The Ocean of the Quran

A verse by verse explanation of The Ultimate Scripture

Ṣād – Verse 34

وَلَقَد فَتَنّا سُلَيمانَ وَأَلقَينا عَلىٰ كُرسِيِّهِ جَسَدًا ثُمَّ أَنابَ

Certainly We tried Solomon, and cast a [lifeless] body on his throne. Thereupon he repented.

EXEGESIS

Fatannā (we tried) comes from fitnah, and means to test and to put through a trial.‎[1]

Kursī (throne) literally means a seat, but is used to signify the seat of power of a king, in other words his throne.‎[2]

Jasad (body) is a body that has no spirit (rūḥ) in it.‎[3]

Anāba (repented) comes from inābah, meaning to return to God in repentance.‎[4]

EXPOSITION

These stories began with a reminder to Prophet Muhammad (s) to be patient, and now we are told once again an example of how a prophet exhibited patience in perhaps one of the greatest tests of patience a person might face, the death of a child. That it was Prophet Solomon’s (a) child and would be heir that is talked about here is evidenced by the next verse, where Prophet Solomon (a) talks about his kingdom not being inherited by anyone after him.

Looking at the passages quoted in the final section of the commentary on this verse, we can see that according to the Biblical narrative, Solomon (a) had married 300 women and had 700 concubines. They also claim that some of his wives were of non-Israelite origin and even polytheists. According to the Biblical narrative, they kept their polytheist faiths and even turned him away from monotheism to the extent that he initially allowed idolatry in his own home and later even built temples for idols. The author(s) of those passages paints Solomon (a) as a lecherous man, who was turned away from the religion of God by his wives. Also, according to the Old Testament, marrying a non-Jew should have been forbidden,‎[5] and according to 1 Kings 11:1-5, Solomon (a) did so regardless. Because of that he earned God’s ire, and his dynasty was cut off with the denial of an heir, and Israel was divided:

Since you have done this and have not kept My covenant and statutes, which I commanded you, I will surely take the kingdom from you and give it to your servant. I will not do this in your lifetime for your father David’s sake, but I will tear it out of the hand of your son. (1 Kings 11:11-12)

As we noted a few times earlier, the stories of the three prophets told to us in this surah are meant to set the record straight on these Biblical narratives regarding false slanders that were attributed to God’s prophets. Keeping that in mind, it becomes apparent that Prophet Solomon (a) had probably married a non-Jewish wife or wives in order to seal political alliances.‎[6] In reality, those wives should have become converts, yet we can imagine that marriage to converts was considered with suspicion and viewed as abhorrent by many in society, as converts were viewed as less worthy and ingenuine, or indeed as some have argued, that the religion of God was solely for the Israelites.‎[7] Once again vile slander targeted Solomon (a), claiming he was controlled and driven by lust for women, corrupting his faith for their sake; that his non-Jewish wives had turned him away from the faith of the Israelites and the religion of his father. Then, when one of these wives gave birth to a stillborn child, people thought this was a sign of God’s displeasure with Solomon (a). As with the previous two stories, unfortunately through the phenomenon of Isrāʾīliyyāt, these stories made their way into Islamic exegesis as well. We have discussed these thoroughly in the coming sections.

Disregarding those baseless reports, we may focus on the verses of the Quran itself. We know that after Prophet Solomon (a) the kingdom of Israel was divided. Again, the writings of the Old Testament lay blame of this at Solomon’s (a) door, saying it was because of his marrying non-Jewish women and erecting idols to false gods that God was angered and punished the Israelites. This is of course mistaken and slander written against Prophet Solomon (a).

