Prophet Dawud Making Armor in Islamic History

The story of Allah's blessing upon Prophet Dawud in the form of the ability to soften iron so he created chain mail armor in a woven circular form that was light yet strong to protect his troops in battle.

• The armor that existed at that time was very heavy and made it difficult for soldiers to move during war.
• Allah softened iron in Dawud's hands, so he could cut and join it into circular armor that still protected the body but allowed ease of movement.
• Dawud's armor proved superior to that of the enemy, so his troops always won the wars, and Dawud believed the victory was solely because of Allah.
• This ability is mentioned by Allah in the Qur'an as a special blessing for Dawud, as recorded in surah Saba verse 10-11 and surah Al-Anbiya verse 79-80.

Prophet Dawud Making Armor

The problem faced by his people was the many wars in their time. Because of this, the making of armor was very important. Armor made by experts was very heavy so a warrior could not move freely when wearing the armor.

One day, Prophet Dawud sat while pondering this problem, and before him was a piece of iron that he was playing with. Suddenly, he knew that his hands could soften the iron. Allah had indeed softened iron for Dawud. Then Dawud cut it into pieces and shaped it into small pieces and joined one part to another, so he was able to make new armor, namely armor formed from circular iron pieces that when worn by someone in war would allow him to move freely and his body would still be protected from swords and axes. The armor was better than all the armor that existed at that time. Prophet Dawud gave thanks to Allah.

Then many factories were established to make new armor. When the making of the armor was finished and given to his troops, Dawud's enemies knew that their swords would not be able to pierce this armor. The armor worn by Dawud's enemies was very heavy and could be pierced by swords. The armor they wore did not allow them to move freely and could not protect them in battle, but this was not the case with the armor made by Prophet Dawud. Every war that Dawud's army participated in, he always achieved victory; every time he entered the battlefield he felt victory. He knew that this victory came solely from Allah, so his gratitude to Him increased and the praise he gave became more intense and his love for Allah became more ardent.

Allah said:

"And indeed, We conferred favor upon Dawud from Us. [We said], 'O mountains, echo [praises of Allah] with him, and the birds [as well].' And We made pliable for him iron: [Commanding], 'Make full-length coats of mail and calculate [precisely] the links,' and work [all of you] in righteousness. Indeed, I am seeing of what you do." (QS. Saba': 10-11)

"And We subjected the mountains to exalt [Allah] with Dawud when the evening comes and when the morning comes. And the birds mustered, all with him turning in repentance. And We softened for him the iron: [Saying], 'Make full-length coats of mail and calculate [precisely] the links, and work [all of you] in righteousness. Indeed, I am seeing of what you do.' (QS. al-Anbiya': 79-80)"

Loading the full version…