Al-Bidayah wa an-Nihayah - Ibn Kathir - (6/423)

Al-Bidayah wa an-NihayahIbn Kathir

…for him, and they carried out other tasks besides that; and We were watchful over them.” (al-Anbiyaʾ 81–82)

He, exalted be He, also said, “And for Solomon We subjected the wind—its morning course was a month and its evening course a month—and We made a spring of molten copper flow for him. Among the jinn were those who worked before him by permission of their Lord; and whoever of them swerved from Our command, We made him taste the punishment of the Blaze. They fashioned for him whatever he desired: lofty halls, statues, basins as large as troughs, and cauldrons firmly fixed. ‘Work, O House of David, in gratitude!’ Yet few of My servants are truly grateful.” (Sabaʾ 12–13)

We have already discussed this at length in the account of his story, in the tafsir, and in the hadith recorded by Imam Ahmad (1), deemed sound by al-Tirmidhi (2), Ibn Majah (3), Ibn Hibban (4), and al-Hakim in his Mustadrak (5), narrated from ʿAbd Allah ibn ʿAmr, from the Prophet ﷺ:

“When Solomon (peace be upon him) finished building Bayt al-Maqdis, he asked Allah for three things: that his judgment should coincide with Allah’s judgment, a dominion that would belong to no one after him, and that whoever comes to this mosque would leave free of sin as on the day his mother bore him.”

With regard to the wind being placed at Solomon’s service, Allah the Exalted said concerning the Confederates: “O you who believe, remember Allah’s favor upon you when the hosts came against you, and We sent against them a wind and hosts you did not see. Allah is ever-seeing of what you do.” (al-Ahzab 9)

It has been mentioned previously in the narration recorded by Muslim, through Shuʿbah, from al-Hakam, from Mujahid, from Ibn ʿAbbas, that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

“I was aided by the east wind, and ʿAd was destroyed by the west wind.” (6)

Muslim also transmits it through al-Aʿmash, from Masʿud ibn Malik, from Saʿid ibn Jubayr, from Ibn ʿAbbas, from the Prophet ﷺ with the same wording (7).

In the two Ṣaḥīḥs it is established that he ﷺ said:

“I have been helped by awe at a distance of a month’s journey.” (8)

That is, whenever he set out to fight a group of unbelievers, Allah cast terror of him into their hearts a month before he reached them—even if his own march lasted a month. This corresponds to “its morning course was a month and its evening course a month” (Sabaʾ 12), yet it is even more emphatic in empowerment, victory, support, and triumph. The winds were also subjected to him, driving the clouds to bring down the rain by which Allah showed mercy when the Messenger of Allah ﷺ supplicated for rain on more than one occasion, as has already been noted.

Abu Nuʿaym said: If it is asked, “But Solomon had the wind placed at his command, carrying him through the lands of Allah—its morning course a month and its evening course a month,” the answer is that what was granted to Muhammad ﷺ…

(1) In his Musnad (vol. 2, p. 176), with a sound isnad. (2) He stated this, but it is not authentic, for al-Tirmidhi did not include it at all. (3) In his Sunan (no. 1408). (4) In his Sahih (nos. 1633 and 6420). (5) Al-Mustadrak by al-Hakim (vol. 2, p. 434). (6) Narrated by Muslim in the Prayer for Rain (al-Istisqaʾ), no. 900, chapter 17: “On the Morning and Evening Breeze” (riḥ al-ṣabā’ wa al-dabūr). (7) Narrated by Muslim in the Prayer for Rain (al-Istisqaʾ), no. 900, chapter 18. (8) Narrated by al-Bukhari in the chapter on Dry Ablution (Tayammum), no. 335, and by Muslim in the chapter on Mosques, no. 523.

