We have not created the heavens and the earth, and whatever is between
them, in vain*. This is the opinion of the unbelievers : but woe unto thofe
Who believe not, becaufe of the fire of hell. Shall we deal with thofe who.
believe and do good works, as with thofe who aft corruptly in the earth ?
Shall we deal with the pious as with the wicked ? A blefied book have we
fent down unto thee, O Mohammed, that they may attentively meditate on
the figns thereof, and that men of underftanding may be warned. And we'
gave unto David Solomon ; how excellent a fervant ! for he frequently
turned himfelf unto God. When the horfes Handing on three feet, and
touching the ground with the edge of the fourth foot, and fwift in the courfe,
were fet in parade before him in the eveningb, he faid, Verily I have loved the
love of earthly good above the remembrance of my L ord ; and have Jpent
the time in viewing thefe horfes, until the fun is hidden by the vail of night:
bring the horfes back unto me. And when they were brought back, he began
to cut off their legs and their necks. We alfo tried Solomon, and placed
on his throne a counterfeit body c : afterwards he turned unto God, and faid,
a We have not created the heavens and the earth
in vain j] So as to permit injuftice to go un-
. puniihed, and righteoufnefs unrewarded.
b When the horfes were fet in parade before
him, &c.] Some fay that Solomon brought thefe
horfes, being a thoufand In number, from Da-
mafcus and Nifibis, which cities he had taken >
others fay that they were left him by his father,
who took them from the Amalekites ; while
others, who prefer the marvellous, pretend that
they came up out of the fea, and had wings.
However, Solomon, having one day a mind to
view thefe horfes, ordered them to be brought
before him, and was fo taken up with them
that he fpent the remainder of the day, till after
fun-fet, in looking on them ; by which means
he negletted the prayer, which ought to have
been faid at that time, till it was too late: but
when he perceived his omiffion, he was fo greatly
concerned at it, that ordering the horfes to be
brought back, he killed them all as an offering to
G od, except only a hundred of the beft of
.them. But G od made him ample amends for
the lofs of thefe horfes, by giving him dominion
over the winds 1.
c We placed on his throne a counterfeit body,
&c.] The moft received expofition of this paf-
fage is taken from the following Talmudic
fable 2.
Solomon, having taken Sidon, and flain the
king of that city, brought away his daughter
Jerdda, who became his favourite j and becaufe
1 A lBe id aw i , ^ / Z amakh. Y ah.ya .
Meg. p. 182.
fhe ceafed not to lament her father’s lofs, he ordered
the devils to make an image of him for
her confolation: which being done, and placed
in her chamber, fhe and her maids worfhipped
it morning and evening, according to their
cullom. At length Solomon being informed of
this idolatry, which was pra&ifed under his
roof, by his vizir Afdf, he broke the image, and
having chaftifed the woman, went out into the
defart, where he wept and made Applications to
G od ; who did not think fit, however, to
let his negligence pafs without fome correttion.
It was Solomon's cuftom, while he eafed, or
wafhed himfelf, to intrufl his fignet, on which
his kingdom depended, with a concubine of his
named Amtna: one day, therefore, when fhe
had the ring in her cuftody, a devil* named
Sakbar, came to her' in the fhape of Solomon,
and received the ring from her j by vertue of
which he became poflefTed of the kingdom, and
fat on the throne in the fhape which he had
borrowed, making what alterations in the law
he pleafed. Solomon, in the mean time, being
changed in his outward appearance, and known
to none of his fubjefts, was obliged to wander
about, and beg alms for his fubfiftence ; till at
length, after the fpace of forty days, which
was the time the image had been worfhipped
in his houfe, the devil flew away, and threw
the fignet into the fea : the fignet was immediately
fwallowed by a fifh, which being taken
and given to Solomon, he found the ring in its
belly,
V. Talm. En Jacob, part. 2. & Yalkut in lib.
O L ord, forgive me, and give me a kingdom which may not be obtained
by any after me *; for thou art the giver of kingdoms. And we made
the wind fubjeft to him; it ran gently at his command, whitherfoever he
direfted. And we alfo put the devils in fubjeblion under him ; and among
them fuch as were every way (killed in building, and in diving for pearls b :
and others we delivered to him bound in chains ; faying, This is our gift: therefore
be bounteous, or be fparing unto whom thou Jhalt think f i t c, without ren-
dring an account. And he (hall approach near unto us, and (hall have an excellent
abode in paradife. And remember our fervant Job d •, when he cried unto
his L ord, faying, Verily Satan hath afflifted me with calamity and pain.
And it was faid unto him, Strike the earth with thy foot; which when he had
done, a fountain • [prang up, and it was faid to him, This is for thee to wafh
in, to refrefh thee, and to drink. And we reftored unto him his family, and
as many more with them, through our mercy ; and for an admonition unto
thofe who are indued with underftanding. And we faid unto him, Take a
handful of rods f in thy hand, and ftrike thy wife therewith 8 ; and break
not thine oathh. Verily we found him a patient perfon : how excellent a
fervant was he! for he was one who frequently turned himfelf unto us. Remember
alfo our fervants A braham, and Isaac, and Jacob, who were
men ftrenuous and prudent. Verily we purified them with a perfebi purification,
through the remembrance of the life to come ‘ ; and they were, in
our fight, eleft and good men. And remember Ismael, and E lisha1, and
Dhu’lkefl 1 : for all thefe were good men. This is an admonition. Verily
committed, to deferve this chaflifement: we have
mentioned one opinion already 4 ; fome think
it was only becaufe fhe ftaid too long on an errand.
h Break not thine oath j] For he had fwom
to give her a hundred ftripes if he recovered.
1 We purified them through the remembrance
of the life to come jj Or, as the words may be
interpreted, according to a l Zamakbfhari, We
have purified them, or peculiarly defined and
fitted them for paradife.
k Elifha ;] See chap. 6. p. 107.
. 1 Dhu’lkefl;] See chap. 2i.p. 2^2. A l Beidawi
here takes notice of another tradition concerning
this prophet; viz. that he entertained and took
care of a hundred Ifraelites, who fled to him
from a certain flaughter : from which a&ion he
probably had the fumame of Dhu'lkefl given
him j the primary fignification of the verb ca-
fala being to maintain or take, care of another.
I f a conjeflure might be founded on this tradition,
I fliould fancy the perfon intended was
Obadiab, the governour of Abab's houfe t.
belly, and having by this means recovered the
kingdom, took Sakbar, and tying a great ftone
to his neck, threw him into the lake of Tiberias
*.
a A . kingdom which may not be obtained by any
after me;] i. e. That I may furpafs all future
princes in magnificence and power.
b See chap. 21. p. 271, chap. 27. p. 310,
&fc.
c Be bounteous or be fparing, &c.] Some fup-
pofe thefe words relate to the genii, and that
Solomon is thereby impowered to releafe or to
keep in chains fuch of them as he pleafed.
d See chap. 21. p. 271.
e A fountain ,*] Some fay there were two
fprings, one of hot water, wherein he bathed;
and the other of cold, of which he drank 2.
^ f A handful of rods;] The original not qx-
preffing what this handful was to confift of, one
fuppofes it was to be only a handful of dry grafs,
or of rjufhes; and another that it was a branch
of a palm tree 3.
s Strike thy wife therewith j} The commentators
are not - agreed what fault Job's wife had
1 A l B e id . Ja l l a l . A bu’ l f ed a .
4 See ibid. 5 See 1 Kings xviii. 4.
2 A l B e i d a w i . See the notes to chap. 21. p. 271.