Almighty Allah (SWT) made Prophet Solomon / Sulaiman (as)
King of a vast kingdom, which included His entire creation.
The Jinn and men obeyed his will and even the birds adhered
to his commands, to the extent of using their wings to provide
shelter for him. He was also given many other powers such as
being able to talk to animals and control the wind so that it
could carry him wherever he wished to go.
Prophet Solomon (as) was blessed with an extraordinary power
of perception and intelligence.
It is narrated that one day, a man entered the court of
Prophet Solomon (as), looked around at all the people and
went out again. When the court adjourned, one of the people
present approached Prophet Sulaiman (as) and asked him
whether he knew this strange man.
"The person you saw was the angel of death (Izrael)" replied
Prophet Solomon (as). The man was taken aback and
looked worried.
"Why was he staring at me as though he wanted to take
my soul?" he asked.
"What do you want me to do?" enquired Prophet Sulaiman (as).
"O Solomon!" exclaimed the man. "You have power over the wind.
Command it to transport me to the land of Hind (India)."
As the man was a believer, Prophet Solomon (as) agreed and
granted his wish. A few days later, Prophet Solomon (as) saw
the angel of death again. He asked him why he had been staring
at the man so intently on that particular day.
"O Solomon!" replied the angel of death. "Allah (SWT) commanded
me to take the soul of that man on the soil of Hind. When I saw
him sitting in your court, I could not understand how I could
carry out Allah's order. Nevertheless, as it was a divine command,
I left for Hind and fortunately found the man there. I took his soul
as Allah (SWT) had commanded."
There is nothing more certain than death. It is a reality,
which nobody can escape from. Allah (SWT), the Almighty says:
"Wherever you may be, death shall overtake you, even if you
were in fortified towers". Noble Qur'an (4:78)
Imam Ali (as) said: Any breath that a man breathes is a
step towards death.
Imam Ali (as) said: You are the game that death hunts.
If you stand still it will seize (catch) you. If you ran (flee) away
it will overtake you.
