Tafsir of Sad 38:34

It is said: Solomon was tested after he had reigned for twenty years, and he reigned for another twenty years after the trial.

The First Account of the Trial: It is said that a son was born to him. The devils said, "If he lives, we will never be free from forced labor. We must kill him or drive him mad." Solomon learned of this, so he would keep the child in the clouds. Suddenly, he was shocked to find the child cast upon his throne as a corpse. He realized his error in failing to rely upon his Lord for the child’s protection, so he sought forgiveness and repented.

The Second Account (The Hadith): It is narrated from the Prophet (ﷺ) that he said: "Solomon said, 'I will surely go around to seventy wives tonight, and each will bear a knight who will fight in the cause of Allah.' He did not say, 'If Allah wills.' He went around to them, but only one woman conceived, and she bore a half-formed human. By Him in whose hand is my soul, had he said, 'If Allah wills,' they would have all fought as knights in the cause of Allah." This is the meaning of the verse, "And We certainly tried Solomon." This account and its like are acceptable.

The Account of the Ring and the Devils: As for what is narrated regarding the ring, the devils, and the worship of idols in Solomon’s house, Allah knows best its authenticity. It is told that news reached Solomon of Sidon, a city on an island, ruled by a mighty king whom no one could overcome due to the city's fortification by the sea. Solomon set out, carried by the wind, and descended upon it with his armies of jinn and men. He killed the king and took his daughter, Jarada, who was of the most beautiful face. He chose her for himself; she embraced Islam, and he loved her.

Because she wept incessantly for her father, Solomon ordered the devils to fashion an image of him. She would go to it morning and evening with her maids, prostrating to it as was their custom. Asaf informed Solomon of this; he broke the image and punished the woman. He then went out alone to a wasteland, spread ashes, and sat upon them, repenting and pleading to Allah.

He had a concubine named Amina. Whenever he went to purify himself or be with a woman, he would leave his ring with her, for his kingdom resided in that ring. One day, he left it with her, and the devil of the sea—the one who had guided Solomon to the diamonds when he built the Temple, named Sakhr—came to her in the form of Solomon and said, "O Amina, my ring." He took it, put it on, and sat on Solomon’s throne. The birds, jinn, and men bowed to him.

Solomon, having been stripped of his appearance, came to Amina for the ring, but she denied him and drove him away. He realized his sin had overtaken him. He wandered from house to house begging. When he said, "I am Solomon," they would throw dust at him and curse him. He then worked for fishermen, carrying their fish, and they would give him two fish each day. He remained in this state for forty days—the number of days the idol had been worshipped in his house.

Asaf and the nobles of the Children of Israel began to doubt the devil’s judgments. Asaf questioned Solomon’s wives, and they said, "He does not leave any of us alone, even during our menses, and he does not bathe after sexual impurity." (It is also said that his judgments were sound in all matters except regarding them). Then, the devil flew away and threw the ring into the sea. A fish swallowed it, and that fish ended up in Solomon’s hands. He slit its belly, found the ring, put it on, and fell in prostration. His kingdom returned to him. He captured Sakhr, placed him inside a rock, sealed it with another, bound them with iron and lead, and cast them into the sea.

Critique of the Narrations: It is said that when he was being tested, the ring would fall from his hand and would not stay. Asaf told him, "You are being tested for your sin, and the ring will not settle in your hand; repent to Allah."

However, the accomplished scholars have refused to accept this, saying: "These are the fabrications of the Jews. The devils do not have the power to perform such acts." For Allah to grant them power over a prophet to the point of changing religious laws, or over the wives of prophets to commit adultery with them, is abhorrent. As for the making of statues, it is possible that laws differed regarding them—do you not see the verse, "of sanctuaries and statues" (Saba: 13)? As for prostrating to an image, it is not to be thought of a Prophet of Allah that he would permit it; if it happened without his knowledge, he is not to blame.

His saying, {And We cast upon his throne a body} serves to convey the meaning of the devil taking his place in a manifest way.

{He said, "My Lord, forgive me and grant me a kingdom such as will not belong to anyone after me. Indeed, You are the Bestower."}