Qisas al-Anbiya by Ibn Kathir (قصص الأنبياء لابن كثير) — Page 624

Line-by-line translation · المعاني

إِلَيْهِ مِنَ الدُّورِ الْمَبْنِيَّةِ وَالْقُصُورِ وَالْخِيَامِ وَالْأَمْتِعَةِ وَالْخُيُولِ وَالْجِمَالِ وَالْأَثْقَالِ وَالرِّجَالِ مِنَ الْإِنْسِ وَالْجَانِّ، وَغَيْرِ ذَلِكَ مِنَ الْحَيَوَانَاتِ وَالطُّيُورِ فَإِذَا أَرَادَ سَفَرًا أَوْ مُسْتَنْزَهًا أَوْ قِتَالَ مَلِكٍ أَوْ أَعْدَاءٍ مِنْ أَيِّ بِلَادِ اللَّهِ شَاءَ، فَإِذَا حَمَلَ هَذِهِ الْأُمُورَ الْمَذْكُورَةَ عَلَى الْبِسَاطِ أَمَرَ الرِّيحَ فَدَخَلَتْ تَحْتَهُ فَرَفَعَتْهُ فَإِذَا اسْتَقَلَّ بَيْنَ السَّمَاءِ وَالْأَرْضِ أَمَرَ الرَّخَاءَ فَسَارَتْ بِهِ، فَإِنْ أَرَادَ أَسْرَعَ مِنْ ذَلِكَ أَمَرَ الْعَاصِفَةَ فَحَمَلَتْهُ أَسْرَعَ مَا يَكُونُ فَوَضَعَتْهُ فِي أَيِّ مَكَانٍ شَاءَ، بِحَيْثُ إِنَّهُ كَانَ يَرْتَحِلُ فِي أَوَّلِ النَّهَارِ مِنْ بَيْتِ الْمَقْدِسِ فَتَغْدُو بِهِ الرِّيحُ فَتَضَعُهُ بِاصْطَخْرَ مَسِيرَةَ شَهْرٍ فَيُقِيمُ هُنَاكَ إِلَى آخِرِ النَّهَارِ، ثُمَّ يَرُوحُ مِنْ آخِرِهِ فَتَرُدُّهُ إِلَى بَيْتِ الْمَقْدِسِ كَمَا قَالَ تَعَالَى: ﴿وَلِسُلَيْمَانَ الرِّيحَ غُدُوُّهَا شَهْرٌ وَرَوَاحُهَا شَهْرٌ وَأَسَلْنَا لَهُ عَيْنَ الْقِطْرِ وَمِنَ الْجِنِّ مَن يَعْمَلُ بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ بِإِذْنِ رَبِّهِ وَمَن يَزِغْ مِنْهُمْ عَنْ أَمْرِنَا نُذِقْهُ مِنْ عَذَابِ السَّعِيرِ * يَعْمَلُونَ لَهُ مَا يَشَاءُ مِن مَّحَارِيبَ وَتَمَاثِيلَ وَجِفَانٍ كَالْجَوَابِ وَقُدُورٍ رَّاسِيَاتٍ اعْمَلُوا آلَ دَاوُدَ شُكْرًا وَقَلِيلٌ مِّنْ عِبَادِيَ الشَّكُورُ﴾.

To him belonged the built houses, palaces, tents, goods, horses, camels, heavy loads, and men from among both humans and jinn, as well as other animals and birds; so if he desired a journey, an excursion, or to fight a king or enemies from any of God's lands he wished, he would load these mentioned things onto the carpet and command the wind, which would enter beneath it and lift it up, and once it was suspended between heaven and earth, he would command the gentle breeze to carry it along; and if he wanted to go faster than that, he would command the storm, which would carry him as fast as possible and set him down in any place he wished, such that he would depart at the beginning of the day from Jerusalem, and the wind would carry him and set him down in Istakhr, a month's journey away, where he would stay until the end of the day, then he would depart at the end of it, and it would return him to Jerusalem, as the Almighty said: 'And to Solomon [We subjected] the wind: its morning [journey] was a month [long] and its afternoon [journey] was a month [long], and We made flow for him a spring of molten copper. And among the jinn were those who worked before him by the permission of his Lord; and whoever deviated among them from Our command - We will make him taste of the punishment of the Blaze. They made for him what he willed of elevated chambers, statues, basins as large as reservoirs, and stationary cauldrons. [We said], "Work, O family of David, in gratitude." And few of My servants are grateful.'

قَالَ الْحَسَنُ الْبَصْرِيُّ: كَانَ يَغْدُو مِنْ دِمَشْقَ فَيَنْزِلُ بِاصْطَخْرَ فَيَتَغَدَّى بِهَا وَيَذْهَبُ رَائِحًا مِنْهَا فَيَبِيتُ بِكَابُلَ وَبَيْنَ دِمَشْقَ وَبَيْنَ اصْطَخْرَ مَسِيرَةُ شَهْرٍ وَبَيْنَ اصْطَخْرَ وَكَابُلَ مَسِيرَةُ شَهْرٍ.

Al-Hasan al-Basri said: He would depart in the morning from Damascus and land in Istakhr to have his midday meal there, then he would depart in the evening from there and spend the night in Kabul, and between Damascus and Istakhr is a month's journey, and between Istakhr and Kabul is a month's journey.

قُلْتُ: قَدْ ذَكَرَ الْمُتَكَلِّمُونَ عَلَى الْعُمْرَانِ وَالْبُلْدَانِ أَنَّ اصْطَخْرَ بَنَتْهَا الْجَانُّ لِسُلَيْمَانَ وَكَانَ فِيهَا قَرَارُ مَمْلَكَةِ التُّرْكِ قَدِيمًا، وَكَذَلِكَ غَيْرُهَا مِنْ بُلْدَانٍ شَتَّى كَتَدْمُرَ وَبَيْتِ الْمَقْدِسِ وَبَابِ جَيْرُونَ وَبَابِ الْبَرِيدِ الَّتِي بِدِمَشْقَ عَلَى أَحَدِ الْأَقْوَالِ.

I say: Those who write about civilization and countries have mentioned that Istakhr was built by the jinn for Solomon, and it was the seat of the kingdom of the Turks in ancient times, as were other various cities like Palmyra, Jerusalem, Bab Jayrun, and Bab al-Barid in Damascus, according to one of the opinions.

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Vocabulary · المفردات (25 verbs · 49 nouns)

• بَنَى — to build
• أَرَادَ — to want
• شَاءَ — to will
• دَارٌ — house
• قَصْرٌ — palace
• خَيْمَةٌ — tent