Commentators on the Kurán state that while Solomon was still a mere
youth he frequently upset the decisions of the judges in open court, and
they became displeased with his interference, though they could not but
confess to themselves that his judgment was always superior to theirs.
Having prevailed upon King David to permit the sagacity of his son to be
publicly tested, they plied him with what they deemed very difficult
questions, which, however, were hardly uttered before he answered them
correctly, and at length they became silent and shame-faced. Then
Solomon rose and said (I take the paragraph which follows from the
English translation of Dr. Weil's interesting work, _The Bible, the
Korán, and the Talmud_, 1846, p. 165 f.):
"You have exhausted yourselves in subtleties, in the hope of manifesting
your superiority over me before this great assembly. Permit me now also
to put to you a very few simple questions, the solution of which needs
no manner of study, but only a little intellect and understanding. Tell
me: What is Everything, and what is Nothing? Who is Something, and who
is less than Nothing?" Solomon waited long, and when the judge whom he
had addressed was not able to answer, he said: "Allah, the Creator, is
Everything, and the world, the creature, is Nothing. The believer is
Something, but the hypocrite is less than Nothing." Turning to another,
Solomon inquired: "Which are the most in number, and which are the
fewest? What is the sweetest, and what is the most bitter?" But as the
second judge also was unable to find proper answers to these questions,
Solomon said: "The most numerous are the doubters, and they who possess
a perfect assurance of faith are fewest in number. The sweetest is the
possession of a virtuous wife, excellent children, and a respectable
competency; but a wicked wife, undutiful children, and poverty are the
most bitter." Finally Solomon put this question to a third judge: "Which
is the vilest, and which is the most beautiful? What is the most
certain, and what is the least so?" But these questions also remained
unanswered until Solomon said: "The vilest thing is when a believer
apostasises, and the most beautiful is when a sinner repents. The most
certain thing is death and the last judgment, and the most uncertain,
life and the fate of the soul after the resurrection. You perceive," he
continued, "it is not the oldest and most learned that are always the
wisest. True wisdom is neither of years nor of learned books, but only
of Allah, the All-wise."
The judges were full of admiration, and unanimously lauded the
unparalleled sagacity of the future ruler of Israel.--The Queen of
Sheba's "hard questions" (already referred to, p. 218) were probably of
a somewhat similar nature. Such "wit combats" seem to have been formerly
common at the courts and palaces of Asiatic monarchs and nobles; and a
curious, but rather tedious, example is furnished in the _Thousand and
One Nights_, in the story of Abú al-Husn and his slave Tawaddad, which
will be found in vol. iv of Mr. John Payne's and vol. v of Sir R. F.
Burton's complete translations.