Prophet Solomon (a) had a son named Rehoboam, whom he appointed to be his successor. Jeroboam son of Nebat conspired with ten of the northern tribes of Israel against Prophet Solomon (a), and when his plot was discovered he fled to Egypt and took the protection of the Pharaoh. After Prophet Solomon (a) passed away, Rehoboam took the throne. Jeroboam came back from exile shortly thereafter. According to 1 Kings 12, he then led a delegation asking Rehoboam to lower the taxes and Rehoboam refused, which was taken as an excuse to rebel against him, and ten of the twelve tribes of Israel abandoned Rehoboam. This marked the end of the united kingdom of Solomon and led to the formation of the kingdom of Israel and the kingdom of Judah. It is probably at the behest of the northern kingdom of Israel that the slanderous claims against Prophet Solomon (a) about loving wealth, foreign women, and erecting idols – that are found in the Old Testament – were written. Ironically, it was in the northern kingdom of Israel that idol-worship was rampant and Prophet Elijah (a) was sent to try and eradicate it, unsuccessfully. See the commentary on verse 48 of this surah as well as 37:123-127.

We tried Solomon, and cast a [lifeless] body on his throne could be understood that Prophet Solomon (a) had a stillborn child and understood this to be an omen, which foretold him of the future plight of the Children of Israel and how the prophetic kingdom would not last. It is even possible that the verse is describing a vision granted to Prophet Solomon (a), much like the experience of Prophet David (a) with the group of contenders. Although the latter is better at explaining the link of the story to the theme of this surah’s stories with regard to refuting the slander of the Israelites.

In any case, whether real or a vision, the lifeless corpse that was flung on Prophet Solomon’s (a) throne was a symbol of the kingdom after him, which would become a lifeless husk, and the throne of Prophet David (a) would not be the same as it was. A lifeless corpse is a powerful symbol as it only exists physically, being devoid of spirit. This also ties into the later story in this surah where God declares, regarding the honour He would bestow upon Prophet Adam (a), So when I have proportioned him and breathed into him of My spirit, then fall down in prostration before him (verse 72). It is the spirit which brings honour and links man to God. Alas, this was the future that awaited the throne of the Israelites, a mere shadow and shell of its glory under Prophet David (a) and Prophet Solomon (a). This is why Prophet Solomon (a) pleads with God to at least keep the kingdom intact as long as he is alive.

This is comparable to the vision that was given to Prophet Muhammad (s) when he saw monkeys climbing his pulpit (minbar), We did not appoint the vision that We showed you except as a test (fitnah) for the people and the tree cursed in the Quran (17:60), by which he understood the trials that would come regarding the issue of leadership after him, and how Banī Umayyah would abuse the authority they unjustly took for themselves.‎[8] Note how both are described as fitnah, although the difference between Prophet Solomon (a) and Prophet Muhammad (s) is that the fitnah was for Solomon (a), whilst for Muhammad (s) it was for his people.

Without a doubt, a prophet who had strived so much to bring about a just kingdom dedicated to God would be tested when he becomes aware that it will not last long after him. This is why the story of Prophet Solomon (a) relates to the exhortation to be patient that began in verse 17. Upon seeing that vision, Prophet Solomon (a) backed away from his wish and submitted to God’s will.

We may also note the connection of this story to the theme of defiance. The divisive attitude of some people is inevitable as they each vie for their own conceit. Like so was the fate of the Israelites after Solomon (a), who divided the kingdom and quarrelled with the command of God.

In conclusion, the Quranic account here wishes to set the record straight, observing that Prophet Solomon (a) was not a lecherous man, nor had he abandoned his religion, nor was the loss of his child due to some divine punishment, but rather because God had ordained a different future for Israel. As soon as Prophet Solomon (a) realised that, he immediately turned to God (anāba).

INSIGHTS FROM HADITH

  1. There is a lengthy and fantastical story related with regards to this verse that the author of Tafsīr al-Qummī attributes to Imam al-Ṣādiq (a), which we will relate in brief here: ‘Solomon (a) had a ring and his kingdom was bound to that ring. Because of killing the horses God decided to take away his kingdom. Solomon (a) did not use to take that ring with him to the bathroom. One day, a devil came in the form of Solomon (a) and took the ring while Solomon (a) was away in the bathroom. So the jinns and other creatures fell upon Solomon (a) who fled to the coast. People began to suspect the jinn who was in the form of Solomon (a), and after questioning his wives, the wives said that Solomon (a) is acting differently and is approaching us while we are menstruating. Once discovered, the jinn fled, throwing the ring into the sea. Eventually Solomon (a) bought a fish from a fishmonger and recovered his ring from its stomach.’‎[9]

There are several variants of this story, some only having parts of it, and others adding some parts, while others differ in some details.‎[10] Most of them are simply transmitted on the authority of early exegetes, who had apparently received them from Jewish converts to Islam.

