Surah Sad ayat 34 Tafsir Quran 38:34

﴿وَلَقَدْ فَتَنَّا سُلَيْمَانَ وَأَلْقَيْنَا عَلَىٰ كُرْسِيِّهِ جَسَدًا ثُمَّ أَنَابَ﴾
[ ص: 34]

38:34 And We certainly tried Solomon and placed on his throne a body; then he returned.

And We certainly tried Solomon We tested him by wresting his kingdom from him because he had married a woman solely out of his desire for her. She used to worship idols in his own home without his knowledge. Now control of his kingdom lay in his ring. On one occasion needing to withdraw to relieve himself he took it off and left it with this woman of his whose name was al-Amīna as was his custom; but a jinn disguised in the form of Solomon came to her and seized it from her. And We cast upon his throne a lifeless body which was that very jinn and he was the one known as Sakhr — or it was some other jinn; he sat upon Solomon’s throne and so as was the case with Solomon the birds and other creatures devoted themselves to him in service. When Solomon came out of his palace having seen him the jinn upon his throne he said to the people ‘I am Solomon not him!’ But they did not recognise him. Then he repented — Solomon returned to his kingdom many days later after he had managed to acquire the ring. He wore it and sat upon his throne again.

We decided to try Sulayman like We tried the other Messengers and test his true inclination worldly and spiritually, We seated a phantom on his throne. No sooner did it come to his mind that he was tried than he in lowliest plight repentant stood

