He, whose magnificence be exhalted, has said: ‘We also tried Sulimân, and placed on his throne a [counterfeit] body.’* Concerning the trial of Sulimân, and the ‘body thrown on the chair,’ there are various opinions, and the musk-dropping reed will narrate some of them worth recording, as follows: Some say that the ‘body thrown’ refers to his son’s body, on account of whom Sulimân fell into the trial; as Abu Harira relates that Sulimân had three hundred wives and seven hundred concubines, and had said: ‘It is my intention to have connection with all of them, so that each may bear me a son, to fight in religious wars for the cause of Allah.’ He, however, had not added to this declaration the words ‘if it pleaseth Allah,’ and, therefore, after he had intercourse with them, none of them became pregnant except one. When the confinement of this lady took place, she gave birth to a child who had only one eye, one ear, one hand, and one foot. The prophet—u. w. b., etc.—has said: ‘[I swear] By Him in whose hands the soul of Muhammad is, that if he [i.e., Sulimân] had praised [God], he would have obtained what he coveted [namely], champions to fight in religious wars for the cause of Allah.’ When Sulimân beheld what had taken place, he became melancholy, and was overwhelmed with grief. It is said that one day when his lordship was sitting with Asaf, the mother, and the infant, he uttered lamentations; but Asaf said: ‘Every one of us must reveal that which is in his mind, and of which no one is aware except He who knows the future. We must pray for the cure of this infant; perhaps the inscrutable Omnipotent One will grant our request.’ All approved of this suggestion; whereon Sulimân said: ‘O God, Thou knowest that despite of all my power and magnificence, if a man comes to me with an apple as a present, and another with empty hands, I shall be more pleased with the former than with the latter individual.’ Then he turned his face to the Qiblah of prayers, and continued: ‘My God, if Thou knowest that these words of mine are true, do not withhold the cure from this infant!’ After he had terminated his devotions, the Lord and Granter of benefits presented the child with the other eye and ear. Then Asaf said: ‘O Lord, Thou knowest how often I have besought Sulimân to relieve me of the office of being his prime-minister, and that in this request my heart agreed not with my tongue. If I have spoken the truth, deprive not this child of a glance of Thy mercy. After Asaf had uttered these words, the Almighty bestowed the other hand upon the child. Then the mother of the infant prayed, saying: ‘O Lord, Thou knowest that although Sulimân, with all his pomp and grandeur, is my spouse, I, nevertheless, wished any man whom I beheld to have become my husband. If I am veracious in this confession, bestow health upon my son.’ Then Allah—w. n. b. e. —granted the child the other foot, and made his supports correct. After the boy had thus obtained the perfection of all his limbs, Sulimân loved him greatly, and his penetrating mind was engaged in trying to discover an affable and kind man to whom he might entrust this fruit of the garden of paradise. It is related in some traditions that the genii came to Sulimân and requested him to surrender the boy to them that they might take care of him; whereon his lordship granted their request, and entrusted him with the apple of his eye. This proceeding, however, was not approved of at the palace of Unity, wherefore the angel of death was ordered to snatch away the soul of that first-fruit, and to throw his body on the chair of Sulimân. Hence the words of the Most High, ‘And placed on the throne a [counterfeit] body,’* which was the body of the dead son.
It is said that after the death of his son Sulimân deplored his loss. On that occasion, the Absolute Sovereign despatched two angels to him in human shape, one of whom accused the other as follows: ‘I have sown something on the road, and when the harvest had become green and flourishing, this individual passed, and by sheer violence destroyed my crop.’ Sulimân asked the accused: ‘Why hast thou done this?’ He replied: ‘O prophet of Allah, I was one day walking, when I suddenly arrived at a field near the road, and though I looked to the left and the right, I could find no passage by which to cross it, therefore I necessarily stepped into the field and went through it.’ Sulimân now turned to the complainant, and said: ‘Thou oughtest not to have sown the seed on the way where the people pass, to avoid the harvest being spoiled.’ The man retorted: ‘This world is the road to death; neither oughtest thou to have sown thy child on the road, then thou wouldst have avoided this sorrow and grief.’ Sulimân perceived the truth of his words, arose from the assembly of lamentation, and blotted out of his mind the melancholy and grief for the loss of his son.
