty authority and she worshiped him instead of the sun.
(That tells us how beautiful the way Solomon(as) interacted with this lady. His letter from the beginning, the way he wrote his letter, the way he dealt with her was so professional, diplomatic and so politically correct that indeed it made him achieve all his goals without causing any problems or wars or distraction. Everything was done through dialogue and understanding. This is really what we have to do at this day and age, having dialogues and understanding and establishing communication. This is one of the beauties that we can derive from this fortune of the story.)
In surat Saba', Allah( swt) goes further in describing the great kingdom of Solomon( as). Solomon( as) had the control of the wind and jinn used to work for him. They make for him whatever he wants. That is why during his time he invested a lot of this power in building places of worship. This is again a beautiful thing because when Allah( swt) gives somebody the ability to contribute, he\she should use this ability in a positive way such as building religious places, educational places, hospitals, etc. These places are what is required in each and every society to be perfect and able to generate only those who are the best. If the billions of dollars that are being spent today can be reorganized such that they can sustain economies of poor countries and help them build institutions of education, hospitals, religious places, you would find these countries all developing, knowledge being spread, fighting and wars being decreased because no longer people being either ignorant or being forced to fight because they do not understand what is going on. Ignorance will be eradicated and we will have a much better world. That what Solomon( as) did in his society. He established this system where nobody was poor. Everybody had their share even the ant and jinn. He established places of worship which are at the same time used as institutions of education. He used his power for the sake of Allah(swt).
The Third Part:
Then, Allah came to the final end which is quite interesting. Allah( swt) does not explicitly mention the death of any prophet in the Holy Quran except Solomon( as). Allah( swt) said:" فلما قضينا عليه الموت ما دلهم على موته إلا دابة الأرض تأكل منسأته فلما خر تبينت الجن أن لو كانوا يعلمون الغيب ما لبثوا في العذاب المبين(14)" سبأ
It is said that one day Solomon( as) asked his jinn to build him a special room made all of jewelry. Indeed, they did so. He stayed in that room and said " nobody is allowed to enter. I am going to go there and no one is allowed to come and see me in this room" That room was designed in a way that Solomon( as) can take a look and can see his entire kingdom. Everybody is working, the jinn, ants, animals, people. At that moment, all of the sudden, he found someone entering. Solomon( as) asked" Who are you?? and how did you get in here?? I asked that nobody is allowed to enter. Did you have a permission to come and see me?" The person responded" I am the one who comes and enters without needing any permissions." Solomon( as) said " Who are you?" He said" I am the one who is going to be facing each and every human being." Again, Solomon( as) asked " Who are you?" He said" I am Malakulmawt, the angel of death"
(The angel of death does not need permissions to come and see places or to go places. Nor are there any places from which he cannot enter. Allah( swt) says " أينما تكونوا يدرككم الموت و لو كنتم في بروج مشيدة" (78) النساء =" Even if you go into places that are fully fenced and fully surrounded and guarded, Malakulmawt will come right there. You cannot escape.)Solomon( as) said" This is the end." The interesting thing is the following:
Solomon( as) was sitting on his stick. The angel of death took his life right at that moment. He was actually sitting on this cane of his. He remained in that state for one whole year. He was dead on this cane of his for one whole year. Then, Allah( swt) sent a termite which started eating his cane such that his cane became weaker and weaker. And after a year, he fell off on the ground and that is when the people, the jinn and the kingdom realized that Solomon( as) had been dead for all this time and they did not even know that. Only when he fell down, the jinn realized that they thought they know everything but it turns they do not.( Allah(swt) want to teach each and everybody of us that no matter how great you might get in this world, you are not going to get better than Solomon( as) in terms of his kingdom. You are not going to have jinn, animals, the command of the wind working for you. Yet, even that man who is so powerful, he is not going to be eternal and he will have a moment. That is why Allah (swt) describes the life of Solomon( as) in such a beautiful and eloquent way, then describes his death. Allah does not describe the death of prophets in the Holy Quran except Solomon( as) because Allah (swt) wants to tell us, human beings, to be aware. No matter how strong we get, it is not going to be forever. Look at Solomon( as). He was a great king. He died while he was leaning on a cane.)
It is said that David( as), one day, walked by another prophet by the name of Haskell who used to live a very humble life in the mountains. He dedicated his time to praying to Allah( swt).
David asked him" You spend the whole time worshiping Allah( swt), has it ever appeared to you that you are such a good worshiper and there is no one better than you?"
Haskell said" No.. No matter how much I pray to Allah(swt), I still find I am not doing enough and I need to pray hard." Then, David asked" Do you ever try to sin, even to think about committing a sin?"
- " Never.. I never ever think of committing a sin." Haskell said
- " Has it ever appeared to you that you need to give up this modest life, go out, try to see the world and to build yourself a house, live a better life and eat better fruit?" David asked
- " Yes.. That thought has appeared to me"
- "Then, What do you do when that happens?"
- " I enter into this cave and come out. I learn from what is inside that cave."
- " May I go into that cave?"
- " Yes, you may."
He went inside the cave and found a skeleton lying on a bed made of iron and the skull is lying on a rock. Next to that skeleton is a piece of writing, a manuscript. He picked up the manuscript and started reading it. It said the following:
" I am so-and-so. I have ruled for one thousand years as a king. I built one thousand cities. I married so many women and enjoyed my life. I had everything I wanted. However, when my time came, I realized that my soft bed that I used to sleep on everyday is now going to be changed with a bed made of iron. That beautiful pillow I used to rest on is now going to be changed with a rock. Instead of having all those ministers and kings being my friends and neighbors treating me so kindly with respect are changed with the snakes and the scorpions which used to come and eat of my flesh. Thus, I realized that this world is not worth it. So, whomever is reading this manuscript, my advice to you is not to be fooled by this world and its attractions because it is not eternal."
David( as) read that manuscript and said" Yes.. Haskell.. You have a point.. Now I know why you do not ever care about this world and its materialistic life. "
However, that does not mean that we should all now go and live in a cave and abandon this world, sell our houses and our cars, and donate them all to charity. This is not the meaning here because a man came to Imam Ali bin Abi Talib( as) and told him" O' Ameer Almoameneen, my brother and I are very good businessmen. We had such a great life. But he sold his house, abandoned his family and gave up everything all to charity and now he is going to live in a mountain. He said that this is how he would like to worship Allah." Imam Ali said" Call your brother over." He called his brother over and Imam Ali asked him" What is going on?" He said" O' Ameer Almoameneen, you are the teacher. You are the one who is telling us to abandon this world. Look at the way you are living, Imam Ali." Imam Ali said" You have completely misunderstood my message and my words. It is correct that I told you not to be attached to this world. In other words, it did not mean that you could not have a big house or a good life as long as you are owning them and they are not owning you. Whenever you need to give, you give with generosity. As long as that happens, you are a true devout. Asceticism in its true meaning is when you stop yourself from committing sins and disobeying your lord. For me, however, since I am the khalefa( leader) of the Muslims, I have to live the way that the average Muslim is living. So, you cannot compare yourself to me because I am the leader and that is why I live the humble and modest life like the average Muslim."
To give this message to us, Allah( swt) described the death of Solomon( as).The Fourth Part:
Finally, Allah( swt) told us in surat Albaqara what happened after Solomon's death. Allah shed a brief light about what happened after Solomon. It seems that during the time of prophet Solomon(as), he managed to gather all the magicians and look it up. He stopped everybody from committing these magician works. After he died, for a whole year, people were running as a normal society. They did not recognize that he was dead. Some interpreters said that his successor, Assef, realized that Solomon had died. He was the first person to recognize this but he kept it quiet and started to manage the affairs of the kingdom keeping it quiet until Allah( swt) sent that termite and Solomon fell. Then, the jinn realized that Assef , indeed, is a great successor that he managed all these affairs for a whole year without things collapsing. But, some of the jinn, upon realizing the death of Solomon(as), started to disobey. What they did is that they went and unlocked those cabined with the magic. They took it out and started teaching people magic and spreading the rumors that Solomon was not a prophet of Allah( swt). Instead, he was a great magician having everything commanding at his own will. Some people started to believe this and that caused distortion in the society. The propaganda started to play a role. Again, this is something we experienced in this day and age, not with magicians but with propaganda. It happens in every society.
Allah( swt) in surat Albaqara defended him saying" No.. That is not the case. Solomon was indeed a prophet of Allah( swt). He was a great man. It is some of the jinn that disobeyed and caused all this corruption in the land." That verse is very beautiful because it tells us about magic and how people perceive magic.
With that, we conclude the story of Solomon( as) and his life." و لسليمان الريح غدوها شهر و رواحها شهر و من الجن من يعمل بين يديه بإذن ربه و من يزغ منهم عن أمرنا نذقه من عذاب السعير(12) يعملون له ما يشاء من محاريب و تماثيل و جفان كالجواب و قدور راسيات اعملوا آل داود شكراً و قليل من عبادي الشكور(13) فلما قضينا عليه الموت ما دلهم على موته إلا دابة الأرض تأكل منسأته فلما خر تبينت الجن أن لو كانوا يعلمون الغيب ما لبثوا في العذاب المبين(14)" سبأ
The Story of Prophet Solomon( as) -4-
Lecture No.4
This is a transcription of a lecture by Sayyed Usama Alattar. You can listen to it from here: http://www.4shared.com/audio/wOkhpXIm/soleimanpart4.html
" قال يا أيها الملأ أيكم يأتيني بعرشها قبل أن يأتوني مسلمين(38) قال عفريت من الجن أنا آتيك به قبل أن تقوم من مقامك و إني عليه لقوي أمين(39) قال الذي عنده علم من الكتاب أنا آتيك به قبل أن يرتد إليك طرفك فلما رآه مستقراً عنده قال هذا من فضل ربي ليبلوني أأشكر أم أكفر و من شكر فإنما يشكر لنفسه و من كفر فإن ربي غني كريم(40)"
سورة النمل
The ambassador goes back to Balqees, the queen of Saba', and tells her that this guy is not a worldly king because if he was a regular king, he would been happy with the money to increase his wealth and kingdom. He did not accept her gift because he was not looking only for materialistic gain. He was looking for something else beyond that; spiritual gain. That is why the ambassador told her that they had no chance against this man. He is serious. She accepted to see him herself. He is the king and she is the queen and she is going to meet him instead of the ambassador.
" قال يا أيها الملأ أيكم يأتيني بعرشها قبل أن يأتوني مسلمين(38)" =" O' people, Who can bring me her throne (either the throne of Balqees or her bed, the word has two meanings)before they come to me as Muslims?" Prophet Solomon said. What was the answer? " قال عفريت من الجن أنا آتيك به قبل أن تقوم من مقامك و إني عليه لقوي أمين" One of the jinns replied and told him that he can get it to him. Prophet Solomon asked him while he was sitting down on his throne" How fast can you get it?" The jinn replied" Before you stand up. I am strong and honest" This jinn was not one of the good jinns. ( Jinns were of two types: those who submitted to his will and those who rejected him. Allah gave him the ability to control those who disobey him.)
( Note: The Holy Quran is telling us here that when you hire somebody to do a job, choose the one who has two characteristics. They must be healthy enough and honest about doing that job. Do not hire a cheater or a liar. And when somebody asks you to do something, be honest and strong. This is very crucial even if you are dealing with nonmuslims. You have to be honest with all people regardless of what colour they are, what religion they have, what citizenship they carry ) Now, compare these two verses: " قال الذي عنده علم من الكتاب أنا آتيك به قبل أن يرتد إليك طرفك"= The one who has a knowledge of the book. " و يقول الذين كفروا لست مرسلاً قل كفى بالله شهيداً بيني و بينكم و من عنده علم الكتاب (43) " الرعد= " Those who disbelieve say to you that you are not a messenger. Say to them that Allah is enough as a witness between you and myself. Allah testifies if I am indeed a messenger. And the one who has the knowledge of the book, not part of the book( This man is Imam Ali bin Abi Talib) is enough as a witness, too."
