Slanders Against Earlier Believers

There is great wisdom in the fact that Allah relates in the Qur’an details of the lives of past messengers and Muslims. This fact is revealed as follows: “There is instruction in their stories for people of intelligence” (Surah Yusuf, 111). Past experiences are revealed so that people coming later may ponder and learn from them.

For instance, Allah has given many examples of how messengers and Muslims have dealt with slander. Therefore, Muslims who read these accounts should not be surprised when they are confronted with similar accusations from some people who distanced themselves from religious moral values. They will not suspect their fellow Muslims; rather, they will evaluate the unfolding events and the verbal and physical attacks according to the Qur’an’s criteria. Just as the messengers of Allah and earlier Muslims responded to them with patience and restraint, they also will understand that they must show the same degree of patience, and reliance upon Allah.

In addition, it is a source of zeal and excitement to see that Muslims have always been accused by those remote from religious moral values with the same mentality and words, because Allah promises: “You will not find any alteration in Allah’s pattern” (Surat al-Ahzab, 62). That past events recur in the particular believer’s own time confirms Allah’s word and signals the sincerity of those Muslims who are thus confronted. However, the important point here is that Muslims show the same superior character as did the messengers and other devout believers.

For these reasons, the coming pages will deal with the slanders that earlier Muslims faced and their measured, patient, trusting, and rational manner of dealing with these personal attacks.

The Slanders Against The Prophet Moses (as)

The Prophet Moses (as) was sent as a messenger to the Israelites. Like all other prophets and sincere believers, he too suffered many verbal and physical attacks from the unbelievers.

At the time of his birth, Pharaoh was oppressing the majority of the population. In fact, his cruelty brought an entire generation close to extinction. This tyranny is related in the Qur’an in the following way:

Pharaoh exalted himself arrogantly in the land and divided its people into camps, oppressing one group of them by slaughtering their sons and letting their women live. He was one of the corrupters. (Surat al-Qasas, 4)

The Prophet Moses’ (as) mother was afraid that Pharaoh’s soldiers would kill her baby too, and, inspired by Allah, she entrusted her son to the Nile. According to the destiny that Allah had appointed for him, the Prophet Moses (as) was found and taken in by Pharaoh’s family. Consequently, he grew up in Pharaoh’s palace. But following his selection as a prophet by Allah, he was exposed to Pharaoh’s hostile and aggressive attitude.

Pharaoh’s Hostility towards the Prophet Moses (as)

The Prophet Moses (as), commanded by Allah, entered Pharaoh's presence and told him about Allah's existence and the true religion. However, he was met with aggression and denial. In fact, Pharaoh threatened him and his companions with death by torture. In the face of this threat, the majority of the Egyptians were too scared to believe in the truth the Prophet Moses (as) brought them, and so they did not side with him. It is revealed in the Qur'an that only a few young people believed in him:

No one believed in Moses, except for some children of his people, out of fear that Pharaoh and the elders would persecute them. Pharaoh was high and mighty in the land. He was one of the profligate. (Surah Yunus, 83)

As Allah reveals, it is certain from the beginning that Allah’s devout servants will prevail: “… Allah will not give the unbelievers any way against the believers” (Surat an-Nisa’, 141). However, Allah’s law decrees that believers’ faith, reliance upon Him, and patience be tried by means of demanding trials, denial, and slander. All of this happened to the Prophet Moses (as) and his followers.

