Prophet Sulaymanسليمان

Come with me. Today, we're going on a journey... far, far away... and long, long ago.

Listen... very carefully. Can you hear it? Down there, in the grass... a tiny, tiny voice. It's an ant! And she is shouting, as loud as an ant can shout: "Hurry! Everyone, into your homes... before the great king and his army come and step on us... without even noticing!"

An enormous army is marching this way. And leading it is a mighty king... a king so powerful that the wind itself carries him. But here is the wonderful thing, little one... this mighty king can understand... the voice of one tiny ant.

Who is this king? And how could anyone ever come to understand the speech of birds, and ants, and every creature? Our story begins with a gift... a gift from a father... to his son. This is the story of Prophet Sulayman... alayhi salaam.

A long, long time ago... in a great kingdom of green gardens and pale stone palaces... there lived a prophet named Dawud, alayhi salaam. A king with a beautiful voice. A judge with careful words.

And Allāh had given him a son. A boy named Sulayman. With sharp eyes... and a quiet heart.

Allāh taught wisdom to both of them. The father... and the son.

The Qurʾān says it gently. To each of them... We gave wisdom.

When Dawud's life on this earth was complete... Sulayman became the next prophet. And the next king.

He raised his hands. And he made the most beautiful duʿāʾ.

*Rabbighfir lī wa hab lī mulkan lā yanbaghī li-aḥadin min baʿdī.*

My Lord... forgive me... and grant me a kingdom that no one after me should have.

And Allāh granted it.

A kingdom unlike any other in all of history.

Allāh gave Sulayman gifts no one had ever been given.

He could understand the speech of every creature. The chirp of a sparrow. The whisper of an ant. The call of the hoopoe bird.

He could speak with the jinn. He could even command the wind.

Can you imagine that? A wind that obeyed him. Carrying him a whole month's journey... in a single morning.

But the most amazing thing about Sulayman... was his heart.

For every gift Allāh gave him... he gave thanks.

He once said... *We have been taught the speech of birds... and we have been given of all things.*

He didn't say *I.* He said *we.* Because he knew... every gift was from Allāh.

One day... Sulayman set out with his great army. Soldiers walking together. Jinn at his side. Birds flying overhead in long, calm rows.

The wind carried them across the land. Past mountains. Past rivers. Toward a quiet valley.

A valley known... as the Valley of the Ants.

As they came near... a tiny ant felt the ground tremble. She heard the great army coming.

And she called out... in the speech of ants... to her people.

*O ants... go into your homes... so that Sulayman and his soldiers don't crush you... while they don't even notice.*

Sulayman heard her.

And he stopped.

He stopped his whole army... for one little ant.

Yes, this was the very ant we heard, right at the beginning of our story. And Sulayman did not step on her. He stopped everything... just to listen.

And the Qurʾān tells us something beautiful.

Sulayman smiled.

He smiled because she was right to warn her people. He smiled because Allāh had let him hear the smallest voice on earth. He smiled because it reminded him... how small he himself was... before his Lord.

And he raised his hands. And he made a duʿāʾ.

*Rabbi awziʿnī an ashkura niʿmatak.*

My Lord... inspire me to be grateful for Your gifts.

A king. With an army that could cross the sky. Stopping for an ant. And asking Allāh to make him grateful.

That is what Sulayman's heart looked like.

The army moved on.

Later that day... Sulayman walked among his birds. The eagles. The doves. The falcons. The sparrows.

But one bird was missing.

The hoopoe. A small bird with a fine crest of feathers... and a long, pointed beak. The one who could find water hidden deep underground. The one Sulayman trusted as a special messenger.

Sulayman looked across the sky. *Where is the hoopoe?* he asked. He told his court the hoopoe must explain himself.

A little time passed.

And then... a flutter of wings.

The hoopoe arrived. Tired. Excited. Bursting with news.

He landed before Sulayman... and he spoke.

*I have learned of something you have not learned. I have come to you from the land of Sabaʾ... with news that is certain.*

The whole court grew quiet.

The hoopoe described what he had seen. A faraway kingdom in the south. Lush and green. Ruled by a queen.

A queen who sat on a throne so vast and so beautiful... there was nothing like it. She had wealth. She had wisdom.

But the hoopoe said... there was something wrong.

She and her people did not bow to Allāh.

They bowed... to the sun.

Each morning, when the sun rose... they prostrated to it.

Sulayman listened carefully.

And he said... *We will see whether you have spoken the truth.*

He gave the hoopoe a letter. Sealed and marked.

