And to Solomon ˹We subjected˺ the wind: its morning stride was a month’s journey and so

was its evening stride. And We caused a stream of molten copper to flow for him, and

˹We subjected˺ some of the jinn to work under him by his Lord’s Will. And whoever of them

deviated from Our command, We made them taste the torment of the blaze.

They made for him whatever he desired of sanctuaries, statues,1 basins as large as reservoirs

, and cooking pots fixed ˹into the ground˺. ˹We ordered:˺ “Work gratefully, O  family of David!”

˹Only˺ a few of My servants are ˹truly˺ grateful.

(SURAH SABA AYAH 14-15)

And David was succeeded by Solomon, who said, “O people! We have been taught the language

of birds, and been given everything ˹we need˺. This is indeed a great privilege.”

Solomon’s forces of jinn, humans, and birds were rallied for him, perfectly organized.

And when they came across a valley of ants, an ant warned, “O ants! Go quickly into your homes

so Solomon and his armies do not crush you, unknowingly.”

So Solomon smiled in amusement at her words, and prayed, “My Lord! Inspire me to ˹always˺ be

thankful for Your favours which You have blessed me and my parents with, and to do

good deeds that please you. Admit me, by Your mercy, into ˹the company of˺ Your

righteous servants.” ˹One day˺ he inspected the birds, and wondered, “Why is it that I cannot

see the hoopoe? Or could he be absent? I will surely subject him to a severe punishment, or

˹even˺ slaughter him, unless he brings me a compelling excuse.” It was not long before the bird

came and said, “I have found out something you do not know. I have just come to you from

Sheba with sure news. Indeed, I found a woman ruling over them,1 who has been given

everything ˹she needs˺, and who has a magnificent throne. I found her and her people

prostrating to the sun instead of Allah. For Satan has made their deeds

appealing to them—hindering them from the ˹Right˺ Way and leaving them unguided—so they

do not prostrate to Allah, Who brings forth what is hidden in the heavens and the earth, and

knows what you ˹all˺ conceal and what you reveal. ˹He is˺ Allah! There is no god ˹worthy of

worship˺ except Him, the Lord of the Mighty Throne.” Solomon said, “We will see whether you

are telling the truth or lying. Go with this letter of mine and deliver it to them, then stand aside

and see how they will respond.” The Queen ˹later˺ announced, “O chiefs! Indeed, a noble letter

has been delivered to me. It is from Solomon, and it reads: ‘In the Name of Allah—the Most

Compassionate, Most Merciful. Do not be arrogant with me, but come to me, fully submitting

˹to Allah˺.’” She said, “O chiefs! Advise me in this matter of mine, for I would never make any

decision without you.” They responded, “We are a people of strength and great ˹military˺ might,

but the decision is yours, so decide what you will command.” She reasoned, “Indeed, when

kings invade a land, they ruin it and debase its nobles. They really do so! But I will certainly

send him a gift, and see what ˹response˺ my envoys will return with.”1  When the chief-envoy

came to him, Solomon said, “Do you offer me wealth? What Allah has granted me is far greater

than what He has granted you. No! It is you who rejoice in ˹receiving˺ gifts. Go back to them, for

we will certainly mobilize against them forces which they can never resist, and we will drive

them out from there in disgrace, fully humbled.” Solomon asked, “O chiefs! Which of you can

bring me her throne before they come to me in ˹full˺ submission?”1 One mighty jinn responded,

“I can bring it to you before you rise from this council of yours. And I am quite strong and

trustworthy for this ˹task˺.” But the one who had knowledge of the Scripture said,1 “I can bring it

to you in the blink of an eye.” So when Solomon saw it placed before him, he exclaimed, “This is

by the grace of my Lord to test me whether I am grateful or ungrateful. And whoever is grateful,

it is only for their own good. But whoever is ungrateful, surely my Lord is Self-Sufficient,

Most Generous.” ˹Then˺ Solomon said, “Disguise her throne for her so we may see whether she

will recognize ˹it˺ or she will not be able to.” So when she arrived, it was said ˹to her˺, “Is your

throne like this?” She replied, “It looks to be the same. We have ˹already˺ received knowledge ˹of

Solomon’s prophethood˺1 before this ˹miracle˺,2 and have submitted ˹to Allah˺.”

But she had been hindered by what she used to worship instead of Allah, for she was indeed from

a disbelieving people. Then she was told, “Enter the palace.” But when she saw the hall, she

thought it was a body of water, so she bared her legs. Solomon said. “It is just a palace paved with

crystal.” ˹At last˺ she declared, “My Lord! I have certainly wronged my soul. Now I ˹fully˺ submit

myself along with Solomon to Allah, the Lord of all worlds.”

(SURAH NAML AYAH 20-44)

When We decreed Solomon’s death, nothing indicated to the ˹subjected˺ jinn that he was dead

except the termites eating away his

staff.1 So when he collapsed, the jinn realized that if they had ˹really˺ known the unseen, they

would not have remained in ˹such˺ humiliating servitude.

( SURAH SABA AYAH 15)