In spite of his wealth, glory, and vast empire, Prophet Sulayman (as) remained a humble and devoted servant of Allah (swt). He spent his nights in prayers and fasted during the days. He used his power and might only in the way of Allah (swt) to bring humankind to the right path. For his livelihood, he used to make baskets and sell them in the market; and with the money he obtained, he bought food and shared it with the poor.
One day, when he was inspecting the birds, he noticed that a bird called Hudhud (Hoopoe) was not present. He said, "Where is Hudhud? I will punish him severely if he remains absent without a good reason."
Shortly after that, Hudhud arrived and told Prophet Sulayman (as) that he had flown over the land of Saba (Sheba) where he had seen a beautiful woman ruling over the people. Her name was Bilqees. She had plenty of wealth, a strong army and a throne made of gold, diamonds and other precious stones. He saw her and the people worshipping the sun, instead of Allah (swt).
Prophet Sulayman (as) was very pleased with Hudhud and gave him a letter to deliver to Bilqees. Hudhud flew to the land of Saba and dropped the letter in the lap of Bilqees while she was in the palace.
When Bilqees received the letter, she called her advisors and said, "I have received an honorable letter from Sulayman. It begins In the name of Allah, the beneficent, the merciful and it reads: "Accept Allah (swt) and worship only Him. I am his prophet, believe in what I say and accept my command".
Bilqees then asked her advisors to advise her as to what she should do. They replied, "We are very strong and have a powerful army to fight against Sulayman, but the decision is yours and we will obey your order."
Bilqees was wise and decided not to fight Prophet Sulayman (as). Instead, she sent him valuable gifts to see what he would do. When the messengers of Bilqees arrived in the land of Prophet Sulayman (as) and saw his glory and his wealth, they were struck with wonder. They thought the gifts they had brought were worthless.
Prophet Sulayman (as) became very angry when he was presented with the gifts and said, "What! Do you offer me wealth? What Allah (swt) has given me is more superior to all the wealth on this earth. Go back to your queen with her gifts and tell her that I will soon march to conquer her land with a huge army."
When Bilqees heard what had happened, she decided to surrender herself to Prophet Sulayman (as) and make preparations to go meet him.
Meanwhile, on the orders of Prophet Sulayman (as), a palace of glass was built in honor of Bilqees. Even the floor was made of glass and water was put under it with different kinds of fish. The whole floor looked like a pool of water without the glass showing on top.
Sulayman (as) then asked who could bring the throne of Bilqees to him. Jinn stepped forward and said, "I will bring the throne before you rise from your seat." One man, who was given a little knowledge by Allah (swt), said, "I will bring it in the twinkling of an eye." When Prophet Sulayman (as) saw the throne before him, he praised Allah (swt) and thanked Him for His favors.
When Bilqees arrived, she was amazed to see her throne and realized what power Allah (swt) had given to Prophet Sulayman (as). She then entered the palace through the courtyard whose floor was made of glass. Thinking that it was a pool of water, she raised her clothes to pass through it. When Prophet Sulayman (as) informed her, what it was, she was overwhelmed with wonder and accepted him to be a prophet of Allah (swt). She said, "O Lord, I have wronged myself in worshipping the sun instead of you. I therefore give in myself with Sulayman to You, the Lord of the Worlds."
Prophet Sulayman (as) then married Bilqees and thereafter she returned to her land, where he visited her frequently. The people of Saba who were sun-worshippers, were converted to believe in Allah (swt) and to worship none other than Him.
One day, Prophet Sulayman (as), with the staff in his land, was viewing the kingdom around him, when he saw a young man approaching him. He was surprised and asked him, "Who are you and who gave you permission to enter the palace?"
The visitor replied, "I have come in with the permission of Allah (swt), the owner of the universe. I am the angel of death and Allah has sent me to take your life away."
Prophet Sulayman (as) said, "Then allow me to go home to prepare for death and rest on my bed". The Angel said: "No".
While Prophet Sulayman (as) stood leaning on his staff, his soul left him. His body remained standing for such a long time that the people and the Jinn's believed him to have become a spirit or a magician. They carried on with the work entrusted to them by Prophet Sulayman (as), until Allah (swt) caused the ants to eat away the staff he was leaning on and his body fell to the ground. Prophet Sulayman (as) ruled for forty years and died at the age of fifty-three.
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