120
7. (Remember) when Moses said unto his household: Lo! I spy afar off a fire; I will bring you tidings thence, or bring
to you a borrowed flame that ye may warm yourselves.
8. But when he reached it, he was called, saying: Blessed is whosoever is in the fire and whosoever is round about it!
And glorified be Allah, the Lord of the Worlds!
9. O Moses! Lo! it is I, Allah, the Mighty, the Wise.
10. And throw down thy staff! But when he saw it writhing as it were a demon, he turned to flee headlong; (but it was
said unto him): O Moses! Fear not! Lo! the emissaries fear not in My presence,
11. Save him who hath done wrong and afterward hath changed evil for good. And lo! I am Forgiving, Merciful.
12. And put thy hand into the bosom of thy robe, it will come forth white but unhurt. (This will be one) among name
tokens unto Pharaoh and his people. Lo! they were ever evil living folk.
13. But when Our tokens came unto them, plain to see, they said: This is mere magic,
14. And they denied them, though their souls acknowledged them, for spite and arrogance. Then see the nature of the
consequence for the wrong doers!
15. And We verily gave knowledge unto David and Solomon, and they said: Praise be to Allah, Who hath preferred us
above many of His believing slaves!
16. And Solomon was David's heir. And he said: O mankind! Lo! we have been taught the language of birds, and have
been given (abundance) of all things. This surely is evident favour.
17. And there were gathered together unto Solomon his armies of the jinn and humankind, and of the birds, and they
were set in battle order;
18. Till, when they reached the Valley of the Ants, an ant exclaimed: O ants! Enter your dwellings lest Solomon and
his armies crush you, unperceiving.
19. And (Solomon) smiled, laughing at her speech, and said: My Lord, arouse me to be thankful for Thy favour
wherewith Thou hast favoured me and my parents, and to do good that shall be pleasing unto Thee, and include me in
(the number of) Thy righteous staves.
20. And he sought among the birds and said: How is it that I see not the hoopoe, or is he among the absent?
21. I verily will punish him with hard punishment or I verily will slay him, or he verily shall bring me a plain excuse.
22. But he was not long in coming, and he said: I have found out (a thing) that thou apprehendest not, and I come unto
thee from Sheba with sure tidings.
23. Lo! I found a woman ruling over them, and she hath been given (abundance) of all things, and hers is a mighty
throne.
24. I found her and her people worshipping the sun instead of Allah; and Satan maketh their works fair seeming unto
them, and debarreth them from the way (of Truth), so that they go not aright:
25. 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,
26. Allah; there is no God save Him, the Lord of the tremendous Throne.
27. (Solomon) said: We shall see whether thou speakest truth or whether thou art of the liars.
28. Go with this my letter and throw it down unto them; then turn away and see what (answer) they return,
29. (The Queen of Sheba ) said (when she received the letter): O chieftains! Lo! there hath been thrown unto me a noble
letter.
30. Lo! it is from Solomon, and lo! it is: In the name of Allah the Beneficent, the Merciful;
31. Exalt not yourselves against me, but come unto me as those who surrender.
32. She said: O chieftains! Pronounce for me in my case. I decide no case till ye are present with me.
33. They said: We are lords of might and lords of great prowess, but it is for thee to command; so consider what thou
wilt command.
34. She said: Lo! kings, when they enter a township, ruin it and make the honour of its people shame. Thus will they
do.
35. But lo! I am going to send a present unto them, and to see with what (answer) the messengers return.
36. So when (the envoy) came unto Solomon, (the King) said: What! Would ye help me with wealth? But that which
Allah hath given me is better than that which He hath given you. Nay it is ye (and not I) who exult in your gift.
37. Return unto them. We verily shall come unto them with hosts that they cannot resist, and we shall drive them out
from thence with shame, and they will be abased.