There is a tradition of Wuhub Bin Muniah—u. w. b., etc. —that by the ‘trial’ of Sulimân his kingdom is meant which he lost, and that the ‘body’ means a demon, who was by divine predestination allowed to sit forty days on the throne of his lordship the prophet, which event took place in the following manner: Sulimân—u. w. b., etc.— had heard that in a certain island there was an idolatrous king, Sidûn by name, and being accustomed to spend the whole of his previous time in combating the enemies of the religion, he commanded the wind to take up his carpet and to transport it to the said isle, the king whereof he soon killed, and made a prisoner of his daughter, who was distinguished by elegance and beauty. Love for this princess was soon kindled in the heart of Sulimân. Satan, however, considered this to be a good opportunity for bringing a great trial upon the world by his machinations. He therefore assumed the shape of one of the nurses of the princess, made his appearance at the gate of the castle, and asked for admission. The fairy-like damsel obtained the permission of Sulimân, and allowed Satan, disguised as a nurse, to enter, whereon he immediately began to deplore the fall of her father’s kingdom, and said to her: ‘How canst thou live in peace and friendship with Sulimân, who has killed thy father, made thee a prisoner, and has turned the realm upside down?’ The princess then began to weep, and Satan asked how she spent her time after having been separated from her father? She replied:
| Distich: | ‘My days pass in grief, and nights in burning pain; Far from thee I am leading a sad life.’ |
Eblis said: ‘There is a remedy for this! When Sulimân visits thee, thou must not cease to weep and to speak. If he asks thee for the cause of thy crying, tell him how anxious thou art to behold thy father. Request him to order the demons to construct a figure of stone to represent thy father, by looking at which in the morning and evening thy sorrowful mind might be comforted.’ The unsuspecting daughter acted according to the instigation of Satan, and Sulimân commanded some demons to make a statue resembling her father. They obeyed, and delivered the figure to the princess, who had followed idolatry before she associated with Sulimân; and she considered this statue to be a great blessing, and began to worship it like an idol in the company of her maid-servants. Sulimân knew nothing of this till after the expiration of forty days, when the rumour spread among the people that the princess was worshipping an idol; some veracious informers accordingly reported the case to Asaf, and felt greatly distressed. The prime-minister replied: ‘Be at ease, for I shall bring this event to the notice of Sulimân in a proper manner.’ He thereon immediately waited on Sulimân, saying: ‘O prophet of Allah, the weakness of old age has overtaken me, and before the expiration of the time of my life, I desire in a select assembly to explain the virtues and illustrious acts of the prophets, for the purpose of augmenting the religious sentiments of the people.’ In consequence of this request of Asaf, Sulimân immediately ordered the various tribes of genii and men to make their appearance; who, having presented themselves, Asaf narrated in an eloquent manner the correct history of the virtues and noble acts of every prophet of past times. When the turn came to speak about Sulimân, Asaf limited his remarks to the acts which he had performed in his youth, and before the decease of his father. Sulimân was highly displeased and chagrined by this brevity, and when the people had dispersed he asked Asaf: ‘What was thy reason for restricting the narrative of my deeds to past times, and not mentioning any of them vouchsafed to me by Allah—w. n. b. e.—after the time of my father?’ Asaf replied: ‘I cannot laud or praise a man in whose house idolatry is practised since forty days!’ Sulimân queried: ‘In my house?’ Asaf replied affirmatively, and narrated what was taking place. Sulimân then uttered the words: ‘We belong to Allah and unto Him we shall return.’* He then left the assembly, went to his domicile, broke the idol, and punished the daughter of Sidûn. After that he dressed himself in clean clothes, woven by the hands of virgins, ordered ashes to be strewed in his private apartment, in which he sat down, engaged in lamentations and craved pardon. When night set in he issued from his oratory, and entrusted, according to his usual custom, his signet-ring to a girl of the harem, whose name was Jarâda, but whilst he was going to answer a call of nature an E’frit [demon], Sakhar by name, assumed the form of Sulimân, appeared to Jarâda, took the ring from her, and placing it on his own finger, took his seat on the throne of Sulimân, whereon genii and men girded their loins in obedience to him. When Sulimân returned, he asked Jarâda for the ring, but she replied that she had given it to its owner, asked him who he was, and told him that she knew him not. Jarâda had not recognised Sulimân because his countenance was somewhat changed. Whilst he was expostulating with her about the ring, he threw a glance at his throne, and perceived an individual sitting thereon. Then he became convinced that on account of those shameless persons, who had in his house attempted to adore another god besides the Creator, the Absolute Sovereign had wrested the reins of dominion from the grasp of his power. Therefore he no longer asked for the ring, but went away.
It is related that when Sulimân lost his kingdom, he used to wander about as a mendicant. When people asked who he was, he replied: ‘I am Sulimân!’ The people accused him of folly, threw dust at his blessed head and face, and said: ‘Thou madman art Sulimân? Behold him sitting on his throne in pomp and glory!’ It is the opinion of some that the individual who assumed the form of Sulimân was a demon.
