King Solomon was inspecting his unique Hosts; and he reviewed the birds, He had a glance see the hoopoe but he could not see him. And when he became certain of the hoopoe's absence, He said: I verily will punish him with hard punishment I will pluck out [all] his feathers as well as his tail plucked and leaving him out in the sun, where he would not be able to escape from reptiles, or I verily will slaughter him, by slitting his throat, or he verily shall bring me an acceptable excuse and a good reason (for absence).



The Hoopoe did not remain long [in absence], in other words, [he was away only] for a short while, and came to Solomon humbly, with his head up and his wings and tail lowered. Solomon pardoned him and asked him about what he had encountered during his absence: and he said, 'I have discovered something of which you have no knowledge, and I have brought you from Sheba a verified report and sure tidings.

Sheba (Saba) is Yemen today.

The Hoopoe said: Lo! I found a woman ruling over them and she has been given abundance of everything; she has been given the knowledge of all things in her country, and has a mighty throne adorned with gems, pearls, gold and silver.

I found her and her people prostrating to the sun instead of Allah, and Satan has adorned for them their deeds and he has barred them from the Way, from the path of truth, so that they are not guided

So that they do not worship Allah; why do they not prostrate to Allah?" the Hoopoe said! Who brings forth the hidden in the heavens, the rain and the earth vegetation, and knows what they conceal, within their hearts, of good and evil and what they proclaim with their tongues of good and evil.

Allah - there is no god except Him, the Lord of the Mighty Throne' (this clause constitutes an [independent] new sentence, which is a eulogy comprising [praise of] the Throne of the Compassionate One to counter the [description of the] throne of the Queen of Yemen: between the two, however, is an unfathomable difference.

He, Solomon, said, to the hoopoe: 'We shall see whether you have spoken the truth, in what you have informed us, or whether you are of the liars

Solomon then composed a letter in the following form: 'From the servant of Allah, Solomon, the son of David, to the Queen of Sheba. In the Name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful: Peace be upon those who follow Guidance. To wit: do not rise up against me [in defiance], but come to me in submission'. He then stamped it with musk and sealed it with his ring, and said to the hoopoe:

Take this letter of mine and deliver it to them, then turn away, withdraw, from them, but remain close by them, and see what kind of response they shall give. Thus, he took it and approached the Queen. But as her soldiers were all around her, he cast it into her private chamber. When she saw it, she shuddered and was consumed by fear. She read what it said.

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This interesting story of King Solomon, the Queen and the Hoopoe are found in the following verses:

Surah (Chapter) 27:20-28

20] And he (King Solomon) reviewed the birds then said: "why is it I see not the hoopoe here? Or is he among the absentees?"

21] I verily will punish him with a terrible punishment or I verily will slay him, or he verily shall bring me a plain excuse and a good reason (for absence).'

22] He (the Hoopoe) was not long in coming, and said: 'I know what you do not know. I come to you from Sheba (Yemen today) with certain news and sure tidings.

23] There I found a woman ruling over them. And she is provided with every requisite; and she has a magnificent throne.

24] But she and her people prostrate to the sun instead of Allah. And Satan has made their deeds seem pleasing to them and barred them from the path, and therefore they are not guided.

25] Do they not prostrate themselves to Allah who brings forth all that is concealed in the heavens and earth and he knows what they hide and what they reveal?

26] But he: he is Allah, there is no god but he: he is the lord of the mighty throne. '

27] (Solomon) said: 'we shall see if what you have said is true or whether you are among those who lie.

28] Go with this my letter and throw it down unto them; then turn aside and (wait to) see what answer they return,

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It is amazing that the Quran declares these facts about the unique Hoopoe of King Solomon, it was very Truthful, faithful, obedient, acting as a spy and messenger and the most important is the fact that the Hoopoe knows Allah, his Creator!

On the other hand, the Bible in Leviticus 11 declares that the Hoopoe is a Detested and Unclean bird.

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Back to the main issue of my series of articles; this is my question to you smart readers: "Is the Quran quoted from the Bible?"

By the way, the disbelieved ignorant Arabs stated that the Quran quoted from the Bible more than 1400 years ago! (Read my article about chapter 25).