In the court, there was a person ,who had a knowledge of parts of the book, said to prophet Solomon(as)" Before You blink, I will bring it to you." This is faster than the previous which means that this guy is better than jinn.
Q1- Who was this person?
Q2- Why did not Solomon get the throne himself even though he was a prophet and a king and he had everything at his disposal? Could not he pray to Allah to bring the throne to him?
The name of the person is Aassef bin Barkhia. He was the nephew of prophet Solomon( as). He was Solomon's right-hand man and one of his ministers and the one who has got a knowledge of parts of the book.
Knowledge of what book???
It is possibly Azzaboor that prophet David( as) received from Allah or Attawrat that prophet Moses( as) received from Allah because prophet Solomon( as) came after prophet Moses and prophet David.
However, interpreters say that it is most likely not. It is the same book mentioned in the following verse: " و عنده مفاتح الغيب لا يعلنها إلا هو و يعلم ما في البر و البحر و ما تسقط من ورقة إلا يعلمها و لا حبة في ظلمات الأرض و لا رطب و لا يابس إلا في كتاب مبين(59)" الأنعام = Allah has written each and every leave that drops on the ground, every deed that takes place on this earth, etc, in a book. This is, of course for some reason. It is to show us the significance of documentation; how important it is to write things in books. Books can be very useful when they are used properly. That is what Allah( swt) encourages us to do as well, write things up in books that people can benefit from. Allah refers to these deeds that take place on this earth as they are all have been written in a book. That book is called( Allawh Almahfood) . Allah(swt) has a knowledge of Allawh Almahfoodh as well as he can teach it to whomever He wills of his servants. Some people are taught just parts of it and some are taught everything written in that book. Assef has knowledge of some parts of that book, Whereas, Ali bin Abi Talib has knowledge of the whole book.
For the second question, Why did not Solomon bring it himself?, Solomon wanted to teach everybody in the court at that time that he had a successor who is good enough to succeed him. Not this gin even though he is good and strong because he does not have the knowledge. The best person to succeed him is his nephew. He has the knowledge. He has what it takes to be a successor of a prophet.
(This is very interesting. David appointed a successor. Solomon here is appointing a successor. Do you think that prophet Mohammad would not appoint a successor after his death?! It just does not go with what Quran teaches us. Quran told us that when David was about to die, he left a successor. When Solomon felt that he needed to teach people that there would be a successor after him, he taught them that Assef would be his successor. Everybody is doing so. So do you think that prophet Mohammad would not do it??! It just does not make sense. Indeed, he did so, but some people chose to ignore his successor and put him aside because he was too young even though Allah and the prophet chose him. )
So, prophet Solomon chooses him and tells him to bring it over. Indeed, Assef brings that throne over.
" فلما رآه مستقراً عنده قال هذا من فضل ربي " When Solomon saw the throne before his eyes, he first said that this is from Allah. This is the blessing of Allah. This is not the work of Assef. Assef was only the means who got him the throne. But, it was Allah( swt) who enabled him to have such a great kingdom and such great people who work for him.
Imam Ali(as) was once heard saying that = " ما أحسنت لأحد قط و لا أسأت لأحد قط" " I have not helped anybody, nor have I done injustice to anybody" People were surprised by what he meant of his words. He was the man of kindness. It is right that he did not do bad to anybody else. That was understood. But, the other one could not be understood. Imam Ali(as) wanted to educate people, teach them in a beautiful way. He responded with this verse:
" إن أحسنتم أحسنتم لأنفسكم و إن أسأتم فلها" = " If you do kindness, you do it to yourselves. And if you do unkindness, you do it to yourselves. " What goes around comes around. Allah says this in the Quran " هل جزاء الإحسان إلا الإحسان"This is a universal verse in the Quran. It means " Any human being who does any act of kindness towards anything, he ∕ she will be rewarded with another act of kindness." This is a universal law. This is how we, Muslims, think of humans. When you do nice things, you will be treated nicely by Allah(swt).
This is a transcription of a lecture by Sayyed Usama Alattar. You can listen to it from here: http://www.4shared.com/audio/wOkhpXIm/soleimanpart4.html
" قال يا أيها الملأ أيكم يأتيني بعرشها قبل أن يأتوني مسلمين(38) قال عفريت من الجن أنا آتيك به قبل أن تقوم من مقامك و إني عليه لقوي أمين(39) قال الذي عنده علم من الكتاب أنا آتيك به قبل أن يرتد إليك طرفك فلما رآه مستقراً عنده قال هذا من فضل ربي ليبلوني أأشكر أم أكفر و من شكر فإنما يشكر لنفسه و من كفر فإن ربي غني كريم(40)"
سورة النمل
The ambassador goes back to Balqees, the queen of Saba', and tells her that this guy is not a worldly king because if he was a regular king, he would been happy with the money to increase his wealth and kingdom. He did not accept her gift because he was not looking only for materialistic gain. He was looking for something else beyond that; spiritual gain. That is why the ambassador told her that they had no chance against this man. He is serious. She accepted to see him herself. He is the king and she is the queen and she is going to meet him instead of the ambassador.
" قال يا أيها الملأ أيكم يأتيني بعرشها قبل أن يأتوني مسلمين(38)" =" O' people, Who can bring me her throne (either the throne of Balqees or her bed, the word has two meanings)before they come to me as Muslims?" Prophet Solomon said. What was the answer? " قال عفريت من الجن أنا آتيك به قبل أن تقوم من مقامك و إني عليه لقوي أمين" One of the jinns replied and told him that he can get it to him. Prophet Solomon asked him while he was sitting down on his throne" How fast can you get it?" The jinn replied" Before you stand up. I am strong and honest" This jinn was not one of the good jinns. ( Jinns were of two types: those who submitted to his will and those who rejected him. Allah gave him the ability to control those who disobey him.)
( Note: The Holy Quran is telling us here that when you hire somebody to do a job, choose the one who has two characteristics. They must be healthy enough and honest about doing that job. Do not hire a cheater or a liar. And when somebody asks you to do something, be honest and strong. This is very crucial even if you are dealing with nonmuslims. You have to be honest with all people regardless of what colour they are, what religion they have, what citizenship they carry ) Now, compare these two verses: " قال الذي عنده علم من الكتاب أنا آتيك به قبل أن يرتد إليك طرفك"= The one who has a knowledge of the book. " و يقول الذين كفروا لست مرسلاً قل كفى بالله شهيداً بيني و بينكم و من عنده علم الكتاب (43) " الرعد= " Those who disbelieve say to you that you are not a messenger. Say to them that Allah is enough as a witness between you and myself. Allah testifies if I am indeed a messenger. And the one who has the knowledge of the book, not part of the book( This man is Imam Ali bin Abi Talib) is enough as a witness, too."
In the court, there was a person ,who had a knowledge of parts of the book, said to prophet Solomon(as)" Before You blink, I will bring it to you." This is faster than the previous which means that this guy is better than jinn.
Q1- Who was this person?
Q2- Why did not Solomon get the throne himself even though he was a prophet and a king and he had everything at his disposal? Could not he pray to Allah to bring the throne to him?
The name of the person is Aassef bin Barkhia. He was the nephew of prophet Solomon( as). He was Solomon's right-hand man and one of his ministers and the one who has got a knowledge of parts of the book.
Knowledge of what book???
It is possibly Azzaboor that prophet David( as) received from Allah or Attawrat that prophet Moses( as) received from Allah because prophet Solomon( as) came after prophet Moses and prophet David.
However, interpreters say that it is most likely not. It is the same book mentioned in the following verse: " و عنده مفاتح الغيب لا يعلنها إلا هو و يعلم ما في البر و البحر و ما تسقط من ورقة إلا يعلمها و لا حبة في ظلمات الأرض و لا رطب و لا يابس إلا في كتاب مبين(59)" الأنعام = Allah has written each and every leave that drops on the ground, every deed that takes place on this earth, etc, in a book. This is, of course for some reason. It is to show us the significance of documentation; how important it is to write things in books. Books can be very useful when they are used properly. That is what Allah( swt) encourages us to do as well, write things up in books that people can benefit from. Allah refers to these deeds that take place on this earth as they are all have been written in a book. That book is called( Allawh Almahfood) . Allah(swt) has a knowledge of Allawh Almahfoodh as well as he can teach it to whomever He wills of his servants. Some people are taught just parts of it and some are taught everything written in that book. Assef has knowledge of some parts of that book, Whereas, Ali bin Abi Talib has knowledge of the whole book.
For the second question, Why did not Solomon bring it himself?, Solomon wanted to teach everybody in the court at that time that he had a successor who is good enough to succeed him. Not this gin even though he is good and strong because he does not have the knowledge. The best person to succeed him is his nephew. He has the knowledge. He has what it takes to be a successor of a prophet.
(This is very interesting. David appointed a successor. Solomon here is appointing a successor. Do you think that prophet Mohammad would not appoint a successor after his death?! It just does not go with what Quran teaches us. Quran told us that when David was about to die, he left a successor. When Solomon felt that he needed to teach people that there would be a successor after him, he taught them that Assef would be his successor. Everybody is doing so. So do you think that prophet Mohammad would not do it??! It just does not make sense. Indeed, he did so, but some people chose to ignore his successor and put him aside because he was too young even though Allah and the prophet chose him. )
So, prophet Solomon chooses him and tells him to bring it over. Indeed, Assef brings that throne over.
" فلما رآه مستقراً عنده قال هذا من فضل ربي " When Solomon saw the throne before his eyes, he first said that this is from Allah. This is the blessing of Allah. This is not the work of Assef. Assef was only the means who got him the throne. But, it was Allah( swt) who enabled him to have such a great kingdom and such great people who work for him.
( Sometimes, when we have good things happening to us, we forget about Allah(swt). We do not remember him.. When life is going good for us, when we graduate, when we have a good job, when we buy a nice house, we never tend to think about Allah at that point. We think about Him only whenever things are not going so well. When, God forbids, somebody has an accident or the stock market crashes or money goes away or somebody fails in a test, we say" O' Allah, why did you make me fail? I believe in you.. I love you.." Allah would say" Where were you when I gave you a blessing? Why did not you thank me? That never came to your mind." Human being in his psychology tends to forget about Allah whenever he is comfortable. Allah knows this and says it in the Quran in numerous places. One of them is the following verse: " فأما الإنسان إذا ما ابتلاه ربه فأكرمه و نعمه فيقول رب أكرمن(15) و أما إذا ما ابتلاه فقدر عليه رزقه فيقول رب أهانن(16)" =Whenever Allah gives the human being a blessing, he says" Allah must love me" . When Allah tests him with a difficulty, he would say" O' my lord, why did you do this with me? why did you humiliate me?")
Solomon(as) is successful in that regard. He remembers Allah when he is successful and he says" Allah has given me this great kingdom and it is not a lot of fun. This is a very big responsibility God has given me. I have to be taking care of each and every gin, human, animal living in my kingdom."
That is not easy to be rich and grateful. Very few people in this world are like that. Imam Assadiq(as) said
" ما جاع فقير إلا بسبب غني" = " That not a single poor person starves not because of a rich person" The rich person is the cause because he did not pay. If each and every rich person in this world today pays that charity they have to pay, there would not be a single poor person in the world today. God has given the human beings the money to help the others. But the human is so stingy. He does not want to give that money away. He wants to keep it all for himself in his own pockets. God tests both the poor and the rich with money. If the rich does what he is supposed to do( like Solomon), there would not be a single poor person in his society. People have to think that when they get rich, they have to distribute their money to each other, not just themselves. So, Solomon(as) said " This is a test from my lord to find me whether I will be grateful or ungrateful. Whomever is being grateful, you are doing kind to yourself. And the one who does not thank Allah, Allah does not need your thanks. Allah is rich, self-sufficient, generous and honourable. He does not need your gratitude. "
Solomon(as) is successful in that regard. He remembers Allah when he is successful and he says" Allah has given me this great kingdom and it is not a lot of fun. This is a very big responsibility God has given me. I have to be taking care of each and every gin, human, animal living in my kingdom."
