۞ And indeed We gave Dawud the utmost excellence from Us; “O the hills and birds, repent towards Allah along with him”; and We made iron soft for him. 10 [and inspired him thus:] "Do good deeds lavishly, without stint, and give deep thought to their steady flow." And [thus should you all, O believers,] do righteous deeds: for, verily, I see all that you do! 11 We (subjugated) the wind to Solomon. Its morning's journey took one month, and the evening's one month. We made a spring of molten brass to flow for him; and many jinns laboured for him by the will of his Lord. Anyone of them who turned from Our command was made to taste the torment of blazing fire. 12 They worked for him whatsoever he pleased of lofty halls and statues and basins like cisterns and cauldrons standing firm. Work ye, house of Da'ud! with thanksgiving; few of My bondmen are thankful. 13 And when We decreed (Solomon's) death, they had no indication that he was dead until (they saw a termite), a crawler of the earth eating away his staff. And when he fell down, the jinn realized that had they known the unseen, they would not have continued in their humiliating punishment. 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 [from Us,] and so We let loose upon them a flood that overwhelmed the dams, and changed their two [expanses of luxuriant] gardens into a couple of gardens yielding bitter fruit, and tamarisks, and some few [wild] 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 had made several towns upon the road between them and the towns which We had blessed – and kept them according to the length of the journey; “Travel safely in them, by night and by day.” 18 But they said: 'Lord, make the stages between our journeys longer' so they wronged themselves; so We made them news and We tore them utterly into pieces. Surely, there are signs in this for every one who is patient, thankful. 19 Iblis proved true his opinion of them, and they followed him, except a party of the believers. 20 And he had over them no authority except [it was decreed] that We might make evident who believes in the Hereafter from who is thereof in doubt. And your Lord, over all things, is Guardian. 21