[Tariqas] King Solomon and the Jinn

[IrvingK57@aol.com]

Salaam Dear Brothers and Sisters:
Here is an excerpt about  King Solomon and the Jinn for your 
enjoyment, from the book Master of the  Jinn: A Sufi Novel

Ya Haqq,

Irving

King Solomon and  the Jinn

"We were speaking of King  Solomon before you arrived," the 
Master said to Professor Freeman.   "Perhaps you would be kind enough 
to add some flavor to the stew?"
The Professor glanced quickly at his daughter and Mr. 
Simach.   "Yes, well, I do give the occasional lecture," he said, 
laughing modestly  and clearing his throat.
"His true name," he began, glancing at  the moon just visible 
over the garden wall,  "was Jedidiah, the 'friend  of God' but was 
later made Shelomo, Solomon, the 'King of Peace,' because of  the 
peace that prevailed during the greater part of his reign.  And  
other names he had also: Ben, because he was the builder of the 
Temple;  Jekeh because he was the ruler of the known world; and 
Ithiel, because God  was with him."
He stopped and looked at the Master, who nodded  slightly.
"What is truly known," he went on, now focusing his  gaze to 
include us all, "is, unfortunately, very little.  Legends  abound, in 
the Bible, the Talmud, the History of Josephus and the  Koran.  Facts 
are few, and even those are open to much  speculation.  And yet, as 
Shaykh Haadi so often pointed out when I was  his student, facts are 
distinguishable by their coldness, truth by its  warmth.  There are 
many tales of Solomon, and almost all are used to  illustrate a 
moral.  One story in particular, however, may warm  you..."
He paused again, smiling, looking at our faces as a  teacher 
would in gauging the effect of his words on his students.
" Consider what is called the Seal of Solomon," he 
said.  "The  six-pointed star."
He asked if there was anything to write on, and a small  blackboard 
and chalk were brought to him.  He drew the star.
"Here is a symbol ancient and filled with meaning. It 
contains the  six powers of motion; above, below, front, back, right, 
left.  It  contains the six directions; up, down, front, back, left, 
and right.   It is said to be the perfect number because the days of 
creation were  six.  It contains the first even number, 2, and the 
first odd number,  3.  And the interlocking triangles represent not 
only the masculine and  feminine duality of nature, but also the 
active intellect and the passive  soul manifested from the one God.  
The product of their union is  creation, and the harmony of the 
universe.
"And this  hexagon and its various complementary aspects also 
include the four ancient  elements of nature," he said, and drew four 
triangles.
"The  triangle pointing upward is fire, down is water.  The 
triangle pointing  up with the line of the other in it symbolizes 
air, while the downward  triangle with the other's line is earth. 
Together they form the Seal of  Solomon:  The synthesis of all the 
elements, the tendencies of all  forms, where all opposites come into 
union."
He paused to  catch his breath, and then looked at the 
Master. Both broke out in  laughter.
The Master was still chuckling as Professor Freeman  looked 
at his daughter. "It was Shaykh Haadi's first lecture in Religious  
Symbolism.  A wonderful class," he said.
"High praise,  indeed," the Master acknowledged with a slight 
bow, "coming from my worst  student."
They laughed again, and we along with them.   After a moment, 
the Professor continued.
"Now, some sources  contend that this Seal of Solomon, is, in 
fact, not his seal."  He  paused to look at his daughter.  The Master 
watched him intently, and I  wondered if anyone else had heard that 
he said, in fact, not in  truth.
"They say that this six-pointed star is the Megen David,  the 
Shield of David, and that the Seal of Solomon is another star, the  
pentacle, or pentagram."  He paused again, searching our faces for  
some sign he apparently did not find.
"Continue, Shlomeh,"  the Master said, "Let us hear the full 
tale."
It was the  first time the Master had used his friend's given 
name, and somehow the  saying of the word had an effect on the man.  
He sat upright from his  slouched position, squaring his shoulders 
and stretching his back muscles.  
"Yes," he said. "The seal...It is written that at the time  
Solomon began the building of the Temple, Assaf, the Vizir of 
Solomon,  complained that someone was stealing precious jewels from 
his rooms, and  from other courtiers as well.  Even the royal 
treasury was not  immune.  Now Assaf was also renowned for his wisdom 
and knew that no  ordinary thief could have done these deeds.  'Some 
evil spirit causes  this mischief,' he counseled the King. 
"Solomon then prayed fervently to God  to deliver the wicked spirit 
into his hands for punishment. At once his  prayer was answered.  The 
archangel Michael appeared before the King,  and put into his hand 
the mightiest power that ever was or shall be in this  world…a small, 
golden ring, inset with a seal of engraved stone.
"And Michael said: ' Take this ring, O Solomon King, son of 
David,  the gift which the Lord God hath sent unto thee.  Wear this 
ring, and  all the demons of the earth, both male and female, thou 
wilt  command.'
"Now, many medieval sources claim that the pentalpha,  or 
pentacle, the ancient sign of sorcery, was engraved on the ring,  
because Solomon was said to have been a master of the magic arts.   
But I do not think this was so.  The pentacle is older than Solomon,  
first seen on pottery from Ur of the Chaldees, in ancient Babylon.
"Other sources describe the ring as made of pure gold, set 
with a  single shamir stone; a diamond perhaps, or the same heavenly 
green shamir  stone said to have been part of the Temple.  The stone 
was cut and set  in the form of an eight-rayed star. On it was 
engraved the hexagon seal, and  within that the four letters of the 
ineffable name of God, YHWH."
He stopped for a moment and brushed a hand across his hair.
