Prophet Solomons (pbuh) Superior Knowledge and Blessing

Communication is important to birds, especially in habitats where vegetation impedes vision, such as forests, grasslands, and wetlands. Birds communicate by vocalizations (e.g., songs and calls) and various noises (e.g., tapping and drumming). Each species has its own specific song or songs. For example, some have over a dozen calls and songs, while others mimic the songs of other birds and humans.1

Birds do not have vocal cords. To produce sounds, vibrations are sent across a bird's syrinx (voice box). The more muscles a bird has attached to the syrinx, the more sounds it can make. For instance, mockingbirds have many muscles and can produce a variety of sounds.

... And He creates other things you do not know.(Qu'ran,16:8)

Unmanned Aircraft Technology

Unmanned aircraft technology, which is important to a country's defense plans, becomes more advanced and more vital every day. The U.S. Air Force has two important programs in operation: UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) and UCAV (Uninhabited Combat Air Vehicle). Air Force officials call this technology new age and say that it will offer far more advantages than piloted aircraft. These aircraft, which will be controlled from the ground and pre-programmed, will have some other advantages as well, such as:

• The ability to collect intelligence and engage in battle without any loss of life.
• Lower construction costs.
• Their size and technology will make them less detectable by enemy radar. For example, NASA is getting ready to produce aircraft in its X-36 program that are 5-6 meters (15-20 feet) in length and weighing about 600 kilograms (1,300 pounds). A pilot guides these aircraft via a simulator located in the command center. In case of an attack, the pilot will guide the aircraft according to images sent by cameras on board.
• Their maneuverability is very high, because they are small and carry no pilot.
• Their color and infrared cameras can record intelligence about the most inaccessible places and send it in a moment to the command center by satellite.
• According to research, a pilot spends 80 percent of flight time in pilot training and 20 percent in active duty. For unmanned aircraft, 100 percent of flight time goes into active duty.

This is a great advantage both in time and expense. These are just a few of the advantages of unmanned aircraft. The programs mentioned above have not all been put into effect yet, but they certainly will have an important place in aircraft technology in the near future. 2

The Language Used by Birds

Birds have their own language. Expert users of sound, they communicate by using frequencies which we cannot hear. Through these sounds, birds recognize their young, parents, and mates; gather in flocks; and warn one another of danger. They can change their communication frequencies and relay information very quickly.

Ultrasonic and transonic sounds are sound waves outside the normal range of human hearing. Birds, insects, and some mammals (e.g., rodents, bats, dogs, cats, and raccoons) can hear these high frequencies and use them to communicate.3 But, as we see in the Qur'an, God may have given Prophet Solomon (pbuh) the knowledge and technology to hear and understand these sounds"

Intelligence Gathering Devices

Today, micro-cameras make it very easy to obtain intelligence- related images. Formerly used only by intelligence organizations, they are now available to the general public.

These cameras can be hidden in many places (e.g., a necktie, a shirt sleeve, a table lamp, a watch, a pen, eyeglasses, a jacket, an electric socket, a book, a lighter, a pencil sharpener, a hat, a portable radio, a toy, a pager, a telephone, smoke detector, or a potted plant), placed on animals, and take pictures without the other person's knowledge. Appearing in ever-smaller sizes, they now range between two millimeters and a few centimeters in size. Some of their many features are as follows: their picture quality is the same as those produced by normal cameras, they are battery powered, and can take both black-and-white and color photos. Some take photos continually; some go into operation at the slightest movement within their range of view and turn themselves off when the movement stops.Their batteries enable them to take photos for hours. Some infrared cameras can take photos within a range of 150 meters (450 feet) and in total darkness.4

Secret listening devices, known as bugs, are placed in a particular area to prevent communication or transmit intelligence from that area to another. The person listening to these devices may be a few hundred meters away, but can hear everything perfectly. Their production, sale, and deployment is a multi-million dollar industry in the United States.5 Moreover, they are being used increasingly to investigate serious crimes and to bug telephones and places where crimes occur.

There are many kinds of bugs, among them those of the ultrasonic variety, which convert sounds into audio signals that human beings cannot hear. These signals are later converted back to audio.

Everything in the heavens and every creature on Earth prostrates to God, as do the angels.They are not puffed up with pride.They fear[and recpest]their Lord above them and do everything they are ordered to do. (Qu'ran,16:49-50)

In the 1950s, American scholars brought their knowledge and experience together and established the 4,000 square meter (1,500 square miles) Silicon Valley under the leadership of Stanford University in California. Eight thousand companies from around the world working on information technology and in various high-tech fields are located in this area. Nearly 300,000 scientists, engineers, and researchers, all of them experts in their fields, are developing high-tech products, and most technological advances are developed there.6

The Latest Development in Micro-Technology: An Army of Robotic Ants

The best-known project that uses ants as a model is the Army-Ant Robot project, which is being carried out independently in several countries. The study conducted by the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and Virginia State University seeks to develop small, inexpensive, and simple robots and then form a robotic army out of physically identical robots. Project officials explain that these robots derive their usefulness from their group actions, performing physical tasks and making cooperative decisions as a coordinated team. All mechanical and electrical design aspects are decided with the group-dynamical behavior in mind. Because of their behavioral resemblance to their insect counterparts, they have been named army-ant robots.

