Prophet Solomon Visited His Wives in One Night
The response to the suspicion that Prophet Solomon visited his wives in one night and that one of his wives gave birth to a half-human being
Content of the Doubt
The enemies of Islam criticize the story of Prophet Solomon’s visits to his wives in one night. They ask: How could Prophet Solomon have intercourse with 70, 90, or 100 women in one night? Would one night be enough? Would all of his wives be ovulating that night so that they could conceive on the same night? Is it reasonable that one of his wives would give birth to a fetus that was only half a human?
The enemies of Islam cite the following hadith from Sahih al-Bukhari as evidence:
Abu al-Yaman narrated to us, Shuayb informed us, Abu al-Zinad narrated to us, on the authority of Abd al-Rahman al-A`raj, on the authority of Abu Hurayrah, who said: The Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, said: “Solomon said: ‘Tonight I will visit ninety women, each of whom will bring forth a knight who will fight in the cause of God.’ His companion said to him: ‘God willing,’ but he did not say: ‘God willing.’ So he visited all of them, but he did not…” None of them were pregnant except for one woman who gave birth to half a man. By the One in Whose Hand is Muhammad’s soul, if he had said, “God willing,” they would all have fought in the cause of God as knights.”
Response to This Doubt
First: Regarding the hadith about Solomon’s visits to his wives, the hadith never mentions that Solomon had intercourse with all of them on the same night.
The hadith only mentioned the phrase: [Sulayman circumambulated] .
The word (tawaf) in the Arabic language means: to move, wander, and travel… Therefore, we say in the Arabic language: [The Muslim circumambulated the Kaaba] , and we also say in the Arabic language: [The generous person circumambulated the poor]
The word (tawaf) was mentioned in a hadith narrated by Imam Muslim on the authority of the Prophet, where he said:
The Messenger of God said: A time will come upon the people when a man will go around with gold as charity, but he will not find anyone to take it from him.
So, the root of the word “tāf” in Arabic means moving or walking from one place to another. The hadith indicates that Sulayman would visit his wives at the end of the day after he had finished his chores. He would visit each wife, check on her well-being, and move from one room to another.
As for his wives becoming pregnant from him, the hadith never mentioned that they would become pregnant from him on the same night. Rather, one of his wives might become pregnant starting the next day, another might become pregnant starting two days later, another might become pregnant starting a week later, and so on.
***In conclusion, the hadith never mentioned that Prophet Solomon would have intercourse with all of his wives that night, and the hadith did not mention that all of his wives would become pregnant starting that same night. Rather, the hadith only mentioned that Prophet Solomon would visit his wives and that Solomon wanted his wives to bear children from him so that he would teach his children righteousness and jihad in the way of Allah. However, the hadith did not stipulate that all of his wives would become pregnant starting that same night. ***
So look for yourself at the phrase mentioned in the hadith 👇:
Solomon said: ” Tonight I will visit ninety women, and each of them will bring forth a knight who will fight in the cause of God .”
The phrase was also mentioned in another chain of transmission as follows👇:
Solomon said: “Tonight I will visit ninety women, each of whom will give birth to a boy who will fight in the cause of God.”
The above phrases do not indicate that Solomon would have intercourse with all of his wives that night. Rather, the hadith only mentions Solomon’s visits to them that night. The hadith does not state that the wives would begin to get pregnant that night. Rather, it only states that Solomon wanted his wives to bear children who would grow up to be righteous and strive in the cause of Allah. The hadith does not state when the wives would begin to get pregnant, when they would give birth, or when they would ovulate.
Therefore, you will notice that the hadith tells us that the majority of those wives did not become pregnant immediately after that, due to the lack of ovulation and fertilization. Everything is by the power and destiny of God, provided that the necessary precautions are taken.
Second
Regarding the question: Is one night enough to have intercourse with 70, 90, or 100 women?!
I answer this silly question and say:
I said that the hadith never mentioned that Solomon would have intercourse with all of his wives on the same night.
Even if we assume that Solomon would have intercourse with all of his wives on the same night, one night would be enough for that, because the average time a man needs for intercourse is approximately 3-5 minutes.
Therefore, intercourse with 100 women requires less than 500 minutes (about 8 hours); that is, one night is enough for that.
I repeat again that the hadith did not mention that Solomon had intercourse with all of his wives on the same night.
Another Question
Al-Bukhari mentioned about six hadiths that talk about Solomon’s visits to his wives. Some of those hadiths mentioned 60 women, some mentioned 70 women, some mentioned 90 women, and some mentioned 99 or 100 women. So which is correct?!
First: You should know that Imam Al-Bukhari used to mention the original hadith and then mention supporting evidence and corroborating evidence. That is, he would mention the authentic hadith with the strongest chain of transmission and mention other hadiths as supporting evidence and corroborating evidence, nothing more.
When Imam Al-Bukhari mentioned the hadiths of Solomon’s circumambulation, he himself commented on the hadiths and said that the most correct is number 90, and this is the original and most correct, as Al-Bukhari himself said. As for the rest of the hadiths of Solomon’s circumambulation, Al-Bukhari mentioned them as supporting evidence and not as originals.
