الصافنات الجياد
By Ashraf Akintola
I guess you are busy right now, but to save time, let me cut to the chase.
Sulyman عليه السلام, a king, a prophet and the son of a prophet is described by Allah as- “……An excellent servant and was frequent in returning to Allah.
(Suratu Sad, Verse 30)
As described in the next verses of the same surah, he has a vast collection of horses
(some scholars say they are up to 20,000 horses)
that “…. are still when standing and swift when running.” You can call them the Ferraris, the Bugattis of this age.
From the explanations made by scholars of Tafsir, these are not just meant for liesure or to pass over time, they are vehicles, that Sulyman عليه السلام uses on the path of Allah.
So, the story continues.
As dutiful a king as he was, he never lets any work pass under him unexamined. Works so little as stroking the horses necks and checking their foot (People who rear horses would have a better understanding of this regarding horses care).
He was on this until he forgot the time for Asr (which is the prayer he was assigned to pray. Each prophet has his own. Even the prophet did not begin with five. It used to be two- morning and evening glorifying Allah until Isra’i wal mi’raj) has passed by.
He was distraught by this and lamented thus:
فَقَالَ إِنِّي أَحْبَبْتُ حُبَّ الْخَيْرِ عَن ذِكْرِ رَبِّي حَتَّىٰ تَوَارَتْ بِالْحِجَابِ
Then he said: Surely I preferred the good things to the remembrance of my Lord– until the sun set and time for Asr prayer was over, (he said):
(Suratu Sad, Verse 32)
As a prophet described as “……An excellent servant and was frequent in returning to Allah, he summoned back all the horses that took away his attention from the main purpose of his creation, cut off all their necks and legs (remember their humunguous number), offered them all as a sacrifice to Allah and sought repentance from Allah.
From this incident, he was tested and after acing the test, he said:
قَالَ رَبِّ اغْفِرْ لِي وَهَبْ لِي مُلْكًا لَّا يَنبَغِي لِأَحَدٍ مِّن بَعْدِي إِنَّكَ أَنتَ الْوَهَّابُ
He said: My Lord! do Thou forgive me and grant me a kingdom which is not fit for (being inherited by) anyone after me;
And here was Allah’s reply:
فَسَخَّرْنَا لَهُ الرِّيحَ تَجْرِي بِأَمْرِهِ رُخَاءً حَيْثُ أَصَابَ
Then We made the wind subservient to him; it made his command to run gently wherever he desired,
Suratu Sad, Verse 36
So, don’t go yet, here is the gist.
1. What are those glittering things of life that kept decieving you and stopping you from the rememberance of Allah? At first it is Allah that gave them all to you and he can decide to take them all away even within the twinkling of an eye. Bro, cut off everything that is taking you away from the rememberance of your lord. He owns you and the thing you run after.
2. Seek repentance to Allah everytime. That should be the oxygen with which you breathe. And the first stage of repentance is regret. Regret your sinful past and vow not to go back again. Keep this act of repentance going as long as you are alive. For surely Allah is oft forgiving, ever merciful.
Sulyman عليه السلام ran back to Allah and used that opportunity to ask for favours so big he doesn’t know the extent of its reaches. Ask for your own customized blessing, don’t envy others. Allah can do it. He surely can.
3. Don’t try to think your configuration of thinking is the scope with which the might of Allah operates. You saw what Sulyman was distracted about-horses! And what they are meant for – jihad! And you saw how he returned back to Allah – sincere and confirmed! And you saw what he asked. See how Allah answered him. *He gave him the wind* amidst other things. With the command of the wind, he goes anywhere he wants. How can even our Ferrari compare to that not to talk of horses of old.
Think about these and make a conclusion yourself.
Till another time,
Ashraf’s Scribbles would keep using words to change the world.
English 
