Prophet Sulaiman (Solomon) the King Prophet

For the guidance of mankind, Allah honoured four famous Prophets by revealing to them four Holy Books as under:

1) Taurat to Prophet Musa (Moses):

2) Zaboor (Psalms) To Prophet Dawood (David);

3) Injeel (Evangel) To Prophet Isa (Jesus);

4) Qur'an To Prophet Muhammad Mustafa (s).

The commandments of Allah are contained in these books. The first three books were for the earlier times. The Holy Qur'an is the last book of God and is for the guidance of entire mankind till the Day of Judgement.

Prophet Dawood eventually became King of his people. He had 19 sons. Each of them hoped to inherit the father's throne. Allah revealed to Prophet Dawood a few questions and their answers and commanded him to put the questions to each one of his sons. Whosoever answered those questions correctly, would inherit the throne of the father, Prophet Dawood.

One day Prophet Dawood called all his sons in the presence of the scholars and the chiefs of the tribes of his kingdom. He then put forward the following questions:

1) Which thing is closest (nearest) to man?

2) Which is the farthest thing?

3) Which two things are attached to each other?

4) Which is the most awe-creating thing?

5, Which two things remain unchanged?

6) Which two things are always different?

7) Which two things are opposed to each other?

8) What is the action the result of which is good?

9) What is that action the result of which is bad?

The sons of Prophet Dawood felt helpless and could not answer any of these questions. Then the youngest of the sons, Prophet Sulaiman (Solomon) stood up and gave the following answers:

1. The nearest things to a man is the hereafter (Life and Death - as one may die any moment);

2. The farthest things is the time which has passed away (which is not to come again);

3. The two things that are attached to each other is man's body with the soul;

4. The most awe-creating is the man's body (dead) without soul;

5. The two things which remain the same are the sky and the earth;

6. The two things which are different are the day and night;

7. The two things which are opposed to each other are life and death;

8. The action - the end of which is good - is patience and forbearance at the time of anger;

9. The action - the end of which is bad is haste at the time of anger.

Prophet Dawood obviously, was very much impressed with these correct answers and appointed Prophet Sulaiman as his successor.

Thus it will be seen that it was the supreme knowledge and understanding that made Prophet Sulaiman succeed his father and become the Great King Prophet.

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The ant prays for Rain

Once there was a big famine in Palestine. It was during the time of the Prophet, Prophet Sulaiman (King Solomon). He came out with his people and proceeded to an open place in the desert to pray for the rains to come. Suddenly, he saw an ant standing on its two legs, raising its hands up towards the sky and saying, "Oh Allah! We are but very small among all Thy creatures. We cannot survive without Thy grace. Please bestow upon us Thy sustenance and do not punish us because of the sins of human beings. Please send down the rains so that trees can grow, farms become green and grains become available and we have our food to eat."

Prophet Sulaiman knew the language of all animals. He told his people, "Let us go home. The prayer of this ant is enough." It then rained heavily and all the land became green and productive.

The ant is an intelligent creature. During warm days it collects and stores grain inside the holes. It knows that during wet and cold months, it would not be able to go out to search for food. For fear that grain may start growing because of wetness, it splits it into two or more pieces. At times, during moonlit nights, it brings the split grains out of the stores for drying and preservation against decay. The holes under the ground are made very carefully and covered with shelter to prevent the rain water from getting inside the holes. The ant, unlike the other animals, can lift a burden twice its own weight. It is not a selfish creature. When an ant finds some store of food grains, it runs up to its group and takes its fellow ants to that place. It shows everyone of them its own find of the store. They always behave in this manner. They work and live in co-operation with each other.

This shows how the ant works for the group and how each of them fulfils the needs and livelihood of its fellow-beings. How shameful it is for a man, who has no regard for another man; who has no concern for his fellow human beings who could be starving because of want of food.

Once, while Prophet Sulaiman was travelling together with hosts of men, jinn and birds, they reached a valley of ants.

When the chief of these ants witnessed the pomp and the glory with which Prophet Sulaiman and his companions were approaching toward it. He warned all the ants to get into their holes lest they got trampled and crushed unknowingly by the approaching men and Jinn. Prophet Sulaiman smiled at this warning sounded by the ants' chief, and ordered his companions to wait till the ants went inside their holes. "None of us should hurt any ant while passing over their land", he said.

It is said that Prophet Sulaiman addressed the chief of the ants and said: "How could my people hurt you or your fellow ants when they are floating through air! Don't you know that I am a messenger of God and would never act unfairly?" The chief of the ants replied: "O Messenger of God! My cautioning the ants was not for any hurt that they would suffer but to prevent them getting astray and forgetting the glory of God after seeing your pomp and show."

