Āṣif bin Barkhiyā () is thought to be the

Islamic Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

scriptural figure who brought the

Queen of Sheba The Queen of Sheba, also known as Bilqis in Arabic and as Makeda in Geʽez, is a figure first mentioned in the Hebrew Bible. In the original story, she brings a caravan of valuable gifts for Solomon, the fourth King of Israel and Judah. This a ...

's throne to

King Solomon King is a royal title given to a male monarch. A king is an absolute monarch if he holds unrestricted governmental power or exercises full sovereignty over a nation. Conversely, he is a constitutional monarch if his power is restrained by f ...

"...in the twinkling of an eye". Credited with the role of court

vizier A vizier (; ; ) is a high-ranking political advisor or Minister (government), minister in the Near East. The Abbasids, Abbasid caliphs gave the title ''wazir'' to a minister formerly called ''katib'' (secretary), who was at first merely a help ...

,Richard F. Burton, ''Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night: vol. I'', Kissinger Publishing Co, 2003, p. 42 it is a story occasionally recounted in Middle Eastern lore, but perhaps more so in

occult The occult () is a category of esoteric or supernatural beliefs and practices which generally fall outside the scope of organized religion and science, encompassing phenomena involving a 'hidden' or 'secret' agency, such as magic and mysti ...

circles. The figure himself is largely unexpounded, as very few references to him are found in classical texts other than through subtle terms in Chapter 27 of the

Qur'an The Quran, also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation directly from God ('' Allāh''). It is organized in 114 chapters (, ) which consist of individual verses ('). Besides ...

. He is, however, apparent in a number of books that deal with Islamic occultism or '' Ruhaniyya'', and in one that appears to be attributed directly to him (titled, ''al-Ajnas''). In like manner, through the ages he was eminently revered by the Quranic exegetical traditions where the powers he possessed were associated to the Ineffable Name of Allah.

Narration

The Qur'anic narrative is as follows:

He said, 'O Council, which one of you will bring me her throne, before they come to me in surrender?' An
Ifrit Ifrit, also spelled as efreet, afrit, and afreet ( ), plural ), is a powerful type of demon in Islamic culture. The ''ʿafārīt'' are often associated with the underworld and identified with the spirits of the dead, and have been compared t ...
of the jinns said, 'I will bring it to thee, before thou risest from thy place; I have strength for it and I am trusty.' Said he who possessed knowledge of the Book, 'I will bring it to thee, before ever thy glance returns to thee.' Then, when he saw it settled before him, he said, 'This is of my Lord's bounty that He may try me, whether I am thankful or ungrateful. Whosoever gives thanks gives thanks only for his own soul's good, and whosoever is ungrateful -- my Lord is surely All-sufficient, All-generous.' He said, 'Disguise her throne for her, and we shall behold whether she is guided or if she is of those that are not guided.' So, when she came, it was said, 'Is thy throne like this?' She said, 'It seems the same.' 'And we were given the knowledge before her, and we were in surrender,

Commentary

Ibn Kathir Abu al-Fida Isma'il ibn Umar ibn Kathir al-Dimashqi (; ), known simply as Ibn Kathir, was an Arab Islamic Exegesis, exegete, historian and scholar. An expert on (Quranic exegesis), (history) and (Islamic jurisprudence), he is considered a lea ...

's dissertation in '' Tafsir ibn Kathir'':

(One with whom was knowledge of the Scripture said: ) Ibn `Abbas said, "This was Asif, the scribe of Sulayman." It was also narrated by Muhammad bin Ishaq from Yazid bin Ruman that he was Asif bin Barkhiya' and he was a truthful believer who knew the Greatest Name of Allah. Qatadah said: "He was a believer among the humans, and his name was Asif ." (I will bring it to you within the twinkling of an eye!) Meaning, lift your gaze and look as far as you can, and before you get tired and blink, you will find it before you. Then he got up, performed ablution and prayed to Allah, may He be exalted. Mujahid said: "He said, O Owner of majesty and honor." When Sulayman and his chiefs saw it before them...

In Kitab al-Kafi, Imam Hasan al-Askari narrates that the greatest name of Allah has seventy three letters and Asif only knew one. With that letter, the land between him and the throne of the Queen of Sheeba shrank such that he was able to place the throne before Sulayman and the land returned to its original state before the blinking of an eye. He then further states that the Imams of

Ahl al-Bayt () refers to the family of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. In Sunni Islam, the term has also been extended to all descendants of the Banu Hashim (Muhammad's clan) and even to all Muslims. In Shia Islam, the term is limited to Muhammad, his daugh ...

know seventy two of the letters and the final letter is kept exclusively with Allah as knowledge of the ghaib.

Notes

Islamic mythology People of the Quran Solomon Grand viziers Queen of Sheba {{Islam-stub