Surah Al-Anbiyaa (21) — Ayah 81

(Ayah 81) ➊ { وَ لِسُلَيْمٰنَ الرِّيْحَ عَاصِفَةً :} Allah Almighty commanded the water, so it drowned the entire nation of Noah (peace be upon him) except for him and his companions. He commanded the fire, so it became coolness and peace for Abraham (peace be upon him). The mountains and birds were subjugated to David (peace be upon him) for glorification, as He said: «{ وَ سَخَّرْنَا مَعَ دَاوٗدَ الْجِبَالَ يُسَبِّحْنَ وَ الطَّيْرَ }» [ الأنبیاء : ۷۹ ] However, neither the water nor the fire was made subservient to Noah or Abraham (peace be upon them), nor were the mountains or birds bound to obey David (peace be upon him). But the special distinction of Solomon (peace be upon him) is that the wind was made subservient to his command, as He said: «{ تَجْرِيْ بِاَمْرِهٖۤ }» that it moved by his command.

➋ The meaning of {’’ عَاصِفَةً ‘‘} is {’’شَدِيْدَةُ الْهُبُوْبِ‘‘} a very strong, swift-blowing wind. In Surah Sad, He said: «{ فَسَخَّرْنَا لَهُ الرِّيْحَ تَجْرِيْ بِاَمْرِهٖ رُخَآءً حَيْثُ اَصَابَ }» [ صٓ : ۳۶ ] “So We subjected to him the wind, which flowed gently by his command wherever he intended.” And in Surah Saba, He said: «{ وَ لِسُلَيْمٰنَ الرِّيْحَ غُدُوُّهَا شَهْرٌ وَّ رَوَاحُهَا شَهْرٌ }» [ سبا : ۱۲ ] “And (We subjected) the wind to Solomon; its morning course was a month’s journey, and its evening course was a month’s journey.” Here arises the question: in one place it is described as violent and swift, in another as very gentle? The answer is that this wind possessed both qualities: so swift that in the morning hours it would cover a month’s journey in a few hours, and likewise in the evening; and so gentle and smooth that neither Solomon (peace be upon him) nor his companions would feel any discomfort or jolt.

➌ { تَجْرِيْ بِاَمْرِهٖۤ اِلَى الْاَرْضِ الَّتِيْ بٰرَكْنَا فِيْهَا:} In the Qur’an, the blessed land refers to Sham (Greater Syria). See Surah Bani Isra’il. In this verse, the mention is of Solomon’s (peace be upon him) return to his capital, Sham, from any of his journeys, because sometimes a person travels very far and the return becomes difficult for him. Thus, Allah Almighty said that the wind moved by Solomon’s (peace be upon him) command towards the blessed land. As for Solomon (peace be upon him) traveling to other places, its mention is in Surah Sad (36) that the wind would move by his command wherever he intended, as mentioned in the previous benefit.

➍ What is meant by the wind being subjugated for Solomon (peace be upon him)? Some commentators have taken it to mean that the wind would blow favorably for his naval fleets, because in those times the movement of ships depended on favorable winds. These people refer to the Bible. Some of the Tabi‘in said that Solomon (peace be upon him) and his armies would sit on a very large wooden platform, and at his command, the wind would lift them and carry them to their destination. Some have mentioned a carpet of one square mile in this context. Obviously, none of these people were present at the time, nor have they stated any source for their information. As for the Bible, its status has already been detailed in the introduction. Allah Almighty mentioned in Surah Sad that Solomon (peace be upon him) prayed: «{ رَبِّ اغْفِرْ لِيْ وَهَبْ لِيْ مُلْكًا لَّا يَنْۢبَغِيْ لِاَحَدٍ مِّنْۢ بَعْدِيْ }» [ صٓ : ۳۵ ] “My Lord, forgive me and grant me a kingdom such as will not belong to anyone after me.” In acceptance of this prayer, Allah Almighty made the wind subservient to him, so that it would move wherever he intended by his command. Nowadays, humans cover journeys of months in hours by means of airplanes; if only the speed of sea travel were meant, then this would not be the kind of kingdom that would not befit anyone after Solomon (peace be upon him), because airplanes cross not only seas but also land, and they are present in almost every country. Therefore, it must be accepted that for him, the subjugation of the wind was not dependent on airplanes or such devices, but it was something far superior, by which he would travel by wind over seas and land, covering journeys of months in hours, wherever he wished. If its details could be understood by humans or were needed, Allah Almighty would have explained them. What Allah Almighty has stated is sufficient for us.

➎ { وَ كُنَّا بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ عٰلِمِيْنَ:} This is the answer to the question: how is it possible that a violent, swift wind could, with utmost gentleness, carry Solomon (peace be upon him) and cover journeys of months in a few hours? He said, We have always had knowledge of everything, and for Us, this is nothing extraordinary.

81. 1. That is, just as the mountains and birds were subjected to Dawud (عليه السلام), similarly, the wind was made subservient to Sulayman (عليه السلام). He would sit on his throne along with his ministers and officials, and wherever he wished, journeys of months would be covered in moments and hours, and he would reach there; the wind would carry his throne. By the blessed land is meant the region of Sham (Syria).

81. And We subjected for Solomon the raging wind, which blew by his command toward the land [69] which We had blessed. And We are fully aware [70] of all things.

[69]
The Subjugation of the Wind for Sayyiduna Sulaiman (Solomon) ؑ:

Earlier, the judgment of Hazrat Dawud and Hazrat Sulaiman ؑ was mentioned. Afterwards, their rewards were discussed. One miracle granted to Hazrat Sulaiman ؑ was that the strong and swift wind was subjugated for him. The wind would obey whatever command he gave, and in this way, he would cover a journey of one month in just a few hours, that is, between 3 to 6 hours. This is what is proven from the explicit statements of the Noble Quran, and one explanation, which is generally well-known, is that he had a very large throne constructed. Whenever he wished, he and his courtiers would sit on it, and whoever else he wanted would also be seated on it. Then he would command the wind, and it would lift the throne. When this throne would rise considerably above the ground, he would travel to ash-Sham (the Levant), and wherever he wished to descend, he would command the wind, and it would begin to move gently, and he would descend wherever he wished. In this way, the task that airplanes perform today with the help of petrol, Hazrat Sulaiman ؑ would accomplish with the wind. And its speed was approximately the same as that of airplanes today. In that era, this was a miracle, but in today's era, it has become a habitual and ordinary thing. Another explanation of this journey is that Allah Almighty taught Hazrat Dawud ؑ the craft of molding iron. While Sulaiman ؑ was also taught the art of molding copper in addition to iron, and during his era, this work was carried out on a large scale under his supervision. As stated at another place: ﴿وَاَسَلْنَا لَهٗ عَيْنَ الْقِطْرِ﴾ [34: 12] (That is, We caused a spring of molten copper to flow for Sulaiman ؑ), the result of which was that in his era, the products of iron and copper made special progress, and he used to trade them on a large scale. His naval fleets would travel from Yemen to Syria and from Syria to Yemen. And since the wind was subjugated to him, these fleets would travel at lightning speed and would cover a journey of one month in just a few hours.

[70] That is, We also know very well who is worthy of what, and also what tasks can be accomplished with anything, for example, with the wind.