from Qatadah, who said: When it reached Sulayman that she was coming—and her throne had been mentioned to him and he admired it; it was made of gold, and its legs were of pearl and jewels, covered with brocade and silk, and it had nine locks upon it—he disliked taking it after their submission, for the Prophet of Allah (peace be upon him) knew that once they submitted, their wealth would become inviolable along with their lives. He desired that it be brought to him before that state of theirs occurred, so he said: "O eminent ones, which of you will bring me her throne before they come to me in submission?"

16360 - 'Abd Allah ibn Sulayman narrated to us, al-Husayn ibn 'Ali narrated to us, 'Amir narrated to us, Asbat narrated to us, from al-Suddi, who said: When her messengers returned and informed her that Sulayman had rejected the gift, she journeyed to him and ordered her throne to be placed in seven rooms, and they were locked upon it, and she took the keys. When it reached Sulayman what she had done with her throne, he said: "O eminent ones, which of you will bring me her throne before they come to me in submission?"

16361 - Muhammad ibn al-'Abbas narrated to us, 'Abd al-Rahman ibn Salamah narrated to us, Salamah narrated to us, from Muhammad ibn Ishaq, from Yazid ibn Ruman, who said: When the messengers returned to her with what he had said, she said: "By Allah, I have come to know that this is not a king, and we have no power against him, and we will achieve nothing by defying him." And she sent to him: "I am coming to you, coming with the kings of my people, so that I may see what your matter is and what you call us to of your religion." Then she ordered the throne of her kingdom upon which she used to sit—and it was of gold inlaid with jacinth, peridot, and pearls—to be placed in seven rooms, one inside the other, then the doors were locked upon it. She was served only by women, with six hundred women serving her. Then she said to those she left in charge of her authority: "Guard what is under your care, and my royal throne; let no one among the servants of Allah reach it nor see it until I come to you." Then she set out to Sulayman with twelve thousand qays (chieftains) of the kings of Yemen, with her, and under the command of each of them were many thousands. Sulayman began sending the jinn, and they would bring him word of her journey and her destination every day and night. When she drew near, he gathered those with him from the jinn and mankind who were under his command and said: "O eminent ones, which of you will bring me her throne before they come to me in submission?"

His saying, the Exalted: "Her throne."

16362 - Hajjaj ibn Hamzah narrated to us, Shababah narrated to us, Warqa' narrated to us, from Ibn Abi Najih, from Mujahid, regarding his saying: "Which of you will bring me her throne," a couch on a dais.