Solomon, peace be upon him, assumed the leadership of a strong state founded on faith, monotheism, and piety towards Allah Almighty. Allah bestowed upon him vast sovereignty and great authority, unmatched by anyone else. Yet, prior to that, he was granted an even greater and more honourable gift: he was destined to become a unique and distinguished figure in history. He was granted prophethood, bestowed with knowledge, and endowed with wisdom, just as his father David, peace be upon him, had been before him.
As a result of divine guidance and the righteous path followed by Solomon, peace be upon him, his era witnessed the fruits of progress and civilizational advancement in many humanitarian fields. The most important of these were:
1- Scientific Renaissance:
It serves as the foundation for all types of renaissance. Solomon, peace be upon him, describes himself and his soldiers saying: “We have (already) received knowledge (of Solomon’s prophethood) before this (miracle), and have submitted (to Allah).” (Quran, An-Naml: 42). Look at the scientific advancement; it was significant, as indicated by this noble verse: "But the one who had knowledge of the Scripture said, “I can bring it to you in the blink of an eye.”" (Quran, An-Naml: 40). Many immense capabilities and potentials were achieved through his scientific renaissance. (Qur'anic Stories: Objectives and Characteristics, p.193).
2- Media Renaissance:
No one overlooks the value of media and its role in any renaissance. Among its most important means is media. Reference is made in the verse: “Go with this letter of mine and deliver it to them, then stand aside and see how they will respond.” (Quran, An-Naml: 28). This underscores the importance of investing in media work and media communication, which has achieved remarkable success and enduring goals.
3- Urban Renaissance:
This is indicated in the verse: “They made for him whatever he desired of sanctuaries, statues, basins as large as reservoirs, and cooking pots fixed (into the ground). (We ordered): ‘Work gratefully, O family of David!’ (Only) a few of My servants are (truly) grateful.” (Quran, Saba: 13). Also, Allah says: “And (We subjected to him) every builder and diver of the jinn” (Quran, Sad: 37). Urban advancement is the hallmark of any civilization and its success.
4- Transportation and Communication Renaissance:
It is evident in the rapid transfer of information, as seen in the story of the hoopoe, and in the swift transportation of objects, as seen in the story of the transport of the throne of the Queen of Sheba. Additionally, the utilization of wind for travel and transportation also signifies development and renaissance in the fields of communication and transportation, which are the arts of this era.
5- Military Renaissance:
It is a clear and obvious matter that requires no evidence or clarification. Solomon's description of his soldiers and his confidence in his military strength suffices: “Go back to them, for we will certainly mobilize against them forces which they can never resist, and we will drive them out from there in disgrace, fully humbled.” (Quran, An-Naml: 37). It is also evident in his preparation and equipping of his army, his display and care for it, and his attention to his cavalry: “(Remember) when the well-trained, swift horses were paraded before him in the evening.” (Quran, Sad: 31).
6- Industrial Renaissance:
This is evident from the multitude of industries under Solomon's command, as Allah says: “They made for him whatever he desired of sanctuaries, statues, basins as large as reservoirs, and cooking pots fixed (into the ground).” (Quran, Saba: 13). These are types and forms indicative of a true, advanced, and established industrial renaissance. The construction of chambers (places of worship) representing architectural engineering, the erection of statues representing decorative arts, the production of bowls (cooking utensils) representing household tool manufacturing, the production of stationary kettles representing heavy metal industries, and his use of copper in industry: “And We caused a stream of molten copper to flow for him” (Quran, Saba: 12). All of this indicates the extent of industrial development and the industrial renaissance in Solomon's project, peace be upon him.
7- Maritime Renaissance:
This is evident in their utilization of the sea, diving into it, and extracting its treasures. Allah, the Almighty, says: "And (We subjected) some jinn that dived for him" (Quran, Al-Anbiya: 82). He also says: “And (We subjected to him) every builder and diver of the jinn” (Quran, Sad: 37). (Qur'anic Stories: Objectives and Characteristics, p. 193)
8- Commercial Renaissance:
It extended across the seas with naval fleets, as well as with the lands of Syria, Iraq, Egypt, Yemen, and the ancient world, which benefited from the trade of Solomon's kingdom. The civilizational project led by Solomon, peace be upon him, was based on:
- Monotheism; a methodology that accompanied humanity since its inception and upon which life was established and the earth flourished. For the sake of it, Allah, the Most High, created jinn and humans: "I did not create jinn and humans except to worship Me." (Quran, Adh-Dhariyat: 56). This involved combating polytheism and disbelief, and countering their ideas with reason, logic, the discourse of prophets and messengers, and utilizing the procession of revelations and prophecies in that.
- Solomon, peace be upon him, considered servitude to Allah Almighty as the foundation of all values. It is a comprehensive value dominating other values and even the entire human existence, as it begins with faith in a legislating God.
- Solomon, peace be upon him, succeeded in achieving servitude to Allah, the construction of the earth, and applying the principles of vicegerency in it. He used the Sunnah (the way) of Allah Almighty in its construction, employing reason, innate disposition, senses, and divine methodology, and achieved the concept of vicegerency on earth.
- He led a divine civilization that respected and sought knowledge and sciences. He viewed knowledge as encompassing all human knowledge, whether it was derived from reason, discovering the laws of the universe, knowing metals and their properties, or through sensory perception and experimentation, or through the teaching of revelation and divine law. He worked to implement the judgments of Allah among people and in his multi-ethnic and multi-creature kingdom, successfully dealing with the norms of Allah Almighty, such as taking means, trials, empowerment, and repulsion, and so on.
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The sources:
(1) "The Objectives and Characteristics of Quranic Stories" by Sulaiman Muhammad Aldukur. (2) "Historical Studies from the Quran" by Muhammad Bayoumi.
(3) "David and Solomon, Peace Be Upon Them" by Dr. Ali Muhammad Muhammad Al-Sallabi.
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