Sulaiman AS and Bait-ul Maqdis
The Temple of Sulaiman is so legendary that it has found its way into folklore and even many movies. What made the temple significant is all the effort to build it by man and jinn, leading to a magnificent structure.
We are not given any conclusive reports of when the original foundations of the temple (located in Jerusalem) were laid, but it is understood that during his rule, Sulaiman AS expanded this temple. According to some reports, the temple houses the Ark of The Covenant, including the remnants of scrolls and other magnificent belongings of Musa AS and Harun AS, but we do not know the details of these, as this lies in the realms of Allah’s knowledge alone.
According to Hadith, when Sulaiman AS completed the expansion of the temple he asked Allah for three favours, of which he was granted two. He asked for judgment which will correspond with the judgment of Allah, and Allah accepted his prayer in this respect.
He also asked for a kingdom which nobody would be given after him, and this prayer was also accepted. This includes the first constitution between man and jinn in the time of Sulaiman and revived in the time of Rasulullah SAW for us. For example, there is a Hadith which reports: “Two malicious jinn came to me last night to disturb me in my prayer. But Allah made me capture them, so I let go of them, and then I wanted to fasten them with one of the pillars of the mosque so that you may see them in the morning. But then I remember the prayer of my brother Sulaiman and let him go. ” (Bukhari)
In the same Hadith, it is reported that Sulaiman AS also asked Allah that anyone who left his home only for the purpose of prayer in this masjid, that all his sins be forgiven to become like the day he was born. This prayer was not granted to Sulaiman AS, and we hope that this one will be granted to Rasulullah SAW and his followers, ameen.
In relation to the Temple of Sulaiman, the original structure, along with its contents, have disappeared in the mists of time. In its vicinity now stand Masjid Al Aqsa.
The site of Masjid al Aqsa is an effective barometer to gauge the strength or weakness of the Muslim ummah. When the ummah was pure and united, and obeyed the commandments of Allah, the guardianship of Masjid Al Aqsa by the Muslims was absolute. When the Muslim ummah has become weak, corrupted, and embroiled in oppression, selfishness, arrogance and disbelief, the hold of the Muslims over Masjid Al Aqsa weakened, which is the very condition that we are witnessing today. May Allah save us and prevent Baitul Maqdis fall into the wrong hands, ameen.
Harut and Marut
During the rule of Sulaiman AS sorcery was widespread (similar to the time of Pharaoh). As a trial from Allah, two angels, Harut and Marut, were sent to ancient Babylon to teach the people about sorcery. We know somehow this was the beginning of the knowledge of sorcery to be a fitnah to mankind and causing evil, shirk and kufr.
It was not Solomon who disbelieved, but the devils disbelieved, teaching people magic and that which was revealed to the two angels at Babylon, Harut and Marut. And they followed [instead] what the devils had recited during the reign of Sulaiman … But the two angels do not teach anyone unless they say, “We are a trial, so do not disbelieve [by practicing magic].” And [yet] they learn from them that by which they cause separation between a man and his wife.
But they do not harm anyone through it except by permission of Allah. And the people learn what harms them and does not benefit them. But the Children of Israel certainly knew that whoever purchased the magic would not have in the Hereafter any share. And wretched is that for which they sold themselves, if they only knew. (Al Qur’an 2:102)
Harut and Marut warned the people that they had been sent down as a trial and that the people were not to learn (or use) the knowledge, as this would tantamount to disbelief. They were warned that this kind of knowledge would make them lose their share in the Hereafter and doom them to eternal jahannam. This warning was ignored, and wicked people started applying the magic for evil purposes such as to cause separation between man and wife and other spiteful aims. They also began distributing this malicious knowledge to others, and those who copied or acted upon this knowledge increased.
Sorcery is entirely forbidden in Islam, and there is no such thing as “white magic” or good sorcery. Anyone dabbling with it, regardless of whether it is for a malicious intention or to protect oneself from it, is practicing blasphemy.
Some of the reports said Sulaiman AS then collected all the literature on sorcery, and buried them under his throne so that no one could access them. Shortly after that, he passed away, and the disbelieving jinn (shaitan), liberated and no longer under his servitude, led the people to the hidden scrolls. The corrupted men and jinn also manipulated the scrolls, adding blasphemous information and writing that “this is what Sulaiman used to apply and act upon” and spread falsehood in the name of Sulaiman AS.
