Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah

Hazrat Khaythamah says: Hazrat Sulaiman bin Dawood (peace be upon him) said: We have experienced every kind of life, both one of comfort and ease, and one of hardships and afflictions, and we have found that (whatever state we are in) it is possible to get by even in a more difficult state than this.

Hazrat Khaythamah says: The Angel of Death came to Hazrat Sulaiman bin Dawood (peace be upon him), and you (peace be upon him) had a relationship of friendship with him. So you said to him: "You are strange! You enter a house and seize the souls of all the household members, while you leave the household members of the adjacent (house) (alive and well), not seizing the soul of even one of them (what is the matter with this)?" The Angel of Death replied: "I do not know anything about whose soul I am to seize. I am (standing humbly) under the Throne, then a slip (of paper) is dropped towards me, in which the names (of those whose souls I am to seize) are written."

Hazrat Khaythama says: The Angel of Death came to Hazrat Sulaiman (peace be upon him) and began to stare intently at one of your (Sulaiman’s) companions. When he (the Angel) left, that man said: Who was that? You (peace be upon him) replied: That was the Angel of Death. He said: It seemed to me that he was staring at me as if he intended to take my soul. You (peace be upon him) asked: So what do you want? He said: I want you to have the wind carry me to the land of India. The narrator says: You (peace be upon him) commanded the wind, so the wind lifted that man and took him to the land of India. Then the Angel of Death (again) came to Hazrat Sulaiman (peace be upon him), so you (peace be upon him) asked: Why were you staring at one of my companions? The Angel of Death said: I was astonished at him, because I was commanded to seize his soul in India, and yet he was sitting with you.

Hazrat Yahya bin Abi Kathir says: Hazrat Sulaiman bin Dawood (peace be upon him) advised his son (to be cautious in dealings), saying: O my beloved son! Just as a nail (imperceptibly) penetrates between two stones, in the same way, corruption (imperceptibly) enters into the dealings of buyers and sellers.

Hazrat Salaman bin Amir Shaibani says: Look at Hazrat Sulaiman (peace be upon him) and the grandeur of his kingdom! And his (state of faith) was such that throughout his life, out of fear of Allah Almighty, he never raised his head towards the sky.

Hazrat Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) said: Due to the awe and majesty of Prophet Sulaiman bin Dawood (peace be upon him), no one would even speak with him. The narrator says: Until (one evening) even the Asr prayer passed by him unknowingly, yet no one had the courage to speak (and inform him).

Hazrat Abu Darda (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: When one of the sons of Hazrat Sulaiman (peace be upon him) passed away, he (peace be upon him) felt intense sorrow and grief over it. To such an extent that its effect was even noticed in his personality and judgments. So, one day when he (peace be upon him) came to the assembly of judgment, two angels (in the form of humans) appeared before him to resolve a dispute. One of them said: I sowed seeds, and when they ripened and were ready to be harvested, this (other person) passed by and ruined them. He (peace be upon him) asked the other: What do you say? He replied: He speaks the truth. I was walking on the path and reached his field; I looked to the right and left, but the path was the same (on which he had grown the crop), so I walked through it (and it got ruined). (Upon hearing this) Sulaiman (peace be upon him) asked the first person: Why did you sow seeds on the path? Did you not know that people have to pass through the path? To this, the person replied: O Sulaiman (peace be upon him)! (If that is so) then why do you grieve so much over your son, even though you know that one day you too will die, and you (also) know that all people are heading towards the Hereafter.

It is narrated from Hazrat Abu Sadiq Naji that Hazrat Sulaiman bin Dawood (peace be upon him) went out with the people to pray to Allah Almighty for rain. On the way, he passed by an ant that was lying on its back with its legs raised towards the sky, saying: "O Allah! I am also (one of the lowliest) of Your creatures. I am not independent of Your sustenance. Either give me water to drink, or grant me death." Sulaiman (peace be upon him) immediately said to the people: "Return, for you have been given water by the prayer of someone else."

Hazrat Ismail bin Abi Khalid says: It has been said about a prophet that he said: O Allah! Do not burden me with the hardship of seeking that which You have not decreed for me, and grant me with ease and well-being the sustenance which You have written in my destiny. And just as You have reformed the righteous people, reform me in the same way. For (I know that) it is You Who have reformed the righteous.

It is narrated from Hazrat Zaid bin Aslam: One of the Prophets (o) of Allah Almighty said: Which of Your chosen servants are such chosen ones who (on the Day of Resurrection) will be under the shade of Your Throne? Allah Almighty said: These will be the people whose hands are free from (oppression and injustice), whose hearts are pure, who love each other because of My greatness. These are the people that when they are mentioned, due to their (deep connection with Me), I am also mentioned, and when I am mentioned, due to My (immense kindness and mercy upon them), they are also mentioned. These are the people who, despite (the discomfort of cold), perform their ablution completely, and these are the people who are so madly in love with Me as a child is madly in love with (his familiar) people. And these are the people who (fearing the heat of sins) take refuge in the (cool shade) of My remembrance just as a bird takes refuge in its nest, and these are the people who become as angry at considering My forbidden things as lawful (or at their being committed) as a leopard becomes (angry when deprived of its prey), or he said: (as a leopard) becomes angry at the time of fighting.

Hasan narrates that Prophet Dawud ﷺ said: O Allah Almighty! Grant me such a brother, friend, neighbor, and companion that if (due to human nature) I become even slightly heedless, he would alert me to it, and in a state of alertness, assist me in good deeds. And protect me from such brothers, friends, neighbors, and companions who neither alert me in heedlessness nor assist me in times of awareness.

Hasan says: Prophet Dawud ﷺ used to say: O Allah! Do not afflict me with such an illness that renders me completely useless, nor grant me such health that makes me heedless (of the truth), but grant me a state of moderation.

Hasan says: Indeed, whenever any trial befell Ayub (peace be upon him), he (peace be upon him) would say: You alone (withhold or take back Your blessings), and You alone (bestow blessings). As long as You keep the thread of my breaths tied, I will remain grateful to You for Your excellent (manner of) testing.

Hazrat Thabit Banani says: It has reached us that the Prophet Dawud (peace be upon him) had designated places in his houses as prayer mats for his wives and children. Whether it was a time during the day or a part of the night, at all times someone from his household would be engaged in prayer on those mats. Thus, this verse is general for all those (family members) (who participated in this good deed): O family of Dawud, give thanks (to your Lord), and few of My servants are truly grateful.

It is narrated from Hasan that the Prophet Dawud (peace be upon him) said: My True Lord! If every single hair of mine had two tongues and they were engaged day and night in Your glorification, even then they would not be able to fulfill the due gratitude for even the smallest of Your blessings.

Hazrat Abu Uthman says: It has reached us that Hazrat Dawood (peace be upon him) said: O my True Lord! What is the reward for the person whose eyes shed tears out of fear of You? Allah, the Most Glorious and Exalted, said: His reward is that I will grant him safety on the Day of Great Terror (i.e., the Day of Resurrection).