The Qur’an, Dajjal and the Jasad
APPENDIX 6
Muhammad Ali’s comments
on the Jasad and Dabbat al-Ard
The Jasad:
His translation of the verse:
And certainly We tried Solomon, and We put on his throne a (mere) body, and so he turned (to Allah). He said: My Lord, forgive me and grant me a kingdom which is not fit for anyone after me. Surely Thou art the Great Giver. (Qur’an, Sad, 38:34-5)
His Commentary:
By the mere body that was put on his throne is meant either his son Rehoboam, who lost the allegiance of all except a single tribe of Israel (1 Kings 12:17), or Jeroboam, who led the revolt against the house of David, and, on becoming king of ten tribes, set up image-worship in Dan and Beth-el, the two calves being supposed to be images of Jehovah (1 Kings 12:28), and also began the worship of molten images (1 Kings 14:9). Thus both Rehoboam and Jeroboam answer the description of a body (without real life) thrown on Solomon’s throne.
The previous verse speaks of the imbecile heir-apparent to Solomon’s throne. Hence we find Solomon praying here for a spiritual kingdom, for that is the only kingdom which is not in danger of being spoiled by an heir. The glory of Solomon’s temporal kingdom was not maintained after his death; nor has a king like Solomon appeared in Israel. By anyone after me is meant anyone in Israel, not the whole world.
Dabbat al-Ard:
His translation of the verse:
But when We decreed death for him (i.e., Solomon), naught showed them his death but a creature of the earth that ate away his staff. So when it fell down, the Jinn saw clearly that, if they had known the unseen, they would not have tarried in humiliating torment. (Qur’an, Saba, 34:14)
His Commentary:
The reference in the creature of the earth that ate away his staff is to his son’s weak rule, under whom the kingdom of Solomon went to pieces. It appears that Solomon’s successor, Rehoboam, led a life of luxury and ease, and instead of acting on the advice of the older men, he yielded to the pleasure-seeking wishes of his companions (1 Kings 12:13), and it is to his luxurious habits and easy mode of life that the Holy Qur’an refers when it calls him a creature of the earth. The eating away of his staff signifies the disruption of the kingdom. The Jinn, as already remarked, mean the rebellious tribes who had been reduced to subjection by Solomon, and who remained in subjection to the Israelites for a time, until the kingdom was shattered. This instance, as well as the one following, contains a warning for the Muslims as to the result of falling into luxury and ease, by which, however, they benefited little; the ultimate fate of the respective kingdoms of the Umayyads and Abbasides was the same as that of Solomon’s kingdom.
The Holy Qur’an, English Translation and Commentary
by Maulana Muhammad Ali.
Woking Mosque, UK 1917
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