Hasan Bosri states that his lordship the prophet [Solomon] arrived one day hungry at the house of an Esrâilite, the ring of the door whereof he shook, and a woman, stepping out, queried: ‘What is thy business?’ Sulimân replied: ‘I desire to be hospitably entertained by thee one hour.’ The female said: ‘Thou art a stranger, and my husband is absent. Go into the garden adjoining our house; there thou wilt find water and fruits also. Tarry awhile there till my husband arrives, who will fulfil the duties of hospitality towards thee.’ Sulimân then entered the garden, drank a little water, ate some fruit, and fell asleep. On that occasion a black serpent passed near him, and, recognising the Lord Sulimân by a Divine revelation, it took a fragrant sprig from the garden into his mouth, and began to drive away the flies from his blessed face. Just then the owner of the garden arrived, whose wife informed him of the advent of a guest. Accordingly he went into the garden, where he saw that happiness is in sleep, and that a snake was attending upon Sulimân. Being amazed at the spectacle, he called his wife and showed it to her. When he approached Sulimân, the reptile withdrew to a corner. He awakened the prophet, accosted him with civility, and said: ‘We have become aware of thy high station, and how precious thou art in the sight of Allah the magnificent and glorious! Consider this place as thy own. I have a handsome daughter, and wish to give her in marriage to thee. Grant this request, and live in comfort in the house of thy servant.’ Sulimân was pleased with this proposal, married the girl, and remained three days and nights in the house. On the fourth day Sulimân informed the people of the house that he could not bear the trouble of supporting him to devolve upon them. He then departed from the house, proceeded to the seashore, and dwelt with fishermen until the time of his deliverance from misery and affliction arrived, which took place in the following manner: When the genius Sakhar had taken possession of the throne of Sulimân, he mixed with mankind only reluctantly, and spent most of his time in the society of his own species. During those forty days he issued orders contrary to wisdom and to religion, so that the people were displeased with his illegal acts, and complained to Asaf, who informed them that he suspected this individual not to be Sulimân, but another person. For the purpose of instituting closer inquiries, Asaf paid visits to the spouses and concubines of his lordship the refuge of prophecy, and asked about him, but received the answer that Sulimân had not come among them for some time. Asaf then said to the people: ‘This malefactor is not Sulimân, but a demon who has taken his place.’ Whilst Sakhar enjoyed the supreme power, he composed writings on magic and sorcery, sealed them with the ring of Sulimân, and concealed them under his throne. After the demise of his lordship the prophet, the Satans took possession of those superstitious compositions, attributed them to him, and thus they obtained currency with the human race. The words of the Most High are: ‘They followed [the device] which the devils devised against the kingdom of Sulimân; and Sulimân was not an unbeliever, but the devils believed not; they taught men sorcery.’* When the people and the grandees of the children of Esrâil were disputing about Sakhar, they began, for the purpose of deciding that important matter, to read the Mosaic Law in his presence. That flagitious individual was, however, unable to listen to it, disappeared from the throne, and cast the ring of Sulimân into the sea. A fish swallowed the ring by the command of God, and was afterwards caught in the net of a fisherman whose assistant Sulimân was. The fisherman gave the fish to Sulimân as payment for his wages, and in the evening when he went home Sulimân handed the fish to his wife to roast it. When the woman had slit open the abdomen of the fish, she caught sight of the ring, the brilliancy whereof illuminated the whole house. Sulimân then put the ring on his finger, and at that very moment the various tribes of men, genii, beasts, and birds assembled near the palace of the refuge of dominion, and although such a [miraculous] ring had fallen into the possession of the demon, he had not been able to enjoy it or to take advantage of it:
Distich: If there be not the finger of Sulimân,
What property does the signet-ring impart?
It is related after Ebn A’bbâs, that when Sulimân took his position on the throne of magnificence, he ordered the demons to produce Sakhar, and to bring him to his presence. They obeyed, whereon he fettered and shackled the demon with his adherents and cast them all into the sea. The most magnificent of speakers has said: ‘And others [we delivered to him] bound in chains.’* And the prophet [Muhammad]—u. w. b., etc.—has said: ‘In the last times Satans will come forth, whom Sulimân, the son of Dâud— u. w. b., etc.—has cast into the sea. They will associate with you, and [attempt to] teach you the decrees of your religion, but receive them not from them.’
It will not be hidden to the minds of discerning readers that, although the narrative of the trial of Sulimân has been protracted to this length, many words have remained unsaid and many pearls unstrung with reference to this subject:
Distich: I made many words, but untold remains
The story of the enticing, and the enticed lover.
It is related in several histories that the building of the Holy House, the invitation issued by Sulimân to all creatures, and the consumption of all the eatables by the sea-monster, narrated above in these pages, took place after the second instalment of Sulimân on the throne; but Allah knows best the true state of the case.