The army-ant robot system was originally designed as a material-carrying system. According to this scenario, several small robots would jointly lift and carry objects. It was later decided that they could be used for other tasks, such as nuclear and hazardous waste cleanup with robotic swarms, mining (including material removal and search-and-rescue), mine sweeping (both land and water), surveillance and sentry, planetary surface exploration, and excavation.7Israel A. Wagner, an expert on ant robot-technology, describes such projects in these terms:

Ant-robots are simple physical and virtual creatures designed to cooperate in order to achieve a common goal. They are assumed to have very limited resources of energy, sensing and computing, and to communicate via traces left in the workspace or on the ground, like many insects naturally doÉ The distribution of work among multiple agents can be made by either a central controller who sends orders to the agents, or by an a priori agreement on a certain partitioning that, if obeyed by the agents, eventually leads to a completion of the given mission. A third way, used throughout the current work, is to design the behavior of individuals such that cooperation will naturally emerge in the course of their work, without making a priori decisions on the structure of the cooperation. The specific application that we address is covering, which is also known as exploring or searching. This variety of names hints to the many applications this problem might have: from cleaning the floor of a house to mapping an unknown planet or demining a mine field.8 Based on the above information, the ant's social lifestyle forms the basis of many projects, and the robotic technologies being implemented as a result are benefiting human beings. That is why the Qur'an mentions the ants and their valley when informing us about Prophet Solomon (pbuh). In this verse, God may be alluding to technological developments in Prophet Solomon's (pbuh) time. For example, the mention of ants may point toward a robotic army. With the help of the jinns and demons at his command, Prophet Solomon (pbuh) may have used a very advanced technology to establish a robotic army. The verses may also be indicating future developments in robot technology and how they will play an important role in human life by performing many arduous tasks, and thereby making people's lives more comfortable. (God knows the truth.)

As for those who strive in our Way, We will guide them to Our paths.Truly God is with the good doers.(Qu'ran,29:69)

Except those who believe and do right actions,and [who]remember God repeat edly and defend themselves after they have been wronged...Qu'ran 26:227)

1. Lift
2. pressure from fast-moving air
3. wing
4. air
5. pressure from slow-moving air

6. weight
7. drag
8. thrust
9. lift

Aircraft wings are designed to create a difference in pressure that enables them to fly. Flight happens as a result of the lift created by the air moving around the wings. When the aircraft reaches a lifting power equal to its weight, the wheels leave the ground and the plane takes off. This lifting force is formed in this way: Air normally moves in waves in a gentle current. But the flow of air changes as the wing moves against it. The air is divided and passes over and below the wing. The top surface of the wing has a bulged shape. According to some laws of physics, the air passing over the wing speeds up and has a lower pressure than the air under the wing. In other words, the air underneath lifts the aircraft while the air above exerts less of a downward push. This difference in pressure allows the aircraft to be pushed up from below and be lifted into the air. Under these circumstances, the aircraft overcomes the force of gravity and the carrying force that enables it to remain aloft is created.

The force formed by an aircraft moving through the air is called total aerodynamic force. This force can be resolved into components. The force generated by the gravitational attraction of the Earth on the airplane is the weight. To overcome the weight force, airplanes generate an opposing force called lift. Lift is generated by the motion of the airplane through the air. As the airplane moves through the air, there is another aerodynamic force present. The air resists the motion of the aircraft and the resistance force is called drag. Drag is directed along and opposed to the flight direction. To overcome drag, airplanes use a propulsion system to generate a force called thrust. Thrust is the force which moves an aircraft through the air. The motion of the airplane through the air depends on the relative strength and direction of these forces. If the forces are balanced, the aircraft cruises at constant velocity. If the forces are unbalanced, the aircraft accelerates in the direction of the largest force.9

We appointed leaders from among them,guuiding by Our command when they were steadfast and when they had certainty about Our signs. (Qur'an,32:24)

Interpreting the words ayna al-qitri (Qur'an 34:12) as molten copper may allude to today's electricity generating industry. Copper, one of the best conductors of electricity and heat, is also one of the basic materials used in high technology.

God strengthened Prophet Solomon's (pbuh) army with jinns and birds and gave him might and power. Any surrounding nation coming against his powerful army had no option but to submit. As Qur'an 21:80 says, God also taught Prophet David (pbuh) how to make armor to protect his soldiers during military engagements.