The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 4) — Page 192
CH. 21 AL-ANBIYA' PT. 17 وَعَلَّمْنَهُ صَنْعَةَ لَبُوسٍ لَّكُمُ And We taught him the. 81 making of coats of mail for you, لِتُحْصِنَكُمْ مِنْ بَأْسِكُمْ ۚ فَهَلْ أَنتُمْ that they might protect you شكِرُونَ from each other's violence. Will you then be thankful?2411 "34:12. The word "birds" used in the verse may also signify actual birds. In this sense the reference would be that David made free use of birds for carrying messages in time of war which had been especially trained for this purpose. Or it may signify flocks of birds which followed David's victorious armies and feasted on the dead bodies of his fallen foes. Lastly, the word "birds," may signify men of high determination and great resolve who are ever ready to scale great heights and are not afraid of difficulties and dangers in the cause of religion. In brief, the verse means to say that men of ordinary spiritual caliber had become highly spiritual and soared very high in the spiritual firmament through the purifying company of David. The verse may also be rendered as, "We subjected the mountains and the birds to David; they all celebrated God's praises. " This rendering removes much misunderstanding and difficulty. For a fuller explanation of this and the next three verses see 34:11-14 & 38:19, 20, 37, 38, 39. The expression, "We gave Solomon the right understanding of the matter," has been used to show that Solomon's policy of moderation and conciliation was right in the then obtaining circumstances. In this verse the Quran defends Solomon against the charge levelled at him by some Jewish writers of having pursued a weak policy which brought about the downfall of his dynasty after him. The words, however, should not be taken to mean that the strong policy adopted by David in his own time was wrong. Any misunderstanding leading to this inference has been dispelled by the following clause: "And to each of them We gave wisdom and knowledge," which makes it quite clear that the policies of both David and Solomon were best in the circumstances and quite suited to the particular occasion. 2106 2411. Commentary: The reference in the verse is again to the military might of David and to his great skill in making implements of war and coats of mail. David invented and developed various kinds of armours by means of which he made great conquests. In his reign the Israelite kingdom reached the zenith of its power and dominion. David's time was the golden period in Israelite history. Never did the Israelites rise to such power again, nor did they enjoy such prestige, prosperity and influence as they did during David's rule. The verse does