Tarikh (al-Tabari) 283
The story of Sulaymān b. Dāwūd (peace be upon them both)
ذِكْرُ سُلَيْمَانُ نَبِيُّ اللَّهِ، عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ ، إِذَا صَلَّى رَأَى شَجَرَةً نَابِتَةً بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ فَيَقُولُ لَهَا: مَا اسْمُكِ ؟ فَتَقُولُ: كَذَا. فَيَقُولُ: لِأَيِّ شَيْءٍ أَنْتِ ؟ فَإِنْ كَانَتْ لِغَرْسٍ غُرِسَتْ، وَإِنْ كَانَتْ لِدَوَاءٍ كُتِبَتْ، فَبَيْنَمَا هُوَ يُصَلِّي ذَاتَ يَوْمٍ إِذْ رَأَى شَجَرَةً بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ، فَقَالَ لَهَا: مَا اسْمُكِ ؟ قَالَتِ: الْخَرُّوبُ. قَالَ: لِأَيِّ شَيْءٍ أَنْتِ ؟ قَالَتْ: لِخَرَابِ هَذَا الْبَيْتِ. فَقَالَ سُلَيْمَانُ: اللَّهُمَّ عَمِّ عَلَى الْجِنِّ مَوْتِي ; حَتَّى تَعْلَمَ الْإِنْسُ أَنَّ الْجِنَّ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ الْغَيْبَ. فَنَحَتَهَا عَصًا، فَتَوَكَّأَ عَلَيْهَا حَوْلًا وَالْجِنُّ تَعْمَلُ، فَأَكَلَتْهَا الْأَرَضَةُ فَتَبَيَّنَتِ الْإِنْسُ أَنَّ الْجِنَّ لَوْ كَانُوا يَعْلَمُونَ الْغَيْبَ مَا لَبِثُوا حَوْلًا فِي الْعَذَابِ الْمُهِينِ قَالَ: وَكَانَ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ يَقْرَؤُهَا كَذَلِكَ. قَالَ: فَشَكَرَتِ الْجِنُّ لِلْأَرَضَةِ، فَكَانَتْ تَأْتِيهَا بِالْمَاءِ. وَذَلِكَ قَوْلُ اللَّهِ، عَزَّ وَجَلَّ: مَا دَلَّهُمْ عَلَى مَوْتِهِ إِلَّا دَابَّةُ الْأَرْضِ تَأْكُلُ مِنْسَأَتَهُ فَلَمَّا خَرَّ تَبَيَّنَتِ الْجِنُّ أَنْ لَوْ كَانُوا يَعْلَمُونَ الْغَيْبَ مَا لَبِثُوا فِي الْعَذَابِ الْمُهِينِ يَقُولُ: تَبَيَّنَ أَمْرُهُمْ لِلنَّاسِ أَنَّهُمْ كَانُوا يَكْذِبُونَهُمْ. ثُمَّ إِنَّ الشَّيَاطِينَ قَالُوا لِلْأَرَضَةِ: لَوْ كُنْتِ تَأْكُلِينَ الطَّعَامَ لَأَتَيْنَاكِ بِأَطْيَبِ الطَّعَامِ، وَلَوْ كُنْتِ تَشْرَبِينَ الشَّرَابَ سَقَيْنَاكِ أَطْيَبَ الشَّرَابِ، وَلَكِنَّا سَنَنْقُلُ إِلَيْكِ الْمَاءَ وَالطِّينَ. قَالَ: فَهُمْ يَنْقُلُونَ إِلَيْهَا ذَلِكَ حَيْثُ كَانَتْ، قَالَ: أَلَمْ تَرَ إِلَى الطِّينِ الَّذِي يَكُونُ فِي جَوْفِ الْخَشَبِ، فَهُوَ مَا تَأْتِيهَا بِهِ الشَّيَاطِينُ شُكْرًا لَهَا. وَعَنْ خَيْثَمَةَ، قَالَ: قَالَ سُلَيْمَانُ بْنُ دَاوُدَ عَلَيْهِمَا السَّلَامُ، لِمَلَكِ الْمَوْتِ: إِذَا أَرَدْتَ أَنْ تَقْبِضَ رُوحِي فَأَعْلِمْنِي. قَالَ: مَا أَنَا بِأَعْلَمَ بِذَاكَ مِنْكَ ; إِنَّمَا هِيَ كُتُبٌ تُلْقَى إِلَيَّ، فِيهَا تَسْمِيَةُ مَنْ يَمُوتُ. وَقَالَ أَصْبَغُ بْنُ الْفَرَجِ، وَعَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ وَهْبٍ، عَنْ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ زَيْدِ بْنِ أَسْلَمَ قَالَ: قَالَ سُلَيْمَانُ لِمَلَكِ الْمَوْتِ: إِذَا أُمِرْتَ بِي فَأَعْلِمْنِي. فَأَتَاهُ فَقَالَ: يَا سُلَيْمَانُ قَدْ أُمِرْتُ بِكَ قَدْ بَقِيَتْ لَكَ سُوَيْعَةٌ. فَدَعَا الشَّيَاطِينَ فَبَنَوْا عَلَيْهِ صَرْحًا مِنْ قَوَارِيرَ لَيْسَ لَهُ بَابٌ، فَقَامَ يُصَلِّي فَاتَّكَأَ عَلَى عَصَاهُ. قَالَ: فَدَخَلَ عَلَيْهِ مَلَكُ الْمَوْتِ، فَقَبَضَ رُوحَهُ وَهُوَ مُتَوَكِّئٌ عَلَى عَصَاهُ. وَلَمْ يَصْنَعْ ذَلِكَ فِرَارًا مِنْ مَلَكِ الْمَوْتِ. قَالَ: وَالْجِنُّ تَعْمَلُ بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ وَيَنْظُرُونَ إِلَيْهِ، يَحْسَبُونَ أَنَّهُ حَيٌّ. قَالَ: فَبَعَثَ اللَّهُ دَابَّةَ الْأَرْضِ، يَعْنِي إِلَى مِنْسَأَتِهِ، فَأَكْلَتْهَا حَتَّى إِذَا أَكَلَتْ جَوْفَ الْعَصَا ضَعُفَتْ وَثَقُلَ عَلَيْهَا، فَخَرَّ فَلَمَّا رَأَتِ الْجِنُّ ذَلِكَ، انْفَضُّوا وَذَهَبُوا. قَالَ: فَذَلِكَ قَوْلُهُ: مَا دَلَّهُمْ عَلَى مَوْتِهِ إِلَّا دَابَّةُ الْأَرْضِ تَأْكُلُ مِنْسَأَتَهُ فَلَمَّا خَرَّ تَبَيَّنَتِ الْجِنُّ أَنْ لَوْ كَانُوا يَعْلَمُونَ الْغَيْبَ مَا لَبِثُوا فِي الْعَذَابِ الْمُهِينِ مدة ملكه وحياته عَنِ الزُّهْرِيِّ، وَغَيْرِهِ: أَنَّ سُلَيْمَانَ، عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ، عَاشَ ثِنْتَيْنِ وَخَمْسِينَ سَنَةً، وَكَانَ مُلْكُهُ أَرْبَعِينَ سَنَةً. وَعَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ، أَنَّ مُلْكَهُ كَانَ عِشْرِينَ سَنَةً. فَاللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ. وَقَالَ ابْنُ جَرِيرٍ: فَكَانَ جَمِيعُ عُمْرِ سُلَيْمَانَ بْنِ دَاوُدَ عَلَيْهِمَا السَّلَامُ، نَيِّفًا وَخَمْسِينَ سَنَةً. وَفِي سَنَةِ أَرْبَعٍ مِنْ مُلْكِهِ ابْتَدَأَ بِبِنَاءِ بَيْتِ الْمَقْدِسِ فِيمَا ذُكِرَ. ثُمَّ مَلَكَ بَعْدَهُ ابْنُهُ رُحُبْعُمُ مُدَّةَ سَبْعَ عَشْرَةَ سَنَةً فِيمَا ذَكَرَهُ ابْنُ جَرِيرٍ قَالَ: ثُمَّ تَفَرَّقَتْ بَعْدَهُ مَمْلَكَةُ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ.
