﴿ فَمَكَثَ غَيْرَ بَعِيدٍۢ فَقَالَ أَحَطتُ بِمَا لَمْ تُحِطْ بِهِۦ وَجِئْتُكَ مِن سَبَإٍۭ بِنَبَإٍۢ يَقِينٍ ﴾

“But [the hoopoe] tarried but a short while; and [when it came] it said: “I have encompassed [with my knowledge] something that thou hast never yet encompassed [with thine] - for I have come to thee from Sheba with a tiding sure!”

But he did not remain read fa-makutha or fa-makatha 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 this may be read in declined form min Saba’in or left as indeclinable min Saba’a — a tribe in Yemen whose name is taken from the name of one of their ancestors which is also the reason why it may be declined — a verified report.