That is not easy to be rich and grateful. Very few people in this world are like that. Imam Assadiq(as) said
" ما جاع فقير إلا بسبب غني" = " That not a single poor person starves not because of a rich person" The rich person is the cause because he did not pay. If each and every rich person in this world today pays that charity they have to pay, there would not be a single poor person in the world today. God has given the human beings the money to help the others. But the human is so stingy. He does not want to give that money away. He wants to keep it all for himself in his own pockets. God tests both the poor and the rich with money. If the rich does what he is supposed to do( like Solomon), there would not be a single poor person in his society. People have to think that when they get rich, they have to distribute their money to each other, not just themselves. So, Solomon(as) said " This is a test from my lord to find me whether I will be grateful or ungrateful. Whomever is being grateful, you are doing kind to yourself. And the one who does not thank Allah, Allah does not need your thanks. Allah is rich, self-sufficient, generous and honourable. He does not need your gratitude. "
Imam Ali(as) was once heard saying that = " ما أحسنت لأحد قط و لا أسأت لأحد قط" " I have not helped anybody, nor have I done injustice to anybody" People were surprised by what he meant of his words. He was the man of kindness. It is right that he did not do bad to anybody else. That was understood. But, the other one could not be understood. Imam Ali(as) wanted to educate people, teach them in a beautiful way. He responded with this verse:
" إن أحسنتم أحسنتم لأنفسكم و إن أسأتم فلها" = " If you do kindness, you do it to yourselves. And if you do unkindness, you do it to yourselves. " What goes around comes around. Allah says this in the Quran " هل جزاء الإحسان إلا الإحسان"This is a universal verse in the Quran. It means " Any human being who does any act of kindness towards anything, he ∕ she will be rewarded with another act of kindness." This is a universal law. This is how we, Muslims, think of humans. When you do nice things, you will be treated nicely by Allah(swt).
The Story of Prophet Solomon( as) -3-
Lecture No.3
This is a transcription of a lecture by Sayyed Usama Alattar. You can listen to it from here:
http://www.4shared.com/audio/tePLTzku/soleimanpart3.html
The story of Prophet Solomon(as) and the city of Saba':
Prophet Solomon(as) used to take care of every detail in his society because he was the king.
( Some people ask us: does the Holy Quran talk about anything else beside telling us stories? Does the Quran talk about leadership?
Of course. When the Qur'an is telling us a story, it is not only for the sake of telling a story. There are so many wisdoms that we can learn from this story).
The Holy Qur'an tells us that Prophet Solomon(as) was a king, a leader who had great characteristics to be followed. He had a good communication among all his subjects, all over the place.
" و تفقد الطير فقال مالي لا أرى الهدهد أم كان من الغائبين(20)
لأعذبنه عذاباً شديداً أو لأذبحنه أو ليأتيني بسلطان مبين(21)
فمكث غير بعيد فقال أحطت بما لم تحط به و جئتك من سبإ بنبإ يقين(22)
إني وجدت امرأة تملكهم و أوتيت من كل شيء و لها عرش عظيم(23)
وجدتها و قومها يسجدون للشمس من دون الله و زين لهم الشيطان أعمالهم فصدهم عن السبيل فهم لا يهتدون(24)
ألا يسجدوا لله الذي يخرج الخبء في السماوات و الأرض و يعلم ما تخفون و ما تعلنون(25)
الله لا إله إلا هو رب العرش العظيم(26)
قال سننظر أصدقت أم كنت من الكاذبين(27)
اذهب بكتابي هذا فألقه إليهم ثم تول عنهم فانظر ماذا يرجعون(28)
قالت يا أيها الملأ إني ألقي إلي كتاب كريم(29)
إنه من سليمان و إنه بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم(30)
ألا تعلوا علي و أتوني مسلمين(31)
قالت يا أيها الملأ أفتوني في أمري ما كنت قاطعة أمراً حتى تشهدون(32)
قالوا نحن أولوا قوة و أولوا بأس شديد و الأمر إليك فانظري ماذا تأمرين(33)
قالت إن الملوك إذا دخلوا قرية أفسدوها و جعلوا أعزة أهلها أذلة و كذلك يفعلون(34)
و إني مرسلة إليهم بهدية فناظرة بم يرجع المرسلون(35)
فلما جاء سليمان قال أتمدونن بمال فما آتاني الله خير مما آتاكم بل أنتم بهديتكم تفرحون(36)
ارجع إليهم فلنأتينهم بجنود لا قبل لهم بها و لنخرجنهم منها أذلة و هم صاغرون(37)
سورة النمل
Prophet Solomon( as) was looking around and missed one of the birds. " Why do not I see the hoopoe? Is he absent today?" he said. ( Another characteristic in the leader is that he takes a look around and makes sure that everything in his society is running smoothly. He takes care of every subject in his kingdom even the birds!). " I am going to punish him with a severe punishment, or I shall even kill him" he continued.( And because he is the leader, he had to teach other people in the society to be responsible.)
Why did he say so?
This hoopoe had a job. He was responsible for a certain thing in his society. His job was to look for water and tell the other workers to get it out. When he does not do his job properly, what is going to happen? The society is dependent one on another. This is how we run as human beings in a society. Every person has a role in the society. There is nothing called a small role or a big role or somebody is a doctor and somebody collects trash. Each person contributes to society. They are equal in that sense.
The hoopoe used to contribute, and now it is missing. He cannot go missing without a reason. If he is, then, he deserves to be punished.
" أو ليأتيني بسلطان مبين"= "I will punish him unless he has a good excuse" said prophet Solomon(as)
( He does not take a free judgment on his subjects. He gives them the chance to explain themselves.)
" فمكث غير بعيد فقال أحطت بما لم تحط به" = Prophet Solomon( as) waited not too long. The hoopoe came back and spoke to prophet Solomon( as) and said" Prophet Solomon, I have news and carry information that even you do not know about."
( Even though he is the leader, the hoopoe has a good relationship with him that he spoke to him in such a manner. He is a very easygoing person.)
" و جئتك من سبأ بنبأ يقين" = " I have just come back from Saba' with certain news" The hoopoe continued.
How can prophet Solomon( as) not know of what the bird knows?
The knowledge given to the prophets comes from Allah( swt). If Allah decides not to give them certain knowledge, they will not have an idea about it unless Allah gives it to them. He gives them the knowledge to test them. He is trying to tell prophet Solomon( as)" Despite the great authority you have, there are still some things on earth that you do not know about".
The bird continued about the news:
إني وجدت امرأة تملكهم و أوتيت من كل شيء و لها عرش عظيم""
1- I found a woman as a leader.( At their age, it was rare to have a woman as a leader or as a queen)
2- She has everything.
3- She has a large throne.
So interesting!
Solomon's throne was a great one. It is said that he had two lions sitting down in the throne. Whenever prophet Solomon( as) wants to sit on the throne, the lions would stretch their arms. So, prophet Solomon( as) uses the arms of the lions as steps. His throne was made of gold, jewelry, diamond, silver, masterpiece, etc. Peacocks open their tails to shade him from the sun. Birds are the ones who bring his crown. Yet, the hoopoe was surprised by the throne of Balqees, the queen of Saba'.
What is the sad news?
وجدتها و قومها يسجدون للشمس من دون الله و زين لهم الشيطان أعمالهم فصدهم عن السبيل فهم لا يهتدون""
= "I found her and her tribe doing sojood( kneeling) to the sun instead of Allah (swt). They were worshiping the sun, not Allah. Shaitan ( Daemon) made their bad deeds and acts appear good to them. Because of that, they could not find the true path. They will never be guided."
The hoopoe was surprised " Do not they kneel to Allah?! Do not they worship Allah( swt), the one who knows all the secrets in the heavens and the earth. Allah has the great throne."
( Loqman(as) said" Remember Allah constantly, for Allah knows about everything even a seed of mustard that is in a rock or hidden in somewhere in heaven or earth, Allah knows about it and will get it out . Allah knows every single detail we hide or show").
Do we think about Allah in the same way this bird thinking about Allah?! Allah knows everything about us, and in the day of judgment, it will all be presented for us.
Solomon(as) does not neglect what the smallest one of his subjects says.
" قال سننظر أصدقت أم كنت من الكاذبين"= " We are going to see whether you are telling the truth or not. We have to do some investigation. What you brought to us is a serious matter."
( A characteristic in the great leader: before you have any judgment, investigate. Do not come to conclusions. Be patient. Find out the truth then act and the best way to know the truth is to establish communication between you and the other person. This is exactly what Solomon(as) decided to do.)
اذهب بكتابي هذا فألقه إليهم ثم تول عنهم فانظر ماذا يرجعون(28)""= Prophet Solomon( as) told the hoopoe " Take this book of mine( a letter) and give it to them and hide somewhere. See how they react to my letter."
The hoopoe did what Solomon(as) ordered him to do. When the queen read the letter, she realized that there was something interesting in the letter. The first thing she did was that she had called for a meeting and said
" قالت يا أيها الملأ إني ألقي إلي كتاب كريم(29)إنه من سليمان و إنه بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم(30) ألا تعلوا علي و أتوني مسلمين(31)"
= " O' my people.. my ministers.. I have received a letter that is honorable. It is from Solomon(as) and starts with the name of Allah, The beneficent the merciful. Do not become so mighty and powerful against me. Be humble. Come to me as Muslims."
( Note: Islam is not a religion that is first introduced by prophet Mohammad( pbuh). Islam is the same religion that was taught by Adam, Noah, Abraham, Joseph, David, Solomon, Moses, Jesus and by Mohammad( peace be upon them). It is one message coming from Allah. There is no difference in the message of God. As Muslims, we believe in all the prophets as much as we believe in prophet Mohammad(pbuh)).
What does she do?
قالت يا أيها الملأ أفتوني في أمري ما كنت قاطعة أمراً حتى تشهدون(32)
= She asked her ministers about what she shall do. "Advice me. I am not going to make any decision unless you are all witnessing to my decision and you all approve it." she said.
What was their advice?
قالوا نحن أولوا قوة و أولوا بأس شديد و الأمر إليك فانظري ماذا تأمرين(33)
They said "We are people of power and perseverance. We are powerful and strong and we can fight. But, you have the final say. See what you recommend."
Even though the majority of them have the opinion of fighting, she disagreed with them. She had a different opinion.
" قالت إن الملوك إذا دخلوا قرية أفسدوها و جعلوا أعزة أهلها أذلة و كذلك يفعلون(34)"
She said" Whenever the kings get into a city, they destroy it because wordly kings usually think of increasing their power. Anybody stands in their way, they will kill them and destroy the whole city. The leaders in the society will become weak, servants and slaves. And that what will happen to us." ( she is very wise)
( Note: The majority of them agreed to fight and she was a minority. This tells us that just because the majority takes a vote in something, this does not mean that it is a right decision. This is really interesting because when it comes to khilafa (leadership) of Ali bin Abi Talib(as), people say that the majority of the society there voted to have the first khalifa as the successor of the prophet. Imam Ali bin Abi Talib, Salman Alfaresi, and Abu Ther Alghafari contested. Ibn Abbas came to the second khalifa and said" Just because your guys voted to have the first one as the successor does not mean that your guys made the right choice. Majority does not mean the right choice. Your guys neglected the choice of Allah and the Quran.
Allah(swt) said = " إنما وليكم الله و رسوله و الذين آمنوا الذين يقيمون الصلاة و يؤتون الزكاة و هم راكعون(55)" المائدة " your leaders are Allah, his messenger and the believers who gave the charity while they are in the state of kneeling." The one who gave charity while he was in the state of kneeling was Imam Ali bin Abi Talib. It is the decision of Allah( swt) to make Ali bin Abi Talib the successor of the prophet.)
