Credible Theories
Quran · Surah 34:12–14; 21:81–82

Solomon's wind and his jinn workforce

ReferenceSurah 34:12–14; 21:81–82
Written610–632 CE
SetSolomon, c. 950 BCE
And unto Solomon (We gave) the wind, whereof the morning course was a month's journey and the evening course a month's journey, and We caused the fount of copper to gush forth for him, and (We gave him) certain of the jinn who worked before him by permission of his Lord.

Translation: Pickthall, 1930 · About the translator

Read it literally

Two months of travel in one day, a source of molten copper, and a non-human labor force. The jinn did not notice he had died until a worm ate his staff (34:14).

What scholars say

Matches Jewish legends of Solomon controlling demons.

Spirits and jinn Looks like technology From the sky
People and places hereSolomon

Quick answers about Surah 34:12–14

Where is Surah 34:12–14 found?

Surah 34:12–14; 21:81–82 (Quran). Translation quoted: Marmaduke Pickthall, The Meaning of the Glorious Koran (1930).

When was Surah 34:12–14 written?

610–632 CE.

What do scholars say about Surah 34:12–14?

Matches Jewish legends of Solomon controlling demons.

Rabbit holes in this passage

BeingJinnA second intelligent species made of smokeless fire, invisible, with free will, and once able to eavesdrop on the sky.

Sources

  1. Marmaduke Pickthall, The Meaning of the Glorious Koran (1930)Primary text
  2. Quran 55:14–15; also 72:1–9 and 37:6–10, trans. Marmaduke Pickthall, The Meaning of the Glorious Koran (1930)Primary text

Scholarly dates are rounded. The wording follows the named public-domain translation.

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