Surah Saba Tafseer

The Favors which Allah bestowed upon Dawud

Allah says:

وَلَقَدْ اتَيْنَا دَاوُودَ مِنَّا فَضْلً يَا جِبَالُ أَوِّبِي مَعَهُ وَالطَّيْرَ وَأَلَنَّا لَهُ الْحَدِيدَ

And indeed We bestowed grace on Dawud from Us (saying):

"O you mountains! Glorify with him! And you birds (also)! And We made the iron soft for him."

Here Allah tells us how He blessed His servant and Messenger Dawud (David), peace be upon him, and what He gave him of His great bounty, giving him both Prophethood and kingship, and huge numbers of troops. And He blessed him with a mighty voice. Such that when he glorified Allah, the firm, solid, high mountains joined him in glorifying Allah, and the free-roaming birds, who go out in the morning and come back in the evening, stopped for him, and he was able to speak all languages.

In the Sahih it is recorded that the Messenger of Allah heard the voice of Abu Musa Al-Ash`ari, may Allah be pleased with him, reciting at night, and he stopped and listened to his recitation, then he said:

لَقَدْ أُوتِيَ هذَا مِزْمَارًا مِنْ مَزَامِيرِ الِ دَاوُد

This man has been given one of the sweet melodious voices of the Prophet Dawud.

Abu Uthman An-Nahdi said,

"I never heard any cymbal, stringed instrument or chord that was more beautiful than the voice of Abu Musa Al-Ash`ari, may Allah be pleased with him."

أَوِّبِي

(Glorify) means, glorify Allah.

This was the view of Ibn Abbas, Mujahid and others.

The root of this word (Ta'wib) means to repeat or respond, so the mountains and birds were commanded to repeat after him.

وَأَلَنَّا لَهُ الْحَدِيدَ

And We made the iron soft for him.

Al-Hasan Al-Basri, Qatadah, Al-A mash and others said,

He did not need to heat it in the fire or beat it with a hammer؛ he could simply twist it in his hands, like a thread.

Allah said