سُوْرَةُ الْاَنْۣبِيَآءِ
Surah Al-Anbiyaa (21) — Ayah 80
وَعَلَّمْنَـٰهُ صَنْعَةَ لَبُوسٍ لَّكُمْ لِتُحْصِنَكُم مِّنۢ بَأْسِكُمْ ۖ فَهَلْ أَنتُمْ شَـٰكِرُونَ ﴿80﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
And We taught him the making of metal coats of mail (for battles), to protect you in your fighting. Are you then grateful?
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
وَعَلَّمْنَـٰهُ
waʿallamnāhu
And We taught him
صَنْعَةَ
ṣanʿata
(the) making
لَبُوسٍۢ
labūsin
(of) coats of armor
لَّكُمْ
lakum
for you
لِتُحْصِنَكُم
lituḥ'ṣinakum
to protect you
مِّنۢ
min
from
بَأْسِكُمْ ۖ
basikum
your battle
فَهَلْ
fahal
Then will
أَنتُمْ
antum
you
شَـٰكِرُونَ
shākirūna
(be) grateful
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran — Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran (Facilitation of the Quran) is a comprehensive Quran commentary by Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar from Pakistan. Known for his eloquent and accessible writing style, Kilani authored this tafsir with a focus on clarity — making Quranic meanings understandable to the common reader. The tafsir provides detailed historical context for verses related to battles and expeditions, and firmly refutes modernist ideologies using strong scriptural evidence. It is widely regarded as an invaluable resource for understanding the Quran and countering deviant interpretations. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
80. And We taught David the craft of making armor for your benefit, to protect you from each other's violence in battle. So will you then be grateful [68]?
[68]
Sayyiduna Dawud and the Smelting of Iron and Armor-Making:
From this verse, it is understood that the inventor of armor-making is Hazrat Dawud (David) ؑ. Its further detail is as follows in Surah Saba: ﴿وَأَلَنَّا لَهُ الْحَدِيدَأَنِ اعْمَلْ سَابِغَاتٍ وَقَدِّرْ فِي السَّرْدِ﴾ [11، 10: 34] That is, We made iron soft for Dawud ؑ and instructed him to make complete coats of mail and to measure the links with precision. There are two meanings for making iron soft for him. One is that iron would become as soft as wax in his hands, and he would make chains and prepare armor as he wished. The second interpretation is that Allah Almighty taught him the work of melting and casting iron. His era is estimated to be from 105 BC to 945 BC, which is also called the Iron Age. Before this, the method for making swords, spears, or other items from iron was to heat the iron in fire, and when it became red like fire, it would be hammered and cut to prepare such items. Although a few nations had become familiar with the art of casting iron, all this was kept secret, and it was Dawud ؑ who started the work of making iron armor for military purposes. Since armor is a very important weapon for protection during battle, Allah Almighty also said along with it: Do you give thanks for this blessing of Allah, that He taught mankind the art of armor-making through Hazrat Dawud ؑ? It should be clear that Hazrat Dawud did not take anything from the public treasury (Bayt al-Mal), but lived only on what he earned with his own hands. As is evident from the following hadith: Hazrat Abu Hurairah ؓ says that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: The recitation of the Zabur was made so easy for Dawud ؑ that he would order the saddle to be put on the animal, and before the saddle was fully fastened, he would finish reciting the Zabur, and his livelihood was only from what he earned with his own hands. [بخاری، کتاب احادیث الانبیاء باب قول اللہ تعالیٰ ﴿وَاٰتَيْنَا دَاوٗدَ زَبُوْرًا﴾ ]
[68]
Sayyiduna Dawud and the Smelting of Iron and Armor-Making:
From this verse, it is understood that the inventor of armor-making is Hazrat Dawud (David) ؑ. Its further detail is as follows in Surah Saba: ﴿وَأَلَنَّا لَهُ الْحَدِيدَأَنِ اعْمَلْ سَابِغَاتٍ وَقَدِّرْ فِي السَّرْدِ﴾ [11، 10: 34] That is, We made iron soft for Dawud ؑ and instructed him to make complete coats of mail and to measure the links with precision. There are two meanings for making iron soft for him. One is that iron would become as soft as wax in his hands, and he would make chains and prepare armor as he wished. The second interpretation is that Allah Almighty taught him the work of melting and casting iron. His era is estimated to be from 105 BC to 945 BC, which is also called the Iron Age. Before this, the method for making swords, spears, or other items from iron was to heat the iron in fire, and when it became red like fire, it would be hammered and cut to prepare such items. Although a few nations had become familiar with the art of casting iron, all this was kept secret, and it was Dawud ؑ who started the work of making iron armor for military purposes. Since armor is a very important weapon for protection during battle, Allah Almighty also said along with it: Do you give thanks for this blessing of Allah, that He taught mankind the art of armor-making through Hazrat Dawud ؑ? It should be clear that Hazrat Dawud did not take anything from the public treasury (Bayt al-Mal), but lived only on what he earned with his own hands. As is evident from the following hadith: Hazrat Abu Hurairah ؓ says that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: The recitation of the Zabur was made so easy for Dawud ؑ that he would order the saddle to be put on the animal, and before the saddle was fully fastened, he would finish reciting the Zabur, and his livelihood was only from what he earned with his own hands. [بخاری، کتاب احادیث الانبیاء باب قول اللہ تعالیٰ ﴿وَاٰتَيْنَا دَاوٗدَ زَبُوْرًا﴾ ]
