19 Preface وَالطَّيرَ مَحشورَةً ۖ كُلٌّ لَهُ أَوّابٌAhmed AliAnd the levied Tair.1 They were all obedient to him. See note to verse 27:18 for the use of words covering different shades of meaning. The present Surah is more metonymic in its narrative and use of words. The employment of words having double meanings is continued, almost in line with naml (both as name of tribe and ants) and hud-hud (name of tribe and of individuals and hoopoe). Jibal and tair are used together here always with king David as being submissive with him. Their repeated use in sentences of an almost identical nature at two other places, i.e. 21:79 and 34:10, with ma‘a (with or along with), sakhkhara or awwab (submissive and obedient), sabbaha (to glorify, move swiftly or rush, return etc.), points to the special significance they hold in the context of of king David and his times full of turbulence, when he extended his power and unified the tribes and small kingdoms, under him. This policy was continued by his son Solomon, as references to David’s killing Goliath and Solomon’s subjugation of the prosperous kingdom of Sheba, show how David and Solomon came to occupy a legendary place in the annals of the Arabian people. See note to verse 27:16. The mention of iron made pliable for David in 34:10, and coasts of mail in 34:11, together with verse 20 of this Surah, 38, which speaks of the strengthening of his kingdom, clearly indicate martial might. This directs our attention to the obviously metonymic use of al-jibal and wattaira mahshurah. Although jibal commonly means mountains, it is also used for saiyyad al-qaum, chiefs of tribe or people, and men of knowledge or learned men. Tair means ever so many things, as has been discussed in notes on 3:49 and 27:18. In verse 19 of the present Surah tair has been qualified with the adjective mahshurah which imparts a definite meaning and special significance to the word. Though derived from hashara, it does not mean simply gathered or gathered together, but summoned or commanded by authority to appear, or conscripted for military service. Lisan al-‘Arab quotes three Traditions in which the word yuhsharu has been used in an identical sense: “The delegation of the tribe of Thaqif advanced the condition for peace that they will be immune from being summoned for military service.” “The tribe of Najran asked for peace in the condition that they will not be summoned for purposes of war.” And lastly, the Lisan quotes a Hadith regarding women that “they will not be summoned for war, as fighting is not compulsory for woman.” All this leaves no doubt that as jibal has been used in the sense of chiefs of tribes and principalities, tair has been used for either a particular tribe or conquered race conscripted for war. The Qur’an is advancing instances from history and highlighting the roles of King David and Solomon in the history of their times.