Hoopoe ( Hudhud )!

"I will punish him most severely," rages 

King Solomon about the Hoopoe, 

"or will kill him, unless he brings

 Me a convincing excuse!"

And Solomon inherited

 (the knowledge of) David. 

He said: "O mankind! 

We have been taught the 

Language of birds, and on us

 Have been bestowed with all things. 

This, verily, is an evident grace (from Allah)."

And there were gathered 

Before Solomon his hosts 

Of jinns and men, and birds,

 And they were all set in battle

 Order (marching forwards)

On the Dome of Rock he built 

A beautiful temple to worship 

From there, a large band 

Of followers joined Solomon

On a pilgrimage to the Holy 

Mosque in Mecca. After they

 Had completed their hajj, they 

Traveled to Yemen and arrived 

In the city of San'a. Solomon was 

Impressed by their clever method 

Of channeling water all over

 Their cities. He was keen to 

Build similar water systems

 In his own country but did

Not have enough springs.

He set out to find the hoopoe 

Bird, which could detect water 

Under the ground. He sent

Signals all over the hoopoe 

To call on him, but it was 

Nowhere to be found. 

In anger, he declared that

Unless the bird had a good 

Reason for its absence, 

He would punish it severely.

The hoopoe eventually came

 To Solomon and explained 

The reason for its delay. 

"I have discovered something

Of which you are not aware. 

I have come from Sheba (Sab'a) 

With important news." Solomon 

Became curious, and his anger

Subsided. The bird continued: 

"Sab'a is ruled by a queen named

 Bilkis (Bilqis), who has plenty of 

Everything, including a splendid 

Throne. But in spite of all this 

Wealth, Satan has entered her 

Heart and the hearts of her people. 

She rules their minds 

Completely. I was shocked to

Learn that they worship the sun 

Instead of Allah the Almighty."

To check the hoopoe's information,

Solomon sent a letter to the queen

With the bird. He instructed the bird

To remain hidden and to watch everything.

The hoopoe dropped the letter in 

Front of the queen and flew away to hide.

She excitedly opened and read it: 

"Verily! It is from Solomon, and verily! It reads: 

'In the Name of Allah, the

Most Beneficent, and Most Merciful; 

Be you not exalted against me,

 But come to me as Muslims 

(true believers who submit

 With full submission).'"

 ( Ch 27:30-31 Quran).

The queen was very disturbed 

And hurriedly summoned her 

Advisors. They reacted as to a 

Challenge, for they felt that there 

Was someone challenging them,

Hinting at war and defeat, and 

Asking them to submit to his conditions.

They told her that they could only offer advice,

But it was her right to command 

Action. She sensed that 

They wanted to meet Solomon's 

Invasion threat with a battle.

However, she told them: "Peace 

And friendship is better and wiser; 

War only brings humiliation, 

Enslaves people and destroys

Good things. I have decided 

To send gifts to Solomon, selected 

From our most precious treasure. 

The courtiers who will deliver the

Gifts will also have an opportunity 

To learn about Solomon and his military mighty."

Despite its brief run-in with Solomon, 

or perhaps because of it, the Hoopoe

 has enjoyed a lofty status throughout 

history. Not only was it Solomon's special

 messenger, but it was also named the 

wisest bird in the world by the Persian poet 

Attar of Nishapur in his 1177 epic, 

The Conference of the Birds.