Is teleportation possible? Can a living person be teleported? Can cells be eliminated and then brought together again?

It is stated that teleportation, which looks like a physical phenomenon and which is accepted by some people and rejected by others, is mentioned in the Quran. However, what is mentioned in the Quran is narrated as the teleportation of Hz. Sulayman's staff. It is a thing; can a living person be teleported? Can he be sent to a different place and appear there?

Dear Brother / Sister,

The verses mention many miracles of Hz. Sulayman. Some of them are as follows: using jinn as his servants, understanding the language of animals including ants and giving commands to them, covering a distance of two months in a day by flying, bringing the throne of Balqis, the queen of Sheba, to Jerusalem within the twinkling of an eye, having a palace made of glass, which made Balqis tuck up her skirts, making her think that she was entering a pond.  

a) We should remind this first: It is stated before the verses explaining the miracles mentioned above that Hz Sulayman had exceptional knowledge:

"We gave (in the past) knowledge to David and Solomon: and they both said: ‘Praise be to Allah, Who has favored us above many of His servants who believe.’" (an-Naml, 27/15)

b) The second point we should state is this: They are not the only people who had exceptional knowledge. The verse mentions another person "who had knowledge of the Book" near Hz. Sulayman. Besides, the miracle ofbringing the throne of Balqis, the queen of Sheba, to Jerusalem was realized for Hz. Sulayman by means ofa person "who had knowledge of the Book". The relevant verses are as follows:

He (Sulayman) said (to his own men): "Ye Chiefs! Which of you can bring me her throne before they come to me in submission?" Said an Ifrit of the Jinn: "I will bring it to thee before thou rise from thy Council: indeed I have full strength for the purpose, and may be trusted." Said one who had knowledge of the Book: "I will bring it to thee within the twinkling of an eye!" Then when (Solomon) saw it placed firmly before him, he said: "This is by the grace of my Lord!― to test me whether I am grateful, or ungrateful!...' " (an-Naml, 27/38-40)

We will emphasize a few points that attract our attention in the verse:

1) "It is clear that the person who had knowledge of the Book is not a jinni. For, the following is stated in verse 17 of the same chapter: "And before Solomon were marshalled his hosts― of Jinn and men and birds, and they were all kept in order and ranks." Therefore, the second important group existing in the consultation committee of Hz. Sulayman consists of human beings. They are not angels. Then, the interpreters who hold the view that this person is a human being seem to be right.

2) What is “the book” from which this person obtained knowledge? It should not be a religious book, for instance, the Psalms, which was sent down to Hz. Dawud. For, the knowledge of such a technique is not and cannot be present in religious books.

3) If we understand ilm (knowledge) as definite knowledge based on some laws and rules, we can deduce that there is a book in which the knowledge stated to be given to Hz. Sulayman exists. The following outcome is obtained from those explanations: The miracles given to Hz. Sulayman are based on some scientific principles. These principles were not only written in a book but also taught to some people. Hz. Sulayman executed his rule and activities based on scientific principles with a distinguished group consisting of some people who had a good command of them.    

Another piece of news showing that people who lived in the first ages were savage, ignorant and deprived of technique as the Westerners insistently claimed up to recent times is the one related to the palace that Hz. Sulayman built out of glass. The verse is as follows:  

"She was asked to enter that lofty Palace: but when she saw it, she thought it was a lake of water, and she (tucked up her skirts), uncovering her legs. He said. ‘This is but a palace paved smooth with slabs of glass.’"(an-Naml, 27/44).

This verse states that various sciences and techniques were developed at that age. For, building a construction is a sector that necessitates many sciences and techniques like ironworking, carpentry, glasswork, adorning and decoration, which are products of a developed civilization along with engineering and architecture. It cannot be claimed that such a scientific and technologic level did not exist in a community where a sultan prophet who was stated to be made distinguished by the knowledge given to him was dominant and that he realized all of them with miracles.

A question that can come to mind here is as follows: What did Hz. Sulayman do to this book?  

Very few people might have obtained the knowledge in this book, which is estimated to have existed. As a matter of fact, the history of Sons of Israel is full of incidents showing the material elimination of the Torah, their religious book, repeatedly. On the other hand, even the great Egyptian civilization, which was dominant for more than four thousand years, was forgotten and became unknown for centuries despite their huge pyramids; it started to be enlightened and known beginning from the 19^th century and their books on religion, medicine, literature, education and other subjects were discovered. Besides, wonderful works left by the people living in previous eras have been found all over the world. These works are so extraordinary that some Western authors who still hold the view "There is no civilization except the Western civilization; humanity reached the level of Western civilization from an era of absolute savagery through a straight progress" as we have mentioned before explain those works through giants that descended from the sky. Although it seems strange to us, this is the most reasonable sophistry to which the people who do not believe in prophets and revelation will resort.

The miracles of prophets draw the ultimate limits of science about that issue.  Teleportationis also a law of Allah. If science discovers this law, it can realize teleportation.

İbrahim Canan (Prof.Dr.)

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