Closer examination reveals that the story of a jinn taking the throne of Solomon (a) is based on the Talmud,‎[11] including all the details about questioning the menstruating wives, and so on. These might be mixed with parts of other stories; for example the part about the ring being found in the stomach of a fish is very similar to the legend of the ring of Polycrates as recorded by Herodotus.

Thaʿlabī relates from Wahab ibn Munabbih‎[12] one such fantastic version with a very long prelude which also includes the Biblical claim that one of the wives of Solomon (a) was committing idolatry in his house and that was the reason the ring slipped out of his finger.‎[13] In many versions, the devil with the ring then sat for a period of time on the throne of Solomon (a) and ruled and passed judgement amongst people.

According to these stories, Certainly We tried Solomon, and cast a body on his throne refers to Solomon (a) losing his ring and the jinn sitting on his throne.

Ṭūsī criticises the story on several bases:

  1. Prophets cannot commit sins.
  2. God would not allow a jinn to take the form of a prophet.
  3. Prophethood is not kept within a ring.
  4. Prophethood is not taken away once given.
  5. The verse does not indicate any of the above.‎[14]

In addition to this, others have added:

  1. It is terrible to claim that a jinn would approach the wives of a prophet.‎[15]
  2. It attributes way too much power to jinns. If those devils had the possibility to do such things to a prophet, imagine what they would do to regular scholars. They would leave no trace of religion.‎[16]

According to a second story, that is also attributed to Imam al-Ṣādiq (a), when Solomon (a) had a son, the devils and the jinn conspired against him, saying to each other that if this child lives he will be strict with us like Solomon (a) was. Out of fear that they would hurt his son, Solomon (a) sent his son away to live on top of a cloud. Then, one day, his son fell from the cloud on top of his throne and died, as a reminder that there is no escaping the decree of God, and a rebuke for Solomon (a) for fearing the devils.‎[17] This story requires little criticism as its falsehood is apparent to any intelligent reader.

The third story ascribed to these verses is attributed to Prophet Muhammad (s) by Abū Hurayrah, that Prophet Solomon (a) said one day to himself that tonight he shall visit one hundred‎[18] of his concubines, so that each one should give birth and thus he would have one hundred sons who would be one hundred warriors in the way of God. However, before doing that he failed to say ‘God willing’ (in shāʾ allāh).‎[19] The premise of a hundred wives seems to be based on the figure of one thousand given in the Old Testament.‎[20]

This has been criticised in that even if he had not said ‘God willing’ he would have meant it in his heart.‎[21] Some have tried to reply to this, stating that articulation of the words is recommended, and Solomon (a) was rebuked for failing to do so.‎[22]

Others have said the story shows unseemly behaviour for a prophet of God, as it had the appearance of loving the world. Therefore, God prevented that outcome and only one woman gave birth to a stillborn child. She gave birth to him on Solomon’s (a) throne, and once he saw that he repented and turned to prayer and supplication seeking closeness to God, not because he had sinned.‎[23] This defence is untenable, as it still describes a prophet as lecherous, firstly by claiming he has so many wives, and secondly, there is no possible rational explanation for why and how he should attempt to establish relations with all of them in one night. It is surprising that exegetes would even entertain the notion that a prophet of God would attempt such a thing (despite their claims that he wished to do it so they would give birth to warriors, which is a feeble justification at best), let alone that God would then mention such an event in the Quran.

As we can see, this third story is based on a kernel of truth, although it is heavily mixed with the Isrāʾīliyyāt slanders. The portion about the stillborn child is most likely true, whilst the accusations of lechery are manifest lies and also constructed on Isrāʾīliyyāt. It is a shame then that many exegetes who strongly criticise Isrāʾīliyyāt‎[24] uncritically relate them when it comes to Prophet Solomon (a) and Prophet David (a).