*Take this to her,* he said. *And then step back. And listen for what they decide.*

The hoopoe rose into the sky. The wind lifted his small feathers.

And he flew south... carrying a letter that would change a kingdom.

The hoopoe arrived at the queen's palace. He dropped the letter from above... right at her feet.

She picked it up. She opened it. And she read.

The letter was short. The Qurʾān gives us the words.

*It is from Sulayman. And it is: In the Name of Allāh... the Most Merciful... the Most Compassionate. Do not be haughty toward me. And come to me in submission.*

The queen called her wisest advisors. She read them the letter. *What should we do?* she asked.

Some said... we are strong. We can fight.

But the queen was wise. She knew fighting would only hurt her people.

She said... *I will send him gifts. And I will see what kind of king he is. If he loves the gold... he is just a king. If he refuses it... he is something more.*

So she gathered her finest treasures. Chests of gold. Cloths woven with silver. Jewels that shone like the desert sun.

And she sent her messengers north.

When the messengers arrived... Sulayman was waiting.

He looked at the chests. He looked at all the gold.

And he said... *Are you trying to give me wealth? What Allāh has given me is better than what He has given you. Take it back.*

The messengers stared. They had expected a king who loved treasure. They had found... a prophet who did not need it.

They turned around. And they carried the gifts back home.

When the queen heard what had happened... her heart began to soften.

The queen decided she would come herself. She would travel north. She would meet this Sulayman.

When Sulayman heard she was coming... he turned to his court. And he asked a strange question.

*Which of you can bring me her throne... before they arrive?*

A great jinn stepped forward. *I will bring it before you stand up,* he said.

Then another voice spoke.

A man from Sulayman's own court. One who had been given knowledge of the Book.

*I will bring it to you... before you can blink.*

And before Sulayman could blink...

The throne was there.

Settled. Quiet. Resting in his great hall. Carried across mountains and deserts in less time than it takes to look down and look up again.

Sulayman saw it.

And he did not boast.

He did not say *look at my power.*

He said something we should never forget.

*This is from the bounty of my Lord... to test me whether I will be grateful... or ungrateful.*

Imagine that. A whole throne, brought across the world in a blink. And his very first thought... was about gratitude.

When the queen arrived... they brought her in. They asked her... is this throne yours?

She studied it. She felt the wonder of it. And she said... *as though it is.*

She knew her own throne when she saw it.

Then Sulayman invited her into his palace.

She stepped through the great doors. And she stopped.

In front of her was a vast floor. Smooth and shining. So clear it looked like still water.

She thought she would have to wade through. She lifted the edge of her garment... ready to step in.

Sulayman said gently... *It is not water. It is a floor of polished glass.*

The queen stood very still.

Because in that one moment... she understood something.

She had been looking at the world... and seeing only what it appeared to be. A sun she had bowed to. A throne she had thought was hers. A floor that looked like water.

But things were not what they appeared.

There was something deeper. Something true.

And she raised her face. And she made the most beautiful confession.

*My Lord... I have wronged myself. And I submit, together with Sulayman... to Allāh... the Lord of all the worlds.*

A queen with armies and gold. Bowing... to the One who made her.

That is what Sulayman's kingdom was for.

Not for power. Not for wealth.

For this.

Sulayman ruled for many years.

The wind carried him where he wished. Soft mornings. Quiet evenings.

The hoopoe still called from the cedars. The doves still cooed in the gardens.

And every morning... when the sun rose over his palace... Sulayman remembered Whose gifts they were.

He never stopped being grateful.

He never stopped being just.

He never stopped being the king... who would halt his army... for one tiny ant.

And then... his time on this earth came to an end.

The Qurʾān tells us something quiet and beautiful.

Sulayman was leaning on his staff. And Allāh gently took his soul.

The jinn kept working below... not knowing what had happened. Until a small worm... slowly... gently... chewed through the wood of his staff. And the staff fell.

And only then did the jinn learn... that no one knows when our time comes... except Allāh.

His kingdom too returned to Allāh. As all kingdoms do. As all of us do.

What stayed... was the smile. The smile of a king who heard an ant... and remembered to thank his Lord.

And now... slowly... we leave that great kingdom behind... and travel back home. To right here. Right now.

But carry Sulayman with you, wherever you go. He had more power than almost anyone who ever lived, the wind, the birds, the jinn, a kingdom like no other in all of history. And yet the most beautiful thing about him was his heart: for every single gift, he thanked Allah. He even stopped his whole army... just to listen to one tiny ant. So whenever Allah gives YOU something good, big or small, remember to thank Him too.

