۞ And indeed We bestowed grace on David from Us (saying): "O you mountains. Glorify (Allah) with him! And you birds (also)! And We made the iron soft for him." 10 (Commanding), "Make thou coast of mail, balancing well the rings of chain armour, and work ye righteousness; for be sure I see (clearly) all that ye do." 11 And We subdued the wind to Solomon: its morning course was a month's journey and its evening course was a month's journey. We gave him a spring flowing with molten brass, and We subdued for him jinn who, by his Lord's permission, worked before him. Such of them as swerved from Our commandment, We let them taste the chastisement of the Blazing Fire. 12 They made for him whatever he wanted, arches, statues, bowls as basins, and fixed cauldrons. (We said:) 'Give thanks, House of David and work' Yet only a few of My worshipers are thankful. 13 So when We sent the command of death towards him, no one revealed his death to the jinns except the termite of the earth which ate his staff; and when he came to the ground, the truth about the jinns was exposed – if they had known the hidden, they would not have remained in the disgraceful toil. 14 Assuredly there was for Saba a sign in their own dwelling-place: two gardens on the right hand and on the left. And it was said unto them: eat ye of the provision of your Lord and give thanks unto Him; a fair land and a forgiving Lord. 15 But they turned away. So We let loose on them the inundation of (the dyke of) al-'Arim, replacing their gardens with two other gardens which bore only bitter gourd, and tamarisks and a few sparse lote-trees. 16 Thus did We retribute them for their ingratitude. And none do We retribute in this manner except the utterly ungrateful. 17 And We set, between them and the towns which We had blessed, towns easy to be seen, and We made the stage between them easy, (saying): Travel in them safely both by night and day. 18 But they said: “Lord, make the stages of our journeys longer.” They wronged their own selves so We reduced them to bygone tales, and utterly tore them to pieces. Verily there are Signs in this for everyone who is steadfast and thankful. 19 And indeed Iblis made his assumptions regarding them seem true, so they all followed him except the group of Muslims. 20 He did not have any authority over them except to the extent that would allow Us to know who had faith in the life to come and who had doubts about it. Your Lord is a Guard over all things. 21