Pharaoh considered himself to be a deity, the sole and only owner, and the lord of the people. He was well aware that if the people realized that Allah is the only Lord of the people, he would no longer be able to claim lordship over them and thus would be unable to force them into submission. Thus, he tried to prevent the people from believing in the Prophet Moses (as). Threatening death and torture was one of his commonly used methods, as was his slander to discredit the Prophet Moses (as) and his brother Aaron (as). We list these irrational and illogical slanders below, as follows:

The Allegation that the Prophet Moses (as)
Seeks Personal Gain and Power

The starting point for unbelievers when they plot their slanderous plans against the believers has always been their own evil character and worldview. For instance, people who do not live by the Qur’an’s morality have an enormous ego and an uncontrollable selfish desire to enjoy the worldly pleasures of this life. Pharaoh was a typical example of such people. Obsessed with his desire to be the sole lord of Egypt and its people, he did not refrain from torturing and martyring innocent people in the pursuit of this goal. Due to his own mistaken beliefs and lust for power, he considered everyone else in the same terms. For this reason, he was unable to judge the status of the Prophets Moses (as) and Aaron (as) in Allah’s Presence and why they had come to his court.

The Prophet Moses (as) called the people to believe his words, but he did so only to introduce them to Allah's existence and infinite power, teach them the Qur'an's morality, and help them find enlightenment and right guidance. Pharaoh and his inner circle, on the other hand, believed, in a most unwise manner, that he sought power and therefore regarded him, in their own eyes, as a political rival. Almighty Allah reveals in a verse how Pharaoh and his inner circle wrongfully accused the Prophets Moses (as) and Aaron (as):

OThey said: “Have you come to us to turn us from what we found our fathers doing, and to gain greatness in the land? We do not believe you.” (Surah Yunus, 78)

In reality, the Prophets Moses (as) and Aaron (as), like all other prophets and sincere Muslims, never sought worldly gain or status and never demanded any payment or reward. All that they sought was Allah’s good pleasure, compassion, and Paradise by calling people to His path and reminding them of the Hereafter. Allah revealed that the Prophet Moses (as) was His servant who only sought His good pleasure: “Mention Moses in the Book. He was truly sincere and was a messenger and a Prophet” (Surah Maryam, 51). It is revealed in other verses that the Prophets Moses (as) and Aaron (as) were Allah’s believing servants:

We showed great kindness to Moses and Aaron. We rescued them and their people from their terrible plight. We supported them, and so they were the victors. We gave them the clarifying Book, guided them on the Straight Path, and left the later people saying of them: “Peace be upon Moses and Aaron!” That is how We recompense good-doers. They truly were among Our believing servants. (Surat as-Saffat, 114-122)

The Allegation that the Prophet Moses (as) Endangers
the People’s Safety and Peace

One of Pharaoh's tactics was to depict, with his own base mentality, the Prophets Moses (as) and Aaron (as) as a serious danger to Egypt and its people at every opportunity. With these unfounded slanders, he sought to provoke the people against the Prophet Moses (as). He even accused him of trying to “drive the people out of their land.” Allah informs us of the Pharaoh's speech:

He said to the High Council round about him: “This certainly is a skilled magician who desires by his magic to expel you from your land. So, what do you recommend?” (Surat ash- Shu‘ara’, 34-35)

Allah reveals in another verse that Pharaoh accused the Prophet Moses (as) and his followers of conspiring to expel the people from their country:

Pharaoh said: “Have you believed in him before I authorized you to do so? This is just some plot you have concocted in the city to drive its people from it.” (Surat al-A‘raf, 123)

It is evident that Pharaoh tried to depict the Prophet Moses (as) and his followers as traitors whom the Egyptians must oppose. As Almighty Allah promised, Pharaoh’s plot came to nothing, just like all plots directed against believers come to naught:

So Allah protected him from the evil things they plotted, and a most evil torment engulfed Pharaoh’s people. (Surah Ghafir, 45)

The Prophet Moses (as) Is Accused of Magic

Pharaoh rejected the true religion because of his arrogance. By the will of Allah, the Prophet Moses (as) had shown him many miracles proving Allah’s existence and that he was His messenger. Despite this, Pharaoh did not believe and tried to defeat his mission among the people by accusing him of sorcery and magic. This, he hoped, would convince the people that the Prophet Moses (as) was not speaking the truth and that what he did was sorcery designed to manipulate others. As revealed in the verses:

We sent Moses with Our signs and clear authority to Pharaoh, Haman, and Qarun. But they said: “A lying magician.” (Surah Ghafir, 23-24)

The Prophet Moses (as) replied in the following way:

Moses said: “Do you say to the truth, when it comes to you: ‘This is magic?’ Magicians are not successful.” (Surah Yunus, 77)

Sorcery is one of the accusations from which many believers have suffered both before and after the Prophet Moses (as). In the following chapters, we will mention other Muslims who were accused of the same thing.

