was a sorcerer; a faction of the Jews propagated that claim. But Allah exonerated Solomon from it and made clear that sorcery is harmful knowledge, for He said: “They followed what the devils had recited during Solomon’s reign. Yet Solomon did not disbelieve” [al-Baqarah 102]—that is, he never taught, approved of, or was satisfied with sorcery (1)—“but the devils disbelieved, teaching people sorcery…” [al-Baqarah 102].

Such is the magnificence of the Quran: it commands humankind to believe in all the messengers, praises them for their noble qualities, and purifies them of the falsehoods people attribute to them—falsehoods that contradict their mission.

Allah had also tested Solomon, casting upon his throne a body—namely, a devil—as a reproach for certain lapses and to bring him to perfect humility before his Lord. Thus the Almighty said: “Then he turned in repentance” [Sad 34]—with his heart, tongue, body, outwardly and inwardly—saying, “My Lord, forgive me, and grant me a kingdom that will not belong to anyone after me. You are indeed the Bestower” [Sad 35]. Allah answered his prayer, forgave his sin, and granted him everything he requested, as mentioned earlier.

Allah praised both David and Solomon for their knowledge and sound judgment, while granting Solomon an extra measure of discernment: “And [remember] David and Solomon, when they judged concerning the field into which the sheep of some people had strayed by night and grazed therein…” [al-Anbiyaʾ 78]. The sheep had entered their orchard at night and eaten the crops and trees. David, exercising his own reasoning, ruled that the sheep should belong to the owner of the field, assuming the loss to the field matched their value.

The matter was then referred to Solomon, who ruled that the owner of the sheep must tend the damaged land—watering, restoring, and supervising it—until it returned to its former condition prior to the grazing, and that he should hand over to the field’s owner