So carry Sulayman's dua with you. It means... my Lord... help me to be grateful... for all the gifts You give me.

*Rabbi awziʿnī an ashkura niʿmatak.*

Come with me. Today, we're going on a journey... far, far away... and long, long ago.

We're going to a great and beautiful kingdom... of green gardens... and pale stone palaces... ruled by a prophet-king.

And here we are, in the palace courtyard. The king is Prophet Dawud, alayhi salaam, a king with the most beautiful voice, and a judge with careful, gentle words. And beside him is his son... a boy with sharp eyes and a quiet heart... named Sulayman, alayhi salaam.

Allāh taught wisdom to both of them. The father... and the son.

The Qurʾān says it gently. *To each of them... We gave wisdom.*

From the time he was small... Sulayman could see things others missed. He could solve a problem the way a flower solves the rain. Quietly. Naturally.

He listened to the wind in the cedars. He watched the birds in the dawn sky. And he learned.

The years passed.

And when Dawud's life on this earth was complete... it was Sulayman's turn to lead.

He could have asked Allāh for many things. He could have asked for a long life. He could have asked for great riches. He could have asked for armies.

But Sulayman... raised his hands... and asked for something different.

He said... *Rabbighfir lī wa hab lī mulkan lā yanbaghī li-aḥadin min baʿdī.*

My Lord... forgive me first. And then grant me a kingdom that no one after me should have.

He asked for forgiveness... before he asked for gifts.

And Allāh granted his prayer.

A kingdom unlike any in all of history. A kingdom of wind and birds and jinn. A kingdom where even the ants could be heard.

But the most important thing... was not the kingdom.

It was the heart that asked for it.

A heart that wanted forgiveness... before it wanted power.

That is the kind of heart Allāh loves.

And now... slowly... we leave that beautiful kingdom behind... and travel back home. To right here. Right now.

But carry this with you, wherever you go. When you make your own dua... remember Sulayman. He asked Allah for forgiveness... before he asked for anything else at all. So ask Allah for what is good for your heart... even before what is good for your wishes. That is the kind of heart Allah loves.

So carry Sulayman's own dua with you. It means... my Lord... forgive me... and grant me a kingdom like no one after me will ever have.

*Rabbi ighfir lī wa hab lī mulkan lā yanbaghī li-aḥadin min baʿdī.*

Come with me. Today, we're going on a journey... far, far away... and long, long ago.

We're going up... high above the world... riding on the wind itself... with the army of a great king.

Feel the wind rushing past. Below you, the whole land rolls by, mountains, rivers, green valleys, a whole month's journey passing in a single morning. Because this is the kingdom of Prophet Sulayman, alayhi salaam, and the wind carries him wherever he wishes to go.

And now the wind is bringing his great army down... down toward a quiet green valley below.

A valley known... as the Valley of the Ants.

As they came near... a tiny ant felt the ground tremble. She heard the great army coming.

And she called out... in the speech of ants... to her people.

*O ants... go into your homes... so that Sulayman and his soldiers don't crush you... while they don't even notice.*

Sulayman heard her.

And he stopped.

He stopped his whole army... for one little ant.

And the Qurʾān tells us something beautiful.

Sulayman smiled.

He smiled because she was right. He smiled because Allāh had let him hear the smallest voice on earth. He smiled because it reminded him... how small he himself was... before his Lord.

And he raised his hands. And he made the most beautiful duʿāʾ.

*Rabbi awziʿnī an ashkura niʿmatak.*

My Lord... inspire me to be grateful for Your gifts.

A king. With an army that could cross the sky. Stopping for an ant. And asking Allāh to make him grateful.

And now... slowly... the wind carries us back down... and home. To right here. Right now.

But carry this with you, wherever you go. Allah hears every single voice. Even the smallest. Even the quietest. He heard one tiny ant, deep down in the grass. He hears the wind. And He hears your heart too, right now. And just like Sulayman, whenever Allah gives us something good... we can stop... and thank Him.

So carry Sulayman's dua with you. It means... my Lord... help me to be grateful... for all the gifts You give me.

*Rabbi awziʿnī an ashkura niʿmatak.*

Come with me. Today, we're going on a journey... far, far away... and long, long ago.

We're going into the grand court of a prophet-king... a court like no other in all the world.

Because this king can understand the speech of every creature, so his court is full of birds, waiting quietly all around him. This is the court of Prophet Sulayman, alayhi salaam.

There were eagles. There were doves. There were falcons.

But one bird was very special. The hoopoe.

A small bird. With a fine crest of feathers on his head... and a long, pointed beak. The hoopoe could find water hidden deep underground. He was Sulayman's special messenger.

One day... Sulayman walked among his birds. Looking. Counting. Checking who was there.

But the hoopoe was missing.

Sulayman looked across the sky. *Where is the hoopoe?* he wondered.

He told his court the hoopoe must explain himself when he returned.

A little time passed.

And then... a flutter of wings.

The hoopoe arrived. Tired. Excited. Bursting with news.

He landed before Sulayman. And he spoke.

*I have learned of something you have not learned... I have come to you from the land of Sabaʾ... with news that is certain.*

The whole court grew quiet.

Sulayman listened. Because even a prophet... knows only what Allāh lets him know. And the hoopoe had been shown something... that Sulayman had not yet been shown.

The hoopoe described what he had seen.

A faraway kingdom in the south. Lush and green. Ruled by a queen.

A queen who sat on a throne so vast and so beautiful... there was nothing like it.

But the hoopoe said... there was something wrong.

She and her people did not bow to Allāh.

They bowed... to the sun.

Each morning, when the sun rose... they prostrated to it.

Sulayman listened carefully.

He said... *We will see whether you have spoken the truth.*

He gave the hoopoe a letter. Sealed and marked.

*Take this to her,* he said. *And then step back. And listen.*

The hoopoe rose into the sky. The wind lifted his small feathers.

And he flew south... carrying a letter that would change a kingdom.

And now... slowly... we leave that grand court behind... and travel back home. To right here. Right now.

But carry this with you, wherever you go. A small bird carried a message that turned a whole kingdom toward Allah. So never think you are too small to do something big. Even the smallest ones can do wonderful things... when Allah sends them. And just like the hoopoe, you can go out and learn... and use what you learn for good.

So carry this little dua with you. It means... O Allah... I ask You for knowledge that helps, and does good.

*Allāhumma innī asʾaluka ʿilman nāfiʿā.*

Come with me. Today, we're going on a journey... far, far away... and long, long ago.

We're going to a rich and beautiful palace... far to the south... where a wise queen sits upon a great golden throne.

Watch, high above her, a small bird is flying. It is the hoopoe! And look... he drops something... a letter... that flutters down and lands right at the queen's feet. It is a letter from a faraway prophet-king named Sulayman, alayhi salaam.

She picked it up. She opened it. And she read.

The letter was short. The Qurʾān gives us the words.

*It is from Sulayman. And it is: In the Name of Allāh... the Most Merciful... the Most Compassionate. Do not be haughty toward me. And come to me in submission.*

The queen called her wisest advisors. She read them the letter. *What should we do?* she asked.

Some said... we are strong. We can fight.

But the queen was wise. She knew fighting would only hurt her people.

She said... *I will send him gifts. And I will see what kind of king he is. If he loves the gold... he is just a king. If he refuses it... he is something more.*

So she gathered her finest treasures.

Chests of gold. Cloths woven with silver. Jewels that shone like the desert sun.

And she sent her messengers north.

When the messengers arrived... Sulayman was waiting.

He looked at the chests. He looked at all the gold.

And he said... *Are you trying to give me wealth? What Allāh has given me is better than what He has given you. Take it back.*

The messengers stared. They had expected a king who loved treasure. They had found... a prophet who did not need it.

They turned around. And they carried the gifts back home.

When the queen heard what had happened... her heart began to soften.

She had thought he was just a king. He wasn't. He was something more.

And now... slowly... we leave that golden palace behind... and travel back home. To right here. Right now.

But carry this with you, wherever you go. Gold is such a small thing... next to what Allah has already given us. A safe home. A loving family. Someone who cares for you. The very best gifts... are the ones we could never buy. So instead of always wanting more, and more, and more... we can look around... and thank Allah for all that we already have.

So carry this little dua with you. It means... my Lord... make me content... and happy... with what You have given me.

*Rabbi qanniʿnī bimā razaqtanī.*

Come with me. Today, we're going on a journey... far, far away... and long, long ago.

We're going into the great hall of Prophet Sulayman, alayhi salaam, a hall of tall pillars, and floors so polished they shine like glass.

And something exciting is about to happen. The wise queen of the south is travelling all this way to meet the king. And now Sulayman turns to his court... and asks them a very strange question.

*Which of you can bring me her throne... before she arrives?*

A great jinn stepped forward. *I will bring it before you stand up,* he said.