لَهُ وَيَعْمَلُونَ عَمَلًا دُونَ ذَلِكَ وَكُنَّا لَهُمْ حَافِظِينَ﴾ [الأنبياء: ٨١ - ٨٢] وقال تعالى: ﴿وَلِسُلَيْمَانَ الرِّيحَ غُدُوُّهَا شَهْرٌ وَرَوَاحُهَا شَهْرٌ وَأَسَلْنَا لَهُ عَيْنَ الْقِطْرِ وَمِنَ الْجِنِّ مَنْ يَعْمَلُ بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ بِإِذْنِ رَبِّهِ وَمَنْ يَزِغْ مِنْهُمْ عَنْ أَمْرِنَا نُذِقْهُ مِنْ عَذَابِ السَّعِيرِ (١٢) يَعْمَلُونَ لَهُ مَا يَشَاءُ مِنْ مَحَارِيبَ وَتَمَاثِيلَ وَجِفَانٍ كَالْجَوَابِ وَقُدُورٍ رَاسِيَاتٍ اعْمَلُوا آلَ دَاوُودَ شُكْرًا وَقَلِيلٌ مِنْ عِبَادِيَ الشَّكُورُ﴾ [سبأ: ١٢ - ١٣] وقد بسطنا ذلك في قصته، وفي التفسير أيضًا، وفي الحديث الذي رواه الإمام أحمد (١) وصحَّحه الترمذي (٢) ، وابن ماجه (٣) وابن حبان (٤) ، والحاكم في مستدركه (٥) : عن عبد الله بن عمرو، عن النبي ﷺ : "أن سليمانَ (عليه السلام) لما فرغَ من بناء بيت المقدس سألَ الله خلالًا ثلاثًا، سألَ الله حكمًا يُوافق حكمَه، ومُلكًا لا ينبغي لأحدٍ من بعده، وأنه لا يأتي هذا المسجد أحدٌ إلا خرجَ من ذنوبه كيومَ ولدته أُمُّه" . أما تسخيرُ الريح لسليمان، فقد قال الله تعالى في شأن الأحزاب: ﴿يَاأَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اذْكُرُوا نِعْمَةَ اللَّهِ عَلَيْكُمْ إِذْ جَاءَتْكُمْ جُنُودٌ فَأَرْسَلْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ رِيحًا وَجُنُودًا لَمْ تَرَوْهَا وَكَانَ اللَّهُ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ بَصِيرًا﴾ [الأحزاب: ٩] . وقد تقدَّم في الحديث الذي رواه مسلم: من طريق شعبة، عن الحَكَم، عن مجاهد، عن ابن عباس؛ أن رسول الله ﷺ قال: "نُصرتُ بالصبا وأُهلكت عاد بالدبور" (٦) . ورواه مسلم: من طريق الأعمش، عن مسعود بن مالك، عن سعيد بن جُبير، عن ابن عباس، عن النبي ﷺ مثله (٧) . وثبتَ في الصحيحين: "نُصرتُ بالرُّعبِ مسيرةَ شهر" (٨) . ومعنى ذلك أنه ﷺ كان إذا قصدَ قتالَ قوم من الكفار ألقى الله الرعبَ في قلوبهم منه قبلَ وصوله إليهم بشهر، ولو كان مسيرُه شهرًا، فهذا في مقابلة ﴿غُدُوُّهَا شَهْرٌ وَرَوَاحُهَا شَهْرٌ﴾ [سبأ:١٢] بل هذا أبلغ في التمكين والنصر والتأييد والظفر، وسُخِّرَتْ له الرياحُ تسوقُ السَّحابَ لإنزال المطر الذي امتنَ الله تعالى به حين استسقى رسولُ الله ﷺ لأصحابه في غير ما موطن كما تقدَّمَ. وقال أبو نُعيم: فإن قيل: فإن سليمانَ سُخِّرَت له الريحُ فسارت به في بلاد الله، وكان غدوُّها شهرًا ورواحُها شهرًا. قيل: ما أعطي محمّدٌ ﷺ

(١) في مسنده (٢/ ١٧٦) وإسناده صحيح. (٢) كذا قال، ولا يصح، فإن الترمذي لم يخرجه أصلًا. (٣) في سننه (١٤٠٨). (٤) في صحيحه (١٦٣٣) و (٦٤٢٠). (٥) مستدرك الحاكم (٢/ ٤٣٤). (٦) رواه مسلم في صلاة الاستسقاء (٩٠٠) (١٧) باب في ريح الصبا والدبور. (٧) رواه مسلم في الاستسقاء (٩٠٠) (١٨). (٨) رواه البخاري في التيمم (٣٣٥) ومسلم في المساجد (٥٢٣).