Here is the hadith mentioned by Al-Bukhari:
Khalid ibn Makhlad narrated to us, Mughirah ibn Abd al-Rahman narrated to us, on the authority of Abu al-Zinad, on the authority of al-A’raj, on the authority of Abu Hurayrah, on the authority of the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, who said: “Sulayman ibn Dawud said: ‘I will visit seventy women tonight…’ Shu’ayb and Ibn Abi al-Zinad said: ‘Ninety,’ and this is more authentic .”
Here ☝, Al-Bukhari himself commented on the hadiths he mentioned in his book and indicated that the correct number is 90, not 100, nor 99, nor 70, nor 60.
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Another Question
Is it reasonable that one of his wives would give birth to a half-human being?!
And I reply and say:
The meaning of the hadith is that one of Solomon’s wives gave birth to a deformed child. The phrase “half a human” means that only half of the fetus that was born was fully formed, while the other half was not fully formed. This is why you will find some hadiths mentioning the phrase “a boy split in two .” This medical condition has occurred several times throughout history, and it is a medical condition found in medical books and takes many forms, including:
Caudal Regression Syndrome
Caudal regression syndrome: In this syndrome, fetuses are born with abnormalities; the upper half somewhat resembles the appearance of a normal fetus, but the lower half is not formed.
a person born with caudal regression syndrome
There is a genetic disorder called Mermaid Syndrome , or Sirenomelia , which can vary in appearance and severity. A baby may be born with an upper half that resembles any human fetus, but a lower half that is not fully formed and resembles a tail .
Reference: Langman’s Medical Embryology: TWSadler
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Another Question
In the story of Solomon’s visits to his wives, did the Prophet Solomon intentionally not mention the phrase: [God willing]?
I answer this question and say:
The hadith says that Prophet Solomon did not do that intentionally, but rather he forgot to say it. Therefore, it was mentioned in the hadiths:
The angel said to him: Say , “God willing,” but he did not say it and forgot .
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Another Question
What is the fault of a child who was born deformed if he will live his life helpless?!
I answer this question and say:
The hadith does not say that the newborn lived, but rather it is most likely that he died after birth or that he died in his mother’s womb and was born dead. This is because, as far as I know, history does not tell us that Solomon had a deformed son who lived for many years. Therefore, it is most likely that the deformed fetus was born dead from his mother’s womb or that he was born and died shortly after.
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Another Question
Should Prophet Solomon have said: [God willing] ?
Answer: Every person must entrust the matter to God and say: “God willing,” because God is the One in whose hand is everything.
Then, if a person promises to do something and does not do it, then he has broken his promise. Therefore, it is better for a person to entrust the matter to God and say: “God willing.”
The following was mentioned in the continuation of the hadith:
The Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, said: If he had said, “God willing,” he would not have broken his oath and his need would have been more likely to be met .
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Another Question
Was it his friend or the angel who advised Solomon to say “God willing”?
The answer: The companion referred to here is the angel who was accompanying Solomon, and he is the one who told him that. Therefore, the angel was described as a companion. The following is mentioned in some hadiths:
His companion said to him - Sufyan said, meaning the angel - say, “God willing .” But he forgot and performed the circumambulation.
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Another Question
Do the previous hadiths mean that Solomon did not have any children throughout his life?!
And I reply and say:
The context of the hadith does not indicate that Solomon was childless throughout his life. Rather, the context of the hadith speaks of a specific period in the life of Prophet Solomon. The context of the hadith tells us that most of Solomon’s wives did not conceive immediately after Solomon promised that his wives would bear children who would fight in the cause of God. The hadith speaks of a specific period in Solomon’s life, but after that, God blessed Solomon with children, as God Almighty says:
And We had certainly sent messengers before you, and made for them wives and offspring. And it was not for a messenger to bring a sign except by permission of Allah. For every term is a decree. [Ar-Ra`d 38]
Another Question
Why did Solomon marry so many women?!
And I reply and say:
First: The prophets’ goal was not worldly desires, but rather their goals served the interests of calling to God. Solomon married women to establish intermarriage relationships with various peoples and nations, attracting them to God’s religion and strengthening his state. This is clearly evident in the story of Solomon and the Queen of Sheba, where Solomon was strengthening his state and advising other nations to worship God.
Finally:
As for the Christians who repeat the allegation of Solomon’s circumambulation of his wives, I respond to these Christians and say:
Your Holy Book mentioned that Solomon had about a thousand wives, so how did he have intercourse with this huge number, and did he wash himself after having intercourse with each one?!
It is mentioned in (1 Kings 11:3, 4) as follows:
He had 700 noble women and 300 concubines, and his wives turned his heart away .
The Bible even says that Solomon apostatized and worshipped pagan gods and built pagan temples for them to sacrifice to!!!
- Final note:
As for the enemies of Islam who cite the words of Sheikh so-and-so when he interprets the hadith of Solomon’s circumambulation as meaning that he had intercourse with all of his wives on the same night, I respond to them and say:
First: This method practiced by the enemies of Islam is called the method of (attribution) , and this method is inherently fallacious. Islam is accepted through sound evidence, not simply because Sheikh So-and-so said something. The imams of Islam have taught us that [a scholar can be cited as evidence, but not by him] . This statement means that we must rely on the words of Sheikh So-and-so, provided that he provides religious, rational, or linguistic evidence for what he says. However, if he does not provide evidence, his words will be rejected. I have presented to you and proven to you that there is no evidence in the hadith that So-and-so had intercourse with all of his wives on the same night.