Tarikh (al-Tabari) 275
The story of Sulaymān b. Dāwūd (peace be upon them both)
ذِكْرُ غَزْوَتِهِ أَبَا زَوْجَتِهِ جَرَادَةَ وَنِكَاحِهَا، وَعِبَادَةِ الصَّنَمِ فِي دَارِهِ، وَأَخْذِ خَاتَمِهِ، وَعَوْدِهِ إِلَيْهِ قِيلَ: سَمِعَ سُلَيْمَانُ بِمَلِكٍ فِي جَزِيرَةٍ مِنْ جَزَائِرِ الْبَحْرِ وَشِدَّةِ مُلْكِهِ، وَعِظَمِ شَأْنِهِ، وَلَمْ يَكُنْ لِلنَّاسِ إِلَيْهِ سَبِيلٌ، فَخَرَجَ سُلَيْمَانُ إِلَى تِلْكَ الْجَزِيرَةِ وَحَمَلَتْهُ الرِّيحُ حَتَّى نَزَلَ بِجُنُودِهِ بِهَا فَقَتَلَ مَلِكَهَا وَغَنِمَ مَا فِيهَا وَغَنِمَ بِنْتًا لِلْمَلِكِ لَمْ يَرَ النَّاسُ مِثْلَهَا حُسْنًا وَجَمَالًا فَاصْطَفَاهَا لِنَفْسِهِ وَدَعَاهَا لِلْإِسْلَامِ، فَأَسْلَمَتْ عَلَى قِلَّةِ رَغْبَةٍ فِيهِ، وَأَحَبَّهَا حُبًّا شَدِيدًا، وَكَانَتْ لَا يَذْهَبُ حُزْنُهَا وَلَا تَزَالُ تَبْكِي، فَقَالَ لَهَا: وَيْحَكِ مَا هَذَا الْحُزْنُ، وَالدَّمْعُ الَّذِي لَا يَرْقَأُ ؟ قَالَتْ: إِنِّي أَذْكُرُ أَبِي وَمُلْكَهُ وَمَا أَصَابَهُ فَيُحْزِنُنِي ذَلِكَ. قَالَ: فَقَدْ أَبْدَلَكِ اللَّهُ مُلْكًا خَيْرًا مِنْ مُلْكِهِ وَهَدَاكِ إِلَى الْإِسْلَامِ. قَالَتْ: إِنَّهُ كَذَلِكَ وَلَكِنِّي إِذَا ذَكَرْتُهُ أَصَابَنِي مَا تَرَى، فَلَوْ أَمَرْتَ الشَّيَاطِينَ فَصَوَّرُوا صُورَتَهُ فِي دَارِي أَرَاهَا بِكُرَةً وَعَشِيَّةً لَرَجَوْتُ أَنْ يُذْهِبَ ذَلِكَ حُزْنِي. فَأَمَرَ الشَّيَاطِينَ فَعَمِلُوا لَهَا مِثْلَ صُورَتِهِ لَا تُنْكِرُ مِنْهَا شَيْئًا، وَأَلْبَسَتْهَا ثِيَابًا مِثْلَ ثِيَابِ أَبِيهَا. عبادة الصنم في دار سليمان عليه السلام وَكَانَتْ إِذَا خَرَجَ سُلَيْمَانُ مِنْ دَارِهَا تَغْدُو عَلَيْهِ فِي جَوَارِيهَا فَتَسْجُدُ لَهُ وَيَسْجُدْنَ مَعَهَا، وَتَرُوحُ عَشِيَّةً وَيَرُحْنَ، فَتَفْعَلُ مِثْلَ ذَلِكَ، وَلَا يَعْلَمُ سُلَيْمَانُ بِشَيْءٍ مِنْ أَمْرِهَا أَرْبَعِينَ صَبَاحًا. وَبَلَغَ الْخَبَرُ آصَفَ بْنَ بَرْخِيَّا، وَكَانَ صَدِيقًا، وَكَانَ لَا يَرِدُ مِنْ مَنَازِلِ سُلَيْمَانَ أَيَّ وَقْتٍ أَرَادَ مِنْ لَيْلٍ أَوْ نَهَارٍ سَوَاءٌ كَانَ سُلَيْمَانُ حَاضِرًا أَوْ غَائِبًا. فَأَتَاهُ، فَقَالَ: يَا نَبِيَّ اللَّهِ قَدْ كَبِرَ سِنِّي وَدَقَّ عَظْمِي، وَقَدْ حَانَ مِنِّي ذَهَابُ عُمُرِي وَقَدْ أَحْبَبْتُ أَنْ أَقُومَ مَقَامًا أَذْكُرُ فِيهِ أَنْبِيَاءَ اللَّهِ وَأُثْنِي عَلَيْهِمْ بِعِلْمِي فِيهِمْ، وَأُعَلِّمُ النَّاسَ بَعْضَ مَا يَجْهَلُونَ. قَالَ: افْعَلْ. فَجَمَعَ لَهُ سُلَيْمَانُ النَّاسَ، فَقَامَ آصَفُ خَطِيبًا فِيهِمْ فَذَكَرَ مَنْ مَضَى مِنَ الْأَنْبِيَاءِ وَأَثْنَى عَلَيْهِمْ حَتَّى انْتَهَى إِلَى سُلَيْمَانَ، فَقَالَ: مَا كَانَ أَحْلَمَكَ فِي صِغَرِكَ، وَأَبْعَدَكَ مِنْ كُلِّ مَا يُكْرَهُ فِي صِغَرِكَ. ثُمَّ انْصَرَفَ. فَمُلِئَ سُلَيْمَانُ غَضَبًا، فَأَرْسَلَ إِلَيْهِ وَقَالَ لَهُ: يَا آصَفُ لَمَّا ذَكَرْتَنِي جَعَلْتَ تُثْنِي عَلَيَّ فِي صِغَرِي وَسَكَتَّ عَمَّا سِوَى ذَلِكَ، فَمَا الَّذِي أَحْدَثْتُ فِي آخِرِ أَمْرِي ؟ قَالَ: إِنَّ غَيْرَ اللَّهِ لَيُعْبَدُ فِي دَارِكَ أَرْبَعِينَ يَوْمًا فِي هَوَى امْرَأَةٍ. قَالَ إِنَّا لِلَّهِ وَإِنَّا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُونَ لَقَدْ عَلِمْتُ أَنَّكَ مَا قُلْتُ إِلَّا عَنْ شَيْءٍ بَلَغَكَ، وَدَخَلَ دَارَهُ وَكَسَرَ الصَّنَمَ وَعَاقَبَ تِلْكَ الْمَرْأَةَ وَجَوَارِيَهَا. ثُمَّ أَمَرَ بِثِيَابِ الطَّهَارَةِ فَأُتِيَ بِهَا، وَهِيَ ثِيَابٌ تَغْزِلُهَا الْأَبْكَارُ اللَّائِي لَمْ يَحِضْنَ وَلَمْ تَمَسَّهَا امْرَأَةٌ ذَاتُ دَمٍ، فَلَبِسَهَا وَخَرَجَ إِلَى الصَّحْرَاءِ، وَفَرَشَ الرَّمَادَ، ثُمَّ أَقْبَلَ تَائِبًا إِلَى اللَّهِ وَتَمَعَّكَ فِي الرَّمَادِ بِثِيَابِهِ تَذَلُّلًا لِلَّهِ تَعَالَى وَتَضَرُّعًا، وَبَكَى وَاسْتَغْفَرَ يَوْمَهُ ذَلِكَ ثُمَّ عَادَ إِلَى دَارِهِ. وَكَانَتْ أُمُّ وَلَدٍ لَهُ لَا يَثِقُ إِلَّا بِهَا يُسَلِّمُ خَاتَمَهُ إِلَيْهَا، وَكَانَ لَا يَنْزِعُهُ إِلَّا عِنْدَ دُخُولِهِ الْخَلَاءَ، وَإِذَا أَرَادَ يُصِيبُ امْرَأَةً فَيُسَلِّمُهُ إِلَيْهَا حَتَّى يَتَطَهَّرَ. أخذ خاتم سليمان عليه السلام وَكَانَ مُلْكُهُ فِي خَاتَمِهِ، فَدَخَلَ فِي بَعْضِ تِلْكَ الْأَيَّامِ الْخَلَاءَ وَسَلَّمَ خَاتَمَهُ إِلَيْهَا، فَأَتَاهَا شَيْطَانٌ اسْمُهُ صَخْرٌ فِي صُورَةِ سُلَيْمَانَ فَأَخَذَ الْخَاتَمَ وَخَرَجَ إِلَى كُرْسِيِّ سُلَيْمَانَ، وَهُوَ فِي صُورَةِ سُلَيْمَانَ، فَجَلَسَ عَلَيْهِ، وَعَكَفَتْ عَلَيْهِ الْإِنْسُ وَالْجِنُّ وَالطَّيْرُ. وَخَرَجَ سُلَيْمَانُ وَقَدْ تَغَيَّرَتْ حَالَتُهُ وَهَيْئَتُهُ، فَقَالَ: خَاتَمِي ! قَالَتْ: وَمَنْ أَنْتَ ؟ قَالَ: أَنَا سُلَيْمَانُ. قَالَتْ: كَذَبْتَ لَسْتَ بِسُلَيْمَانَ ! قَدْ جَاءَ سُلَيْمَانُ وَأَخَذَ خَاتَمَهُ مِنِّي وَهُوَ جَالِسٌ عَلَى سَرِيرِهِ ! فَعَرَفَ سُلَيْمَانُ خَطِيئَتَهُ فَخَرَجَ وَجَعَلَ يَقُولُ لِبَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ: أَنَا سُلَيْمَانُ، فَيَحْثُونَ عَلَيْهِ التُّرَابَ، فَلَمَّا رَأَى ذَلِكَ قَصَدَ الْبَحْرَ وَجَعَلَ يَنْقُلُ سَمَكَ الصَّيَّادِينَ وَيُعْطُونَهُ كُلَّ يَوْمٍ سَمَكَتَيْنِ يَبِيعُ إِحْدَاهُمَا بِخُبْزٍ وَيَأْكُلُ الْأُخْرَى، فَبَقِيَ كَذَلِكَ أَرْبَعِينَ يَوْمًا. ثُمَّ إِنَّ آصَفَ وَعُظَمَاءَ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ أَنْكَرُوا حُكْمَ الشَّيْطَانِ الْمُشْتَبَهِ بِسُلَيْمَانَ، فَقَالَ آصَفُ: يَا بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ، هَلْ رَأَيْتُمْ مِنَ اخْتِلَافِ حُكْمِ سُلَيْمَانَ مَا رَأَيْتُ ؟ قَالُوا: نَعَمْ. قَالَ: أَمْهِلُونِي حَتَّى أَدْخُلَ عَلَى نِسَائِهِ وَأَسْأَلَهُنَّ هَلْ أَنْكَرْنَ مَا أَنْكَرْنَا مِنْهُ. فَدَخَلَ عَلَيْهِنَّ وَسَأَلَهُنَّ، فَذَكَرْنَ أَشَدَّ مِمَّا عِنْدَهُ، فَقَالَ: إِنَّا لِلَّهِ وَإِنَّا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُونَ، إِنَّ هَذَا لَهُوَ الْبَلَاءُ الْمُبِينُ. استرداد سليمان عليه السلام لخاتمه ثُمَّ خَرَجَ إِلَى بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ فَأَخْبَرَهُمْ، فَلَمَّا رَأَى الشَّيْطَانُ أَنَّهُمْ قَدْ عَلِمُوا بِهِ طَارَ مِنْ مَجْلِسِهِ فَمَرَّ بِالْبَحْرِ فَأَلْقَى الْخَاتَمَ فِيهِ، فَبَلَعَتْهُ سَمَكَةٌ، وَاصْطَادَهَا صَيَّادٌ، وَحَمَلَ لَهُ سُلَيْمَانُ يَوْمَهُ ذَلِكَ فَأَعْطَاهُ سَمَكَتَيْنِ، تِلْكَ السَّمَكَةُ إِحْدَاهُمَا. فَأَخَذَهَا فَشَقَّهَا لِيُصْلِحَهَا، وَيَأْكُلَهَا فَرَأَى خَاتَمَهُ فِي جَوْفِهَا، فَأَخَذَهُ وَجَعَلَهُ فِي إِصْبُعِهِ وَخَرَّ لِلَّهِ سَاجِدًا، وَعَكَفَتْ عَلَيْهِ الْإِنْسُ وَالْجِنُّ وَالطَّيْرُ، وَأَقْبَلَ عَلَيْهِ النَّاسُ وَرَجَعَ إِلَى مُلْكِهِ، وَأَظْهَرَ التَّوْبَةَ مِنْ ذَنْبِهِ، وَبَثَّ الشَّيَاطِينَ فِي إِحْضَارِ صَخْرٍ الَّذِي أَخَذَ الْخَاتَمَ، فَأَحْضَرُوهُ، فَثَقَبَ لَهُ صَخْرَةً، وَجَعَلَهُ فِيهَا وَسَدَّ النَّقَبَ بِالْحَدِيدِ وَالرَّصَاصِ، وَأَلْقَاهُ فِي الْبَحْرِ. وَكَانَ مُقَامُهُ فِي الْمُلْكِ أَرْبَعِينَ يَوْمًا، بِمِقْدَارِ عِبَادَةِ الصَّنَمِ فِي دَارِ سُلَيْمَانَ. وَقِيلَ: كَانَ السَّبَبُ فِي ذَهَابِ مُلْكِهِ أَنَّ امْرَأَةً لَهُ كَانَتْ أَبَرَّ نِسَائِهِ عِنْدَهُ تُسَمَّى جَرَادَةَ وَلَا يَأْتَمِنُ عَلَى خَاتَمِهِ سِوَاهَا، فَقَالَتْ لَهُ: إِنَّ أَخِي بَيْنَهُ وَبَيْنَ فُلَانٍ حُكُومَةٌ، وَأَنَا أُحِبُّ أَنْ تَقْضِيَ لَهُ. فَقَالَ: أَفْعَلُ، وَلَمْ يَفْعَلْ، فَابْتُلِيَ، وَأَعْطَاهَا خَاتَمَهُ، وَدَخَلَ الْخَلَاءَ، فَخَرَجَ الشَّيْطَانُ فِي صُورَتِهِ فَأَخَذَهُ، وَخَرَجَ سُلَيْمَانُ بَعْدَهُ فَطَلَبَ الْخَاتَمَ، فَقَالَتْ: أَلَمْ تَأْخُذْهُ ؟ قَالَ: لَا، وَخَرَجَ مِنْ مَكَانِهِ تَائِهًا وَبَقِيَ الشَّيْطَانُ أَرْبَعِينَ يَوْمًا يَحْكُمُ بَيْنَ النَّاسِ، فَفَطِنُوا لَهُ وَأَحْدَقُوا بِهِ وَنَشَرُوا التَّوْرَاةَ فَقَرَءُوهَا، فَطَارَ مِنْ بَيْنِ أَيْدِيهِمْ، وَأَلْقَى الْخَاتَمَ فِي الْبَحْرِ، فَابْتَلَعَهُ حُوتٌ، ثُمَّ إِنَّ سُلَيْمَانَ قَصَدَ صَيَّادًا وَهُوَ جَائِعٌ فَاسْتَطْعَمَهُ، وَقَالَ: أَنَا سُلَيْمَانُ، فَكَذَّبَهُ، وَضَرَبَهُ فَشَجَّهُ، فَجَعَلَ يَغْسِلُ الدَّمَ، فَلَامَ الصَّيَّادُونَ صَاحِبَهُمْ، وَأَعْطَوْهُ سَمَكَتَيْنِ إِحْدَاهُمَا الَّتِي ابْتَلَعَتِ الْخَاتَمَ، فَشَقَّ بَطْنَهَا، وَأَخَذَ الْخَاتَمَ، فَرَدَّ اللَّهُ إِلَيْهِ مُلْكَهُ، فَاعْتَذَرُوا إِلَيْهِ، فَقَالَ: لَا أَحْمَدُكُمْ عَلَى عُذْرِكُمْ وَلَا أَلُومُكُمْ عَلَى مَا كَانَ مِنْكُمْ. وَسَخَّرَ اللَّهُ لَهُ الْجِنَّ وَالشَّيَاطِينَ وَالرِّيحَ، وَلَمْ يَكُنْ سَخَّرَهَا لَهُ قَبْلَ ذَلِكَ، وَهُوَ أَشْبَهُ بِظَاهِرِ الْقُرْآنِ، وَهُوَ قَوْلُهُ تَعَالَى: قَالَ رَبِّ اغْفِرْ لِي وَهَبْ لِي مُلْكًا لَا يَنْبَغِي لِأَحَدٍ مِنْ بَعْدِي إِنَّكَ أَنْتَ الْوَهَّابُ فَسَخَّرْنَا لَهُ الرِّيحَ تَجْرِي بِأَمْرِهِ رُخَاءً حَيْثُ أَصَابَ وَالشَّيَاطِينَ كُلَّ بَنَّاءٍ وَغَوَّاصٍ وَآخَرِينَ مُقَرَّنِينَ فِي الْأَصْفَادِ. وَقِيلَ فِي سَبَبِ زَوَالِ مُلْكِهِ غَيْرُ ذَلِكَ، وَاللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ.
Translation