The Prophet Moses (as) Is Accused of Lying

But when Moses brought them Our clear signs, they said: “This is nothing but trumped-up magic. We never heard anything like this among our earlier forefathers.” Moses said: “My Lord knows best who has come with guidance from Him and who will have the best Home in the end. The wrongdoers will certainly not be successful.” Pharaoh said: “Council, I do not know of any other deity for you apart from me. Haman, kindle a fire for me over the clay and build me a lofty tower so that perhaps I may be able to climb up to Moses’ deity! I consider him a blatant liar.” (Surat al-Qasas, 36-38)

Pharaoh's attitude toward the Prophet Moses (as) and the morality of the religion he preached is surely very heedless and unjust. As someone who had gone so far in disbelief, it is not surprising that he made all kinds of allegations against the messenger and even mocked him with his own base mentality. In order to weaken, in his own eyes, the Prophet Moses' (as) effect on the people and to prevent them from believing in him, Pharaoh ruthlessly proclaimed that all his words were lies. The Qur'an however, reveals clearly what happens to those who deny and try to cause difficulty for Allah's messengers:

We sent a messenger among every people saying: “Worship Allah and keep clear of all false deities.” Among them were some whom Allah guided, but others received the misguidance they deserved. Travel about the land and see the final fate of the deniers. (Surat an-Nahl, 36)

As revealed in the above verse, any injustice committed against the sincere and honest servants of Allah who fear and love Him very much will be punished, both on Earth and in the Hereafter. Indeed, what befell to Pharaoh and his inner circle in this world and the end they met is a clear example of this. Allah advises people to learn from the fate meted out to Pharaoh and his inner circle, as well as from the events related in the Qur’an:

He and his troops were arrogant in the land, without any right. They thought that they would not return to Us. So, We seized him and his troops and flung them into the sea. See the final fate of the wrongdoers! (Surat al-Qasas, 39-40)

One of the most important things for people to remember is that the punishment that Pharaoh and his followers received in this life is nothing compared to what they will experience in the Hereafter. People who are arrogant regarding Allah’s verses, messengers, and sincere servants; who slander and plot against them; who deny the true religion and disregard Allah’s ordained morality so that they can spread their own totally misguided convictions will be punished severely in the Hereafter:

We made them leaders, summoning to the Fire, and on the Day of Resurrection they will not be helped. We pursued them with a curse in this world, and on the Day of Resurrection they will be hideous and spurned. (Surat al-Qasas, 41-42)

The Slanders That The Prophet Joseph (As) Faced

The Prophet Joseph (as) faced slander and plots from his early childhood onwards. Even though he had a pure and impeccable character, he was ill-treated even by his own family. His brothers turned on him in envy and tried to martyr him. This pure person, who had a deep-seated fear of Allah and always sought to please Him, was wrongfully accused of such shameful deeds as theft and adultery. And even though his innocence was clearly known, he remained in prison for many years because of the slanders directed against him by unbelievers.