What did she suggest?
و إني مرسلة إليهم بهدية فناظرة بم يرجع المرسلون(35)""
She said" I am going to send them a gift and I will wait to see their reaction. If he were truly a king, kings always love presents."
She sent him 500 slaves ( males and females) dressed in gold and silver and they carry boxes of gold, jewelry and diamonds. Any king would have been pleased with her present. She told the ambassador to see his reaction. If he gets pleased with the present, this means that he is a king who has no other interest but to satisfy his desire and conquer more lands. If he rejects her present, this means that he is truly a man of God.
How did Solomon(as) react when he gave him the gift?
" فلما جاء سليمان قال أتمدونن بمال فما آتاني الله خير مما آتاكم بل أنتم بهديتكم تفرحون(36)"
He said" You are sending me some money?! whatever Allah has given me is much greater than what you have given me. It is you who enjoy this present. You really want to see what I have. Look at my kingdom."
The ambassador looked around and was really surprised. Solomon is served by jinns, animals talk to him, etc.
ارجع إليهم فلنأتينهم بجنود لا قبل لهم بها و لنخرجنهم منها أذلة و هم صاغرون(37)" "
Solomon( as) told the ambassador" Go back to them. We shall come with an army that they cannot stand in its face, a mighty army. They shall come out of it very weak and humiliated because they disobeyed the word of God."
Beautifully, he did not say we will go and kill them, he said their power will be taken from them and they will be very weak because they disobeyed Allah(swt).
( When Muslims decided to conquer Persia during the time of the second khalifa, they took the daughters of the king of Persia as prisoners of war. They brought them back to Medina and wanted to sell them. When Imam Ali bin Abi Talib(as) heard of that, he became upset and he rushed to the mosque. He told the second khalifa" How can you deal with the king's daughters in this way?! You cannot sell them as prisoners of war. They were the king's daughters. You have to give them respect even though that their father was a bad guy and fought against Islam. He got killed but his daughters had no sin. They were not partners in the crime to punish them. In addition, they were the king's daughters. They are not treated like other people." The second khalifa asked" What shall I do?" Imam Ali said" Set them free and ask them if they want to get married to anyone." Indeed, they were two daughters. One of them chose to get married to Imam Hassan( as) and the other chose Imam Hussain( as). The one who got married to Imam Hussain, later, she gave birth to Imam Alsajjad(as). She died when she was giving birth to Imam Alsajjad( as). So he was born as an orphan.
This is to tell us that Islam is a great religion which respects each and every person.)
This is a transcription of a lecture by Sayyed Usama Alattar. You can listen to it from here:
http://www.4shared.com/audio/tePLTzku/soleimanpart3.html
The story of Prophet Solomon(as) and the city of Saba':
Prophet Solomon(as) used to take care of every detail in his society because he was the king.
( Some people ask us: does the Holy Quran talk about anything else beside telling us stories? Does the Quran talk about leadership?
Of course. When the Qur'an is telling us a story, it is not only for the sake of telling a story. There are so many wisdoms that we can learn from this story).
The Holy Qur'an tells us that Prophet Solomon(as) was a king, a leader who had great characteristics to be followed. He had a good communication among all his subjects, all over the place.
" و تفقد الطير فقال مالي لا أرى الهدهد أم كان من الغائبين(20)
لأعذبنه عذاباً شديداً أو لأذبحنه أو ليأتيني بسلطان مبين(21)
فمكث غير بعيد فقال أحطت بما لم تحط به و جئتك من سبإ بنبإ يقين(22)
إني وجدت امرأة تملكهم و أوتيت من كل شيء و لها عرش عظيم(23)
وجدتها و قومها يسجدون للشمس من دون الله و زين لهم الشيطان أعمالهم فصدهم عن السبيل فهم لا يهتدون(24)
ألا يسجدوا لله الذي يخرج الخبء في السماوات و الأرض و يعلم ما تخفون و ما تعلنون(25)
الله لا إله إلا هو رب العرش العظيم(26)
قال سننظر أصدقت أم كنت من الكاذبين(27)
اذهب بكتابي هذا فألقه إليهم ثم تول عنهم فانظر ماذا يرجعون(28)
قالت يا أيها الملأ إني ألقي إلي كتاب كريم(29)
إنه من سليمان و إنه بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم(30)
ألا تعلوا علي و أتوني مسلمين(31)
قالت يا أيها الملأ أفتوني في أمري ما كنت قاطعة أمراً حتى تشهدون(32)
قالوا نحن أولوا قوة و أولوا بأس شديد و الأمر إليك فانظري ماذا تأمرين(33)
قالت إن الملوك إذا دخلوا قرية أفسدوها و جعلوا أعزة أهلها أذلة و كذلك يفعلون(34)
و إني مرسلة إليهم بهدية فناظرة بم يرجع المرسلون(35)
فلما جاء سليمان قال أتمدونن بمال فما آتاني الله خير مما آتاكم بل أنتم بهديتكم تفرحون(36)
ارجع إليهم فلنأتينهم بجنود لا قبل لهم بها و لنخرجنهم منها أذلة و هم صاغرون(37)
سورة النمل
Prophet Solomon( as) was looking around and missed one of the birds. " Why do not I see the hoopoe? Is he absent today?" he said. ( Another characteristic in the leader is that he takes a look around and makes sure that everything in his society is running smoothly. He takes care of every subject in his kingdom even the birds!). " I am going to punish him with a severe punishment, or I shall even kill him" he continued.( And because he is the leader, he had to teach other people in the society to be responsible.)
Why did he say so?
This hoopoe had a job. He was responsible for a certain thing in his society. His job was to look for water and tell the other workers to get it out. When he does not do his job properly, what is going to happen? The society is dependent one on another. This is how we run as human beings in a society. Every person has a role in the society. There is nothing called a small role or a big role or somebody is a doctor and somebody collects trash. Each person contributes to society. They are equal in that sense.
The hoopoe used to contribute, and now it is missing. He cannot go missing without a reason. If he is, then, he deserves to be punished.
" أو ليأتيني بسلطان مبين"= "I will punish him unless he has a good excuse" said prophet Solomon(as)
( He does not take a free judgment on his subjects. He gives them the chance to explain themselves.)
" فمكث غير بعيد فقال أحطت بما لم تحط به" = Prophet Solomon( as) waited not too long. The hoopoe came back and spoke to prophet Solomon( as) and said" Prophet Solomon, I have news and carry information that even you do not know about."
( Even though he is the leader, the hoopoe has a good relationship with him that he spoke to him in such a manner. He is a very easygoing person.)
" و جئتك من سبأ بنبأ يقين" = " I have just come back from Saba' with certain news" The hoopoe continued.
How can prophet Solomon( as) not know of what the bird knows?
The knowledge given to the prophets comes from Allah( swt). If Allah decides not to give them certain knowledge, they will not have an idea about it unless Allah gives it to them. He gives them the knowledge to test them. He is trying to tell prophet Solomon( as)" Despite the great authority you have, there are still some things on earth that you do not know about".
The bird continued about the news:
إني وجدت امرأة تملكهم و أوتيت من كل شيء و لها عرش عظيم""
1- I found a woman as a leader.( At their age, it was rare to have a woman as a leader or as a queen)
2- She has everything.
3- She has a large throne.
So interesting!
Solomon's throne was a great one. It is said that he had two lions sitting down in the throne. Whenever prophet Solomon( as) wants to sit on the throne, the lions would stretch their arms. So, prophet Solomon( as) uses the arms of the lions as steps. His throne was made of gold, jewelry, diamond, silver, masterpiece, etc. Peacocks open their tails to shade him from the sun. Birds are the ones who bring his crown. Yet, the hoopoe was surprised by the throne of Balqees, the queen of Saba'.
What is the sad news?
وجدتها و قومها يسجدون للشمس من دون الله و زين لهم الشيطان أعمالهم فصدهم عن السبيل فهم لا يهتدون""
= "I found her and her tribe doing sojood( kneeling) to the sun instead of Allah (swt). They were worshiping the sun, not Allah. Shaitan ( Daemon) made their bad deeds and acts appear good to them. Because of that, they could not find the true path. They will never be guided."
The hoopoe was surprised " Do not they kneel to Allah?! Do not they worship Allah( swt), the one who knows all the secrets in the heavens and the earth. Allah has the great throne."
( Loqman(as) said" Remember Allah constantly, for Allah knows about everything even a seed of mustard that is in a rock or hidden in somewhere in heaven or earth, Allah knows about it and will get it out . Allah knows every single detail we hide or show").
Do we think about Allah in the same way this bird thinking about Allah?! Allah knows everything about us, and in the day of judgment, it will all be presented for us.
Solomon(as) does not neglect what the smallest one of his subjects says.
" قال سننظر أصدقت أم كنت من الكاذبين"= " We are going to see whether you are telling the truth or not. We have to do some investigation. What you brought to us is a serious matter."
( A characteristic in the great leader: before you have any judgment, investigate. Do not come to conclusions. Be patient. Find out the truth then act and the best way to know the truth is to establish communication between you and the other person. This is exactly what Solomon(as) decided to do.)
اذهب بكتابي هذا فألقه إليهم ثم تول عنهم فانظر ماذا يرجعون(28)""= Prophet Solomon( as) told the hoopoe " Take this book of mine( a letter) and give it to them and hide somewhere. See how they react to my letter."
The hoopoe did what Solomon(as) ordered him to do. When the queen read the letter, she realized that there was something interesting in the letter. The first thing she did was that she had called for a meeting and said
" قالت يا أيها الملأ إني ألقي إلي كتاب كريم(29)إنه من سليمان و إنه بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم(30) ألا تعلوا علي و أتوني مسلمين(31)"
= " O' my people.. my ministers.. I have received a letter that is honorable. It is from Solomon(as) and starts with the name of Allah, The beneficent the merciful. Do not become so mighty and powerful against me. Be humble. Come to me as Muslims."
( Note: Islam is not a religion that is first introduced by prophet Mohammad( pbuh). Islam is the same religion that was taught by Adam, Noah, Abraham, Joseph, David, Solomon, Moses, Jesus and by Mohammad( peace be upon them). It is one message coming from Allah. There is no difference in the message of God. As Muslims, we believe in all the prophets as much as we believe in prophet Mohammad(pbuh)).
What does she do?
قالت يا أيها الملأ أفتوني في أمري ما كنت قاطعة أمراً حتى تشهدون(32)
= She asked her ministers about what she shall do. "Advice me. I am not going to make any decision unless you are all witnessing to my decision and you all approve it." she said.
What was their advice?
قالوا نحن أولوا قوة و أولوا بأس شديد و الأمر إليك فانظري ماذا تأمرين(33)
They said "We are people of power and perseverance. We are powerful and strong and we can fight. But, you have the final say. See what you recommend."
Even though the majority of them have the opinion of fighting, she disagreed with them. She had a different opinion.
" قالت إن الملوك إذا دخلوا قرية أفسدوها و جعلوا أعزة أهلها أذلة و كذلك يفعلون(34)"
She said" Whenever the kings get into a city, they destroy it because wordly kings usually think of increasing their power. Anybody stands in their way, they will kill them and destroy the whole city. The leaders in the society will become weak, servants and slaves. And that what will happen to us." ( she is very wise)
( Note: The majority of them agreed to fight and she was a minority. This tells us that just because the majority takes a vote in something, this does not mean that it is a right decision. This is really interesting because when it comes to khilafa (leadership) of Ali bin Abi Talib(as), people say that the majority of the society there voted to have the first khalifa as the successor of the prophet. Imam Ali bin Abi Talib, Salman Alfaresi, and Abu Ther Alghafari contested. Ibn Abbas came to the second khalifa and said" Just because your guys voted to have the first one as the successor does not mean that your guys made the right choice. Majority does not mean the right choice. Your guys neglected the choice of Allah and the Quran.
