سُوْرَةُ صٓ
Surah Saad (38) — Ayah 34
وَلَقَدْ فَتَنَّا سُلَيْمَـٰنَ وَأَلْقَيْنَا عَلَىٰ كُرْسِيِّهِۦ جَسَدًا ثُمَّ أَنَابَ ﴿34﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
And indeed, We did try Sulaimân (Solomon) and We placed on his throne Jasad (a devil, so he lost his kingdom for a while) and he did return (to Allâh with obedience and in repentance, and to his throne and kingdom by the Grace of Allâh).
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
وَلَقَدْ
walaqad
And certainly
فَتَنَّا
fatannā
We tried
سُلَيْمَـٰنَ
sulaymāna
Sulaiman
وَأَلْقَيْنَا
wa-alqaynā
and We placed
عَلَىٰ
ʿalā
on
كُرْسِيِّهِۦ
kur'siyyihi
his throne
جَسَدًۭا
jasadan
a body
ثُمَّ
thumma
then
أَنَابَ
anāba
he turned
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran — Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran (Facilitation of the Quran) is a comprehensive Quran commentary by Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar from Pakistan. Known for his eloquent and accessible writing style, Kilani authored this tafsir with a focus on clarity — making Quranic meanings understandable to the common reader. The tafsir provides detailed historical context for verses related to battles and expeditions, and firmly refutes modernist ideologies using strong scriptural evidence. It is widely regarded as an invaluable resource for understanding the Quran and countering deviant interpretations. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
34. And We certainly tested Solomon and placed a body on his throne [41], then he turned (to Us) in repentance.
[41] Under this verse, some commentators have included the following hadith: Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah ؓ says that the Prophet ﷺ said: Sayyiduna Sulaiman ؑ said, "Tonight I will go to my ninety wives, and each of them will give birth to a horseman who will fight in the way of Allah." One of his companions said, "Say Insha'Allah!" But he did not say this, so none of them became pregnant except one, and she also gave birth to an incomplete child. By the Lord in whose hand is the life of Muhammad ﷺ, if he had said Insha'Allah, all of them would have given birth to children and they would have fought in the way of Allah as horsemen. [بخاري۔ كتاب الايمان والنذور۔ باب كيف كانت يمين النبي]
But it seems that this hadith has nothing to do with the interpretation of this verse, and the reasons are as follows:
1. This hadith is found in books of hadith other than Bukhari, but no hadith scholar has included this hadith in the interpretation of this verse in their book of tafsir.
2. Imam Bukhari has included this hadith in four different places, which are these: [كتاب بدء الخلق۔ كتاب الانبياء، كتاب الاَيمان والنذور۔ باب كيف كانت يمين النبيﷺ، اور باب الكفارة قبل الحنث اور كتاب التوحيد، باب فى المشيئة والارادة] but not in the book of tafsir.
3. Although there are verbal differences in this hadith, in no text are these words found that this incomplete child was placed by the midwife or people on the throne or chair of Sayyiduna Sulaiman ؑ. This is an addition from the commentators themselves. Whereas the trial of Sayyiduna Sulaiman ؑ is related to this very matter.