The Governor’s Wife Slanders the Prophet Joseph (as)

The Prophet Joseph (as) was one of the prophets given knowledge early in life. His brothers, who came to envy him, threw him down a well when he was still a child and left him there. However, he was found by some travelers who took him to Egypt and sold him to the governor. When he reached adulthood, the governor's wife made the Prophet Joseph (as) an improper suggestion. However, the Prophet Joseph (as) refused her advances because he would not disobey Allah. The rejected woman caught him as he raced to the door to get away from her, and then tore his shirt from the back. Just then, the governor arrived and his wife slandered the Prophet Joseph (as) in order to cover up her own guilt. The entire incident is revealed in the Qur’an:

And then when he became a full-grown man, We gave him knowledge and right judgment too. That is how We reward all doers of good. The woman, whose house it was, solicited him. She barred the doors and said: “Come over here!” He said: “Allah is my refuge! He is my lord and has been good to me with where I live. Those who do wrong will surely not succeed.” She wanted him, and he would have wanted her had he not seen the clear proof of his Lord. That happened so that We might avert from him all evil and lust. He was Our chosen servant. They raced to the door. She tore his shirt at the back. They met her husband by the door. She asked: “How should a man whose intention was to harm your family be punished for what he did, except with prison or painful punishment?” (Surah Yusuf, 22-25)

The Prophet Joseph (as) told the truth saying, as revealed in the verse: “It was she who tried to seduce me” (Surah Yusuf, 26). One of the wife's friends suggested the following solution:

. . . “If his shirt is torn in front, she speaks the truth and he has clearly told a shameless lie. If his shirt is torn at the back, then she has lied and he has clearly told the simple truth.” (Surah Yusuf, 26-27)

The Prophet Joseph’s (as) shirt was torn at the back, proving clearly that he had told the truth and had been chaste toward the governor's wife. And yet he was cast into the dungeon.

The Prophet Joseph (as) became the subject of a plot by people who did not fear Allah and who sought only high office and status. He was forced to choose between the woman's demands and the dungeon, and was charged with a crime that he did not commit-a crime despised by people, and much gossiped about. He was accused of this crime because he was a chaste Muslim of superior character. Such a tactic, which is rather common, is often used to force Muslims off the righteous path and away from the true religion in the hope that they will embrace the ways of unbelief.

Another interesting aspect is that the woman tried to force the Prophet Joseph (as) to commit adultery and thereby follow her irreligious and immoral ways. But because he refused and remained steadfast in preserving the limits set by Allah, she had him cast into the dungeon as an accused adulterer. As this account shows, unbelievers often accuse believers of those crimes and immoralities of which they themselves are guilty.

The Prophet Joseph (as) knew the plot against him, but as a Muslim who regarded Allah’s good pleasure above anything else, he preferred to be imprisoned rather than commit the immorality unbelievers requested of him. Consequently, he remained there for many years. In the Qur’an, we find his prayer to Allah:

He said: “My Lord, this prison is preferable to me than what they call on me to do. Unless You turn their guile away from me, it may well be that I will fall for them and so become a man of ignorance.” His Lord replied to him and turned away from him their female guile and deviousness. He is the One Who Hears, the One Who Knows. (Surah Yusuf, 33-34)

It is a very significant indication of a person's strong faith to rebuff the mighty and powerful members of society without having anything to rely on, other than seeking Allah's good pleasure at the cost of prison.

It will be beneficial to analyze this incident. The Prophet Joseph (as) was slandered and convicted of a crime that he did not commit. He remained in prison for a long time, and was subjected to unfair and hostile treatment by the people around him. It seemed that nothing or nobody could help him clear his name. Despite his obvious innocence, that those in power imprisoned him indicated the injustice prevalent at that time as well as how a society that does not follow the Qur’an’s morality “rewards” people who protect their chastity. Despite clear evidence, the people allowed this injustice to happen. Concerned only with their own selfish interests, those who knew the truth about this act of injustice did not side with the innocent Prophet Joseph (as). Allah reveals:

Then, after they had seen the signs, they thought that they should still imprison him for a time. (Surah Yusuf, 35)

And so the Prophet Joseph (as) was imprisoned for many years (Surah Yusuf, 42). Irrespective of how irresolvable an incident appears to be from the outside, the situation is altogether different for believers who know the inner aspects. Regardless of hardship and trouble they encounter, believers always rely upon and praise Allah, never give way to despair, and know that there is wisdom and goodness in everything that He creates. To unbelievers, however, the Prophet Joseph (as) may appear to be in very negative situation. But in the end, it turned out very well for him in his earthly life as well as for his life in the Hereafter.

