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 Solomon succeeded David and said: "O people, we have been taught the speech of birds and we have been endowed with all kinds of things. Surely this is a conspicuous favour (from Allah)." 16 And there were gathered unto Sulaiman his hosts of jinns and mankind and birds, and they were set in bands. 17 When they arrived in the valley of the ants, one ant said to the others, "Enter your dwellings lest you be carelessly crushed by Soloman and his army." 18 So he smiled, wondering at her word, and said: My Lord! grant me that I should be grateful for Thy favor which Thou hast bestowed on me and on my parents, and that I should do good such as Thou art pleased with, and make me enter, by Thy mercy, into Thy servants, the good ones. 19 (Solomon) inspected the birds and said, "How is it that I cannot see the hoopoe. Is he absent? 20 "I will surely punish him with a severe torment, or slaughter him, unless he brings me a clear reason." 21 But he was not long in coming, and he said: I have found out (a thing) that thou apprehendest not, and I come unto thee from Sheba with sure tidings. 22 I found a woman ruling the people there and she possessed something of (almost) everything and a great throne. 23 I found that she and her people prostrate themselves before the sun rather than Allah. " Satan has made their deeds appear attractive to them and has, thus, debarred them from the Right Path so they do not find true guidance 24 That they do not make obeisance to Allah, Who brings forth what is hidden in the heavens and the earth and knows what you hide and what you make manifest: 25 Allah! there is no God but he, the Lord of the Magnificent Throne. ۩ 26 ۞ Solomon said: "Soon shall we see whether you have spoken the truth or are one of those that lie. 27 Take my letter, and drop it to them. Then turn aside and see what they shall return' 28 She (the Queen of Sheba) said: 'O Council, look, an honorable letter has been dropped to me. 29 Indeed, it is from Solomon, and indeed, it reads: 'In the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful, 30 Saying: exalt not yourselves against me and come to me in submission. 31