She said: 'O Council, let me hear your counsel, concerning my affairs, for I am not used to deciding an affair until you bear me witness' 32 They replied: 'We are possessors of force and great might. It is for you to command, so consider what you will' 33 She said: Lo! kings, when they enter a township, ruin it and make the honour of its people shame. Thus will they do. 34 "But I am going to send him a present, and (wait) to see with what (answer) return (my) ambassadors." 35 Then when he came unto Sulaiman, he said: are ye going to add riches to me? Then that which Allah hath vouchsafed unto me is better than that which He hath vouchsafed unto you. Aye! it is ye who exult in your present. 36 Go back unto them. Then surely we shall come unto them with hosts which they cannot withstand, and we shall drive them forth therefrom abased and they shall be humbled. 37 He (then) said (to his courtiers): "O you nobles, is there any one who can bring me her throne before they come to me in submission?" 38 A stalwart of the jinn said: I will bring it thee before thou canst rise from thy place. Lo! I verily am strong and trusty for such work. 39 But one of them who had some knowledge of the Book said, "I will bring it to you in the twinkling of an eye." When Solomon saw it placed before him, he exclaimed, "This is by the grace of my Lord, to test whether I am grateful or ungrateful. Whosoever is grateful, it is for the good of his own self; and whosoever is ungrateful, then surely my Lord is self-sufficient and generous." 40 [And] he continued: Alter her throne so that she may not know it as hers: let us see whether she allows herself to be guided [to the truth] or remains one of those who will not be guided." 41 So when she arrived, she was asked, "Is this thy throne?" She said, "It was just like this; and knowledge was bestowed on us in advance of this, and we have submitted to Allah (in Islam)." 42 She was (in fact) turned away by what she worshipped other than God, for she came of an unbelieving people. 43 It was said to her: Enter the palace; but when she saw it she deemed it to be a great expanse of water, and bared her legs. He said: Surely it is a palace made smooth with glass. She said: My Lord! surely I have been unjust to myself, and I submit with Sulaiman to Allah, the Lord of the worlds. 44