How Allah tested Sulayman then made Things easy for Him Allah says, وَلَقَدْ فَتَنَّا سُلَيْمَـنَ ( And indeed, We tried Sulayman ) meaning, `We tested him.' وَأَلْقَيْنَا عَلَى كُرْسِيِّهِ جَسَداً ( and We placed on his throne Jasad (a body )). ثُمَّ أَنَابَ ( and he returned. ) means, after this test, he turned back to Him and asked for forgiveness and to be given a kingdom such as shall not belong to any other after him. قَالَ رَبِّ اغْفِرْ لِى وَهَبْ لِى مُلْكاً لاَّ يَنبَغِى لاًّحَدٍ مِّن بَعْدِى إِنَّكَ أَنتَ الْوَهَّابُ ( He said: "My Lord! Forgive me, and bestow upon me a kingdom such as shall not belong to any other after me.
Verily, You are the Bestower." ) Some of them said, "No one after me will have the right to ask Allah for such a kingdom." This is the apparent meaning from the context of the Ayah, and several Hadiths with a similar meaning have been narrated from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
In his Tafsir of this Ayah, Al-Bukhari recorded that Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, said that the Prophet said: «إِنَّ عِفْرِيتًا مِنَ الْجِنِّ تَفَلَّتَ عَلَيَّ الْبَارِحَةَ أَوْ كَلِمَةً نَحْوَهَا لِيَقْطَعَ عَلَيَّ الصَّلَاةَ فَأَمْكَنَنِي اللهُ تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى مِنْهُ، وَأَرَدْتُ أَنْ أَرْبِطَهُ إِلَى سَارِيَةٍ مِنَ سَوَارِي الْمَسْجِدِ حَتْى تُصْبِحُوا،وَتَنْظُرُوا إِلَيْهِ كُلُّكُمْ، فَذَكَرْتُ قَوْلَ أَخِي سُلَيْمَانَ عَلَيْهِ الصَّلَاةُ وَالسَّلَامُ: رَبِّ اغْفِرْ لِى وَهَبْ لِى مُلْكاً لاَّ يَنبَغِى لاًّحَدٍ مِّن بَعْدِى» ( An `Ifrit from among the Jinn came and bothered me last night- or he said something similar -Trying to stop me from praying.
Allah enabled me to overpower him, and I wanted to tie him to one of the pillars in the Masjid so that you could see him this morning.
Then I remembered what my brother Sulayman said, (My Lord! Forgive me and bestow upon me a kingdom such as shall not belong to any other after me )) Rawh said, "so he let him go, humiliated." ) This was also recorded by Muslim and An-Nasa'i.
In his Sahih, Muslim recorded that Abu Ad-Darda', may Allah be pleased with him, said, "The Messenger of Allah ﷺ stood up to pray and we heard him say, r
«أَعُوذُ بِاللهِ مِنْك»
( I seek refuge with Allah from you. ) Then he said,
«أَلْعَنُكَ بِلَعْنَةِ الله»
( I curse you with the curse of Allah. ) three times, and he stretched out his hand as if he was reaching out to take something.
When he finished his prayer, we said, `O Messenger of Allah, we heard you say something in your prayer which we have never heard you say before, and we saw you stretching out your hand.' He said:
«إِنَّ عَدُوَّ اللهِ إِبْلِيسَ جَاءَ بِشِهَابٍ مِنْ نَارٍ لِيَجْعَلَهُ فِي وَجْهِي فَقُلْتُ: أَعُوذُ بِاللهِ مِنْكَ، ثَلَاثَ مَرَّاتٍ، ثُمَّ قُلْتُ: أَلْعَنُكَ بِلَعْنَةِ اللهِ التَّامَّةِ، فَلَمْ يَتَأَخَّرْ، ثَلَاثَ مَرَّاتٍ ثُمَّ أَرَدْتُ أَنْ آخُذَهُ،وَاللهِ لَوْلَا دَعْوَةُ أَخِينَا سُلَيْمَانَ لَأَصْبَحَ مُوثَقًا، يَلْعَبُ بِهِ صِبْيَانُ أَهْلِ الْمَدِينَة»
( The enemy of Allah Iblis came with a flame of fire to throw in my face, so I said, "I seek refuge with Allah from you" three times, then I said, "I curse you with the complete curse of Allah," but he did not back off.
I said it three times.
Then I wanted to seize him.
By Allah, if it were not for the words of our brother Sulayman, he would have been chained up and he would have become a plaything for the children of the people of Al-Madinah. )" Allah says: فَسَخَّرْنَا لَهُ الرِّيحَ تَجْرِى بِأَمْرِهِ رُخَآءً حَيْثُ أَصَابَ ( So, We subjected to him the wind; it blew gently by his order wherever he willed. ) Al-Hasan Al-Basri, may Allah have mercy on him, said, "When Sulayman, peace be upon him, slaughtered the horses out of anger for the sake of Allah, Allah compensated him with something better and swifter, the wind whose morning was a month's ( journey ), and its afternoon was a month's ( journey )." حَيْثُ أَصَابَ ( wherever he willed. ) means, wherever in the world he wanted. وَالشَّيَـطِينَ كُلَّ بَنَّآءٍ وَغَوَّاصٍ ( And also the Shayatin, from every kind of builder and diver, ) means, among them were some whom he used to build high rooms, images, basins as large as reservoirs, and cauldrons fixed ( in their places ), and other difficult tasks which humans were unable to do.
And there was another group, who dived into the sea recovering pearls, jewels and other precious things which cannot be found anywhere else. وَآخَرِينَ مُقَرَّنِينَ فِي الْأَصْفَادِ ( And also others bound in fetters. ) means, tied up in chains.
These were the ones who had rebelled and refused to work, or else their work was bad and they were wrongdoers. هَـذَا عَطَآؤُنَا فَامْنُنْ أَوْ أَمْسِكْ بِغَيْرِ حِسَابٍ ( Allah said to Sulayman: "This is Our Gift, so spend you or withhold, no account will be asked of you." ) means, `this that We have given to you of kingship and perfect power, as you asked for, you may give to whomsoever you wish and deny to whomsoever you wish, and you will not be brought to account.
Whatever you do is permissible for you, so however you judge, it will be right.' It was reported in the Two Sahihs that when the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was given the choice between being a servant and a Messenger -- who does what he is commanded to do and distributes things among the people as Allah commands him to do -- or being a Prophet and a king, who can give to whomever he wishes and withhold from whomever he wishes without being held accountable for anything, he chose the former.
He consulted with Jibril, peace be upon him, who said, "Be humble." So he chose the former because it has a greater value before Allah and brings a higher status in the Hereafter, even though the second option, prophethood combined with kingship, is also a great thing both in this world and in the Hereafter, when Allah tells us what He gave to Sulayman, peace be upon him, in this world, He tells us that he will have a great share with Allah on the Day of Resurrection.
He says: وَإِنَّ لَهُ عِندَنَا لَزُلْفَى وَحُسْنَ مَـَابٍ ( And verily, for him is a near access to Us, and a good (final ) return.) meaning, in this world and the Hereafter.

