10 Preface ۞ وَلَقَد آتَينا داوودَ مِنّا فَضلًا ۖ يا جِبالُ أَوِّبي مَعَهُ وَالطَّيرَ ۖ وَأَلَنّا لَهُ الحَديدَYusuf AliWe bestowed Grace aforetime on David from Ourselves:1 “O ye Mountains! Sing ye back the Praises of God with him! and ye birds (also)! And We made the iron soft for him;-2Cf. 21:79-80, and notes 2733-34. David had the gift of song and sacred music, and this is shown in his Psalms. All nature ?hills and birds?sing and echo back the Praise of God.Iron or steel is hard stuff: but in the hands of a craftsman it becomes soft and pliable, and with it can be made instruments for the defence of righteousness. These, in the literal sense, are coats of mail, and defensive armour, and the manufacture of them is traditionally attributed to David. (R).