REVIEW OF TAFSĪR LITERATURE

In addition to the stories mentioned earlier, there are also a few other opinions mentioned by the exegetes:

  1. From Jubbāʾī, that God tested Prophet Solomon’s (a) patience when his child died upon his throne.‎[25]
  2. Prophet Solomon (a) was beset by a disease and slumped on his throne as if he was a corpse. In this meaning, anāb would mean he recovered from his illness.‎[26] This has been criticised as not fitting with the wording of the verse.‎[27]
  3. Prophet Solomon (a) was commanded by God to not marry a non-Israelite, but he did so anyway.‎[28] Related to this see 1 Kings 11:1-5, which this is apparently based on.
  4. Prophet Solomon (a) married a polytheist woman and did not manage to convince her to leave her faith, and so she worshipped idols in his house for forty days.‎[29] This is also apparently based on 1 Kings 11.

There are some other stories and more farfetched opinions also mentioned, which we have refrained from relating. Of these four opinions, the last two are clearly based on Isrāʾīliyyāt, whilst the second one does not make linguistic sense. The opinion of Jubbāʾī makes sense when combined with the understanding we mentioned in the Exposition.

INSIGHTS FROM OTHER TRADITIONS

The source of the reports and opinions mentioned by some exegetes is clearly the Old Testament:

  1. King Solomon, however, loved many foreign women besides Pharaoh’s daughter – Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians and Hittites. They were from nations about which the Lord had told the Israelites, ‘You must not intermarry with them, because they will surely turn your hearts after their gods.’ Nevertheless, Solomon held fast to them in love. He had seven hundred wives of royal birth and three hundred concubines, and his wives led him astray. As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the Lord his God, as the heart of David his father had been. He followed Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and Molek the detestable god of the Ammonites. So Solomon did evil in the eyes of the Lord; he did not follow the Lord completely, as David his father had done. On a hill east of Jerusalem, Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the detestable god of Moab, and for Molek the detestable god of the Ammonites. He did the same for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and offered sacrifices to their gods. The Lord became angry with Solomon because his heart had turned away from the Lord, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice. Although he had forbidden Solomon to follow other gods, Solomon did not keep the Lord’s command. So the Lord said to Solomon, ‘Since this is your attitude and you have not kept my covenant and my decrees, which I commanded you, I will most certainly tear the kingdom away from you and give it to one of your subordinates. Nevertheless, for the sake of David your father, I will not do it during your lifetime. I will tear it out of the hand of your son. Yet I will not tear the whole kingdom from him, but will give him one tribe for the sake of David my servant and for the sake of Jerusalem, which I have chosen.’‎[30]

Note: How the taking away of his son and the ending of the kingdom is attributed to having non-Jewish wives.

The long story of the jinn mentioned earlier is clearly based on the Talmud:

