And We gave David and Solomon knowledge and they said, 'Praise belongs to God who has preferred us over many of His believing servants.' 15 And Sulaiman inherited from Daud. And he said: O mankind! Verily we have been taught the diction of birds, and we have been vcuchsafed of everything; and verily this is grace manifest. 16 And there were gathered unto Sulaiman his hosts of jinns and mankind and birds, and they were set in bands. 17 Till they reached the Valley of Naml. Said the lady of Naml: "O Naml, go into your dwellings lest Solomon and his hordes should crush you unawares." 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 And he sought among the birds and said: How is it that I see not the hoopoe, or is he among the absent? 20 "I will certainly punish him with a severe penalty, or execute him, unless he bring me a clear reason (for absence)." 21 Not before long the hoopoe came up and said: "I have obtained a knowledge which you could not. I have brought for you sure news about Sheba. 22 "I found a woman ruling over them, and she has been given all things that could be possessed by any ruler of the earth, and she has 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 So that they worship not Allah, Who bringeth forth the hidden in the heavens and the earth, and knoweth what ye hide and what ye proclaim, 25 God: there is no god but He, the Lord of the Mighty Throne.' ۩ 26 ۞ Said Sulaiman, “We shall now see whether you spoke the truth or are among the liars.” 27 Take this letter of mine, deliver it to them, and then draw back from them, and observe what they do." 28 (The Queen of Sheba) said to her officials, "A gracious letter has been dropped before me. 29 It reads, 'From Soloman. In the Name of God, the Beneficent and the Merciful. 30 [God says:] Exalt not yourselves against Me, but come unto Me in willing surrender!'" 31