Sulaiman (Solomon)

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Who is Sulaiman (Solomon)?

Sulaiman, peace be upon him, known in English as Solomon, was the son of the prophet Dawud and inherited both his father's prophethood and his throne, becoming a ruler of extraordinary scope in Islamic tradition. Allah granted Sulaiman a kingdom "such as will not belong to anyone after him," a dominion that included command over the wind, which carried him swiftly across vast distances, and authority over jinn, who built structures, dove for treasures, and performed labor at his command.

Among Sulaiman's most celebrated gifts was his ability to understand the speech of animals and birds. The Qur'an recounts a memorable moment when, marching with his army, Sulaiman overheard an ant instructing its colony to retreat into their dwellings to avoid being crushed unknowingly underfoot. Rather than dismissing this, Sulaiman smiled with delight, recognizing the moment as a divine gift, and immediately turned to Allah in gratitude — a scene that captures both his humility and his wonder at Allah's creation, however small.

Sulaiman's story also features the remarkable episode of the hoopoe bird, which returned from a journey with news of a magnificent kingdom ruled by a queen — Bilqis, the Queen of Sheba — whose people worshipped the sun instead of Allah. Sulaiman sent her a letter inviting her to submit to Allah, and after an exchange marked by wisdom and diplomacy, including a jinn transporting her throne to Sulaiman's court in an instant, Bilqis recognized the truth of his message, famously declaring her submission "with Sulaiman, to Allah, Lord of the worlds."

Even in death, Sulaiman's story carries a striking lesson. According to Islamic tradition, when his time came, he died standing, leaning upon his staff, and the jinn continued their labor for a long period believing him still alive and watching over them, unaware that a termite had slowly been eating through his staff until his body finally collapsed, revealing his death and freeing the jinn from an illusion of ongoing supervision. This episode is often cited as a lesson that even unseen creatures like jinn do not possess true knowledge of the unseen (ghayb), which belongs to Allah alone.

As one of the most powerful kings in sacred history, Sulaiman's story teaches that immense worldly power, when paired with prophethood, is meant to be wielded with humility, gratitude, and justice rather than arrogance. His account, echoing the biblical King Solomon renowned for wisdom, is another figure of shared reverence across the Abrahamic traditions, admired in Islam specifically for combining supernatural dominion with unwavering devotion to Allah.

Key Moments in Sulaiman's Story

• Command of the wind and jinn: Allah subjected the wind and jinn to Sulaiman's command, granting him an unmatched kingdom.
• The ant's warning: Sulaiman understood an ant's warning to its colony and smiled in gratitude to Allah for the gift.
• The Queen of Sheba: Sulaiman invited Bilqis, Queen of Sheba, to worship Allah, and she recognized the truth and submitted.
• Death leaning on his staff: Sulaiman died standing, and the jinn only realized it once a termite had eaten through his staff.

References in Qur'an & Hadith

"So We subjected to him the wind blowing by his command, gently, wherever he directed... and of the devils [jinn] some who dived for him and did other work besides that." — Surah Sad 38:36-37

"Until, when they came upon the valley of the ants, an ant said, 'O ants, enter your dwellings that you not be crushed by Sulaiman and his soldiers while they perceive not.'" — Surah An-Naml 27:18

"She said, 'My Lord, indeed I have wronged myself, and I submit with Sulaiman to Allah, Lord of the worlds.'" — Surah An-Naml 27:44