Wholesome power and the story of Sulayman (AS)

Instead, He (SWT) makes leaders from among men that there may be order, peace and tranquility on land. The concept of leadership is fundamental to the principles and practice of Islamic religion. Leadership finds practical expression in our congregational prayers and in the headship of some chosen people as prophets or messengers of Allah (SWT). […]

Instead, He (SWT) makes leaders from among men that there may be order, peace and tranquility on land.
The concept of leadership is fundamental to the principles and practice of Islamic religion. Leadership finds practical expression in our congregational prayers and in the headship of some chosen people as prophets or messengers of Allah (SWT). The Omnipotent states in the Qur’an 4:59 “O ye who believe! Obey Allah, obey the Apostle and those charged with authority among you…” Allah (SWT) established the society to comprise two political classes of people: the leader and the led. Chaos and anarchy would be the norm in any human social group that is devoid of this classical but institutional arrangement. Scholars, however, are unanimous in their views that power could be more intoxicating than liquor especially when it is not guided by knowledge and wisdom.
Once upon a power in its most authoritative and prerogative form! This power manifested in Prophet Sulayman (AS) otherwise called King Solomon in the Biblical tradition. He neither misused the power nor allowed himself to be misled by his overwhelming influence. Prophet Sulayman (AS) asked Allah (SWT) as related in Qur’an 38:35 for a power that none after him shall possess. His request was graciously granted and Allah (SWT) gave him a unique power to subdue men, Jinn and even the forces of nature including the wind.
The power bestowed on Sulayman (AS) by Allah was enormous. He was empowered to hire and fire not only from among mankind and Jinn but also from the animal kingdom. Sulayman (AS) was taught the speech of birds that he may communicate and command authority over their kingdom. His most mobile army was the birds that were light on their wings and flew high to catch sight of things for him. One day, the hoopoe (Hudhud) was absent in Sulayman’s muster of birds and he said: ‘I will certainly punish him severely or execute him except he brings me a clear reason for being absent’. Fortunately, the hoopoe returned and said he had come with true tidings from Saba; a city that could be identified with the Biblical Sheba. 
The wish of Sulayman (AS) was always the unanimous command of the entire kingdom of Jinn. He once asked of anyone who could bring him the throne of Bilqis (the Queen of Sheba). The hoopoe had discovered (on the day of his absence from the marshal of birds) that Bilqis and her people were worshiping the sun besides Allah (SWT). An Ifrit of the Jinn pledged to bring the throne even before Sulayman (AS) would rise from his Council sitting. Ifrit is a large powerful Jinn reputed to be wicked and crafty. Ifrit was anxious to be recognized as one that ‘could be trusted’. However, the big Ifrit who had knowledge of the Book boasted of his brute strength and reliability; saying, ‘I will bring it to thee within the twinkling of an eye’. When Sulayman (AS) saw it firmly placed before him, he said, ‘This is by the grace of my Lord to test me whether I am grateful or ungrateful’.
These are some illustrations of the immense powers bestowed by Allah (SWT) upon Sulayman (AS). He was held in awe by all and sundry. Even the ant, which is relatively a small creature, stood in awe of Sulayman (AS). Because mankind is naturally zealous if not obsessive about power as a tool for dominating others, there is great tendency for an ordinary man to be tempted by unrestrained authorities such as granted Sulayman (AS). Yet, the influential Sulayman (AS) was never tempted. He was never carried away by the stock of such domineering influence. He was able to withstand the temptations that are conventionally associated with power and authority.
Rather than become arrogant, proud or excited by the prerogatives of very extensive powers, Sulayman (AS) turned to Allah in gratitude and in true devoution. He prayed to Allah (SWT) for guidance that he may not even unwittingly wrong small and humble beings (such as the ant) in his preoccupations with the great but mundane issues of life. He prayed that Allah (SWT) should guide him not to use the God-given gift of vast powers except for the common good and righteousness of his people. Discipline and justice were the watch words of his wholesome power.
While Sulayman (AS) used power to consolidate the word of Allah (SWT) and submit wholly to His Will, many of our present crop of leaders (political and traditional) use it instead to exploit, enslave, oppress, persecute, and tyrannize their subjects. Sulayman (AS)’s grand powers only made him to submit to Allah (SWT) in profound gratitude. If he had been ungrateful to Allah and had worked for his worldly motives, he could have (if he wanted) used the brute strength of Ifrit to add to his incalculable powers.
If any contemporary Nigerian leader were, by chance, to have Solomon’s disposition today, his first prayer (unlike Solomon’s) would be to ask Allah (SWT) to grant him the smartness and resources to change the country’s constitution for as many times as he needed to have 3rd or 4th or 5th terms in office even if such were against the popular wish of citizens. All praise is due to Allah (SWT) that Solomon in his prayer asked God not to grant anyone after him the kind of power bestowed upon him. If not for this prayer, some wicked leaders including those from Nigeria could have asked for and gotten similar powers. Our own story of despotism in Nigeria would have consequently sounded cruder than every other. If Nigerian leaders of today, with just run of the mill power, enjoy clamping down on the media, seizing newspapers, grounding aircrafts, profiling Muslims, and arresting indigenes of northern states when they travel to southern parts of the country; then that which could have happened if they had Solomon’s powers is, of course, better imagined. They might (it were possible) even extend the discriminative concept and principles of ‘resource control’ to the oxygen in the atmosphere so that others as northerners or southerners, settlers or indigenes, affluent or poor, would breath in a lower quality of air.
Among those whose prayer Allah (SWT) has promised to accept are just leaders and wronged followers. Logic presupposes that there can be no wronged followers where there are just leaders.  Now that we are in Ramadan, a holy season for the acceptance of prayers, let us as leaders (if we think we are just enough) and as followers (if we believe our leaders have treated us unjustly) turn to Allah in prayers and ask Him to deliver us from all the challenges troubling us as a nation. May Allah accept our fasting and other forms of ibadah, amin.