Then another voice spoke.

A man from Sulayman's own court. One who had been given knowledge of the Book.

*I will bring it to you... before you can blink.*

And before Sulayman could blink...

The throne was there.

Settled. Quiet. Resting in his great hall. Carried across mountains and deserts in less time than it takes to look down... and look up again.

Sulayman saw it.

And he did not boast.

He did not say *look at my power.*

He said something we should never forget.

*This is from the bounty of my Lord... to test me whether I will be grateful... or ungrateful.*

A whole throne, brought across the world in a blink. And his very first thought... was about gratitude.

When the queen arrived... they brought her in. They asked her... is this throne yours?

She studied it. She felt the wonder of it. And she said... *as though it is.*

She knew her own throne when she saw it.

Then Sulayman invited her into his palace.

She stepped through the great doors. And she stopped.

In front of her was a vast floor. So smooth. So shining. So clear it looked like still water.

She thought she would have to wade through. She lifted the edge of her garment... ready to step in.

Sulayman said gently... *It is not water. It is a floor of polished glass.*

The queen stood very still.

Because in that one moment... she understood something.

She had been looking at the world... and seeing only what it appeared to be. A sun she had bowed to. A throne she had thought was hers. A floor that looked like water.

But things were not what they seemed.

There was something deeper. Something true.

And she raised her face. And she made the most beautiful confession.

*My Lord... I have wronged myself. And I submit, together with Sulayman... to Allāh... the Lord of all the worlds.*

A queen with armies and gold. Bowing... to the One who made her.

That is what Sulayman's whole kingdom was for. Not for the power. Not for the wealth. For this one moment... a heart turning back to Allah.

And now... slowly... we leave that shining hall behind... and travel back home. To right here. Right now.

But carry this with you, wherever you go. When Allah gave Sulayman something amazing, his very first thought was not "look at me", it was to thank his Lord. And the wise queen learned that things are not always what they seem: there is always something deeper, and truer, underneath. So look for what is true... and thank Allah for every good thing.

So carry this little dua with you. It means... all praise is for Allah... by whose grace all good things are completed.

*Al-ḥamdu lillāhilladhī bi-niʿmatihi tatimmu-ṣ-ṣāliḥāt.*

Come with me. Today, we're going on a journey... far, far away... and long, long ago.

We're going up onto the soft, warm wind... to glide high above a kingdom of green gardens and singing fountains.

Feel the wind carry you gently along. Below you, the gardens slip by, cedar trees and date palms, and courtyards where fountains sing and doves call in the warm air. This is the kingdom of Prophet Sulayman, alayhi salaam, who ruled for many, many years... with the wind itself at his command. It could carry him a whole month's journey... in a single morning.

The jinn worked for him by Allāh's permission. They built. They dove deep into the seas... bringing back pearls. They shaped great works for his kingdom.

But Sulayman never thought he had done any of it himself.

He knew. Every gift was from Allāh.

In his palace... the gardens grew thick with cedars and date palms. Fountains sang in the courtyards. Hoopoes called from the trees. Doves cooed in the warm air.

And every morning... when the sun rose over his halls... Sulayman remembered.

He remembered the ant... in the valley.

He remembered the throne... that came in a blink.

He remembered the queen... who bowed to Allāh.

And he raised his hands.

*Rabbi awziʿnī an ashkura niʿmatak.*

My Lord... inspire me to be grateful for Your gifts.

The same words. Every day. For all his years.

And then... his time on this earth came to an end.

The Qurʾān tells us something quiet and beautiful.

Sulayman was leaning on his staff. And Allāh gently took his soul.

The jinn kept working below... not knowing what had happened. Until a small worm... slowly... gently... chewed through the wood of his staff. And the staff fell.

And only then did the jinn learn... that no one knows when our time comes... except Allāh.

His kingdom too returned to Allāh. As all kingdoms do.

But what stayed... was the smile. The smile of a king who heard an ant... and remembered to thank his Lord.

And now... slowly... the wind carries us gently back down... and home. To right here. Right now.

But carry Sulayman with you, wherever you go. He had everything, and every single day, he still remembered to thank the One who gave it all. And he taught us one last quiet thing, at the very end: that no one knows when our time will come... except Allah. So let us live the way Sulayman did, grateful for today, and close to Allah, always.

So carry this beautiful dua with you, one you can say for your whole life. It means... our Lord... give us good in this world... and good in the next.

*Rabbanā ātinā fi-d-dunyā ḥasanatan wa fi-l-ākhirati ḥasanah.*