of yours, whom I shall grant dominion after you—his name is Solomon—and I shall bring it to completion at his hand.” When Allah caused him to die, Solomon succeeded him. He desired to complete the construction of the Holy House, so he gathered the jinn and devils and apportioned the tasks among them, assigning each group a particular task exclusively to it. He sent the jinn and devils to obtain marble and white crystal from their mines, and ordered the city to be built of marble and stone slabs. He made it into twelve districts, settling in each district one tribe of the tribes; and they were twelve tribes.
When he had completed the construction of the city, he began building the sanctuary. He dispatched (1) the devils in separate groups: some to extract gold, silver, and rubies from their mines, and pure pearls from the sea; some to quarry gems and stones from their locations; and others to bring him musk, ambergris, and every other kind of perfume from their sources. From this there came such an abundance as none can reckon except Allah, exalted is He.
He then summoned the craftsmen and ordered them to carve those massive stones into slabs, to prepare those gems, and to drill the rubies and pearls. He built the sanctuary with white, yellow, and green marble; supported it with pillars of pure crystal; roofed it with panels of precious gems; and inlaid its ceilings and walls with pearls, rubies, and other jewels. He paved its floor with turquoise slabs. At that time, there was no building on earth more splendid or more radiant than that sanctuary; it shone in the darkness like the moon on the night of the full moon.
When he had completed it, he gathered the learned men of the Children of Israel and informed them that he had built it for Allah, exalted is He, and that everything in it was devoted purely to Allah. He made the day on which he completed it a festival.
It is narrated from Abdullah ibn Amr ibn al-As that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “When Solomon completed the building of the Holy House, he asked his Lord for three things. He was granted two of them, and I hope that He granted him the third as well. He asked for judgment that would accord with His judgment, and He granted it to him. He asked Him for a dominion that would not befit anyone after him, and He granted it to him. And he asked Him that no one should come to this House and pray two rak'ahs therein except that he would emerge from his sins as he was on the day his mother gave birth to him. And I hope that He granted him that.” (2)
They said: The Holy House remained as Solomon had built it until Nebuchadnezzar invaded it. He devastated the city, demolished it, and destroyed the sanctuary. He took the gold, silver, pearls, rubies, and other jewels that were in its ceilings and walls, carried them to the seat of his kingdom in the land of Iraq, and the devils built many [remarkable] (3) stone fortresses for Solomon in Yemen.