✧ Mention of his expedition against the father of his wife Jarāda and his marriage to her, the worship of the idol in his house, the taking of his seal, and its return to him It was said: Sulaymān heard of a king on one of the islands of the sea, of the strength of his dominion and the greatness of his status, and that people had no access to him. So Sulaymān set out for that island, and the wind carried him until he landed there with his troops. He killed its king, seized as spoil what was in it, and took as spoil a daughter of the king whose like in beauty and comeliness people had never seen. He chose her for himself and called her to Islam, and she embraced Islam with little desire for it. He loved her with intense love. She would not lose her sorrow and continued to weep. He said to her: "Woe to you! What is this sorrow and these tears that do not cease?" She said: "I remember my father, his dominion, and what befell him, and that saddens me." He said: "God has given you in exchange a dominion better than his and guided you to Islam." She said: "That is indeed so, but when I remember him, what you see comes upon me. If you would command the devils to fashion an image of him in my house, which I could look at morning and evening, I would hope that this would remove my sorrow." So he commanded the devils, and they made for her the likeness of his image, nothing of which she would deny, and she clothed it in garments like the garments of her father. The worship of the idol in the house of Sulaymān ﷺ When Sulaymān went out of her house, she would go to it in the morning with her slave-girls and prostrate to it, and they would prostrate with her, and she would go in the evening and they would go, and she would do the like of that, while Sulaymān knew nothing of her affair for forty mornings. The news reached Āṣaf b. Barkhiyā, and he was a close friend. He would enter the dwellings of Sulaymān at any time he wished, by night or day, whether Sulaymān was present or absent. So he came to him and said: "O Prophet of God, my age has advanced, my bones have become thin, the passing of my life is near, and I would like to stand in a station in which I mention the prophets of God and extol them with my knowledge of them, and teach people some of what they do not know." He said: "Do so." So Sulaymān gathered the people for him, and Āṣaf stood as a speaker among them and mentioned the prophets who had passed and extolled them until he came to Sulaymān. Then he said: "How forbearing you were in your youth, and how far you were from everything hateful in your youth." Then he departed. Sulaymān was filled with anger. He sent for him and said to him: "O Āṣaf, when you mentioned me, you extolled me in my youth and were silent about what is beyond