During his prison term, the king had a dream that he wanted interpreted. One of his servants who had been held in the same prison with the Prophet Joseph (as) some years ago said that the Prophet Joseph (as) could interpret his dream. Allah's decreed destiny determined that he would be remembered in prison years later. The Prophet Joseph’s (as) wise interpretation of this dream brought him to the king's notice, who then summoned him to his presence. However, the Prophet Joseph (as) demands that his case be investigated and his name be cleared before he agrees. This is related in the verse as follows:

The king said: “Bring him to me straight away!” But when the envoy came to him, he said: “Go back to your master and ask him what happened about the women who cut their hands. My Lord has knowledge of their cunning guile.” (Surah Yusuf, 50)

The king called the women witness to this affair to his presence, including the governor's wife, and all of them concede the Prophet Joseph’s (as) innocence. Finally, his name has been cleared. As related in the verse:

He [the King] asked: “What was this past affair of yours when you solicited Joseph?” Then they said: “Allah forbid! We know no bad of him.” The governor’s wife then said: “The truth has now emerged. Indeed, I tried to seduce him then and he has simply told the honest truth.” (Surah Yusuf, 51)

His innocence now proven beyond any doubt, the Prophet Joseph (as) replied, as related in the Qur'an:

“In this way he [the governor] may know, at last, that I did not dishonor him behind his back and that Allah most surely does not guide the deviousness of the dishonorable.” (Surah Yusuf, 52)

The fact that the Prophet Joseph (as) preferred to remain in a dungeon for years rather than commit a forbidden act, and that he remained steadfast and patient in the face of slander and accusations of adultery, is a model of exemplary and noble behavior for all believers to follow. Allah gave the Prophet Joseph (as) power and authority in Egypt after his release, because he had proven his superior character, reliance upon Allah, and submission to Him. This is only the reward given to him on Earth:

And thus We established Joseph in the land so he could live wherever he pleased. We grant Our grace to anyone We will, and We do not allow to go to waste the wage of any people who do good. But the wages of the Hereafter are the best for people who believe and fear their Lord. (Surah Yusuf, 56-57)

The Prophet Joseph’s (as) life shows that irrespective of any slander or plot against believers, Allah’s sincere servants are always cleared of wrongdoing in the end. This fact is revealed in many verses of the Qur’an, as in the Prophet Joseph’s (as) life story.

The Prophet Joseph’s (as) Brothers Accuse Him of Theft

It is revealed in the Qur’an that the Prophet Joseph’s (as) brothers, who envied him fiercely, cast him into a well when he was still a child and so separated him from his family and loved ones.

Many years passed. The Prophet Joseph (as) was freed from prison and appointed to oversee Egypt’s stores. One day, his brothers came to him and, without recognizing him, asked for food and supplies. The Prophet Joseph (as) revealed his identity to his younger brother and told him not to despair over what his brothers had done to him. He wanted this particular brother to remain with him, but had to devise a clever plan, as the king’s law would not permit him to do so. Allah reveals in the Qur’an:

