A Demon Taking the Form of Sulaiman

Question

It is well known that Hazrat Sulaiman, when going to the lavatory or the like out of necessity, used to leave his ring with a servant. One day a demon (dev), taking on the form of Hazrat Sulaiman, took the ring from the servant and sat down on the royal throne. When [the real] Sulaiman asked the servant for the ring, he was told: “You are not Hazrat Sulaiman — he took the ring [with him].” Beyond this, still more is commonly told. To what extent is this story correct?

Answer

This story has been transmitted by some Qur'an commentators from the books of the Jews. Tafsir al-Kashshaf, Tafsir Madarik, Tafsir Ma‘alim al-Tanzil, Qadi ‘Iyad, and others have refuted this story. Imam al-Razi raised very forceful objections against this story.

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

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