How Allah tested Sulayman then made Things easy for Him Allah says, وَلَقَدْ فَتَنَّا سُلَيْمَـنَ ( And indeed, We tried Sulayman ) meaning, `We tested him.' وَأَلْقَيْنَا عَلَى كُرْسِيِّهِ جَسَداً ( and We placed on his throne Jasad (a body )). ثُمَّ أَنَابَ ( and he returned. ) means, after this test, he turned back to Him and asked for forgiveness and to be given a kingdom such as shall not belong to any other after him. قَالَ رَبِّ اغْفِرْ لِى وَهَبْ لِى مُلْكاً لاَّ يَنبَغِى لاًّحَدٍ مِّن بَعْدِى إِنَّكَ أَنتَ الْوَهَّابُ ( He said: "My Lord! Forgive me, and bestow upon me a kingdom such as shall not belong to any other after me.
Verily, You are the Bestower." ) Some of them said, "No one after me will have the right to ask Allah for such a kingdom." This is the apparent meaning from the context of the Ayah, and several Hadiths with a similar meaning have been narrated from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
In his Tafsir of this Ayah, Al-Bukhari recorded that Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, said that the Prophet said: «إِنَّ عِفْرِيتًا مِنَ الْجِنِّ تَفَلَّتَ عَلَيَّ الْبَارِحَةَ أَوْ كَلِمَةً نَحْوَهَا لِيَقْطَعَ عَلَيَّ الصَّلَاةَ فَأَمْكَنَنِي اللهُ تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى مِنْهُ، وَأَرَدْتُ أَنْ أَرْبِطَهُ إِلَى سَارِيَةٍ مِنَ سَوَارِي الْمَسْجِدِ حَتْى تُصْبِحُوا،وَتَنْظُرُوا إِلَيْهِ كُلُّكُمْ، فَذَكَرْتُ قَوْلَ أَخِي سُلَيْمَانَ عَلَيْهِ الصَّلَاةُ وَالسَّلَامُ: رَبِّ اغْفِرْ لِى وَهَبْ لِى مُلْكاً لاَّ يَنبَغِى لاًّحَدٍ مِّن بَعْدِى» ( An `Ifrit from among the Jinn came and bothered me last night- or he said something similar -Trying to stop me from praying.
Allah enabled me to overpower him, and I wanted to tie him to one of the pillars in the Masjid so that you could see him this morning.
Then I remembered what my brother Sulayman said, (My Lord! Forgive me and bestow upon me a kingdom such as shall not belong to any other after me )) Rawh said, "so he let him go, humiliated." ) This was also recorded by Muslim and An-Nasa'i.
In his Sahih, Muslim recorded that Abu Ad-Darda', may Allah be pleased with him, said, "The Messenger of Allah ﷺ stood up to pray and we heard him say, r «أَعُوذُ بِاللهِ مِنْك» ( I seek refuge with Allah from you. ) Then he said, «أَلْعَنُكَ بِلَعْنَةِ الله» ( I curse you with the curse of Allah. ) three times, and he stretched out his hand as if he was reaching out to take something.
When he finished his prayer, we said, `O Messenger of Allah, we heard you say something in your prayer which we have never heard you say before, and we saw you stretching out your hand.' He said: «إِنَّ عَدُوَّ اللهِ إِبْلِيسَ جَاءَ بِشِهَابٍ مِنْ نَارٍ لِيَجْعَلَهُ فِي وَجْهِي فَقُلْتُ: أَعُوذُ بِاللهِ مِنْكَ، ثَلَاثَ مَرَّاتٍ، ثُمَّ قُلْتُ: أَلْعَنُكَ بِلَعْنَةِ اللهِ التَّامَّةِ، فَلَمْ يَتَأَخَّرْ، ثَلَاثَ مَرَّاتٍ ثُمَّ أَرَدْتُ أَنْ آخُذَهُ،وَاللهِ لَوْلَا دَعْوَةُ أَخِينَا سُلَيْمَانَ لَأَصْبَحَ مُوثَقًا، يَلْعَبُ بِهِ صِبْيَانُ أَهْلِ الْمَدِينَة» ( The enemy of Allah Iblis came with a flame of fire to throw in my face, so I said, "I seek refuge with Allah from you" three times, then I said, "I curse you with the complete curse of Allah," but he did not back off.
I said it three times.
Then I wanted to seize him.