Allah(swt) said = " إنما وليكم الله و رسوله و الذين آمنوا الذين يقيمون الصلاة و يؤتون الزكاة و هم راكعون(55)" المائدة " your leaders are Allah, his messenger and the believers who gave the charity while they are in the state of kneeling." The one who gave charity while he was in the state of kneeling was Imam Ali bin Abi Talib. It is the decision of Allah( swt) to make Ali bin Abi Talib the successor of the prophet.)
What did she suggest?
و إني مرسلة إليهم بهدية فناظرة بم يرجع المرسلون(35)""
She said" I am going to send them a gift and I will wait to see their reaction. If he were truly a king, kings always love presents."
She sent him 500 slaves ( males and females) dressed in gold and silver and they carry boxes of gold, jewelry and diamonds. Any king would have been pleased with her present. She told the ambassador to see his reaction. If he gets pleased with the present, this means that he is a king who has no other interest but to satisfy his desire and conquer more lands. If he rejects her present, this means that he is truly a man of God.
How did Solomon(as) react when he gave him the gift?
" فلما جاء سليمان قال أتمدونن بمال فما آتاني الله خير مما آتاكم بل أنتم بهديتكم تفرحون(36)"
He said" You are sending me some money?! whatever Allah has given me is much greater than what you have given me. It is you who enjoy this present. You really want to see what I have. Look at my kingdom."
The ambassador looked around and was really surprised. Solomon is served by jinns, animals talk to him, etc.
ارجع إليهم فلنأتينهم بجنود لا قبل لهم بها و لنخرجنهم منها أذلة و هم صاغرون(37)" "
Solomon( as) told the ambassador" Go back to them. We shall come with an army that they cannot stand in its face, a mighty army. They shall come out of it very weak and humiliated because they disobeyed the word of God."
Beautifully, he did not say we will go and kill them, he said their power will be taken from them and they will be very weak because they disobeyed Allah(swt).
( When Muslims decided to conquer Persia during the time of the second khalifa, they took the daughters of the king of Persia as prisoners of war. They brought them back to Medina and wanted to sell them. When Imam Ali bin Abi Talib(as) heard of that, he became upset and he rushed to the mosque. He told the second khalifa" How can you deal with the king's daughters in this way?! You cannot sell them as prisoners of war. They were the king's daughters. You have to give them respect even though that their father was a bad guy and fought against Islam. He got killed but his daughters had no sin. They were not partners in the crime to punish them. In addition, they were the king's daughters. They are not treated like other people." The second khalifa asked" What shall I do?" Imam Ali said" Set them free and ask them if they want to get married to anyone." Indeed, they were two daughters. One of them chose to get married to Imam Hassan( as) and the other chose Imam Hussain( as). The one who got married to Imam Hussain, later, she gave birth to Imam Alsajjad(as). She died when she was giving birth to Imam Alsajjad( as). So he was born as an orphan.
This is to tell us that Islam is a great religion which respects each and every person.)
Tuesday 8 February 2011
The Story of Prophet Solomon( as) -2-
Lecture No.2
( This is a transcription of a lecture by Sayyed Usama Alattar. You ca listen to it from here:http://www.4shared.com/audio/0S4Seo8z/soleimanpart2.html
--------------------------------------------------------
Prophet Solomon(as) prayed to Allah to grant him a kingdom that he did not want anyone else to have because he wanted to show himself as a prophet of Allah who will establish justice on earth. Unlike those tyrants before him like Pharaoh who used to oppress people. He wanted to spread justice without any misconception.
What did Allah(SWT) give him to build this kingdom?1- Allah gave him the power to control the wind. He could order the wind to carry him and the wind did whatever he wished.An interesting thing here: Prophet Solomon(as) used to travel in seconds or minutes a journey which usually takes months. This is to establish communication because he is a king and he has a big kingdom which he must take care of. One of the important things to establish justice all across the whole kingdom is to have good communication with every part in that kingdom. To have this kind of communication , Allah(SWT) gave him the ability to command the wind. So, if anything happens at any part of the world, he just can order the wind to take him to that part and immediately he would be carried to it.
It is said that one day, Solomon(as) was sitting down and next to him was his minister. A person came and entered into his setting and sat down. He was staring at the minister and the minister got upset. Then, this person got up and said:" Assalam alaikum" and left. The minister asked prophet Solomon(as) " Who was this person?"
- " This was the angel of death."
- " The angel of death?!"
- " Yes."
- " Why was he staring at me?"
- " I do not know."
The minister was scary and said" Solomon, please, get me out of here. Take me to India." Solomon(as) ordered the wind to carry the minister all the way to India. The next day, the angel of death came to visit prophet Solomon(as) again and prophet Solomon(as) asked him " Why were you staring at that man? You scared him."
- " I was surprised." replied the angel.
- " What was surprising you?"
- " God ordered me to go to India and take the life of that person there. That was where he was going to die, but he was sitting next to you. Few moments later, I had to go to India. I was surprised how I was going to see him in India while he was sitting next to you. Anyway, I had to leave to do my job. So. I went to India.. I was waiting for the moment.. and at the exact time, I found him coming to me carried by the wind.. and that was where I took his life and now he is buried in India."
(The lesson: You cannot escape from death. Even prophet Solomon(as) could not escape from death and he had an interesting story with the angel of death. We will come to it later.)One day, prophet Solomon(as) took his army( 300000 men on his right hand side, and 300000 gins on his left hand side) and he commanded the wind to raise everybody and he commanded the birds to shade them from the sun. The wind carried them across the lands and the waters to a degree that they can touch the water. (What exciting life they had!). Some people around him started to wonder what a great kingdom prophet Solomon(as) had. When prophet Solomon(as) heard this, he said to them
" لتسبيحة واحدة خير من ملكي هذا كله " which means "Praising Allah once is much better than the entire kingdom of mine". This is because this materialistic kingdom is not going to be eternal but when you praise Allah and pray to Him with sincerity, this prayer is kept for eternity in your book of records.
2- The second thing Allah(SWT) gave prophet Solomon(as) was the ability to capture the devils. They started working for him.(The devils could be either human beings or jinns as well. Some people are worse than devils. They murder and kill millions of people and they do not care. They do not have any mercy. They are worthless.. There are some people who work with their friends and tell them always to do evil things.)
It is said that prophet Moses(as) came to the Pharaoh one day and said to him" Pharaoh, believe in Allah and my message and I guarantee you will keep your kingdom. You will stay as the king. In addition, you will enter paradise.. You will not lose anything" Pharaoh said" Let me think about this serious offer. Give me some time to think about it"
He went and consulted one of his ministers called Haman. Haman said" Are you crazy? Moses is trying to fool you.. Right now, you are the lord.. People pray to you and worship you.. Moses wants you to worship his lord.. Then, you will be humiliated by Moses.. Why will you submit to Moses' wishes?"
Look at this kind of friends and be careful. Because of Haman, Pharaoh rejected the offer. Otherwise, he was considering it. And what happened was that both of them were punished and drowned.
What jobs did the devils do for prophet Solomon(as)?- " و الشياطين كل بناء و غواص" Some of them were building things for him. The others were swimming under the oceans and the seas digging pearls. That is because a big kingdom requires a lot of money to be generated.
- "و آخرين مقرنين في الأصفاد"The devils who did not want to work for prophet Solomon(as) will be jailed. So, no evil in that society anymore.
3- The third thing Allah(SWT) gave prophet Solomon(as) :" هذا عطاؤنا فامنن أو أمسك بغير حساب"Allah says "This is what we are giving you, Solomon. You can give as much as you want, or you can take back. What we have given you is limitless. As long as you establish justice, give money and do not worry about it.
4- Fourthly,
" و إن له عندنا لزلفى و حسن مآب(40)" ص = Indeed, when he comes back to us, he would be given a great place. He was a good man.
5- Fifthly," و لقد آتينا داود و سليمان علماً و قالا الحمد لله الذي فضلنا على كثير من عباده المؤمنين(15) " سورة النمل= We have given both David and Solomon knowledge and they said Thank you, Allah, the one who favoured us amongst many of his believers servants.
David and Solomon(as) prayed to Allah for giving them the knowledge which they were really happy for it and remembered to thank Allah for it because knowledge is power. Solomon(as) must have knowledge to be a great leader to establish the society he wishes. To know about economics, politics, military and leadership in addition to the knowledge of the religious affairs.
A lot of people forget about Allah if they are given a blessing or anything they ask for. A lot of scientists think that they are the ones who come up with the ideas. They are independent and they are inventing and discovering. Allah says " علم الإنسان ما لم يعلم" which means you are just a means to this knowledge. Allah taught the human beings things they did not know of or think about. God is the teacher and people are the users of this knowledge.
6- The sixth thing Allah gave to prophet Solomon(as) :"و ورث سليمان داود و قال يا أيها الناس عُلِّمنا منطق الطير و أوتينا من كل شيء إن هذا لهو الفضل المبين(16) "سورة النملSolomon inherited David and became the next caliph. In this verse, Solomon said " we have been taught the language of the birds and we have been given of everything. Allah made the entire world at our disposal" Indeed, this is the great blessing of Allah. He admits that this is Allah's blessing to him.
" و حُشِر لسليمان جنوده من الجن و الإنس و الطير فهم يوزعون(17)" سورة النملThe army of Solomon(as) consisted of jinns, human beings, and birds. It was so large. This indicates the greatness of this kingdom.
So, Solomon(as) knows the language of different animals. Whenever birds speak, he can understand their language and communicate with them. What is interesting here is that birds have language and they can converse like us.
" و ما من دابة في الأرض و لا طائر يطير بجناحيه إلا أمم أمثالكم(38)" سورة الأنعام = "There is no animal on the land, nor bird flies in the skies with its wings except they are nations like you." In another verse, Allah says that everything praises Allah but we do not understand them.
One day, a draught( not much rain) came. Solomon (as) said" Let us go and pray to Allah to send some rain for us" When he wanted to pray, he heard an ant saying" O' Allah, do not punish us with some of the sins of the children of Adam. Bless us with your mercy and shower us with your rain." ( إلهي لا تأخذنا بذنوب ابن أدم)
When Solomon heard this, he said to his men" We do not have to do the prayer anymore. God made something else to pray for us. Let us go back." God accepted the prayer of that little ant and shower them with rain. That is how merciful Allah is.
One day, Solomon(as) picked up an ant and asked the ant" How much do you eat per year?" That ant said" Three grains of rice." Solomon(as) took the ant and put it in a jar and provided it with three grains of rice and closed the jar and said" I will see you next year, ant." He went. Then, came back after a year. He found it eating just one and a half grains of rice. Solomon(as) was upset and said" Ant, did you lie to me? I asked you how much you eat, you said three grains of rice a year.. I came and found you eating just one and a half!" The ant was very smart. She said " You asked how much I eat when I am out there in the wild. In the wild, Allah never forgets me.. He always gives me what I need.. I need three grains of rice per year, and I am sure and certain that God will provide me with three grains of rice every year.. You took me and put me in a jar that has no any escape out and put three grains of rice with me.. What if you forgot me?! I am going to die.. so, I thought about this and I thought of going in a diet. So, if you forgot about me, I would not die.. At least I have enough food to keep me for another year and I was hopeful that Allah makes you remember me."" حتى إذا أتوا على واد النمل قالت نملة يا أيها النمل ادخلوا مساكنكم لا يحطمنكم سليمان و جنوده و هم لا يشعرون(18) فتبسم ضاحكاً من قولها و قال رب أوزعني أن أشكر نعمتك التي أنعمت علي و على والدي و أن أعمل صالحاً ترضاه و أدخلني برحمتك في عبادك الصالحين(19)"
When Solomon(as) and his huge army was looking for some place or valley, the leader of the ants witnessed his coming and said" O' ants, Danger is coming. Go into your homes. I am afraid Solomon(as) and his army would destroy you. They would run you over. They are not going to be aware of you." The wind carried the voice of this ant to Solomon(as). He smiled when he heard her. He called upon the ant and asked her" Do not you know that I am a just leader?"
