Al-Kāfi - Volume 8


Book 1, Chapter 114

The tree of al-Kharnubah and Sulayman 'Alayhim al-Salam
1 Ḥadīth

ابْنُ مَحْبُوبٍ عَنْ جَمِيلِ بْنِ صَالِحٍ عَنِ الْوَلِيدِ بْنِ صَبِيحٍ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ (عليه السلام) قَالَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ أَوْحَى إِلَى سُلَيْمَانَ بْنِ دَاوُدَ (عليهما السلام) أَنَّ آيَةَ مَوْتِكَ أَنَّ شَجَرَةً تَخْرُجُ مِنْ بَيْتِ الْمَقْدِسِ يُقَالُ لَهَا الْخُرْنُوبَةُ قَالَ فَنَظَرَ سُلَيْمَانُ يَوْماً فَإِذَا الشَّجَرَةُ الْخُرْنُوبَةُ قَدْ طَلَعَتْ مِنْ بَيْتِ الْمَقْدِسِ فَقَالَ لَهَا مَا اسْمُكِ قَالَتِ الْخُرْنُوبَةُ قَالَ فَوَلَّى سُلَيْمَانُ مُدْبِراً إِلَى مِحْرَابِهِ فَقَامَ فِيهِ مُتَّكِئاً عَلَى عَصَاهُ فَقُبِضَ رُوحُهُ مِنْ سَاعَتِهِ قَالَ فَجَعَلَتِ الْجِنُّ وَ الْإِنْسُ يَخْدُمُونَهُ وَ يَسْعَوْنَ فِي أَمْرِهِ كَمَا كَانُوا وَ هُمْ يَظُنُّونَ أَنَّهُ حَيٌّ لَمْ يَمُتْ يَغْدُونَ وَ يَرُوحُونَ وَ هُوَ قَائِمٌ ثَابِتٌ حَتَّى دَبَّتِ الْأَرَضَةُ مِنْ عَصَاهُ فَأَكَلَتْ مِنْسَأَتَهُ فَانْكَسَرَتْ وَ خَرَّ سُلَيْمَانُ إِلَى الْأَرْضِ أَ فَلَا تَسْمَعُ لِقَوْلِهِ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ فَلَمَّا خَرَّ تَبَيَّنَتِ الْجِنُّ أَنْ لَوْ كانُوا يَعْلَمُونَ الْغَيْبَ ما لَبِثُوا فِي الْعَذابِ الْمُهِينِ.


114. Ibn Mahboub, from Jameel Bin Saleh, from Al-Waleed Bin Sabeeh, who has reported the following: Abu Abdullah (a.s) having said: ‘Allah (azwj) Mighty and Majestic Revealed unto Suleyman Bin Dawood (a.s) that: “The sign of your (a.s) death is a tree which will come out from Bayt Al-Maqdas called Al-Kharnouba”. Suleyman (a.s) looked around one day and there was Al-Kharnouba tree which had emerged from Bayt Al-Maqdas. So he (a.s) said to it: ‘What is your name?’ It said, ‘Al-Kharnouba’. Suleyman (a.s) turned back to his (a.s) Prayer Niche and stood leaning upon his staff. His (a.s) soul was Captured (passed away) in that moment. The Jinn and the human beings kept on serving him (a.s) and were striving in his (a.s) command as before, and they were thinking that he (a.s) was alive and had not died. The morning came and passed, and he (a.s) was still standing still, until the woodworm gnawed away at his (a.s) staff and it broke, and Suleyman (a.s) fell down upon the ground. Have you not heard the Statemennt of the Mighty and Majestic: “[34:14] and when it fell down, the jinn came to know plainly that if they had known the unseen, they would not have tarried in abasing torment”.