How did the jinn make statues for Sulayman (peace be upon him)?

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Question : The first question: The questioner says: Honorable Shaykh, peace be upon you and Allah’s mercy and blessings. Peace be upon you and Allah’s mercy and blessings. In the verses we heard, the jinn work for Sulayman (peace be upon him) making statues. How is it permissible to make statues when this contradicts tawhid (the oneness of Allah), and the prophets are on one religion regarding tawhid? How did Sulayman (peace be upon him) approve of their making statues? Please give us a ruling, and may you be rewarded.

Answer : In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) [regarding] the jinn made subservient to Sulayman:

They made for him what he willed of elevated chambers, statues, bowls like reservoirs, and stationary kettles

يَعْمَلُونَ لَهُ مَا يَشَاءُ مِن مَّحَارِيبَ وَتَمَاثِيلَ وَجِفَانٍ كَالْجَوَابِ وَقُدُورٍ رَّاسِيَاتٍ

[Saba 34:13]

, and this is what they do by His will or without their choice. By choice, by His will:

They made for him what he willed of elevated chambers, statues

يَعْمَلُونَ لَهُ مَا يَشَاءُ مِن مَّحَارِيبَ وَتَمَاثِيلَ

[Saba 34:13]

. Do we have knowledge that these statues they were making are statues of what Allah has forbidden? We do not know. They may be statues of permissible things, and there is nothing wrong with statues of permissible things. As for statues that are worshipped other than Allah, like the statement of Ibrahim:

What are these statues to which you are devoted?"

مَا هَٰذِهِ التَّمَاثِيلُ الَّتِي أَنتُمْ لَهَا عَاكِفُونَ

[Al-Anbya 21:52]

, Sulayman could not have ordered them or chosen them. In that case, the objection is resolved.

Source دروس وفتاوى المسجد الحرام لعام 1414 هـ - 8 — binothaimeen.net (1:13:59)

The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.

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