English Translation of Al-Quran
[34].Surah Saba [Sheba]
Ayat 11. (Allah made the iron soft for Prophet Dawood (David), and saying to him: “Make you perfect coats of mail, balancing well the rings of chain armor, and work you (men) righteousness. Truly, I am All Seer of what you do.”
Tafseer of Surah Saba’ (Sheba) Ayat 11. (Allah Commanding), “Make thou coast of mail, balancing well the rings of chain armors, and work ye righteousness; for be sure I see (clearly) all that ye do.” Coats of chain armors have to be made with cunning art, if the chains are to fit into each other and the whole garment is to be worn in comfort in fierce warfare. Note the transition from the singular, “make them coats of mail”, to the plural “and work ye righteousness”. The first is addressed to David, who was the artificer of defensive armors: and the second is addressed to him and his whole people. He made the armors, but it was to be worn not only by him but all the warriors. But he and his people were to be careful to see that they did not deviate from the paths of righteousness. Fighting is a dangerous weapon and may well degenerate (as it so often does) into mere violence. They were to see that this should not happen, and they were told that Allah was watching over them all with personal solicitude implied in the singular pronoun “I”.
English Translation of Hadith
Hazrat Abdullah bin Abu Aufa (May Allah be pleased with them) reported: On one occasion the Messenger of Allah ﷺ [SAWW](PBUH) was confronting the enemy. He waited until the sun had declined. Then he stood up to address the people and said, “O people! Do not wish for an encounter with the enemy. Pray to Allah to grant you safety; (but) when you encounter them, show patience, and know that Jannah is under the shades of the swords.” Then he ﷺ [SAWW](PBUH) said: “Allahumma munzilal-kitab, wa mujriyas-sahab, wa hazimal-Ahzab, ihzimhum wansurna alaihim (O Allah, Revealer of the Book, Disperser of the clouds, Defeater of the Confederates, put our enemy to rout and support us against them).”
[Al-Bukhari Book 04, Chapter 52, Hadith # 210]
Lesson: as mentioned above in Surah Saba Ayat 11. “”Make you perfect coats of mail, balancing well the rings of chain armor, and work you (men) righteousness. Truly, I am All Seer of what you do.” From this Hadith we learn that it is better to start war in the afternoon because this was the practice of the Prophet ﷺ [SAWW](PBUH). The desire for war is prohibited, but when war becomes inevitable, one should not show his back to the enemy; rather, one should fight to the best of his ability and be steadfast in it. Along with steadfastness and patience in fighting, one should also pray for victory because all powers lie with Allah and no one can gain victory without His Will. The Hadith also mentions a supplication which one should make when he encounters the enemy.
