I begin with a disclaimer, I have never watched GoT, but I do know it is very popular. I must also state at this point that this blog has nothing to do with the popular programme.
This blog is about the concept of thrones, something which I have been thinking about recently.
As with anything, let us get our definitions in order.
Throne – noun
1. a ceremonial chair for a sovereign, bishop, or similar figure
So the throne is a physical object. As per the definition above, the throne doesn’t have to be a grand object decorated in gold and diamonds, rather it is a chair which is used for ceremony. This can be anything from a raised seat padded with sheep skin to one made entirely from precious metals and stones.
The point about thrones, however, is that they signify power and leadership. In most societies, if someone sat on a throne and it wasn’t their throne, they could be killed. It was a sign that they were trying to seize power. My understanding about GoT is that various people or groups are fighting and otherwise getting up to nefarious activities to get the “Iron throne”.
*Thor Ragnarok Spoiler Alert*
Those who watched Thor see two powerful allusions to the throne. The first is when Hella captures the palace and immediately establishes herself physically on the throne. What she is saying is by this move is, “i am your new leader, obey me”. When Thor enters the palace in Hella’s absence and sits on the throne waiting for Hella to enter, we see her reaction. They are both showing us that leadership and power is rooted in that seat. He who has the chair, has the leadership. Again, at the very end of the film when Thor sits in the pilots chair they tell him, this is your new throne. Thus a simple pilot’s chair is now acting as the throne over which to exert power and rule the Asgardian migrants, who now have no home-land.
Fighting, murdering, cheating for that seat is all too common, this goes back to Game of Thrones and indeed all situations where you have a throne. To a lesser extent the throne is also found in many companies, universities, mosques and families. The head of a household will often sit in a certain place on the dining table, this is their Chair and shows their authority as the head of the house. The Chair of the company normally sits at the head of the board and the chairman of the mosque is often the outright ruler of all the affairs linked to it. We see, not so much in families but certainly in mosques, companies and the like, where people will plot and scheme to try to get that position of leadership, to sit on that chair – to own the throne.
In the Quran, Allah tells us the story of Sulaiman (alayhi salaam) and how he had the Queen of Sheba’s spectacular throne brought to him. This is an example to show us how Sulaiman (alayhi salaam) was showing his dominance by claiming, as Allah’s prophet, his primacy as leader. When the Queen of Sheba (Bilqis) saw her throne in Sulaiman’s palace she had to submit, knowing that the power Sulaiman wielded was not of this world.
Amazingly for our Prophet (salallahu alayhi wa sallam) he didn’t require or need a throne or a chair to exert or show his leadership. There is no mention in the Quran or Sunnah about the Prophet or his companions who led after him having a throne or a seat of leadership. This may well be why we are told that in Jannah (Paradise) we will be seated on raised chairs – picture a typical throne which is usually on a raised platform.
This all leads me to the mainstay of this article, Allah’s Throne. Put simply, Allah’s Throne is the largest physical creation created. This is something that we are unable to comprehend because we have no concept of something which comes to that size. The universe is a part of Allah’s creation, how can we get our heads around a throne as big as the universe? Let alone larger!
The kursi (from ayatul kursi) is an appendage to the Throne and this is described as being more vast than the heavens and the earth, so the actual Throne itself! We don’t know what it looks like, but we do know that it is a physical throne and it is carried by angels and that on the day of judgement seven categories of people will take shade under it.
We also know that Allah doesn’t need or require the throne and because Allah has no physical limbs etc, (He is completely dissimilar to His creation) he doesn’t sit, recline, rest or establish himself physically with the Throne.
So why does Allah have a throne? Complete and utter power and dominion over His creation, for He is the King of kings.
Mohamed
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