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 answered: "We are endowed with power and with mighty prowess in war - but the command is thine; consider, then, what thou wouldst command." 33 She said: 'When kings enter a village, they ruin it and humiliate its nobles. And this they will do. 34 And surely I am going to send a present to them, and shall wait to see what (answer) do the apostles bring back. 35 Now, when (the envoy of the Queen) came to Solomon, he said: "Do you want to aid me with wealth? Whatever Allah has granted me is much more than what He has given you. (Keep for yourselves) your gift in which you are exulting. 36 Go back to them. We shall soon come with our armies which they will not be able to face. We shall drive them out of (the land) with ignominy, and they will be humbled." 37 He said, 'O Council, which one of you will bring me her throne, before they come to me in surrender?' 38 A stalwart of the jinn said: "I will bring it to you before you rise from your council. Surely I have the power to do so and I am trustworthy." 39 The one who had knowledge from the Book said, "I can bring it to you before you even blink your eye." When Solomon saw the throne placed before him, he said, "This is a favor from my Lord by which He wants to test whether I am grateful or ungrateful. Whoever thanks God does so for his own good. Whoever is ungrateful to God should know that my Lord is Self-Sufficient and Benevolent." 40 He said, "Disguise her throne. We shall see whether or not she will recognize it." 41 So, when she came, it was said (unto her): Is thy throne like this? She said: (It is) as though it were the very one. And (Solomon said): We were given the knowledge before her and we had surrendered (to Allah). 42 She was (in fact) turned away by what she worshipped other than God, for she came of an unbelieving people. 43 [After a while] she was told: "Enter this court!" - but when she saw it, she thought that it was a fathomless expanse of water, and she bared her legs. Said he: "Behold, it is [but] a court smoothly paved with glass!" Cried she: "O my Sustainer! I have been sinning against myself thy worshipping aught but Thee]: but [now] I have surrendered myself, with Solomon, unto the Sustainer of all the worlds!" 44