The Quranic Imagery
The Surah describes Jinns working for Solomon, making "arches, statues, basins like reservoirs, and fixed cooking cauldrons."
Statues and Idolatry
The Contradiction:
Verse 13 explicitly mentions Jinns making statues (tamāthīl) for Solomon. However, standard Islamic Law (and other parts of the Quran) strictly forbids the making of statues/images.
Critics point out that the Quranic Solomon is allowed to enjoy "statues," yet Muhammad’s message condemned them as "filth of Satan’s handiwork" (5:90). This inconsistency suggests the author was trying to reconcile the Hellenistic/Byzantine wonders of the world (like the great statues and temples attributed to Solomon in folklore) with the strict iconoclasm of 7th-century Islam.