Translation
✧ Mention of Sulaymān, the Prophet of Allah ﷺ: When he prayed, he would see a tree sprouting before him and would say to it, "What is your name?" It would say, "Such-and-such." He would say, "For what thing are you?" If it was for planting, it was planted; if it was for medicine, it was recorded. While he was praying one day, he saw a tree before him and said to it, "What is your name?" It said, "The carob." He said, "For what thing are you?" It said, "For the ruin of this house." Sulaymān said, "O Allah, conceal my death from the jinn until humankind knows that the jinn do not know the unseen." He carved it into a staff and leaned upon it for a year while the jinn labored. Then the woodworm ate it, and humankind became certain that had the jinn known the unseen, they would not have remained for a year in humiliating torment. He said: Ibn ʿAbbās used to recite it thus. He said: The jinn thanked the woodworm, and it used to bring it water. That is the saying of Allah, Mighty and Majestic: "Nothing showed them his death except a creature of the earth eating his staff. But when he fell, the jinn became clear that if they had known the unseen, they would not have remained in humiliating torment" (Sūrat Sabaʾ 34:14). He says: their affair became clear to the people, that they had been lying to them. Then the devils said to the woodworm, "If you ate food, we would bring you the finest food, and if you drank drink, we would give you the finest drink. But we will transport water and clay to you." He said: So they transport that to it wherever it is. He said: Have you not seen the clay that is inside wood? It is what the devils bring to it out of gratitude to it. And from Khaythamah, he said: Sulaymān b. Dāwūd (peace be upon them both) said to the Angel of Death, "When you intend to take my soul, inform me." He said, "I am no more aware of that than you; they are only writings cast to me, in which is the naming of those who die." And Aṣbagh b. al-Faraj and ʿAbd Allāh b. Wahb said, from ʿAbd al-Raḥmān b. Zayd b. Aslam, he said: Sulaymān said to the Angel of Death, "When you are commanded concerning me, inform me." So he came to him and said, "O Sulaymān, I have been commanded concerning you; there remains for you a little while." He summoned the devils, and they built over him a pavilion of glass with no door. He stood praying and leaned upon his staff. He said: The Angel of Death entered upon him and took his soul while he was leaning upon his staff. He did not do that fleeing from the Angel of Death. He said: The jinn were working before him, watching him, thinking he was alive. He said: Then Allah sent the creature of the earth—that is, to his staff—and it ate it until when it had eaten the hollow of the staff, it weakened and grew heavy upon him, and he fell. When the jinn saw that, they dispersed and went away. He said: That is His saying: "Nothing showed them his death except a creature of the earth eating his staff. But when he fell, the jinn became clear that if they had known the unseen, they would not have remained in humiliating torment." The duration of his reign and life From al-Zuhrī and others: Sulaymān ﷺ lived fifty-two years, and his reign was forty years. And from Ibn ʿAbbās, that his reign was twenty years. But Allah knows best. Ibn Jarīr said: The total lifespan of Sulaymān b. Dāwūd (peace be upon them both) was a little over fifty years. In the fourth year of his reign, he began building the Holy House, as mentioned. Then after him his son Rehoboam reigned for a period of seventeen years, as Ibn Jarīr mentioned. He said: Then after him the kingdom of the Children of Israel was divided.
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