• Allah likewise subjected to him the jinn, the devils, and the mighty ‘afarit, who carried out magnificent works at his command—“They fashioned for him whatever he wished: lofty sanctuaries, statues, basins as wide as reservoirs, and heavy cauldrons” (Saba 13). They would come and go by his order, wherever he desired.

• He also placed under his authority armies drawn from mankind, the jinn, and the birds, “and they were kept in ranks” (al-Naml 17), in wondrous coordination and extraordinary order.

• Allah taught him the language of birds and of all other creatures, so they addressed him and he understood what they were saying (1). Thus he spoke with the hoopoe and questioned it in detail, and he heard the ant when she called out to her people: “O ants, enter your dwellings lest Solomon and his hosts crush you without realizing it” (al-Naml 18). She warned them, prescribed the means of safety, and excused Solomon and his army; whereupon Solomon smiled, laughing at her words, and said, “My Lord, inspire me to thank You for the favour You have bestowed upon me and upon my parents, and to do righteous deeds that please You, and admit me by Your mercy among Your righteous servants” (al-Naml 19).

• A mark of his fine administration and firmness was that he inspected the troops in person, even though he had already appointed officers over them—for the phrase “they were kept in ranks” (al-Naml 17) points to such overseers. He even reviewed the birds to see whether each remained at its station, saying, “Why do I not see the hoopoe? Or is he among the absent?” (al-Naml 20). It is therefore incorrect, as many commentators claim, that he was seeking the bird to survey the land and locate its water sources, for this contradicts the Qur’anic wording: Allah did not say “he sent for the hoopoe,” but rather, “And he inspected the birds” (al-Naml 20).