And certainly We gave knowledge to Dawood and Sulaiman, and they both said: Praise be to Allah, Who has made us to excel many of His believing servants. 15 And Solomon succeeded David and said: "O people, we have been taught the speech of birds and we have been endowed with all kinds of things. Surely this is a conspicuous favour (from Allah)." 16 His armies of jinns and men and Tair assembled, formed into ranks, (and marched) 17 Until when they came to the valley of the Naml, a Namlite said: O Naml! enter your houses, (that) Sulaiman and his hosts may not crush you while they do not know. 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 Then Solomon inspected the birds, and said, "How is it that I do not see the hoopoe? Is he absent then? 20 "I will surely punish him with a severe torment, or slaughter him, unless he brings me a clear reason." 21 But the hoopoe stayed not long and said, "I have encompassed [in knowledge] that which you have not encompassed, and I have come to you from Sheba with certain news. 22 I found a woman ruling the people there and she possessed something of (almost) everything and a great throne. 23 I found her and her people adoring the sun instead of Allah, and the Shaitan has made their deeds fair-seeming to them and thus turned them from the way, so they do not go aright 24 "(Kept them away from the Path), that they should not worship Allah, Who brings to light what is hidden in the heavens and the earth, and knows what ye hide and what ye reveal. 25 Allah, La ilaha illa Huwa (none has the right to be worshipped but He), the Lord of the Supreme Throne! ۩ 26 ۞ Solomon said, "We shall soon see whether you have spoken the truth, or whether you are a liar. 27 "Go thou, with this letter of mine, and deliver it to them: then draw back from them, and (wait to) see what answer they return"... 28 She (the Queen of Sheba) said: 'O Council, look, an honorable letter has been dropped to me. 29 “Indeed it is from Sulaiman, and it is (begins) with ‘Allah – beginning with the name of – the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.’” 30 (It says): "Do not act towards me with defiance, but come to me in submission." 31