"No stone," he began again, now looking directly at Mr. 
Simach, "was  ever so renowned as the stone in the ring of Solomon.  
For with it the  whole earth came under his sway.  Only death was 
beyond his power to  control..."
The Professor glanced at his daughter, then at the  Master, 
as if waiting for some sign.  He appeared excited.
"Yes, my darvishes," the Master broke in, "death is beyond 
all power,  save the One.  There is no remedy for death other than to 
look it  constantly in the face.  We who are born will die; we must  
submit.  Even he who held the world under the seal of his ring is  
now only a mineral in the earth... But please continue..."
Professor Freeman bowed slightly from his sitting 
position. "Armed with the  ring, Solomon commanded the guilty spirit 
to appear. He wore the ring on the  mid-finger of the right hand, and 
pointed it at the foot of his high throne,  saying, 'By the power of 
the seal of the one God, I command thee,  troublesome spirit, to come 
forth.'
"A roaring column of  flame instantly appeared, reaching 
nearly to the high ceiling of the throne  room many cubits above, and 
just as quickly was gone.  Whether the  flame itself took shape, or 
merely preceded him, could not be seen, but  where the flame had 
been, the demon stood, caught in his mischief; for he  still clutched 
in his hands a great many jewels just stolen from the royal  vaults.  
So great was his surprise that he dropped the gems, which  scattered 
like pebbles on the marble floor, and his red eyes darted back and  
forth like twin flames in that broad, swarthy face.  And wide wonder  
came into those terrible eyes that some power existed among mortal 
men  that was greater than his will.
"Twice the height of the King  he was and more, greater even 
than Goliath that David slew, the King's  father.  And of so dark and 
menacing a countenance was the demon that  even Assaf the wise drew 
back in horror.  Only Solomon stood firm, and  a light shone before 
him.
"Then the demon saw the face of  the King, whose arm pointed 
toward him, and beheld the seal of the  ring.  The demon's cruel, 
lidless eyes went wide, and he let out such a  ghastly, howling 
shriek that the very stones of the palace trembled to their  
foundation.  It was so horrible a sound that all the people of the  
kingdom who heard it covered their ears and cast themselves on the  
ground in fear.  Oxen died of terror in the fields and birds fell  
from the sky, for it was like unto the cry of a soul newly plunged 
in  the flames of hell.
"But the power of God was within the ring,  so that even the 
demon was helpless. He fell to his knees and prostrated  himself 
before the King.
"'Mercy, Master!' cried the  Jinni.
"'Name thyself, demon.' commanded Solomon.
"'I am called Ornias, O Great King!'
"'Why hast thou  done such mischief to my household?  Speak 
truly!'
"'Hunger, Lord of the World! Hunger insatiable!' And he 
revealed himself as  a vampire spirit, who with fangs harder than 
adamant pierces the gems of the  earth to drink their light.
"'Why dost thou drink the light of  earthly jewels?' demanded 
Assaf the Vizir, 'It is a thing unheard of among  the wise.'"
But the Jinni was silent.
"'Speak  the answer,' said the King, 'I command it.'
"'Thou knowest my  answer, King of Wisdom,' said the demon.
"Then Solomon looked  into his heart, for the forty-nine 
gates of wisdom were open to him, as they  had been to Moses.  This 
derives from the belief that each word of the  Torah has forty-nine 
meanings.  And he discerned there the answer, and  it amazed him, so 
that he looked on the creature before him with a new  understanding 
and pity."
The Professor paused, breathing  deeply.  "But perhaps your 
Master will give you the answer," he said,  looking at our rapt 
faces. "As he did to me, years ago."
We  all looked to the Master.  There was a glint in his eye 
and he nodded  approvingly. 
"Know then the sorrow of the demon," he  said.  "For the gems 
of the earth were born at the dawn of the world,  created by the 
death of ancient forests buried beneath the weight of  mountains.  It 
was a time of upheaval when both Jinn and Angels were  cast out and 
world was broken.  The light of the new sun was still in  the green 
life of those forests as slowly they were transformed,  crystallized 
by the long years into the light that sparkles from the cut and  
polished jewels.  And so Ornias the demon, denied the light of  
heaven, drinks the light of the first morning, feeding his sorrow 
and  his loss."
The Master stopped, relighting and drawing on his  pipe.  
Wonderful!  Indeed, every darvish was touched by the tale,  warmed, 
if you will. Even Mr. Simach seemed moved, and Rebecca's eyes were  
wide beside me.  When the Master speaks, the angels listen, we say,  
for he speaks with the tongue of sincerity. 
"And so,"  Professor Freeman went on, "Solomon burned the 
seal into the neck of Ornias  as a brand of his sovereignty, and the 
Jinni from that moment did his  bidding, and was given the task of 
cutting stones for the building of the  Temple.
"And other of the Jinn who were causing mischief within  the 
realm were also commanded to come forth:  Onoskelis, who had the  
shape and skin of a fair-hued woman; Asmodeus, who professed the 
Hebrew  faith and was said to observe the Torah; Tephros, the demon 
of the Ashes,  and after him a group of seven females spirits who 
declared themselves to be  the thirty-six elements of the darkness; 
and Rabdos, a ravenous, hound-like  spirit.  All were branded with 
the seal of the ring.
"Others there were also for another tale, but one more for 
this: A demon  having all the limbs of a man, but without a head.
"The demon  said, 'I am called Envy, for I delight in 
devouring heads.  But I  hunger always, and desire YOUR HEAD NOW.'"
The Professor  shouted the last words for emphasis and made 
such a face that we were all  startled into laughter. 
The Master smiled.  "Indeed, envy is the prison of the 
spirit," he said.