  1. Ashmedai said to him: Take the chain engraved with God’s name off me and give me your ring with God’s name engraved on it, and I will show you my strength. Solomon took the chain off him and he gave him his ring. Ashmedai swallowed the ring and grew until he placed one wing in the heaven and one wing on the earth. He threw Solomon a distance of four hundred parasangs. With regard to that moment Solomon said: ‘What profit is there for a person through all of his toil under the sun?’ (Ecclesiastes 1:3). With Solomon deposed from the throne, Ashmedai took his place. The sages said to Benayahu: Does the king require you to be with him? Benayahu said to them: No. They sent to the queens and asked: Does the king come to be with you? The queens sent a response to them: Yes, he comes. They sent a request to the queens: Check his feet to see if they are human feet. The queens sent a response to the sages: He always comes in socks [bemokei], and it is not possible to see his feet. The queens continued discussing the king’s behavior: And he demands of them, i.e., the queens, to engage in sexual inter-course when they are menstruating. And he also demands that Bathsheba his mother engage in sexual intercourse with him. Once the Sanhedrin heard this they understood that this was an imposter and not actually Solomon. They brought Solomon, gave him a ring and the chain on which the name of God was carved. When Solomon entered, Ashmedai saw him and fled.‎[31] 
[1] Tibyan, 8/561.
[2] Nemuneh, 19/280.
[3] Mizan, 17/204.
[4] Raghib, p. 827.
[5] See Deuteronomy 7:1-4; Joshua 23:12; Judges 3:5-7; Ezra 9:12-14.
[6] These marriages being for the sake of political alliances is actually supported by the Biblical narrative. See 1 Kings 3:1; 1 Kings 14:21, 31; 1 Kings 11:1.
[7] See Matthew Thiessen, Contesting Conversion: Genealogy, Circumcision and Identity in Ancient Judaism and Christianity (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2011), p. 11. It has been argued that Jewishness was seen to be genealogical in nature, and that Yahweh was seen as an ethnic God. Although this has been contested by some, it remains a fact that the early books of the Bible make no mention of conversion.
[8] Ibn Abi al-Hadid, 3/275. See the commentary on that verse for more.
[9] Qummi, 2/236-237.
[10] Tabari, 23/100-102; Tibyan, 8/562; Tabrisi, 8/741; Thalabi, 8/204-205; Zamakhshari, 4/94; Qurtubi, 15/199-201; Suyuti, 5/310-313; Alusi, 12/190-191.
[11] See Gittin 68a, 68b. Some exegetes also mention the story of how the jinn was captured, which is also taken from Gittin 68a.
[12] He is generally considered a great source of Isrāʾīliyyāt narrations. Alusi, 12/191, says the story originates with Kaʿb al-Aḥbār.
[13] Thalabi, 8/201-204. See also Razi, 26/392-393, who points out that if the woman committed idolatry without Prophet Solomon’s (a) knowledge then it would not have been his fault. If she did so with his knowledge and permission then that would have been manifest disbelief on his part.
[14] Tibyan, 8/562. See also Razi, 26/393; Nemuneh, 19/281-282; Alusi, 12/191.
[15] Zamakhshari, 4/94.
[16] Razi, 26/393.
[17] Tibyan, 8/563; Tabrisi, 8/741-742; Thalabi, 8/206; Zamakhshari, 4/93; Razi, 26/394. Qummi, 2/235-236, relates a longer and more fantastic version in which the angel of death used to visit Prophet Solomon (a) and one day looked at his son in a way that scared Prophet Solomon (a), so he asked the jinns to hide his son, so they hid him in the clouds.
[18] In some reports it is seventy.
[19] Tibyan, 8/562; Tabrisi, 8/741; Ahmad, 2/506; Nasai.K, 5/328, 6/385; Zamakhshari, 4/93; Tantawi, 12/161-2. This interpretation is surprisingly adopted by Nemuneh, 19/280-281, although it does not mention the number of wives, speaking only of many.
[20] Even though the hadith is ostensibly attributed to the Prophet through Abū Hurayrah, the reality is that the latter was wont to transmit many Isrāʾīliyyāt from Kaʿb al-Aḥbār and attribute them to the Prophet. As Ibn Kathīr writes regarding the relationship between the two men who ‘were companions and sat down to narrate from each other, this one would narrate from his books, and this one would narrate from the Prophet (s) what confirmed the other’ (Ibn Kathīr, al-Bidāyah wa al-Nihāyah, 1/18).
[21] Tibyan, 8/562; Tabrisi, 8/741.
[22] Tabrisi, 8/741.
[23] Tibyan, 8/562.
[24] See for example Qurtubi, 15/210-211.
[25] Tibyan, 8/563; Tabrisi 8/742.
[26] Tibyan, 8/563; Tabrisi 8/742; Razi, 26/394; Muhit, 9/156.
[27] Mizan, 17/204; Nemuneh, 19/281; Furqan, 25/248. As the verse should read alqaynāhu instead of alqaynā in order for this to make sense.
[28] Tabrisi, 8/743; Thalabi, 8/206.
[29] Tabrisi, 8/743; Thalabi, 8/206; Razi, 26/393.
[30] 1 Kings 11:1-3.
[31] Gittin 68b.