- " Yes, I do. I know that, o' prophet of God" She said
- "So, why were you worried I am going to crash you? Why did you call your tribe to hide?"
- "I got worried that if my tribe of ants witnesses you with your entire huge army, they would start forgetting about Allah and thinking of you. They would be taken by your great kingdom. I did not want them to have doubts in their minds."
(What a faithful ant!!!)
- " O' my lord, grant me the ability and the blessing to thank you"
The great kingdom and the huge army meant nonsense to prophet Solomon(as). He did not care about them at all unless he pleased Allah.
" و أن أعمل صالحاً ترضاه و أدخلني برحمتك في عبادك الصالحين"= " O' Allah, make me do good deeds that you will be pleased with and make me enter into your mercy among the good doers of your servants."
Imam Ali bin Abi-Talib (as) was on his way to the battle of Siffeen which was against Moawiah. One of his companions came by his tent and found Imam Ali was busy fixing his shoe. The shoe had so many holes and he was fixing each one and everyone of them. Imam Ali(as) asked his companion" How much do think this shoe is worth?" The companion looked at the shoe and said" This shoe is full of holes. It is worthless." Imam Ali said" Be aware that this shoe of mine that you were saying it is worthless actually is worth more to me than being the caliph of Muslims, unless I establish justice and stop evil and fight oppression. That is my goal. Being a caliph is not my goal."
Unlike Moawiah, when Moawiah became the leader, the first sermon he said,
"أيها الناس إني ما قاتلتكم لتصوموا, و لا لتصلوا, و لا لتحجوا, قاتلتكم لأتأمر عليكم"
" People, I did not fight you so that you can go and pray or fast or do hajj.. I do not really care about that.. I fought against you to become your leader and now I have achieved my goal. So, whomever is going to be pleased with us and accept me as the leader, we will bless him and shower him with our blessings, and whomever is going to go against us, he......."
This is the people who do not follow Allah and do not care about His message.
( This is a transcription of a lecture by Sayyed Usama Alattar. You ca listen to it from here:http://www.4shared.com/audio/0S4Seo8z/soleimanpart2.html
--------------------------------------------------------
Prophet Solomon(as) prayed to Allah to grant him a kingdom that he did not want anyone else to have because he wanted to show himself as a prophet of Allah who will establish justice on earth. Unlike those tyrants before him like Pharaoh who used to oppress people. He wanted to spread justice without any misconception.
What did Allah(SWT) give him to build this kingdom?1- Allah gave him the power to control the wind. He could order the wind to carry him and the wind did whatever he wished.An interesting thing here: Prophet Solomon(as) used to travel in seconds or minutes a journey which usually takes months. This is to establish communication because he is a king and he has a big kingdom which he must take care of. One of the important things to establish justice all across the whole kingdom is to have good communication with every part in that kingdom. To have this kind of communication , Allah(SWT) gave him the ability to command the wind. So, if anything happens at any part of the world, he just can order the wind to take him to that part and immediately he would be carried to it.
It is said that one day, Solomon(as) was sitting down and next to him was his minister. A person came and entered into his setting and sat down. He was staring at the minister and the minister got upset. Then, this person got up and said:" Assalam alaikum" and left. The minister asked prophet Solomon(as) " Who was this person?"
- " This was the angel of death."
- " The angel of death?!"
- " Yes."
- " Why was he staring at me?"
- " I do not know."
The minister was scary and said" Solomon, please, get me out of here. Take me to India." Solomon(as) ordered the wind to carry the minister all the way to India. The next day, the angel of death came to visit prophet Solomon(as) again and prophet Solomon(as) asked him " Why were you staring at that man? You scared him."
- " I was surprised." replied the angel.
- " What was surprising you?"
- " God ordered me to go to India and take the life of that person there. That was where he was going to die, but he was sitting next to you. Few moments later, I had to go to India. I was surprised how I was going to see him in India while he was sitting next to you. Anyway, I had to leave to do my job. So. I went to India.. I was waiting for the moment.. and at the exact time, I found him coming to me carried by the wind.. and that was where I took his life and now he is buried in India."
(The lesson: You cannot escape from death. Even prophet Solomon(as) could not escape from death and he had an interesting story with the angel of death. We will come to it later.)One day, prophet Solomon(as) took his army( 300000 men on his right hand side, and 300000 gins on his left hand side) and he commanded the wind to raise everybody and he commanded the birds to shade them from the sun. The wind carried them across the lands and the waters to a degree that they can touch the water. (What exciting life they had!). Some people around him started to wonder what a great kingdom prophet Solomon(as) had. When prophet Solomon(as) heard this, he said to them
" لتسبيحة واحدة خير من ملكي هذا كله " which means "Praising Allah once is much better than the entire kingdom of mine". This is because this materialistic kingdom is not going to be eternal but when you praise Allah and pray to Him with sincerity, this prayer is kept for eternity in your book of records.
2- The second thing Allah(SWT) gave prophet Solomon(as) was the ability to capture the devils. They started working for him.(The devils could be either human beings or jinns as well. Some people are worse than devils. They murder and kill millions of people and they do not care. They do not have any mercy. They are worthless.. There are some people who work with their friends and tell them always to do evil things.)
It is said that prophet Moses(as) came to the Pharaoh one day and said to him" Pharaoh, believe in Allah and my message and I guarantee you will keep your kingdom. You will stay as the king. In addition, you will enter paradise.. You will not lose anything" Pharaoh said" Let me think about this serious offer. Give me some time to think about it"
He went and consulted one of his ministers called Haman. Haman said" Are you crazy? Moses is trying to fool you.. Right now, you are the lord.. People pray to you and worship you.. Moses wants you to worship his lord.. Then, you will be humiliated by Moses.. Why will you submit to Moses' wishes?"
Look at this kind of friends and be careful. Because of Haman, Pharaoh rejected the offer. Otherwise, he was considering it. And what happened was that both of them were punished and drowned.
What jobs did the devils do for prophet Solomon(as)?- " و الشياطين كل بناء و غواص" Some of them were building things for him. The others were swimming under the oceans and the seas digging pearls. That is because a big kingdom requires a lot of money to be generated.
- "و آخرين مقرنين في الأصفاد"The devils who did not want to work for prophet Solomon(as) will be jailed. So, no evil in that society anymore.
3- The third thing Allah(SWT) gave prophet Solomon(as) :" هذا عطاؤنا فامنن أو أمسك بغير حساب"Allah says "This is what we are giving you, Solomon. You can give as much as you want, or you can take back. What we have given you is limitless. As long as you establish justice, give money and do not worry about it.
4- Fourthly,
" و إن له عندنا لزلفى و حسن مآب(40)" ص = Indeed, when he comes back to us, he would be given a great place. He was a good man.
5- Fifthly," و لقد آتينا داود و سليمان علماً و قالا الحمد لله الذي فضلنا على كثير من عباده المؤمنين(15) " سورة النمل= We have given both David and Solomon knowledge and they said Thank you, Allah, the one who favoured us amongst many of his believers servants.
David and Solomon(as) prayed to Allah for giving them the knowledge which they were really happy for it and remembered to thank Allah for it because knowledge is power. Solomon(as) must have knowledge to be a great leader to establish the society he wishes. To know about economics, politics, military and leadership in addition to the knowledge of the religious affairs.
A lot of people forget about Allah if they are given a blessing or anything they ask for. A lot of scientists think that they are the ones who come up with the ideas. They are independent and they are inventing and discovering. Allah says " علم الإنسان ما لم يعلم" which means you are just a means to this knowledge. Allah taught the human beings things they did not know of or think about. God is the teacher and people are the users of this knowledge.
6- The sixth thing Allah gave to prophet Solomon(as) :"و ورث سليمان داود و قال يا أيها الناس عُلِّمنا منطق الطير و أوتينا من كل شيء إن هذا لهو الفضل المبين(16) "سورة النملSolomon inherited David and became the next caliph. In this verse, Solomon said " we have been taught the language of the birds and we have been given of everything. Allah made the entire world at our disposal" Indeed, this is the great blessing of Allah. He admits that this is Allah's blessing to him.
" و حُشِر لسليمان جنوده من الجن و الإنس و الطير فهم يوزعون(17)" سورة النملThe army of Solomon(as) consisted of jinns, human beings, and birds. It was so large. This indicates the greatness of this kingdom.
So, Solomon(as) knows the language of different animals. Whenever birds speak, he can understand their language and communicate with them. What is interesting here is that birds have language and they can converse like us.
" و ما من دابة في الأرض و لا طائر يطير بجناحيه إلا أمم أمثالكم(38)" سورة الأنعام = "There is no animal on the land, nor bird flies in the skies with its wings except they are nations like you." In another verse, Allah says that everything praises Allah but we do not understand them.
One day, a draught( not much rain) came. Solomon (as) said" Let us go and pray to Allah to send some rain for us" When he wanted to pray, he heard an ant saying" O' Allah, do not punish us with some of the sins of the children of Adam. Bless us with your mercy and shower us with your rain." ( إلهي لا تأخذنا بذنوب ابن أدم)
When Solomon heard this, he said to his men" We do not have to do the prayer anymore. God made something else to pray for us. Let us go back." God accepted the prayer of that little ant and shower them with rain. That is how merciful Allah is.
One day, Solomon(as) picked up an ant and asked the ant" How much do you eat per year?" That ant said" Three grains of rice." Solomon(as) took the ant and put it in a jar and provided it with three grains of rice and closed the jar and said" I will see you next year, ant." He went. Then, came back after a year. He found it eating just one and a half grains of rice. Solomon(as) was upset and said" Ant, did you lie to me? I asked you how much you eat, you said three grains of rice a year.. I came and found you eating just one and a half!" The ant was very smart. She said " You asked how much I eat when I am out there in the wild. In the wild, Allah never forgets me.. He always gives me what I need.. I need three grains of rice per year, and I am sure and certain that God will provide me with three grains of rice every year.. You took me and put me in a jar that has no any escape out and put three grains of rice with me.. What if you forgot me?! I am going to die.. so, I thought about this and I thought of going in a diet. So, if you forgot about me, I would not die.. At least I have enough food to keep me for another year and I was hopeful that Allah makes you remember me."" حتى إذا أتوا على واد النمل قالت نملة يا أيها النمل ادخلوا مساكنكم لا يحطمنكم سليمان و جنوده و هم لا يشعرون(18) فتبسم ضاحكاً من قولها و قال رب أوزعني أن أشكر نعمتك التي أنعمت علي و على والدي و أن أعمل صالحاً ترضاه و أدخلني برحمتك في عبادك الصالحين(19)"
When Solomon(as) and his huge army was looking for some place or valley, the leader of the ants witnessed his coming and said" O' ants, Danger is coming. Go into your homes. I am afraid Solomon(as) and his army would destroy you. They would run you over. They are not going to be aware of you." The wind carried the voice of this ant to Solomon(as). He smiled when he heard her. He called upon the ant and asked her" Do not you know that I am a just leader?"
- " Yes, I do. I know that, o' prophet of God" She said
- "So, why were you worried I am going to crash you? Why did you call your tribe to hide?"
- "I got worried that if my tribe of ants witnesses you with your entire huge army, they would start forgetting about Allah and thinking of you. They would be taken by your great kingdom. I did not want them to have doubts in their minds."
(What a faithful ant!!!)
- " O' my lord, grant me the ability and the blessing to thank you"
The great kingdom and the huge army meant nonsense to prophet Solomon(as). He did not care about them at all unless he pleased Allah.
" و أن أعمل صالحاً ترضاه و أدخلني برحمتك في عبادك الصالحين"= " O' Allah, make me do good deeds that you will be pleased with and make me enter into your mercy among the good doers of your servants."
