The story of Sulayman (alayhi salaam)

Sulayman (as) was born and raised in Jerusalem, Palestine. He was the son of Prophet Dawud (as) and, just like his father, Sulayman (as) was greatly loved by Allah.

Allah gifted Sulayman (as) with miracles that no other Prophet had: Sulayman (as) could understand and communicate with all kinds of animals, and he could command the wind. The jinn are unseen beings created by Allah, and Sulayman (as) was given the power to command them too.

One time, Sulayman (as) was marching through a valley with his magnificent army of Jinn, men and birds. The army came to a valley which happened to be the home of ants. Seeing this great army, one ant said to the others,

"Hide in your homes, before Sulayman (as) and his army crush you under their feet!”

Sulayman (as) understood what the ant had said. He smiled to himself and thanked Allah for all the special gifts he had been given.

Sulayman (as) achieved amazing feats during his lifetime. The Quran tells many stories of Sulayman (as) and his amazing achievements. We can read about the story of Hud-hud, and Sulayman (as)’s wondrous throne.

One of most beloved things to Sulayman (as) was Masjid al-Aqsa.

Sulayman and Masjid al-Aqsa

Masjid Al-Aqsa was first built by Adam (as). After hundreds of years it was rebuilt by Prophet Ibrahim (as). After many generations, it again fell to ruins. When Prophet Dawud (as) became King of Jerusalem, he began to rebuild the Masjid, but died before it was completed.

Sulayman (as) and his army of helpers continued Dawud (as)’s work and finished rebuilding the blessed Masjid.

Whilst he was rebuilding Masjid al-Aqsa, Sulayman (as) made a special du'a to Allah and asked for three things:

First, he asked to be wise, so that whatever decision he made between people who were arguing, Allah would be pleased.

Second, he asked for a kingdom such that no one before or after him would have.

Finally, he asked Allah to forgive the sins of any person who visits Masjid Al-Aqsa and to make that person as pure as the day he or she was born.

The death of Sulayman (as)

The rebuilding of the Masjid continued. Sulayman (as) also built the Dome of the Rock, which is a beautiful building with a golden dome, opposite Masjid al-Aqsa. As time went on, Sulayman (as) knew that his time in this world was coming to an end, and he worried that the Masjid would remain unfinished after he passed away.

One day, Sulayman (as) leaned on his walking stick, watching the workers rebuild Masjid al-Aqsa. Whilst he was watching, Sulayman (as) passed away. But even though his soul was gone, Sulayman (as) remained upright, propped up on his walking stick. No one realised that Sulayman (as) was no longer with them, and thinking that he still watched them, the workers continued to build.

Eventually, ants began to eat away at the bottom of Sulayman (as)’s walking stick. The little ants ate and ate until the stick could not hold Sulayman (as) up anymore. When the stick fell out of his hand, the great Sulayman (as) fell to the ground.

Everyone rushed to help Sulayman (as), but when they reached him they saw that he had passed away some time ago. In the meantime, work on Masjid al-Aqsa had continued without any interruptions, and the rebuilding was complete.

The story of Sulayman (as)’s death shows us how, by ensuring that the building of Masjid al-Aqsa was completed, Allah answered Sulayman (as) prayer to forgive the sins of those who visit the blessed Masjid. May Allah’s peace be upon him.