The Hoopoe and the Queen of Sheba (27:20-44)
The hoopoe (hudhud) was Sulaiman’s intelligence agent — the bird that brought him news of the Queen of Sheba (Bilqis) and her sun-worshipping people. Sulaiman sent a letter with the hoopoe: “Indeed, it is from Sulaiman, and indeed it reads: ‘In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Do not be arrogant with me but come to me in submission (muslimin).’ (27:30-31)
The Queen consulted her advisors, then decided to send gifts first to gauge Sulaiman’s character. Sulaiman rejected the gifts: “What Allah has given me is better than what He has given you.” He then invited her to come herself.
When Bilqis arrived, Sulaiman had her throne transported — the Quran mentions that someone with ‘ilm min al-kitab (knowledge from the Book) produced the throne before Sulaiman’s eye could blink (27:40). On entering the palace with its glass floor — which she mistook for water — she submitted: “My Lord, indeed I have wronged myself, and I submit with Sulaiman to Allah, Lord of the worlds.”
The Ants’ Warning (27:18)
“Until, when they came upon the valley of the ants, an ant said, ‘O ants, enter your dwellings that you not be crushed by Sulaiman and his soldiers while they perceive not.’”
Sulaiman heard this warning — mantic al-tayr (language of birds and creatures) — smiled, and thanked Allah for the gift. The ant’s concern was not about Sulaiman’s malice but about accidental harm from a massive army. The Quran presents this as evidence of the divine courtesy (and the prophet’s awareness of it) that extends even to ants.
See also: Seerah Dawud, Prophets In Islam, Al Anbiya, Tafsir Overview, Quran Sciences, Tawhid Divine Unity