The Queen of Sheba’s Throne Brought Before the Blink of an Eye

The Qur’an recounts an extraordinary moment in the story of Prophet Sulaiman and the Queen of Saba. Sulaiman asked his assembly who could bring her throne before her party arrived in submission. An ifrit from the jinn offered to bring it before Sulaiman rose from his place. Then an unnamed person described only as one who had knowledge from the Book promised to bring it before Sulaiman’s glance returned—and the throne was seen settled before him. The Qur’an does not name this person; major classical tafsir commonly identifies him as the righteous Asif ibn Barkhiya.

The scene begins after the Queen of Saba has entered into serious contact with Prophet Sulaiman and is approaching him with her people. Before they arrive, Sulaiman turns to his assembly and asks a remarkable question: who can bring her throne to him before they come in submission?

The first answer comes from a powerful ifrit among the jinn. He offers to bring the throne before Sulaiman rises from his place and describes himself as strong and trustworthy for the task. It is already an extraordinary proposal. But the Qur’an then introduces a second figure in a very different way—not by strength, rank, or species, but by knowledge.

The text calls him only “the one who had knowledge from the Book.” He says that he can bring the throne before Sulaiman’s glance returns to him. Then the narrative moves immediately to the result: Sulaiman sees the throne settled before him. The Qur’an does not explain a mechanical process, route, distance calculation, or physical method. Its emphasis is the astonishing speed of the result and, even more importantly, Sulaiman’s response.

He does not praise himself, nor does he present the event as independent occult power belonging to another creature. He says: “This is from the favor of my Lord, to test me whether I am grateful or ungrateful.” The extraordinary arrival therefore becomes a spiritual test. Power and wonder are placed beneath gratitude.

The story continues beyond the transfer. Sulaiman orders the throne to be altered so that the queen’s recognition can be tested. When she arrives and is asked whether her throne is like this one, she replies that it is as though it were the same. The wider Qur’anic narrative then moves toward her final declaration of submission with Sulaiman to Allah, Lord of the worlds.

Who was the knowledgeable person? The Qur’an itself leaves him unnamed. Al-Tabari preserves several early identifications, including a human learned man and reports naming Asif. Ibn Kathir and al-Baghawi also transmit Asif ibn Barkhiya as a major classical identification, and al-Qurtubi says the majority held that he was a righteous Israelite named Asif ibn Barkhiya. Al-Qurtubi adds an important classification point: if the act was performed by Asif or another friend of Allah, it is a karamah.

The strongest public story therefore keeps both levels clear: the rapid throne transfer is Qur’an-explicit; the name Asif ibn Barkhiya is a major classical attribution. Its deepest meaning is not speed alone, but knowledge, divine favor, gratitude, and the use of an extraordinary sign within a larger journey toward faith.

Conclusion

Authenticity: the throne’s rapid arrival, the unnamed knowledgeable performer, and Sulaiman’s immediate attribution of the result to his Lord’s favor are firmly Qur’anic in An-Naml 27:38–40. Attributing the performer specifically to Asif ibn Barkhiya remains a strong classical majority identification rather than a Qur’anic name. With that distinction preserved, the event is well presented as a saintly karamah attributed to Asif within the prophetic kingdom of Sulaiman.

Sources

An-Naml 27:38

An-Naml 27:39

An-Naml 27:40

An-Naml 27:41

An-Naml 27:42

An-Naml 27:44

An-Naml 27:40

Tafsir al-Qurtubi on An-Naml 27:40

V3_SOURCE_METADATA_GAP: classical tafsir citation and verse-specific URL are present and source_verified=yes, but edition-specific volume_page is blank. Task 1 must add printed-edition volume/page metadata required by V3 rather than treating the displayed Qur'an/tafsir web-page number as a printed-edition tafsir pagination.

Tafsir Ibn Kathir on An-Naml 27:40

Tafsir al-Baghawi on An-Naml 27:40

Tafsir al-Tabari on An-Naml 27:40

Tafsir al-Sa'di on An-Naml 27:40

Tafsir al-Qurtubi on An-Naml 27:40

An-Naml 27:40

Tafsir al-Qurtubi on An-Naml 27:40

Tafsir al-Baghawi on An-Naml 27:40

Tafsir al-Tabari on An-Naml 27:40

Tafsir al-Baghawi on An-Naml 27:40

Tafsir Ibn Kathir on An-Naml 27:40

Tafsir al-Baghawi on An-Naml 27:40

Tafsir al-Sa'di on An-Naml 27:40

Tafsir Ibn Kathir on An-Naml 27:40

Tafsir al-Baghawi on An-Naml 27:40

Tafsir al-Tabari on An-Naml 27:40

Tafsir al-Qurtubi on An-Naml 27:40

Tafsir al-Tabari on An-Naml 27:40

Tafsir Ibn Kathir on An-Naml 27:40

Tafsir al-Qurtubi on An-Naml 27:40

Tafsir Ibn Kathir on An-Naml 27:40

Tafsir al-Baghawi on An-Naml 27:40

Tafsir al-Qurtubi on An-Naml 27:40

An-Naml 27:40

Tafsir al-Sa'di on An-Naml 27:40

An-Naml 27:38–40

Tafsir al-Qurtubi on An-Naml 27:40

Tafsir Ibn Kathir on An-Naml 27:40

The Queen of Sheba’s Throne Brought Before the Blink of an Eye

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