201 – ʿAbd Allah narrated to us; he said: Hamzah ibn al-ʿAbbās narrated to me; he said: Khāqān ibn Yaḥyā ibn ʿAbd Allah informed us; he said: al-Walīd ibn Muslim informed us, from Saʿīd ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz, who said:

“When Solomon—peace be upon him—had his kingdom taken from him, he stretched out his hand to beg. Someone gave him a single dry crust of bread. He began to chew it but was unable to do so, so he went down to the seashore to soften it. A wave struck and carried it away. Solomon followed it, for he needed it, until he feared drowning and turned back. Then the wave drove it back toward him; he went after it to seize it, but it drifted away. This happened two or three times. Thereupon he fell prostrate to Allah on the shore and said, ‘You have tested me even with this crust: I cannot grasp it to bring myself relief, nor does it go away so that I might be rid of it. If I knew the sin for which You are punishing me, I would repent to You of it, but I do not know it—so forgive me entirely.’ The narrator said: After that, Allah restored (his kingdom) to him.”