The journey of Prophet Sulaiman inheriting the kingdom of the Children of Israel from his father, Prophet Dawud, as well as the miracles granted by Allah to him such as controlling jinn, wind, and understanding the language of animals.
The Kingdom of Prophet Sulaiman and His Miracles
As explained previously, from a young age, Prophet Sulaiman had been prepared by Prophet Dawud to succeed him in leading the kingdom of the Children of Israel.
Sulaiman's brother, Absyalom, was not willing to be bypassed by his younger brother. He believed that he was the one who should be the crown prince as the first heir to the kingdom of the Children of Israel.
Absyalom then engaged in propaganda to overthrow his father's government. He gathered the influenced people to occupy the palace.
Absyalom's plan succeeded. Absyalom ruled the kingdom for a period of time. However, through various efforts, the kingdom was recovered by Prophet Dawud.
When Prophet Dawud died, the kingdom of the Children of Israel was given to Prophet Sulaiman. From that time on, it was Prophet Sulaiman who led the kingdom of the Children of Israel until his death.
Every Messenger is certainly given a miracle by Allah the Most High, and so is Prophet Sulaiman. Prophet Sulaiman was granted several miracles by Allah the Most High. Some of them are the ability to control the jinn and the ability to speak with animals.
This certainly cannot be done by ordinary people like us. That is why such things are called miracles, because they are extraordinary and beyond reason.
Some of the miracles of Prophet Sulaiman can be seen in these two verses of the Qur'an.
And indeed, We gave knowledge to Dawud and Sulaiman; and both of them said: "All praise is due to Allah who has preferred us over many of His believing servants" (An-Naml: 15)
And Sulaiman inherited from Dawud, and he said: "O mankind, we have been given understanding of the speech of birds, and we have been given everything. Indeed, this is truly a clear favor" (An-Naml: 16).
We can also read it in the verse below.
"And (We subjected) for Sulaiman the wind, strongly blowing at his command towards the land which We had blessed. And We are All-Knowing of all things." (Al-Anbiya: 81)
Prophet Sulaiman's Ability to Speak and Control Other Creatures (by Allah's permission)
As mentioned previously, Prophet Sulaiman was granted many advantages and miracles by Allah the Most High. One of them is the ability to subdue other creatures such as jinn and birds.
This is as mentioned in Surah An-Naml verse 17:
"And We gathered for Sulaiman his soldiers of jinn and men and birds, then they were arranged in ordered rows." (An-Naml: 17)
Meanwhile, in another surah, Prophet Sulaiman is reported to have been able to control the wind.
"And (We subjected) for Sulaiman the wind, strongly blowing at his command towards the land which We had blessed. And We are All-Knowing of all things." (Al-Anbiya: 81)
It is also narrated that the construction of buildings during the kingdom of Prophet Sulaiman was done by jinn (the Qur'an uses the term shayatin). This can be read in Surah Al-Anbiya:
"And We subjected to Sulaiman a group of shayatin who dove (into the sea) for him and did other work, and We were guarding them." (Al-Anbiya: 81)
In addition to being able to subdue the jinn, Prophet Sulaiman was also able to subdue other creatures such as animals. One of the animals whose voice was heard by Prophet Sulaiman is the ant. This is also mentioned in the Qur'an in Surah An-Naml verses 18-19.
Until when they came to the valley of the ants, an ant said:
"Until when they came to the valley of the ants, an ant said: O ants, enter your dwellings, lest Sulaiman and his soldiers trample you while they do not realize." (An-Naml: 18)
Prophet Sulaiman smiled, laughing at the speech of the ant. He prayed as written in the following verse.
"Then he smiled, laughing at the speech of the ant. And he prayed: 'My Lord, grant me inspiration to be grateful for Your favors which You have bestowed upon me and upon my parents, and to do good deeds that You will approve, and admit me by Your mercy among Your righteous servants.'" (Qur'an, An-Naml: 19)
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