Title: Solomon (pbuh) and the Horses - Saad 38: 31 - 33 Question: It is generally held by the commentators that Sulayman (AS) forgot the remembrance of Allah because of his horses. Because of this, he killed them slashing their head and necks. What is your intepretation of the incident in Surah Saad ? Thanks Asim Awan USA Answer: According to my present understanding, I agree with the referred interpretation. A brief summary of the incident, as I understand it, follows: One day, as Solomon (pbuh) was inspecting the parade of his army of horses, he got so engrossed in this inspection that he missed his prayers at their prescribed time. Later on, when he realized his mistake, he strongly reacted to his over-engrossment in the worldly blessings of God and almost attacked the horses with his sword. The referred incident is one depicting extreme repentance and sorrow on the part of the prophet Solomon (pbuh). A pious person is extremely severe about things, which have the potential of diverting his mind from God's remembrance. One may, however, object to the severity of Solomon's reaction and consider it as entailing an action which seems to be harsher than what the Shari`ah would have recommended. One must keep in mind that the prophets of God can sometimes commit mistakes in their actions and reactions, yet even such of their mistakes are a result of their tilt towards piety and Godliness rather than towards physical and material pleasure and worldliness. I hope this helps. Regards, Moiz Amjad June 24, 2002