لو قال لك الله: اطلب ما شئت — فماذا تطلب؟ في قصة اليوم رجلٌ حدث له هذا، فطلب شيئًا عجيبًا: أن يؤتيه الله مُلكًا لا يكون لأحد من بعده أبدًا. فلماذا طلب هذا بالذات؟ وماذا فعل به لمّا أُعطيه؟
ورث سليمان عليه السلام النبوّة والمُلك عن أبيه داود. وقال الله عنه كلمةً تفسّر كلّ ما جاء بعدها: ﴿نِعْمَ الْعَبْدُ إِنَّهُ أَوَّابٌ﴾. وكان من أوّل ما فعل في مُلكه أن دعا: ﴿رَبِّ اغْفِرْ لِي وَهَبْ لِي مُلْكًا لَّا يَنبَغِي لِأَحَدٍ مِّنْ بَعْدِي إِنَّكَ أَنتَ الْوَهَّابُ﴾. وانتبه إلى ترتيب الدعاء: بدأ بالمغفرة قبل أن يطلب المُلك.
فأعطاه الله ما سأل وزاده. سخّر له الريح: ﴿غُدُوُّهَا شَهْرٌ وَرَوَاحُهَا شَهْرٌ﴾ — تسير به في أوّل النهار مسيرة شهر، وفي آخره مسيرة شهر. وسخّر له الجنّ يعملون بين يديه ﴿مَحَارِيبَ وَتَمَاثِيلَ وَجِفَانٍ كَالْجَوَابِ وَقُدُورٍ رَّاسِيَاتٍ﴾. وعلّمه منطق الطير، فكان يفهم ما تقوله الطير والنمل. وجُمع له جندٌ من الجنّ والإنس والطير ﴿فَهُمْ يُوزَعُونَ﴾ — أي يُحبس أوّلهم على آخرهم من كثرتهم حتى ينتظموا.
ومع هذا كله، انظر ماذا فعل حين سمع نملةً صغيرة تحذّر قومها منه ومن جنوده. لم يغضب ولم يتكبّر. ﴿فَتَبَسَّمَ ضَاحِكًا مِّن قَوْلِهَا وَقَالَ رَبِّ أَوْزِعْنِي أَنْ أَشْكُرَ نِعْمَتَكَ﴾. وفي موضع آخر، لمّا جيء له بعرش ملكة سبأ في طرفة عين قال: ﴿هَٰذَا مِن فَضْلِ رَبِّي لِيَبْلُوَنِي أَأَشْكُرُ أَمْ أَكْفُرُ﴾ — أي: هذا اختبار لي. الرجل الذي ملك ما لم يملكه أحد، كان يرى كل نعمة امتحانًا لا جائزة.
وفي آخر أمره مات وهو متّكئ على عصاه، فبقي الجنّ يعملون وهم يحسبونه قائمًا يراهم، حتى أكلت الأَرَضة — وهي دويبة صغيرة تأكل الخشب — عصاه فسقط. ﴿فَلَمَّا خَرَّ تَبَيَّنَتِ الْجِنُّ أَن لَّوْ كَانُوا يَعْلَمُونَ الْغَيْبَ مَا لَبِثُوا فِي الْعَذَابِ الْمُهِينِ﴾. أعظم مُلك أُعطيه بشر، كُشف أمره في النهاية بدويبة صغيرة تأكل عصا.
يقول الله تعالى يخبرنا عن دعاء سيدنا سليمان: {قَالَ رَبِّ اغْفِرْ لِي وَهَبْ لِي مُلْكًا لَّا يَنبَغِي لِأَحَدٍ مِّن بَعْدِي ۖ إِنَّكَ أَنتَ الْوَهَّابُ}.
النعمة اختبار؛ فالسؤال ليس كم عندك، بل ماذا تصنع بما عندك.
قال سليمان عن النعمة: «ليبلوني أأشكر أم أكفر». اختر نعمةً واحدة عندك، واسأل نفسك: كيف أشكرها عملًا لا كلامًا؟
اشكر اليوم من أحسن إليك بكلمة صريحة تقولها له في وجهه: جزاك الله خيرًا، لقد نفعتني فعلًا.
القرآن الكريم، سورة النمل: 15-44 وسبأ: 12-14 وص: 30-40
الملك وتسخير الريح والجن ومنطق الطير وخبر بلقيس، كله بنص الآيات.
If Allah said to you: ask for whatever you want — what would you ask for? In today's story a man was given exactly that, and asked for something extraordinary: a kingdom that would belong to no one after him, ever. Why ask for that in particular? And what did he do with it once he had it?
Sulaiman inherited prophethood and kingship from his father Dawud. Allah said of him a line that explains everything that follows: {An excellent servant; indeed, he was one repeatedly turning back to Allah.} Among the first things he did in his reign was pray: {My Lord, forgive me and grant me a kingdom such as will not belong to anyone after me. Indeed, You are the Bestower.} Notice the order of the prayer: he began with forgiveness before he asked for the kingdom.
Allah gave him what he asked and more. He made the wind serve him: {its morning course a month's journey and its afternoon course a month's journey.} He made the jinn work before him, making {elevated chambers, statues, bowls like reservoirs, and stationary kettles.} He taught him the speech of birds, so he understood what the birds and the ants said. And an army was gathered for him of jinn, men and birds, {and they were held in order} — the front held back for the rear because of how many they were.
And with all of that, look at what he did when he heard a small ant warning her people about him and his soldiers. He did not take offence and he was not arrogant. {So he smiled, amused at her speech, and said, My Lord, enable me to be grateful for Your favour.} Elsewhere, when the throne of the queen of Saba was brought to him in the blink of an eye, he said: {This is from the favour of my Lord to test me whether I will be grateful or ungrateful.} This is a test for me. The man who owned what no one else had seen every blessing as an exam, not a prize.
At the end of his life he died leaning on his staff, and the jinn kept working, thinking he was still standing and watching them — until a termite, a small creature that eats wood, ate through his staff and he fell. {And when he fell, it became clear to the jinn that if they had known the unseen, they would not have remained in humiliating punishment.} The greatest kingdom ever given to a human being was finally revealed by a small creature eating a stick.
A blessing is a test; the question is not how much you have, but what you do with what you have.
Sulaiman said of a blessing: "to test me whether I will be grateful or ungrateful." Pick one blessing you have and ask yourself: how do I thank Allah for it in action, not in words?
Thank someone who helped you today, out loud and to their face: may Allah reward you — that really helped me.
The Quran, Surah An-Naml: 15-44, Saba: 12-14, Sad: 30-40
The kingdom, the wind and the jinn made subject to him, the speech of birds and the account of the queen are all in the verses.