Then when they were ushered into Joseph’s presence, he drew his [younger] brother close to him and said: “I am your brother. Do not be distressed concerning all the things they used to do.” Then when he had supplied them with their needs, he put the goblet in his brother’s bag. A herald called out: “Caravan! You are thieves!” They turned to them and asked: “What are you missing?” They replied: “We’re missing the king’s goblet. The man who brings it will get a camel’s load. Regarding that, I stand as guarantor.” They said: “By Allah, you know we did not come to corrupt the land and that we are not thieves.” They said: “What is the reparation for it if it, in fact, transpires that you are liars?” They said: “Its reparation shall be him in the saddlebags of whom it is discovered. With us that is how wrongdoers are repaid.” He started with their bags before his brother’s. And then produced it from his brother’s bag. In that way, We devised a cunning scheme for Joseph. He could not have held his brother according to the statutes of the king—only because Allah had willed it so. We raise the rank of anyone We will. Over everyone with knowledge is a Knower. (Surah Yusuf, 69-76)

As a result, the Prophet Joseph (as) was able to keep his brother, whom he had not seen in so many years, with him. However, his jealous and cruel brothers slandered and wrongfully and most irrationally accused him in his “absence” of theft:

They said: “If he steals now, his brother stole before.” But Joseph kept it to himself and still did not disclose it to them, saying: “The plight that you are in is worse than that. Allah knows best the matter you describe.” (Surah Yusuf, 77)

Unbelievers and hypocrites hate and envy believers so much that they try at every opportunity to hurt and discredit them, either publicly or privately, just as these verses show. However, believers who are aware of the inner truth of matters can see reality and always think in terms of Allah’s will. And so they respond with a good spirit and patience. They believe from the bottom of their hearts that Allah is with them at all times, and so live in submission and confidence. The life of the Prophet Joseph (as) is a good example of this submission, faith, and superior morality.

The Slander Hurled Against Mary (As)

When we look at the Qur'an, we see that Muslims are usually confronted by accusations directed in the matters they are most sensitive about. One of the most serious allegations believers encounter has to do with their chastity. As we saw earlier, the Prophet Joseph (as) was accused, as a result of the vile immorality of the unbelievers, of being unchaste even though he did everything possible to protect his chastity. The subject of this slander, so contrary to his superior character, was intended to discredit him in the eyes of others. But Allah cleared his name and made his innocence public.

A similar accusation has been hurled at Muslim women in the past. Mary (as) was a devout woman chosen by Allah to serve as an example for all women because of her faith, sincerity, purity, chastity, and superior morality. Allah reveals how the angels informed her of her son’s birth:

And when the angels said: “Mary, Allah has chosen you and purified you. He has chosen you over all other women.” (Surah Al ‘Imran, 42)

Mary (as) left her family and went toward the east, where she met Jibril (as) (whom Allah had sent to deliver His word to her) in the form of a handsome man. Allah reveals:

Mention Mary in the Book, how she withdrew from her people to an eastern place and concealed herself from them. Then We sent Our Spirit to her in the form of a handsome, well-built man. She said: “I seek refuge from you with the All-Merciful, if you guard against evil.” He replied: “I am only your Lord’s messenger so that He can give you a pure boy.” She asked: “How can I have a boy, when no man has touched me and I am not an unchaste woman?” He said: “It will be so! Your Lord says: ‘That is easy for Me. It is so that We can make him a sign for humanity and a mercy from Us.’ It is a matter already decreed.” (Surah Maryam, 16-21)

By the will of Allah, Mary (as) gave birth to a child without a father. When she returned to her people, she was received with great resentment. The unbelievers of the time behaved vilely and irrationally in slandering this most immaculate of people. This is revealed as follows in the Qur'an:

She brought him to her people, carrying him. They exclaimed: “Mary! You have done an unthinkable thing! O sister of Aaron, your father was not an evil man, nor was your mother an unchaste woman!” (Surah Maryam, 27-28)

However, despite her people's slanders, accusations, and resentful behavior, she never compromised her reliance upon Allah and so remained patient and acted in the knowledge that Allah was with her at all times. As commanded by Allah, she did not talk with them. Instead, her son the Prophet Jesus (as) miraculously spoke from the cradle with Allah's permission.:

In reality, Mary's (as) people knew that she was a chaste woman, but they disliked her for not being a follower of their false beliefs. The Prophet Jesus (as) revealed that he was a prophet while still in the cradle, and, as his mother, she was exposed to the people's unwise mockery, gossip, and slander. All of those who had wronged her with their tongues have received the just return that their actions merited, both on Earth as well as in the Hereafter. Their slanderous accusations came to nothing, and they could not harm either her or her son. Allah cleared their names before the people and honored her in the Qur'an. Today, people of all religious denominations regard Mary (as) highly. For example:

And Mary, the daughter of ‘Imran, who guarded her chastity—We breathed Our Spirit into her and she confirmed the Words of her Lord and His Book and was one of the obedient. (Surat at-Tahrim, 12)

However, it is important to know the fate waiting for those who have slandered Mary (as). Many irreligious people since her time have spoken wrongly, on the basis of their own base mentalities, of her and her chastity. As a result:

Since they broke their covenant, rejected Allah's signs, killed the Prophets without any right to do so, and said: “Our hearts are covered,” Allah has stamped them for their unbelief so that only a very few of them will believe. And on account of their unbelief, their utterance of a monstrous slander against Mary, and their saying: “We killed the Messiah, Jesus son of Mary, messenger of Allah.” (Surat an-Nisa', 155-157)

Believers Accused Of Adultery

Slanderous attacks against Muslims regarding their chastity continued during the time of the Prophet Muhammad (saas) and were not so different from the accusations faced by Mary (as) and the Prophet Joseph (as).

A group of hypocrites wronged themselves by slandering a female believer. Although it is very easy for unbelievers to slander or lie about another person, the punishment for doing so is very harsh. Usually, unbelievers are unaware of this punishment. Even if they are aware of it, they consider it to be only a remote possibility. However, Allah does not forget even one word. Unless they stop doing what they do, those who casually try to discredit pure, chaste, and honorable people will experience irreversible regret and unspeakable pain when they are reminded of their crimes and shown the suffering waiting for them in the Hereafter. Allah reveals what will happen to those who slander pure female believers:

Those who accuse chaste believing women, unaware [of the evil], are cursed both in this world and the Hereafter. They will have a terrible punishment on the Day when their tongues and hands and feet will testify against them about what they were doing. On that Day, Allah will pay them in full what is due to them, and they will know that He is the Clear Truth. (Surat an-Nur, 23-25)

Slanders Against The Prophet Solomon (As)

It is revealed in the Qur’an that the Prophet Solomon (as) possessed great wealth and power. He sought all of his wealth and power so as to remember Allah, and was grateful to Him at all times due to his full awareness that these were a gift and a grace from Him.

Surat al-Baqara states that those who denied Allah’s book believed in what the satans said to them about the Prophet Solomon’s (as) reign:

When a messenger comes to them from Allah confirming what is with them, a group of those who have been given the Book disdainfully toss the Book of Allah behind their backs, just as if they did not know. They follow what the satans recited in the reign of Solomon. Solomon did not become an unbeliever, but the satans did…(Surat al-Baqara, 101-102)

Unbelievers, slanderers, and those who seek to compromise believers have invented lies about the Prophet Solomon’s (as) reign. However, the Prophet Solomon (as) lived in full awareness that wealth is a gift of Allah and, as His prophet, he was always grateful for what our Almighty Lord had bestowed upon him. He always used his wealth and power to do as Allah willed.

The true reason for spreading such malicious gossip is people's opposition to religious morality. Trying to blacken, on the basis of their own base mentalities, the name of believers and, in particular, prophets is just one method that unbelievers use, imagining that this will prevent people from trusting and hearing the truth. However, Allah has always brought such conspiracies to naught and cleared the names of believers from all accusations of misconduct.

Muslims improve their standing in the Hereafter by being patient in the face of such accusations, and by relying upon and submitting to Allah. Every effort to hurt them is destined to be futile; however, it helps them earn eternal bliss and reward.