There is a deep meaning in this event. It shows that even the most humble and smallest of creatures has been endowed with the necessary wisdom to live safely and avoid being hurt as far as possible. It also shows, how even a small ant does have the natural understanding of the true position of Allah. It imparts a lesson that one should not forget the true might and glory of Allah when one experiences a great power and dignity of any creature in this world.

Thus an Ant is one of the most wonderful small creatures in this world. Sura "Naml" (the Ant) in the Holy Qur'an is a chapter named after this creature. Over 1300 years ago, Imam Ali (a) was giving a sermon in Kufa, in which he was describing the beauties of creation in various forms of life. He was referring to small creatures and asking man to study how God made them so small yet so sturdy and strong. He described the ant in these words:

'Look at an ant. How tiny is its body and how delicate are its features! It is such a small creature that it often escapes the eye, and few people care to attach any importance to it among the living beings found on this earth. Look at it and study its ways of life; how it crawls, how it attacks its food; how it lifts a grain so many times heavier than its body, carries it to its hole; how it stores grains; and how in summer it gathers and stocks food for winter and rainy days.'

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The Hajj of Six Hundred Thousand

Hadhrat Abu Abdullah Jauhari (rahmatullahi alayh) narrates:

"Once I fell asleep o­n the Plain of Arafaat. In a dream I saw two Angels descending from heaven. The o­ne asked his companion: ‘How many people performed Hajj this year?’

The second Angel: ‘Six hundred thousand. But the Hajj of o­nly six was accepted.’

First Angel: ‘ What has Allah Ta`ala done with those whose Hajj has not been accepted?’

Second Angel: ‘Allah is Most Gracious. Through the virtue of the six, Allah Ta`ala accepted the Hajj of six hundred thousand. Allah bestows His Kindness to whomever He wishes.’"

Do Not Marry 7 Types of Women...

1. Al-Annaanah:

The woman who whines, moans and complains and ‘ties a band around her head’ all the time (i.e. complains of a headache or some illness but in reality she is not sick, rather she is faking).

2. Al-Mannaanah:

The woman who bestows favours, gifts, etc. upon her husband then (at that time or the future) says; “I did such and such for you or on your behalf or because of you.

3. Al-Hannaanah:

The women who yearns or craves for her former husband or children of the former husband.

4. Kay’atul-Qafaa:

The women who has a brand mark on the nape of her neck (i.e. has a bad reputation or doubts about her).

5. Al-Haddaaqah:

The women who cast her eyes at things (i.e. always looking at something to purchase, then desires it and requires her husband to buy it (No Matter What).

6. Al-Barraaqah:

The women who spends much of her day enhancing her face and beautifying it to such an extent that it will seem like it was manufactured.

7. Al-Shaddaaqah:

The woman who talks excessively..

‘A Concise Manual of Marriage’ by Shaykh Ibn Uthaymeen

Shiekh Mishary bin Rashid Al Afasy

you can download the entire full quraan of Shiekh Mishary bin Rashid Al Afasy from following link in high quality mp3s.

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Why the rib?

Woman was made from the rib of man,
She was not created from his head to top him,
Nor form his feet to be stepped upon,
She was made from his side to be close to him,
From beneath his arm to be protected by him,
Near his heart to be loved by him.

Reasons for failure of creation

Shaqeeq Ibn Ibaraheem said: "The doors of success have been closed upon the creation because of six things:

• Their busying themselves with the blessings of Allah instead of thanking Allah for them;
• Their desire for knowledge while they abandon actions;
• The hastiness to sin and delaying repentance;
• The deception of having righteous companions and not taking them as examples;
• The turning away of the dunya from them while they chase it;
• The approach of the afterlife towards them while they turn away from it."

[Al Fawaai'd by Ibn Al Qayim: P. 161]

Stick to seven things

Abu Dharr(RA) said, “My companion (Rasoolillah(SAW)) ordered me with seven things:

1. He ordered me to love the poor and be close to them,

2. and He ordered me to look at those below me and not to look at those above me,

3. He ordered me to keep the ties of the womb even if others didn’t want to,

4. He ordered me not to ask anyone for anything,

5. He ordered me to speak the truth even if it was bitter,

6. He ordered me not to fear, for the sake of Allaah, the blame of the blamers,

7. He ordered me to frequently say “laa hawla walaa quwwata illa billaah” (there is no might or power except with Allaah), for it is from the treasure from the treasures of Paradise.