Juz 22: Al-Aḥzāb 31 to Yā Sīn 27
Section 11 of 18 · Tafsir of the Qur’an · Mufti Abdul Rahman Mangera
11. The Story of Dawud and Sulayman
Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala in Surah Saba presents two contrasting examples of how believers respond to His blessings. The first example focuses on two noble prophets, Dawud and Sulayman (peace be upon them), who exemplified the virtue of shukr (gratitude) in response to the extraordinary favors bestowed upon them.
When discussing Prophet Dawud (peace be upon him), Allah mentions:
وَلَقَدْ آتَيْنَا دَاوُودَ مِنَّا فَضْلًا يَا جِبَالُ أَوِّبِي مَعَهُ وَالطَّيْرَ وَأَلَنَّا لَهُ الْحَدِيدَ
“And surely We gave Dawūd a great favor from Us: 'O mountains, pronounce Allah's purity with him, and you too O birds!' And We made iron soft for him." (34:10-11)”
Allah granted Dawud (peace be upon him) extraordinary blessings including a voice of such remarkable quality that when he would recite the Zabur (Psalms), the mountains and birds would join in his glorification of Allah. This was not mere poetic admiration but a literal miracle where nature itself participated in his worship. Additionally, Allah softened iron in his hands, allowing him to fashion it without requiring the typical furnaces and tools of metallurgy.
Allah further instructed him:
أَنِ اعْمَلْ سَابِغَاتٍ وَقَدِّرْ فِي السَّرْدِ
“(We said to him,) 'Make coats of mail, and maintain balance in combining the rings, and (O family of Dawūd,) act righteously. Surely I am watchful of what you do.'" (34:11)”
This divine instruction shows that Dawud (peace be upon him) was essentially operating something akin to an armor factory, crafting perfectly measured and balanced protective gear. The mention of "maintaining balance" emphasizes the precision required in this divinely taught craft. Importantly, this great blessing came with a reminder to do good deeds, as Allah is watchful over all actions.
For Sulayman (peace be upon him), Allah's blessings were even more extraordinary:
وَلِسُلَيْمَانَ الرِّيحَ غُدُوُّهَا شَهْرٌ وَرَوَاحُهَا شَهْرٌ وَأَسَلْنَا لَهُ عَيْنَ الْقِطْرِ وَمِنَ الْجِنِّ مَن يَعْمَلُ بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ بِإِذْنِ رَبِّهِ
“And for Sulayman (We subjugated) the wind; its journey in the morning was (equal to the journey of) one month, and its journey in the afternoon was (equal to the journey of) one month. And We caused a stream of copper to flow for him. And there were some jinn who worked before him by the permission of his Lord." (34:12)”
Sulayman (peace be upon him) was given command over the wind, allowing him to cover in a single day distances that would normally take a month by horse. Allah also softened copper for him and granted him authority over the jinn, who constructed magnificent structures under his command:
يَعْمَلُونَ لَهُ مَا يَشَاءُ مِن مَّحَارِيبَ وَتَمَاثِيلَ وَجِفَانٍ كَالْجَوَابِ وَقُدُورٍ رَّاسِيَاتٍ
“They were making for him whatever he wished of sanctuaries, statues, basins as (large as) tanks, and big cook-wares fixed (in their places)." (34:13)”
After describing these extraordinary blessings, Allah reminds the family of Dawud:
اعْمَلُوا آلَ دَاوُودَ شُكْرًا وَقَلِيلٌ مِّنْ عِبَادِيَ الشَّكُورُ
“'Work, O family of Dawūd, gratefully.' And few from My slaves are grateful." (34:13)”
The surah also mentions Sulayman's death, which occurred in a unique manner:
فَلَمَّا قَضَيْنَا عَلَيْهِ الْمَوْتَ مَا دَلَّهُمْ عَلَىٰ مَوْتِهِ إِلَّا دَابَّةُ الْأَرْضِ تَأْكُلُ مِنسَأَتَهُ
“So when We decided death for him, nothing indicated his death to them except a creature of the earth that ate his staff." (34:14)”
Sulayman (peace be upon him) died while standing, supported by his staff in prayer. The jinn continued their laborious work, unaware of his death, until a woodworm ate through part of his staff, causing him to fall. Only then did the jinn realize he had departed. This incident revealed that despite their claims to knowledge of the unseen, jinn possess no such knowledge; otherwise, they would have known of Sulayman's death and ceased their hard labor earlier.
The primary lesson from these narratives is that Allah bestows special favors upon whom He wills, and the proper response is profound gratitude. Both Dawud and Sulayman (peace be upon them) exemplified this gratitude despite receiving extraordinary powers and blessings—a model for believers who receive Allah's favors in any measure.