that. What is it that I have brought about in the latter part of my affair?" He said: "Someone other than God is worshipped in your house for forty days, out of passion for a woman." He said: "To God we belong and to Him we shall return. I know that you did not say this except because of something that reached you." He entered his house, broke the idol, punished that woman and her slave-girls. Then he commanded the garments of purification, and they were brought to him. They are garments spun by virgins who had not menstruated, and no woman with blood had touched them. He put them on, went out to the desert, spread ashes, then turned in repentance to God and rolled in the ashes with his garments in humility before God Almighty and in supplication, and he wept and sought forgiveness that day of his. Then he returned to his house. He had a concubine whom alone he trusted, to whom he would hand his seal. He would not remove it except when entering the privy, and when he wanted to have intercourse with a woman, he would hand it to her until he purified himself. The taking of the seal of Sulaymān ﷺ His dominion was in his seal. One of those days he entered the privy and handed his seal to her. A devil named Ṣakhr came to her in the form of Sulaymān, took the seal, and went out to the throne of Sulaymān, in the form of Sulaymān, and sat upon it. Humans, jinn, and birds gathered around him. Sulaymān came out, his state and appearance changed, and said: "My seal!" She said: "Who are you?" He said: "I am Sulaymān." She said: "You lie; you are not Sulaymān. Sulaymān has come and taken his seal from me, and he is sitting on his throne." Then Sulaymān knew his sin, went out, and began saying to the Children of Israel: "I am Sulaymān," but they threw dust at him. When he saw that, he headed for the sea and began carrying the fish of the fishermen. They would give him two fish each day; he would sell one for bread and eat the other. He remained thus for forty days. Then Āṣaf and the elders of the Children of Israel disapproved of the judgment of the devil who resembled Sulaymān. Āṣaf said: "O Children of Israel, have you seen in the variation of Sulaymān's judgment what I have seen?" They said: "Yes." He said: "Give me time until I go in to his wives and ask them whether they have disapproved of him as we have." So he went in to them and asked them, and they mentioned something more severe than what he had. He said: "To God we belong and to Him we shall return. This is indeed the manifest trial." The recovery of the seal by Sulaymān ﷺ Then he went out to the Children of Israel and told them. When the devil saw that they had learned of him, he flew