۞ And certainly We gave to Dawood excellence from Us: O mountains! sing praises with him, and the birds; and We made the iron pliant to him, 10 (saying): 'Make large coats of mail and measure their links well. Do good deeds, for surely I see the things you do' 11 And We gave the wind in Sulaiman’s control – its morning journey equal to a month’s course and the evening journey equal to a month’s course; and We sprung a stream of molten copper for him; and from the jinns, who worked before him by the command of his Lord; and those among them who turned away from Our command – We shall make them taste the punishment of the blazing fire. 12 they made for him whatever he wished of sanctuaries, and statues, and basins as [large as] great watering - troughs, and cauldrons firmly anchored. [And We said:] "Labour, O David's people, in gratitude [towards Me] and [remember that] few are the truly grateful [even] among My servants!" 13 Then when We decreed death for him, naught discovered his death to them save a moving creature of the earth which gnawed away his staff. Then when he fell, the jinn clearly perceived that if they had known the unseen they would not have tarried in the ignominious torment. 14 INDEED, in [the luxuriant beauty of] their homeland, the people of Sheba had an evidence [of God's grace] two [vast expanses of] gardens, to the right and to the left, [calling out to them, as it were:] "Eat of what your Sustainer has provided for you, and render thanks unto Him: a land most goodly, and a Sustainer much-forgiving!" 15 But they turned away. Wherefore We sent upon them the inundation of the dam and We exchanged their two gardens for two gardens bearing bitter fruit, and tamarisk and some few lote-trees. 16 That was the Requital We gave them because they ungratefully rejected Faith: and never do We give (such) requital except to such as are ungrateful rejecters. 17 Now [before their downfall,] We had placed between them and the cities which We had blessed [many] towns within sight of one another; and thus We had made traveling easy [for them, as if to say]: "Travel safely in this [land,] by night or by day!" 18 So they said, “Our Lord! Make the stage between our journeys longer” and they wronged themselves – We therefore turned them into fables and scattered them completely with adversity; indeed in this are signs for every greatly enduring, most grateful person. 19 And certainly the Shaitan found true his conjecture concerning them, so they follow him, except a party of the believers. 20 He had no authority over them save for the purpose of Our knowing who believed in the world to come, and who doubted it. For your Lord keeps a watch over everything. 21