Takhrij Hadith 2017: "Whenever Sulayman, the Prophet of…"

Whenever Sulayman, the Prophet of Allah, peace be upon him, prayed, he would see a tree growing before him. He would say to it, ‘What is your name?’ It would reply, ‘Such-and-such.’ He would then say, ‘What purpose are you for?’ If it was meant to be planted, it would be planted; and if it was meant to be used as medicine, it would be recorded. One day, while he was praying, he saw a tree before him. He said to it, ‘What is your name?’ It replied, ‘Carob.’ He said, ‘What purpose are you for?’ It replied, ‘For the destruction of this house.’ Sulayman then said, ‘O Allah, conceal my death from the jinn until the humans come to know that the jinn do not know the unseen.’ He then carved it into a staff and leaned upon it, remaining in that state for a full year while the jinn continued working. The wood-eating creature ate through the staff, and he fell. Then it became clear to the humans that, had the jinn known the unseen, they would not have remained for a full year in humiliating torment. Ibn ʿAbbas used to recite the verse in this way. He said: ‘So the jinn were grateful to the wood-eating creature, and they would bring it water.’