Episode 2
Episode 2: The Valley of the Ants
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Gathered for Sulaiman were his hosts of jinn, men, and birds, and they were marshaled in ordered ranks (27:17) — an army that shows how vast a dominion Allah had granted him. Until, when they reached the valley of the ants, an ant said, "O ants, enter your dwellings so that Sulaiman and his hosts do not crush you while they are unaware" (27:18). Note the fairness in the ant's words: it stressed that Sulaiman and his army were "unaware" — it did not accuse them of deliberate wrong. So Sulaiman smiled, amused at its words, and prayed, "My Lord, inspire me to be grateful for Your favor which 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" (27:19). Reflection: the height of Sulaiman's power returned him to humility — he asked to be made a grateful, righteous servant, not to be given still more power.
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Episode 3: The Hoopoe and the News of Sheba