In What Trial Did Allah Put Sayyiduna Sulaiman:
In addition, some commentators have narrated some things, but they are completely baseless, unreasonable, and meaningless. From the Quran, it is only known that the trial of Sayyiduna Sulaiman ؑ was related to a lifeless body that was placed on his throne. Upon this, he realized that he had fallen into a trial, so he immediately turned to Allah, sought forgiveness for his fault, and at the same time prayed, "Grant me such a kingdom as will not be fitting for anyone after me." Thus, his fault was also forgiven, and his prayer was accepted, so that the winds and the jinn were subjected to him, as will be mentioned ahead, and the following hadith explains this:
The Jinn Who Confronted the Messenger of Allah ﷺ:
Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah ؓ says that the Prophet ﷺ said: Last night a huge jinn confronted me. The Prophet ﷺ said this or something similar. Then Allah Almighty gave me power over him. I wanted to tie him to one of the pillars of the mosque so that in the morning you could see him. Then I remembered the prayer of my brother Sulaiman ؑ: "O my Lord! Grant me such a kingdom as will not be fitting for anyone after me." The narrator Ruh said that the Prophet ﷺ drove that jinn away in disgrace. [بخاری۔ کتاب التفسیر نیز کتاب الصلوۃ باب الاسیر اوالغریم یربطہ فی المسجد]
And this is such a virtue that neither any prophet nor any king attained it after (or before) him. As for what the actual trial was, and to which incident the lifeless body refers, I have not found any reasonable explanation for it anywhere, nor has it come to my mind. ﴿واللّٰه اعلم بالصواب﴾
[41] Under this verse, some commentators have included the following hadith: Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah ؓ says that the Prophet ﷺ said: Sayyiduna Sulaiman ؑ said, "Tonight I will go to my ninety wives, and each of them will give birth to a horseman who will fight in the way of Allah." One of his companions said, "Say Insha'Allah!" But he did not say this, so none of them became pregnant except one, and she also gave birth to an incomplete child. By the Lord in whose hand is the life of Muhammad ﷺ, if he had said Insha'Allah, all of them would have given birth to children and they would have fought in the way of Allah as horsemen. [بخاري۔ كتاب الايمان والنذور۔ باب كيف كانت يمين النبي]
But it seems that this hadith has nothing to do with the interpretation of this verse, and the reasons are as follows:
1. This hadith is found in books of hadith other than Bukhari, but no hadith scholar has included this hadith in the interpretation of this verse in their book of tafsir.
2. Imam Bukhari has included this hadith in four different places, which are these: [كتاب بدء الخلق۔ كتاب الانبياء، كتاب الاَيمان والنذور۔ باب كيف كانت يمين النبيﷺ، اور باب الكفارة قبل الحنث اور كتاب التوحيد، باب فى المشيئة والارادة] but not in the book of tafsir.
3. Although there are verbal differences in this hadith, in no text are these words found that this incomplete child was placed by the midwife or people on the throne or chair of Sayyiduna Sulaiman ؑ. This is an addition from the commentators themselves. Whereas the trial of Sayyiduna Sulaiman ؑ is related to this very matter.
In What Trial Did Allah Put Sayyiduna Sulaiman:
In addition, some commentators have narrated some things, but they are completely baseless, unreasonable, and meaningless. From the Quran, it is only known that the trial of Sayyiduna Sulaiman ؑ was related to a lifeless body that was placed on his throne. Upon this, he realized that he had fallen into a trial, so he immediately turned to Allah, sought forgiveness for his fault, and at the same time prayed, "Grant me such a kingdom as will not be fitting for anyone after me." Thus, his fault was also forgiven, and his prayer was accepted, so that the winds and the jinn were subjected to him, as will be mentioned ahead, and the following hadith explains this:
The Jinn Who Confronted the Messenger of Allah ﷺ:
Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah ؓ says that the Prophet ﷺ said: Last night a huge jinn confronted me. The Prophet ﷺ said this or something similar. Then Allah Almighty gave me power over him. I wanted to tie him to one of the pillars of the mosque so that in the morning you could see him. Then I remembered the prayer of my brother Sulaiman ؑ: "O my Lord! Grant me such a kingdom as will not be fitting for anyone after me." The narrator Ruh said that the Prophet ﷺ drove that jinn away in disgrace. [بخاری۔ کتاب التفسیر نیز کتاب الصلوۃ باب الاسیر اوالغریم یربطہ فی المسجد]
And this is such a virtue that neither any prophet nor any king attained it after (or before) him. As for what the actual trial was, and to which incident the lifeless body refers, I have not found any reasonable explanation for it anywhere, nor has it come to my mind. ﴿واللّٰه اعلم بالصواب﴾
