And certainly We gave knowledge to Dawood and Sulaiman, and they both said: Praise be to Allah, Who has made us to excel many of His believing servants. 15 And [in this insight] Solomon was [truly] David's heir; and he would say: "O you people! We have been taught the speech of birds, and have been given [in abundance] of all [good] things: this, behold, is indeed a manifest favour [from God]!" 16 And gathered for Solomon were his soldiers of the jinn and men and birds, and they were [marching] in rows. 17 and when they came to the Valley of the Ants, one ant said, "Ants! Go into your dwellings, in case Solomon and his hosts inadvertently crush you." 18 And (Solomon) smiled, laughing at her speech, and said: My Lord, arouse me to be thankful for Thy favour wherewith Thou hast favoured me and my parents, and to do good that shall be pleasing unto Thee, and include me in (the number of) Thy righteous slaves. 19 And [one day] he looked in vain for [a particular one of] the birds; and so he said: How is it that I do not see the hoopoe? Or could he be among the absent? 20 I will inflict a severe punishment on him or maybe even slaughter him unless he comes forth with a convincing reason (for his absence)." 21 But [the hoopoe] tarried but a short while; and [when it came] it said: "I have encompassed [with my knowledge] something that thou hast never yet encompassed [with thine] - for I have come to thee from Sheba with a tiding sure! 22 Surely I found a woman ruling over them, and she has been given abundance and she has a mighty throne: 23 "I found her and her people worshipping the sun instead of Allah, and Shaitan (Satan) has made their deeds fair-seeming to them, and has barred them from (Allah's) Way, so they have no guidance," 24 [And] so they do not prostrate to Allah, who brings forth what is hidden within the heavens and the earth and knows what you conceal and what you declare - 25 Allah! there is no God but he, the Lord of the Magnificent Throne. ۩ 26 ۞ Solomon said, "We shall see whether you are truthful or a liar. 27 "Go you with this letter of mine, and deliver it to them, then draw back from them, and see what (answer) they return." 28 The Queen of Sheba said, "O Counsellors, an honourable letter has been delivered to me. 29 It is from Solomon, and it is "In the Name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate. 30 "'Be ye not arrogant against me, but come to me in submission (to the true Religion).'" 31