from his seat, passed by the sea, and threw the seal into it. A fish swallowed it, and a fisherman caught it. Sulaymān had carried for him that day of his, so he gave him two fish, that fish being one of them. He took it, split it open to prepare it and eat it, and saw his seal in its belly. He took it, placed it on his finger, and fell down prostrating to God. Humans, jinn, and birds gathered around him, the people came to him, and he returned to his dominion. He showed repentance for his sin and dispatched the devils to bring Ṣakhr who had taken the seal. They brought him. He bored a rock for him, placed him in it, sealed the hole with iron and lead, and cast him into the sea. His stay in dominion was forty days, equal to the duration of the worship of the idol in the house of Sulaymān. It was said: The cause of the loss of his dominion was that a wife of his, the most dutiful of his wives to him, called Jarāda, and he entrusted the seal to no one but her. She said to him: "My brother has a dispute with so-and-so, and I would like you to judge in his favor." He said: "I will do so," but he did not. So he was afflicted. He gave her his seal and entered the privy. The devil came out in his form and took it. Sulaymān came out after him and sought the seal. She said: "Did you not take it?" He said: "No." He left his place wandering, and the devil remained for forty days judging among the people. They became aware of him, surrounded him, spread out the Torah and read it. He flew from among them and threw the seal into the sea. A fish swallowed it. Then Sulaymān went to a fisherman while hungry and asked him for food, saying: "I am Sulaymān." The fisherman denied him and struck him, wounding his head. He began washing the blood. The fishermen blamed their companion, and they gave him two fish, one of which was the one that had swallowed the seal. He split its belly, took the seal, and God restored his dominion to him. They apologized to him, and he said: "I do not praise you for your apology, nor do I blame you for what you did." Then God subjected to him the jinn, the devils, and the wind, and He had not subjected them to him before that. This is more in accord with the apparent meaning of the Qur'an, and it is His saying, Almighty: "He said: My Lord, forgive me and grant me a dominion such as shall not belong to any after me. Indeed, You are the Bestower. So We subjected to him the wind, blowing gently by his command wherever he directed, and the devils, every builder and diver, and others bound in fetters." Other reasons have been given for the loss of his dominion, and God knows best.
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