In the name of God, the Almighty,¹ the Merciful.

¹ ṭā sīn¹ Those² are the proofs³ of the Qur’an⁴ and of a Clear Writ⁵

² As guidance and glad tidings for the believers,¹

³ Those who uphold the duty,¹ and render the purity,² and of the Hereafter they are certain.³

⁴ Those who believe not in¹ the Hereafter, We have made their deeds fair to them, so they wander blindly.

⁵ Those are they for whom is the evil of punishment, and in the Hereafter are they the greatest losers.

⁶ And thou receivest the Qur’an¹ from one wise and knowing.²

⁷ When Moses said to his people: “I perceive a fire. I will bring you news from it, or bring you a flaming brand, that you might warm yourselves.”

⁸ Then when he came to it, he was called: — blessed is He who is in the fire and who is round about it, and glory¹ be to God, the Lord of All Creation! —

⁹ “O Moses: it is I, God, the Exalted in Might, the Wise.¹

¹⁰ “And cast thou thy staff.” And when he saw it stirring as if it were a dominus,¹ he turned away, and did not return. “O Moses: fear thou not; the emissaries fear not in My presence,

¹¹ “Save whoso did wrong; then he changed to good after evil,¹ so am I forgiving and merciful.²

¹² “And enter thou thy hand into thy bosom; it will come forth white, without evil¹ — among nine proofs² to Pharaoh³ and his people; they are a perfidious⁴ people.”

¹³ And when Our visible proofs¹ came to them, they said: “This is obvious sorcery”;²

¹⁴ And they rejected them, though their souls were convinced thereof, in injustice and arrogance. So see thou how was the final outcome of the workers of corruption.

¹⁵ And We gave to David and Solomon knowledge; and they said: “Praise belongs to God who has preferred us above many of His believing servants.”¹

¹⁶ And Solomon inherited from David; and he said: “O mankind: we have been taught the speech of birds, and have been given of every¹ thing; this is the clear favour.”

¹⁷ And there were gathered to Solomon his forces of domini¹ and servi² and birds; and they were marshalled.

¹⁸ When¹ they had reached the valley of the ants, an ant said: “O ants: enter your dwellings lest Solomon and his forces crush you when they perceive not!”

¹⁹ And he smiled, laughing at her speech, and he said: “My Lord: direct Thou me to be grateful for Thy favour wherewith Thou favoured me and my parents, and to work righteousness pleasing to Thee; and make Thou me enter, by Thy mercy, among Thy righteous servants.”

²⁰ And he inspected the birds, and said: “How is it with me that I see not the hoopoe? Or is he among the absent?

²¹ “I will punish him with a severe punishment, or I will slaughter him, unless he brings me a clear authority.”¹

²² But he tarried not long, and said: “I have encompassed what thou hast not encompassed; and I come to thee from Saba’¹ with a certain² report.

²³ “I found a woman ruling them; and she has been given of every¹ thing; and she has a great throne.

²⁵ That they submit¹ not to God who brings forth the hidden in the heavens and the earth, and knows what you hide and what you make known;

²⁶ God, there is no god save He,¹ Lord of the Great Throne.)

²⁷ He said: “We will see if thou hast spoken truly or art of the liars.

²⁸ “Go thou with this my writ;¹ cast thou it unto them, then turn thou away from them and see thou what they will return.”

²⁹ She said: “O eminent ones: there has been cast unto me a noble writ;¹

³⁰ “It is from Solomon, and it is: ‘In the name of God, the Almighty,¹ the Merciful:

³¹ “‘Exalt not yourselves against me, but come to me submitting!’”¹

³² She said: “O eminent ones: counsel me in my affair; I decide no affair until you bear me witness.”

³³ They said: “We possess power and possess strong might, but the command is for thee; see thou what thou wilt command.”

³⁴ She said: “Kings, when they enter a city, spoil it and make its most honoured¹ people abject; and thus will they do.

³⁵ “And I will send a gift to them, and see with what the emissaries return.”

³⁶ So when he¹ came to Solomon, he said: “Would you supply me with wealth? But what God has given me is better than what He has given you; the truth is,² it is you who exult in your gift.

³⁷ “Return thou to them: ‘We will come to them with forces they have no power to resist, and we will drive them therefrom in abjection; and they will be brought low.’”

³⁸ He said: “O eminent ones:¹ which of you will bring me her throne before they come to me submitting?”²

³⁹ A mischievous one among the domini¹ said: “I will bring it to thee before thou canst rise from thy place;² and I am for this strong and trustworthy.”

⁴⁰ Said one with knowledge of the writ:¹ “I will bring it to thee before thy glance return to thee.” And when he saw it set before him, he said:² “This is of the bounty of my Lord, that He might try me, whether I am grateful or ungrateful;³ and whoso is grateful, he is but grateful for his soul; and whoso is ungrateful, then is my Lord free from need and generous.⁴

⁴¹ (He said: “Disguise her throne for her; we will see if she is guided, or if she is of those not guided.”

⁴² And when she came, it was said: “Is thy throne like this?” She said: “As though the same.”¹) “And we were given knowledge before her; and we were submitting.²

⁴³ “And what she served, besides¹ God, diverted her; she was of a people of false claimers of guidance.”²

⁴⁴ (It was said to her: “Enter thou the palace.”¹ But when she saw it, she thought it a body of water and uncovered her legs. He said: “It is a palace² made smooth³ with glass.”) She said,⁴ “My Lord: I have wronged my soul, and I submit with Solomon to God, the Lord of All Creation.”

⁴⁵ And We sent to Thamūd their brother Ṣāliḥ: “— That you serve God,”¹ but then were they two factions quarrelling.

⁴⁶ He said: “O my people: why will you hasten on the evil¹ before² the good?³ Oh, that you did but⁴ ask pardon of God, that you might obtain mercy!”

⁴⁷ They said: “We think thee and those with thee an evil omen.” He said: “Your evil omen is with God. The truth is,¹ you are a people subjected to means of denial.”²

⁴⁸ And there were in the city nine men¹ who wrought corruption in the land and did not right.

⁴⁹ They said: “Swear one to another, by God, that we will attack him and his household by night. Then we will say to his ally:¹ ‘We witnessed not the destruction of his household, and we are the truthful.’”