By Allah, if it were not for the words of our brother Sulayman, he would have been chained up and he would have become a plaything for the children of the people of Al-Madinah. )" Allah says: فَسَخَّرْنَا لَهُ الرِّيحَ تَجْرِى بِأَمْرِهِ رُخَآءً حَيْثُ أَصَابَ ( So, We subjected to him the wind; it blew gently by his order wherever he willed. ) Al-Hasan Al-Basri, may Allah have mercy on him, said, "When Sulayman, peace be upon him, slaughtered the horses out of anger for the sake of Allah, Allah compensated him with something better and swifter, the wind whose morning was a month's ( journey ), and its afternoon was a month's ( journey )." حَيْثُ أَصَابَ ( wherever he willed. ) means, wherever in the world he wanted. وَالشَّيَـطِينَ كُلَّ بَنَّآءٍ وَغَوَّاصٍ ( And also the Shayatin, from every kind of builder and diver, ) means, among them were some whom he used to build high rooms, images, basins as large as reservoirs, and cauldrons fixed ( in their places ), and other difficult tasks which humans were unable to do.
And there was another group, who dived into the sea recovering pearls, jewels and other precious things which cannot be found anywhere else. وَآخَرِينَ مُقَرَّنِينَ فِي الْأَصْفَادِ ( And also others bound in fetters. ) means, tied up in chains.
These were the ones who had rebelled and refused to work, or else their work was bad and they were wrongdoers. هَـذَا عَطَآؤُنَا فَامْنُنْ أَوْ أَمْسِكْ بِغَيْرِ حِسَابٍ ( Allah said to Sulayman: "This is Our Gift, so spend you or withhold, no account will be asked of you." ) means, `this that We have given to you of kingship and perfect power, as you asked for, you may give to whomsoever you wish and deny to whomsoever you wish, and you will not be brought to account.
Whatever you do is permissible for you, so however you judge, it will be right.' It was reported in the Two Sahihs that when the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was given the choice between being a servant and a Messenger -- who does what he is commanded to do and distributes things among the people as Allah commands him to do -- or being a Prophet and a king, who can give to whomever he wishes and withhold from whomever he wishes without being held accountable for anything, he chose the former.
He consulted with Jibril, peace be upon him, who said, "Be humble." So he chose the former because it has a greater value before Allah and brings a higher status in the Hereafter, even though the second option, prophethood combined with kingship, is also a great thing both in this world and in the Hereafter, when Allah tells us what He gave to Sulayman, peace be upon him, in this world, He tells us that he will have a great share with Allah on the Day of Resurrection.
He says: وَإِنَّ لَهُ عِندَنَا لَزُلْفَى وَحُسْنَ مَـَابٍ ( And verily, for him is a near access to Us, and a good (final ) return.) meaning, in this world and the Hereafter.

( And verily We tried Solomon ) by the loss of his kingdom for 40 days, the number of days in which the idols were worshipped in his house, ( and set upon his throne a (mere ) body) a devil. ( Then did he repent ) then did he return to his kingdom and to the obedience of his Lord and repented from his sin.

And, indeed We did try Sulaiman (Solomon) and We placed on his throne Jasadan (a devil, so he lost his kingdom for a while) but he did return (to his throne and kingdom by the Grace of Allah and he did return) to Allah with obedience and in repentance.

Page 455 English transliteration