"And indeed We tested Solomon," meaning: We afflicted him, "and We cast upon his throne a body," meaning: the devil who replaced him in his kingdom for those forty days. Some said: His name was Sakhr. Solomon (peace be upon him) said to the devil who replaced him: How do you tempt the people? He replied: Show me your ring and I will tell you. When he gave it to him, he threw it into the sea, and Solomon wandered. Al-Kalbi said: He had a wife among his most honored and beloved wives, and she said: There is a dispute between my father and a man, and she beautified her father's argument. When they came to dispute before him, he began to wish that the argument would be for his father-in-law, so Allah tested him with what happened regarding the matter of the devil who replaced him and removed Solomon's kingdom. That is because whenever he wanted to enter the privy, he would entrust the ring to a wife of his whom he trusted. He gave it to her one day and then entered the privy, and that devil came to her in his image and took the ring from her. When Solomon came out, he asked her for the ring, and she said: I have already given it to you. The wicked one went and sat on Solomon's throne, and the appearance, splendor, and likeness of Solomon were cast upon him. Solomon went out and found the devil on his throne, so he wandered in the land and his kingdom was gone.
Yahya said: In the tafsir of al-Hasan: The devil sat on Solomon's throne—which is his royal couch—neither eating, nor drinking, nor commanding, nor forbidding, and Allah removed that from
﴿وَلَقَد فتنا سُلَيْمَان﴾ أَي: ابتلينا ﴿وَأَلْقَيْنَا عَلَى كُرْسِيِّهِ جسدا﴾ يَعْنِي: الشَّيْطَان الَّذِي خَلفه فِي ملكه؛ تِلْكَ الْأَرْبَعين لَيْلَة , قَالَ بَعضهم: كَانَ اسْمُه صخرًا. قَالَ سُلَيْمَان عليه السلام قَالَ للشَّيْطَان الَّذِي خَلفه -: كَيفَ تفتنون النَّاس؟ قَالَ: أَرِنِي خاتمك أخْبرك , فَلَمَّا أعطَاهُ إِيَّاه شده فِي الْبَحْر , فساح سُلَيْمَان. قَالَ الْكَلْبِيّ: كَانَت لَهُ امْرَأَة من أكْرم نِسَائِهِ عَلَيْهِ وأحبهنّ إِلَيْهِ، فَقَالَت: إِن بَين أَبِي وَبَين رجلٌ خُصُومَة فزَّينت حُجّة أَبِيهَا فَلَمَّا جَاءَا يختصمان إِلَيْهِ جعل يحب أَن تكون الحجّة لختنه، فابتلاه اللَّه بِمَا كَانَ من أَمر الشَّيْطَان الَّذِي خَلفه وأذهب ملك سُلَيْمَان , وَذَلِكَ [أَنَّهُ] كَانَ إِذا أَرَادَ أَن يدْخل الْخَلَاء فَدفع الْخَاتم إِلَى امرأةٍ من نِسَائِهِ كَانَ يَثِق بهَا فَدفعهُ إِلَيْهَا يَوْمًا ثمَّ دخل الْخَلَاء , فَجَاءَهَا ذَلكَ الشَّيْطَان فِي صورته فَأخذ الْخَاتم مِنْهَا , فَلَمَّا خرج سُلَيْمَان طلب الْخَاتم مِنْهَا فَقَالَت: قد أعطيتكه , وَذهب الْخَبيث وَجلسَ عَلَى كرْسِي سُلَيْمَان وأُلْقي عَلَيْهِ شَبَهُ سُلَيْمَان وبهْجته وهيئته , فَخرج سُلَيْمَان فَإِذا هُوَ بالشيطان عَلَى كرسيه , فَذهب فِي الأَرْض وَذهب ملكه.
قَالَ يحيى: فِي تَفْسِير الْحَسَن: إِن الشَّيْطَان قعد عَلَى كرْسِي سُلَيْمَان - وَهُوَ سَرِير ملكه - لَا يَأْكُل وَلَا يشرب وَلَا يَأْمر وَلَا ينْهَى وأذهب اللَّه ذَلكَ من
