Title: Transfer of the Throne of the Queen of Sheba - Al-Namal 27:40 Question: The verse in Al-Nam'l 27: 40 says that a man of knowledge, were to transfer the Throne of the Queen from her land to the land of Solomon. Is there any explanation, how a man of that time were able to do that, when it is not possible even for the Prophet (pbuh) Solomon and for the jinns as well. Is it that we should just believe or any rational reasons behind the verse? Answer: Before we clarify the referred verse, it is important to keep in mind that the kingdom of Solomon (pbuh), according to the Qur'an was a specially blessed one. Some of the blessings on the kingdom of Solomon that have been mentioned in the Qur'an include: Winds were given in Solomon's command that would help his ships to sail swiftly and without hindrance; Solomon was given the ability to comprehend the communication of birds and other living things and to use these creatures to the advantage of his vast rule; An army of Jinn was given in his service, which he used for various purposes including construction work and diving into the depths of the seas; With these special blessings of God, Solomon (pbuh) also seems to have had people of extra-ordinary ability and knowledge in his army, who had the ability to perform, apparently, miraculous deeds. It is one such incidence that you have referred to in your question. The Qur'an has referred to this incident as follows: Solomon said: O chiefs, who among you can bring me her throne, before they submissively come to me? A leader of the jinn replied: I will bring it to you, before you call this meeting to a halt. And I surely have power over it and am trustworthy. And one who had knowledge of Al-Kitaab said: I can bring it to you before you blink your eye. Then when he saw it lying beside him, he said: This is my Lord's blessing on me [which he has bestowed on me to test me] to see if am thankful towards him or am ungrateful. Indeed whoever is thankful, is thankful for his own good and whoever is ungrateful, [will himself bear the burden of his ungratefulness]. Indeed my Lord is clear of all need [of man's thankfulness], glorious. (Al-Namal 27: 38 - 40) As is clear that when Solomon (pbuh) asked his chiefs to get him the throne of the Queen of Sheba, there was among his chiefs a man, who because of his knowledge of 'Al-Kitaab' brought the throne to Solomon (pbuh) before the blinking of his eye. In the referred verse, knowledge of Al-Kitaab can imply one of two things: Firstly, it can imply knowledge of the Torah; or secondly, it can imply the knowledge of the law. Obviously, in the presence of Solomon (pbuh) - a prophet of God - no one would be more knowledgeable of the Torah. We, therefore, understand that in the referred verse, Al-Kitaab has been used for 'the law', implying the physical laws of nature. It seems that as a part of God's blessings on the kingdom of Solomon (pbuh), there were people at his service, who had the knowledge and the ability to use the physical laws of nature to their advantage, one of which was to physically transfer things from one place to another. You write: Is it that we should just believe or [are there] any rational reasons behind the verse? It seems that the knowledge and the ability utilized by the person who transferred the Queen's throne is not known and, therefore, it would not be possible for anyone to explain it. However, this lack of availability of the knowledge does not, by itself, render the incident irrational. I hope this helps. Moiz Amjad October 22, 2004