Imam Ali bin Abi-Talib (as) was on his way to the battle of Siffeen which was against Moawiah. One of his companions came by his tent and found Imam Ali was busy fixing his shoe. The shoe had so many holes and he was fixing each one and everyone of them. Imam Ali(as) asked his companion" How much do think this shoe is worth?" The companion looked at the shoe and said" This shoe is full of holes. It is worthless." Imam Ali said" Be aware that this shoe of mine that you were saying it is worthless actually is worth more to me than being the caliph of Muslims, unless I establish justice and stop evil and fight oppression. That is my goal. Being a caliph is not my goal."
Unlike Moawiah, when Moawiah became the leader, the first sermon he said,
"أيها الناس إني ما قاتلتكم لتصوموا, و لا لتصلوا, و لا لتحجوا, قاتلتكم لأتأمر عليكم"
" People, I did not fight you so that you can go and pray or fast or do hajj.. I do not really care about that.. I fought against you to become your leader and now I have achieved my goal. So, whomever is going to be pleased with us and accept me as the leader, we will bless him and shower him with our blessings, and whomever is going to go against us, he......."
This is the people who do not follow Allah and do not care about His message.
The Story of Prophet Solomon( as) -1-
Lecture No. 1Note: This is a transcription of a lecture by Sayyed Usama Alattar. You can listen to it from here:http://www.4shared.com/audio/I57dv_bU/soleimanpart1.html
The holy Quran is full of stories which contain so much wisdom and blessings for us to take a look at and reflect upon their content. Upon one of the most interesting stories in the holy Quran is the story of prophet Solomon( pbuh). prophet Solomon was very unique and he had very unique circumstances that did not exist to any other prophet before him, nor any other prophet after him. These circumstances are what we shall be looking at and examining over the course of few parts.
If we take a look at the Holy Quran with regards to prophet Solomon(as), we find four parts where the Quran discusses him. He was mentioned by name seventeen times in seven suras in the Holy Quran. If we put them all together, we will come up with a beautiful picture of his life. An interesting picture that implies so much knowledge about things happened in the past, happening currently, and will happen in the future. That is the beautiful style of the Holy Quran.
The four parts discussing prophet Solomon(as) are the following:1- The first part is about his life with his father, prophet David(as).
2- The second part is about his own life after his father. When his father died, he became the messenger of the time and the leader.
3- The third part is about him leaving this world( his death). The Quran rarely talks about the death of the prophets. Usually, we know the deaths of the prophets from Ahadeeth. Prophet Mohammad(pbuh) and the Imams told us about how certain prophets died, yet the Holy Quran mentioned the death of prophet Solomon(as) explicitly which is again quite interesting.
4- The fourth part is about what happened after his life.
As we go over these parts , we will discuss some of the wisdoms, great aspects and accomplishments of this great prophet.
The first part:
This part is mentioned in Surat Al-anbiya:
" و داود و سليمان إذ يحكمان في الحرث إذ نفشت فيه غنم القوم و كنَّا لحكمهم شاهدين( 78) ففهمناها سليمان و كلاّ آتينا حكماً و علماً و سخرنا مع داود الجبال يسبحن و الطير و كنَّا فاعلين(79)" الأنبياء.There is a beautiful incident that took place during the time of prophet David and Solomon(as):There was a shepherd whose sheep escaped and managed to get into a farm and ate everything there. All the crop was destroyed; whatever seeds or fruits that the farmer was growing was all destroyed by these sheep. The next day, the farmer got up and saw what happened and said" Oh my God.. what has happened?! My farm..! my food..! my living..! my business..! all have been destroyed.."
So, he came to Prophet David(as) and said to him: " O' David, the prophet of Allah.. This is what has happened.. This shepherd's sheep came to my land and ate everything. I would like you to judge between me and that shepherd."
prophet David(as) said:" Well, if we calculate the total damage that was done to your farm, it will be equal to the amount of the sheep the shepherd owns. So, what I claim to do is I ask the shepherd to pass on his sheep to you and that will be equivalent in the amount of the crops destroyed"
Prophet Solomon(as) was there at that time and he was still a young man. At that stage, he turned to his father and said: " O' prophet of Allah, why do not you take it easy a little bit from this shepherd?" Prophet David(as) said:" What do you recommend, my son?" Prophet Solomon(as) said: We want to compensate him for the loss of his crops.. Instead of giving all the sheep and turning the ownership of the sheep to the farmer, we shall give the sheep to the farmer for one year only to benefit from their wool, milk, and their business.. whatever business comes from the sheep for one whole year will be equivalent to the amount of damage that was done to the crops"
So, there were two possibilities and the end result is the same end result. Both prophet David and Solomon(as) wanted to compensate the farmer for the amount of loss. Using prophet Solomon's suggestion; the shepherd can work in the farm trying to fix it and within one year, he can return the farm back to the farmer and the farmer will return the sheep back to the shepherd.
- David(as) was a prophet.. Solomon(as) suggested something to him.. Did this mean that David(as) made a mistake in his judgment???The answer is NO. This is for two reasons:
First, Allah (SWT) said " و كنا لحكمهم شاهدين" which means" We are witnessing their judgments". In Arabic language, David and Solomon is dual, not plural. Whereas, the word" لحكمهم" is plural. So, the pronoun" their" refers not to prophet David and Solomon, but to all prophets. Allah is overlooking the prophets and guiding them.
Second, as Imam Albaqir, the fifth Imam ,mentioned, prophet David( as) who was the prophet and the king of that time wanted to discuss the issue with his son to tell people that the best and appropriate person to come after him is his son, Solomon. He is most knowledgeable and what proves this is that the way that he judged the situation is the way prophet David( as) would have judged the situation as well guided by Allah(SWT).
All prophets demonstrated who will follow them. Even Moses(as) informed people that Aaron(as) is the one who takes care of people's affairs after him. This leads us to an interesting question:
If prophets David, Solomon and Moses appointed a successor after them, would prophet Mohammad(pbuh) not appoint a successor after him??! Did the prophet fail in demonstrating to people who will be coming after him??!Actually, if we read the history carefully without bias, we find that indeed the prophet has indicated to people several times in many occasions that Ali bin Abi-Talib(as) will be his successor to the extent that the question was not IF Ali bin Abi-Talib(as) is going to be made the successor of the prophet and declared as a successor. The question was WHEN the prophet declared Ali bin Abi-Talib(as) as his successor. Thus, on the day of Ghadeer, people were not shocked because they knew that.
So, this is about the first part in which David( as) used to bring Solomon(as ) towards his court. He used to get him to participate and have discussions with him. And this is to pave the way after him, Solomon(as) will be the next leader and indeed that happened and Solomon became the next caliph.The Second part:The second part is about the life of prophet Solomon himself which was unique and fascinating.
" و وهبنا لداود سليمان نعم العبد إنه أوَّاب(30)" سورة ص.In this verse, Allah(SWT) described Solomon as a great worshiper and a one who used to return to Allah . The Quran beautifully claims this because some people, unfortunately, tried to say that David(as) committed adultery and the result of that unlawful relationship was Solomon(as). Allah (SWT) wants to deny that because prophets of God do not commit sins. They are all pure. Secondly, you cannot have Solomon who is a prophet to be a son of a sin. That does not make sense. That is why Allah( SWT) said'' We have granted Solomon to David and he was a great worshiper'' , he is not a sinner or a son of a sinner.
."إذ عرض عليه بالعشيِّ الصافنات الجياد(31)" سورة ص
After his father's death, Solomon became the leader and he tried to prepare an army to fight a war to spread the message of God and peace. At that time, the best tool for fighting was horses. Those horses have two characteristics: they are in a shape that they are ready to fight and they run very fast.
" فقال إني أحببت حب الخير عن ذكر ربي حتى توارت بالحجاب(32)" سورة ص.In this verse, Solomon(as) said" I love this great blessing( the horses), but not for the sake of them. I loved them because Allah would like me to use these horses to spread His message."
حتى توارت بالحجاب means" until it was gone". This verse created a debate among the scholars. What was IT gone??There are two stories:1- Some people said that Solomon (as) was sitting down observing the horses. There was a trainer massaging them to make them feel comfortable . Solomon(as) enjoyed seeing the show of the horses feeling comfortable. So, he asked the trainer to repeat the show because he would like to thank Allah(SWT) for giving him such great tools that can help him to spread His message.
2- The second story: Solomon (as) was so fascinated by these horses until the sun started to come down and set, and yet he prayed his salat. So, he requested Allah to bring back the sun to be able to do his salat.This second idea is not accepted because you cannot find a prophet who would
forget about his salat. Prophets are sinless, pure. So, the probability of the second story happening is not likely. The most probable is the first one. He enjoyed the show so much so he asked for them to come back.
" و لقد فتنا سليمان و ألقينا على كرسيه جسداً ثم أناب(34)" سورة ص.
It is said that one day, one of prophet Solomon's wives was pregnant with a son. She gave birth to a child, but unfortunately the child was born dead. And it is said that the reason for that is that Solomon(as) said" I am going to have relationships with my spouses and each of them will deliver a boy for me and I am going to use that boy for the sake of Allah to help me fight and spread His message."
What he forgot to say is the phrase" Inshallah"= if Allah wills. Then Allah(SWT) wanted to tell him " Solomon.. You do not make that decision, I make it for you..Yes.. When you pray to me, I help you and give you.. If you want to have sons, I give you, but it is not you who makes the decision. I make it.."
" قال رب اغفر لي و هب لي ملكاً لا ينبغي لأحد من بعدي إنك أنت الوهاب(35)" سورة ص.Then, he said" o' my God. Forgive me and grant me a kingdom that cannot be achieved by anyone else. Indeed, you are the one who grants( You are the giver)" Again, he did not sin. Prophets in general ask for forgiveness from Allah if they feel that they have done less than what Allah(SWT) expected from them.
Solomon(as) prayed to Allah to give him a kingdom that no one have the same. Why did he ask for that?- He wanted people around him to feel that he is not one of those tyrant, mighty leaders like Pharaoh who had a large kingdom, a huge army, money, and everything, but he was doing that by force. He was forcing the other slaves to work for him, to build his castle, etc. Solomon(as) did not want people to feel the same way as if he is the king and they are the slaves. He wanted people to believe in his message, to believe in him as a prophet, not just as a mighty king.
- He did not want anyone else to have a power that was so strong to oppose him. He wanted to control all those who wanted to misguide other people like Pharaoh. Thus, they all submit to Allah.
It is said in Ahadeeth that Allah (SWT) said to prophet Solomon (as) " I am going to give you that kingdom. However, there shall be somebody else after you who will have a kingdom greater than yours." Prophet Solomon (as) wondered" O' my lord. Who is that person?" "That will be the twelfth descendent of the last prophet( Mohammad bin Alhassan Almahdi)"
This shows that the kingdom of Almahdi is great. Thus, Allah(SWT) indicates the kingdom of prophet Solomon (as) to tell people that if he made this kingdom once, he can make it twice for Almahdi (as).
May Allah(SWT) hasten the reappearance of Imam Mehdi(as)
The holy Quran is full of stories which contain so much wisdom and blessings for us to take a look at and reflect upon their content. Upon one of the most interesting stories in the holy Quran is the story of prophet Solomon( pbuh). prophet Solomon was very unique and he had very unique circumstances that did not exist to any other prophet before him, nor any other prophet after him. These circumstances are what we shall be looking at and examining over the course of few parts.
If we take a look at the Holy Quran with regards to prophet Solomon(as), we find four parts where the Quran discusses him. He was mentioned by name seventeen times in seven suras in the Holy Quran. If we put them all together, we will come up with a beautiful picture of his life. An interesting picture that implies so much knowledge about things happened in the past, happening currently, and will happen in the future. That is the beautiful style of the Holy Quran.
The four parts discussing prophet Solomon(as) are the following:1- The first part is about his life with his father, prophet David(as).
2- The second part is about his own life after his father. When his father died, he became the messenger of the time and the leader.
