192 – ‘Abd Allāh narrated to us, saying: Abū Khaythamah, Isḥāq ibn Ismāʿīl, and Abū Hilāl al-Ashʿarī related to us: Muḥammad ibn Khāzim, Abū Muʿāwiyah al-Ḍarīr, narrated to us from al-Aʿmash, from al-Minhāl ibn ʿAmr, from Saʿīd ibn Jubayr, from Ibn ʿAbbās, who said:
When Solomon—peace be upon him—was put to the test, the cause of his trial lay with some relatives of a wife of his who was called Jarādah. She was one of the wives he loved most. Whenever he wished to enter the privy or became junub (in a state of major ritual impurity), he would give her his ring. A group of people were disputing with Jarādah’s kinsfolk, and Solomon’s inclination was that the right should be with Jarādah’s people. She noticed, however, that his leaning toward them was no longer single-minded. When he was about to go to the toilet he handed her the ring. The devil then came to her in the likeness of Solomon and said, “Hand me my ring.” She gave it to him, and the moment he put it on, the jinn, mankind, and the devils all submitted to him. After that Solomon came to her and said, “Give me my ring.” ⦗129⦘ She answered, “Get out! You are not Solomon; Solomon has already come and taken his ring.”
Realising what had happened, Solomon understood that the affair had come about through his wife. He went out and began working as a porter on the seashore, carrying loads on his back. Whenever he declared, “I am Solomon,” the boys pelted him with stones.
Meanwhile the devils wrote books filled with unbelief and sorcery, buried them beneath Solomon’s throne, then brought them out and read them to the people, who said, “Solomon only overpowered people by means of these writings.” The people thus disavowed Solomon and continued to call him an unbeliever until Allāh sent Muḥammad—peace and blessings be upon him.
That devil went on committing sins and spreading evil. When Allāh willed to return the kingdom to Solomon, He placed in the people’s hearts loathing for what the devil was doing. They came to Solomon’s wives and asked, “Have you noticed anything objectionable from Solomon?” They replied, “Yes.” The devil realised then that his end was near; he threw the ring into the sea, and a fish swallowed it. A man bought some fish, among which was that very fish with the ring in its belly. Solomon—peace be upon him—took it, split it open, found the ring, and put it on. At once the jinn, human beings, and devils submitted to him and greeted him with the salutation by which he had formerly been greeted. The devil fled and took refuge on one of the sea’s islands.
Abū Muʿāwiyah said: At this point al-Kalbī joined al-Aʿmash in the narration, saying: Solomon—peace be upon him—sent men in pursuit of him, and they continued searching ⦗130⦘ for he was a rebellious devil. They found him one day asleep, built a house of lead over him, and when he awoke and leapt about, the lead moved with him in every direction. They captured him, tied him up securely, and brought him to Solomon—peace be upon him. His name was Sakhr. Solomon ordered that a throne of marble be hollowed out; they placed him inside it, sealed it with copper, and then cast it into the sea.
This explains Allāh’s words: “We certainly tried Solomon and cast upon his throne a body” (Qurʾān 38:34)—namely the devil who had been given power over him—“then he turned in repentance” (38:34), meaning Solomon. When Allāh restored his kingdom, Solomon—peace be upon him—said: “Grant me a kingdom that none after me will have” (38:35), that is, do not allow any devil like the one You set over me to rule it.
People went on accusing Solomon of disbelief until Allāh sent Muḥammad ﷺ and revealed: “They followed what the devils recited during Solomon’s reign” (2:102)—meaning the scrolls they had buried—“Solomon did not disbelieve, but the devils disbelieved” (2:102). Thus Allāh cleared him of blame through this verse.