It is human nature to be happy or overjoyed over any success we achieve in life but Allah (SWT) checks what is in our hearts. We need to balance our emotions so we don’t cross the line that will make Allah (SWT) unhappy with us.
Therefore, this dua of Sulaiman (AS) is a good way of bringing us down to earth, “My Lord! Inspire me to ˹always˺ be thankful for Your favors which You have blessed me and my parents with, and to do good deeds that please you. Admit me, by Your mercy, into ˹the company of˺ Your righteous servants.” (Surah An-Naml Ayat 19).
This dua teaches us that we should search to find the many blessings Allah has already given us rather than feeling sorry for ourselves and focusing on our shortcomings. We need to realize that we all have good traits and special qualities that make us unique.
Besides giving Prophet Sulaiman (AS) a kingdom as no one had ever seen, Allah (SWT) had also granted him the power to command winds, control both men and jinns, and he (AS) could understand the speech of ants. The power that Prophet Sulaiman (AS) possessed would have corrupted many men, but it didn’t corrupt him since he (AS) was always thankful. Thus, if we want to feel the same desire as Sulaiman (AS) to thank Allah (SWT) then we must focus on how Allah (SWT) has blessed us instead of focusing on what we lack.
It’s easy for successful people, powerful people, and busy people to forget where their achievements and victories are coming from. And so, subconsciously they start believing that their successes are solely due to their efforts and forget that Allah (AS) is responsible for them. However, the dua of Sulaiman (AS) shows us the importance of humility and acknowledging and appreciating all of Allah’s (AS) blessings bestowed upon us.
We need to balance our emotions so we don’t cross the line that will make Allah (SWT) unhappy with us.
The other aspect of Sulaiman’s (AS) dua is Allah’s (SWT) blessing of giving us, good parents. We must remember the good things that our parents have done for us as this is a core part of being grateful to Allah (SWT) and recognize that our success today is also due to our parents taking care of us when we were nothing. If Allah (SWT) didn’t favor our parents then we wouldn’t have received any favors from Allah (SWT) like receiving the rizq, or the basic provisions of this Duniya.
The third aspect of this dua is performing good deeds to please Allah (SWT). When we become successful, it’s easy to start doing bad deeds since no one can question us. We know this famous adage, “absolute power corrupts absolutely,” and so, we need to pray to Allah (SWT) that we exercise the power. He (SWT) has given us for doing good and making things right that will be pleasing to Allah (SWT). We must be clear that we are doing good deeds to please Allah (SWT) not to receive appreciation from people.
The final aspect of Sulaiman’s (AS) dua touches upon humility, “Admit me, by Your mercy, into ˹the company of˺ Your righteous servants.” Sulaiman (AS) is pleading to Allah (SWT) that of all the things that he (AS) wants, Sulaiman (AS) desires more than ever by the mercy of Allah (SWT) to be in the company of Allah’s (SWT) righteous servants.
Let’s put this in perspective, Sulaiman (AS) is undoubtedly the biggest living VIP of that time and most people would crave an opportunity to meet him, but in his (AS) mind, the VIPs are someone else. He (AS) believes the bigger VIPs than him are Allah’s (SWT) righteous servants who have entered Jannah and the ones existing in this world and so, Sulaiman (AS) wishes to meet these people regardless of their status.
At the beginning of the dua, Sulaiman (AS) asks Allah (SWT) to ensure that he (AS) always remains grateful for all the favors given to him by Allah (SWT), and thus, the way to achieve this is to surround ourselves with righteous people. This demonstrates that the company we keep truly matters, be it one thousand people, or even if it’s just a single person.
Sulaiman’s (AS) dua reminds us to be thankful to Allah (SWT) for the favors He (SWT) has granted us and to forget what we don’t have. Furthermore, the dua is a good reminder of the importance of humility and being in the company of virtuous people, and not walking on earth with an inflated ego.