3- The third part is about him leaving this world( his death). The Quran rarely talks about the death of the prophets. Usually, we know the deaths of the prophets from Ahadeeth. Prophet Mohammad(pbuh) and the Imams told us about how certain prophets died, yet the Holy Quran mentioned the death of prophet Solomon(as) explicitly which is again quite interesting.
4- The fourth part is about what happened after his life.
As we go over these parts , we will discuss some of the wisdoms, great aspects and accomplishments of this great prophet.
The first part:
This part is mentioned in Surat Al-anbiya:
" و داود و سليمان إذ يحكمان في الحرث إذ نفشت فيه غنم القوم و كنَّا لحكمهم شاهدين( 78) ففهمناها سليمان و كلاّ آتينا حكماً و علماً و سخرنا مع داود الجبال يسبحن و الطير و كنَّا فاعلين(79)" الأنبياء.There is a beautiful incident that took place during the time of prophet David and Solomon(as):There was a shepherd whose sheep escaped and managed to get into a farm and ate everything there. All the crop was destroyed; whatever seeds or fruits that the farmer was growing was all destroyed by these sheep. The next day, the farmer got up and saw what happened and said" Oh my God.. what has happened?! My farm..! my food..! my living..! my business..! all have been destroyed.."
So, he came to Prophet David(as) and said to him: " O' David, the prophet of Allah.. This is what has happened.. This shepherd's sheep came to my land and ate everything. I would like you to judge between me and that shepherd."
prophet David(as) said:" Well, if we calculate the total damage that was done to your farm, it will be equal to the amount of the sheep the shepherd owns. So, what I claim to do is I ask the shepherd to pass on his sheep to you and that will be equivalent in the amount of the crops destroyed"
Prophet Solomon(as) was there at that time and he was still a young man. At that stage, he turned to his father and said: " O' prophet of Allah, why do not you take it easy a little bit from this shepherd?" Prophet David(as) said:" What do you recommend, my son?" Prophet Solomon(as) said: We want to compensate him for the loss of his crops.. Instead of giving all the sheep and turning the ownership of the sheep to the farmer, we shall give the sheep to the farmer for one year only to benefit from their wool, milk, and their business.. whatever business comes from the sheep for one whole year will be equivalent to the amount of damage that was done to the crops"
So, there were two possibilities and the end result is the same end result. Both prophet David and Solomon(as) wanted to compensate the farmer for the amount of loss. Using prophet Solomon's suggestion; the shepherd can work in the farm trying to fix it and within one year, he can return the farm back to the farmer and the farmer will return the sheep back to the shepherd.
- David(as) was a prophet.. Solomon(as) suggested something to him.. Did this mean that David(as) made a mistake in his judgment???The answer is NO. This is for two reasons:
First, Allah (SWT) said " و كنا لحكمهم شاهدين" which means" We are witnessing their judgments". In Arabic language, David and Solomon is dual, not plural. Whereas, the word" لحكمهم" is plural. So, the pronoun" their" refers not to prophet David and Solomon, but to all prophets. Allah is overlooking the prophets and guiding them.
Second, as Imam Albaqir, the fifth Imam ,mentioned, prophet David( as) who was the prophet and the king of that time wanted to discuss the issue with his son to tell people that the best and appropriate person to come after him is his son, Solomon. He is most knowledgeable and what proves this is that the way that he judged the situation is the way prophet David( as) would have judged the situation as well guided by Allah(SWT).
All prophets demonstrated who will follow them. Even Moses(as) informed people that Aaron(as) is the one who takes care of people's affairs after him. This leads us to an interesting question:
If prophets David, Solomon and Moses appointed a successor after them, would prophet Mohammad(pbuh) not appoint a successor after him??! Did the prophet fail in demonstrating to people who will be coming after him??!Actually, if we read the history carefully without bias, we find that indeed the prophet has indicated to people several times in many occasions that Ali bin Abi-Talib(as) will be his successor to the extent that the question was not IF Ali bin Abi-Talib(as) is going to be made the successor of the prophet and declared as a successor. The question was WHEN the prophet declared Ali bin Abi-Talib(as) as his successor. Thus, on the day of Ghadeer, people were not shocked because they knew that.
So, this is about the first part in which David( as) used to bring Solomon(as ) towards his court. He used to get him to participate and have discussions with him. And this is to pave the way after him, Solomon(as) will be the next leader and indeed that happened and Solomon became the next caliph.The Second part:The second part is about the life of prophet Solomon himself which was unique and fascinating.
" و وهبنا لداود سليمان نعم العبد إنه أوَّاب(30)" سورة ص.In this verse, Allah(SWT) described Solomon as a great worshiper and a one who used to return to Allah . The Quran beautifully claims this because some people, unfortunately, tried to say that David(as) committed adultery and the result of that unlawful relationship was Solomon(as). Allah (SWT) wants to deny that because prophets of God do not commit sins. They are all pure. Secondly, you cannot have Solomon who is a prophet to be a son of a sin. That does not make sense. That is why Allah( SWT) said'' We have granted Solomon to David and he was a great worshiper'' , he is not a sinner or a son of a sinner.
."إذ عرض عليه بالعشيِّ الصافنات الجياد(31)" سورة ص
After his father's death, Solomon became the leader and he tried to prepare an army to fight a war to spread the message of God and peace. At that time, the best tool for fighting was horses. Those horses have two characteristics: they are in a shape that they are ready to fight and they run very fast.
" فقال إني أحببت حب الخير عن ذكر ربي حتى توارت بالحجاب(32)" سورة ص.In this verse, Solomon(as) said" I love this great blessing( the horses), but not for the sake of them. I loved them because Allah would like me to use these horses to spread His message."
حتى توارت بالحجاب means" until it was gone". This verse created a debate among the scholars. What was IT gone??There are two stories:1- Some people said that Solomon (as) was sitting down observing the horses. There was a trainer massaging them to make them feel comfortable . Solomon(as) enjoyed seeing the show of the horses feeling comfortable. So, he asked the trainer to repeat the show because he would like to thank Allah(SWT) for giving him such great tools that can help him to spread His message.
2- The second story: Solomon (as) was so fascinated by these horses until the sun started to come down and set, and yet he prayed his salat. So, he requested Allah to bring back the sun to be able to do his salat.This second idea is not accepted because you cannot find a prophet who would
forget about his salat. Prophets are sinless, pure. So, the probability of the second story happening is not likely. The most probable is the first one. He enjoyed the show so much so he asked for them to come back.
" و لقد فتنا سليمان و ألقينا على كرسيه جسداً ثم أناب(34)" سورة ص.
It is said that one day, one of prophet Solomon's wives was pregnant with a son. She gave birth to a child, but unfortunately the child was born dead. And it is said that the reason for that is that Solomon(as) said" I am going to have relationships with my spouses and each of them will deliver a boy for me and I am going to use that boy for the sake of Allah to help me fight and spread His message."
What he forgot to say is the phrase" Inshallah"= if Allah wills. Then Allah(SWT) wanted to tell him " Solomon.. You do not make that decision, I make it for you..Yes.. When you pray to me, I help you and give you.. If you want to have sons, I give you, but it is not you who makes the decision. I make it.."
" قال رب اغفر لي و هب لي ملكاً لا ينبغي لأحد من بعدي إنك أنت الوهاب(35)" سورة ص.Then, he said" o' my God. Forgive me and grant me a kingdom that cannot be achieved by anyone else. Indeed, you are the one who grants( You are the giver)" Again, he did not sin. Prophets in general ask for forgiveness from Allah if they feel that they have done less than what Allah(SWT) expected from them.
Solomon(as) prayed to Allah to give him a kingdom that no one have the same. Why did he ask for that?- He wanted people around him to feel that he is not one of those tyrant, mighty leaders like Pharaoh who had a large kingdom, a huge army, money, and everything, but he was doing that by force. He was forcing the other slaves to work for him, to build his castle, etc. Solomon(as) did not want people to feel the same way as if he is the king and they are the slaves. He wanted people to believe in his message, to believe in him as a prophet, not just as a mighty king.
- He did not want anyone else to have a power that was so strong to oppose him. He wanted to control all those who wanted to misguide other people like Pharaoh. Thus, they all submit to Allah.
It is said in Ahadeeth that Allah (SWT) said to prophet Solomon (as) " I am going to give you that kingdom. However, there shall be somebody else after you who will have a kingdom greater than yours." Prophet Solomon (as) wondered" O' my lord. Who is that person?" "That will be the twelfth descendent of the last prophet( Mohammad bin Alhassan Almahdi)"
This shows that the kingdom of Almahdi is great. Thus, Allah(SWT) indicates the kingdom of prophet Solomon (as) to tell people that if he made this kingdom once, he can make it twice for Almahdi (as).
May Allah(SWT) hasten the reappearance of Imam Mehdi(as)
Monday 7 February 2011
You Can Commit Sins Under These conditions
A man came to Imam Ali( AS) and said to him" Oh, Ali.. My self leads me to commit sins and disobey Allah.. Advice me, please"Imam Ali said" If you want to commit a sin, commit it.. but, under five conditions"The man said" Ok, tell me about them"
Imam Ali( AS) said" If you want to commit a sin, go and hide yourself in a place where Allah cannot see you"
The man said" Glory to Allah, How can I hide myself from Allah and He sees everything and knows everything..?!"
Then, Imam Ali said" Glory to Allah, Are not you ashamed of disobeying Allah while He sees you?"
The man silenced.
Then, he said" Tell me more"
Imam Ali said" If you want to disobey Allah, disobey Him.... but, not on his earth.."
The man said" Glory to Allah, Where should I go and everything in the universe is His possession?!"
Imam Ali said" Are not you ashamed of disobeying Him while you live on His earth?"
The man said" Tell me more"
Imam Ali said" If you want to disobey Allah, do not eat from what He provides you with"
The man said" How can I do so and all the gifts are from Him?!"
Imam Ali said" Are not you ashamed of disobeying Him while He feeds you and provides you with water and keeps your strength?!"The man said" Tell me more"
Imam Ali said" Disobey Allah.. but, if the angel of death comes to take out your life, do not allow him to do so"
The man said" Glory to Allah, do I have a power to stop him.. And he is the one who will take out the lives of all people, jinns and angels?!"
Then, Imam Ali said" Disobey Allah.. but, when you are given the book which consists of all of your deeds in this life, pretend that you did not commit such sins"
The man said" Glory to Allah, what about the angels who write all that I do?!"Then, the man cried deeply and went repeating the same phrase" What about the angels who write all that I do?!"
Imam Ali( AS) said" If you want to commit a sin, go and hide yourself in a place where Allah cannot see you"
The man said" Glory to Allah, How can I hide myself from Allah and He sees everything and knows everything..?!"
Then, Imam Ali said" Glory to Allah, Are not you ashamed of disobeying Allah while He sees you?"
The man silenced.
Then, he said" Tell me more"
Imam Ali said" If you want to disobey Allah, disobey Him.... but, not on his earth.."
The man said" Glory to Allah, Where should I go and everything in the universe is His possession?!"
Imam Ali said" Are not you ashamed of disobeying Him while you live on His earth?"
The man said" Tell me more"
Imam Ali said" If you want to disobey Allah, do not eat from what He provides you with"
The man said" How can I do so and all the gifts are from Him?!"
Imam Ali said" Are not you ashamed of disobeying Him while He feeds you and provides you with water and keeps your strength?!"The man said" Tell me more"
Imam Ali said" Disobey Allah.. but, if the angel of death comes to take out your life, do not allow him to do so"
The man said" Glory to Allah, do I have a power to stop him.. And he is the one who will take out the lives of all people, jinns and angels?!"
Then, Imam Ali said" Disobey Allah.. but, when you are given the book which consists of all of your deeds in this life, pretend that you did not commit such sins"
The man said" Glory to Allah, what about the angels who write all that I do?!"Then, the man cried deeply and went repeating the same phrase" What about the angels who write all that I do?!"
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)