Saying: exalt not yourselves against me and come to me in submission.

She said: O chiefs! give me advice respecting my affair: I never decide an affair until you are in my presence.

They said: We are possessors of strength and possessors of mighty prowess, and the command is yours, therefore see what you will command.

She said: Surely the kings, when they enter a town, ruin it and make the noblest of its people to be low, and thus they (always) do;

And surely I am going to send a present to them, and shall wait to see what (answer) do the apostles bring back.

So when he came to Sulaiman, he said: What! will you help me with wealth? But what Allah has given me is better than what He has given you. Nay, you are exultant because of your present;

Go back to them, so we will most certainly come to them with hosts which they shall have no power to oppose, and we will most certainly expel them therefrom in abasement, and they shall be in a state of ignominy.

He said: O chiefs! which of you can bring to me her throne before they come to me in submission?

One audacious among the jinn said: I will bring it to you before you rise up from your place; and most surely I am strong (and) trusty for it.

One who had the knowledge of the Book said: I will bring it to you in the twinkling of an eye. Then when he saw it settled beside him, he said: This is of the grace of my Lord that He may try me whether I am grateful or ungrateful; and whoever is grateful, he is grateful only for his own soul, and whoever is ungrateful, then surely my Lord is Self-sufficient, Honored.

He said: Alter her throne for her, we will see whether she follows the right way or is of those who do not go aright.

So when she came, it was said: Is your throne like this? She said: It is as it were the same, and we were given the knowledge before it, and we were submissive.

And what she worshipped besides Allah prevented her, surely she was of an unbelieving people.

It was said to her: Enter the palace; but when she saw it she deemed it to be a great expanse of water, and bared her legs. He said: Surely it is a palace made smooth with glass. She said: My Lord! surely I have been unjust to myself, and I submit with Sulaiman to Allah, the Lord of the worlds.

And certainly We sent to Samood their brother Salih, saying: Serve Allah; and lo! they became two sects quarrelling with each other.

He said: O my people! why do you seek to hasten on the evil before the good? Why do you not ask forgiveness of Allah so that you may be dealt with mercifully?

They said: We have met with ill luck on account of you and on account of those with you. He said: The cause of your evil fortune is with Allah; nay, you are a people who are tried.

And there were in the city nine persons who made mischief in the land and did not act aright.

They said: Swear to each other by Allah that we will certainly make a sudden attack on him and his family by night, then we will say to his heir: We did not witness the destruction of his family, and we are most surely truthful.

And they planned a plan, and We planned a plan while they perceived not.

See, then, how was the end of their plan that We destroyed them and their people, all (of them).

So those are their houses fallen down because they were unjust, most surely there is a sign in this for a people who know.

And We delivered those who believed and who guarded (against evil).

And (We sent) Lut, when he said to his people: What! do you commit indecency while you see?

What! do you indeed approach men lustfully rather than women? Nay, you are a people who act ignorantly.

But the answer of his people was no other except that they ~s said: Turn out Lut's followers from your town; surely they are a people who would keep pure!

But We delivered him and his followers except his wife; We ordained her to be of those who remained behind.

And We rained on them a rain, and evil was the rain of those who had been warned.

Say: Praise be to Allah and peace on His servants whom He has chosen: is Allah better, or what they associate (with Him)?

Nay, He Who created the heavens and the earth, and sent down for you water from the cloud; then We cause to grow thereby beautiful gardens; it is not possible for you that you should make the trees thereof to grow. Is there a god with Allah? Nay! they are people who deviate.