The ignorant and wicked among Bani Israel believed that the scrolls contained hidden scriptures, and some followed this evil knowledge. Others of Bani Israel claimed that Sulaiman AS was a disbeliever and continued to slander him with this accusation for hundreds of generations until Muhammad (SAW) was sent with the following verse which exonerated Sulaiman AS fully:
And they followed [instead] what the devils [shayateen] had recited during the reign of Sulaiman. It was not Sulaiman who disbelieved, but the devils disbelieved, teaching people magic and that which was revealed to the two angels at Babylon, Harut and Marut. (Al Qur’an 2:102)
Therefore, in the light of the above verse, any accusation that Sulaiman AS practiced the dark arts or colluded with the devil is not only wrong, but is also blasphemous. Remnants of this dark knowledge, which includes inciting hatred and fortune telling, are still practiced in various parts of the world today.
The Death of Sulaiman AS
We have mentioned Sulaiman’s AS dominance over the kingdom of jinn and the jinn felt resentful and humiliated to be treated this way.
There was a widespread belief that the jinn had knowledge of the unseen. In actual fact, only Allah has the knowledge of the unseen. We know from Hadith that the jinn eavesdrop on the angels, gathering snippets of information from them, and then mixing it with a hundred lies.
Sulaiman’s AS death was a unique one. Because he was often in a state of deep worship, he was frequently immobile for long periods of time. On one such occasion, he passed away, but remained standing (or was supported) by his staff. His body did not decompose, so it appeared to everyone as if he was still alive although he was as still as a statue. During this time, the jinn, afraid of being punished, continued to work diligently for him. All this time, they could see his body clearly, and did not realize that he was actually dead.
Time passed. A creature of the earth (probably a termite or a woodworm) started gnawing at his staff, and according to some reports, this continued for a year until. Eventually, staff broke and the body of Sulaiman AS collapsed with it. Only then did the jinn realize that Sulaiman AS had been dead for some time!
And when We decreed for Sulaiman death, nothing indicated to the jinn his death except a creature of the earth eating his staff. But when he fell, it became clear to the jinn that if they had known the unseen, they would not have remained in humiliating punishment. (Al Qur’an 34:14)
This being the case, it is clear that the jinn do not even have the ability to comprehend what they can see clearly with their own eyes, much less claim to have any knowledge of the unseen!
Reports vary over how long Sulaiman AS ruled over his kingdom, but according to some is that he ruled for 20 years and that he passed away at the age of 50. No other kingdom was comparable to his, and the kingdom disintegrated one or two generations later.
The Strength of The Ummah
The site of Masjid al Aqsa is an effective barometer to gauge the strength of weakness of the Muslim ummah. When the ummah was pure and united, and obeyed the commandments of Allah, the guardianship of Masjid Al Aqsa by the Muslims was absolute. When the Muslims ummah has become weak, corrupted, and embroiled in oppression, selfishness, arrogance and disbelief, the hold of the Muslims over Masjid Al Aqsa weakened. This is the very condition that we are witnessing today. May Allah save us and prevent Baitul Maqdis form falling into the wrong hands, ameen.
Prohibition against Sihr (Magic or Sorcery)
Practicing sihr is something that is unconditionally prohibited in Islam. It is categorized as shirk (association with Allah), which is the single sin that Allah will never forgive if one dies in that state. Once we seek the help of jinn and shayateen, even for well intentioned reasons, we have fallen into a state of shirk, because we are relying on other than Allah and also colluding with the devil in order to achieve a result. There are many types of sorcery which people practise and some for seemingly good reasons: financial, relationship, matrimonial, personal security and even wellbeing.
The incident of Harut and Marut was a trial for the people at the time, and the original prohibition against practicing such dark arts still apply to us today. A large proportion of people, including Muslims, still practice sihr – and not only harm themselves, but also others in the process. The results are always corrupted, and even if in terms of dunia, the goal is achieved, the price to be paid in akhirah applies for all eternity, and is simply not worth it. If you indulge in any form of sihr, whether directly, through talismans, charms, or through a third party, please stop immediately and make taubah (repentance) before it is too late, because the consequences are eternal.
Knowledge of the Unseen
The death of Sulaiman AS conclusively proved that the jinn do not have knowledge of the unseen. At best, they have snippets of information, which is then jumbled up with lies and fabrication. This incomplete knowledge is then passed on to human beings, from fortune tellers to those practicing sorcery, and on the face of it looks authentic but in reality have more falsehood and truth.
Only Allah has the knowledge of the unseen, including knowledge of things yet to be discovered by us, knowledge of the future and knowledge of all sciences. No one else, whether human, jinn or angel has such comprehensive knowledge.
