O mountains, either you are a replacement for 'favor', or from 'We have given' with the meaning: Our saying, 'O mountains.' Or: We said, 'O mountains.' And it was read: 'Awwa' and 'Awba': from the meaning of 'ta'weeb.' And 'al-awb' means to return with the glorification. Or return with it in glorification whenever it returns in it, because if it returns, then it has returned in it. And the meaning of the glorification of the mountains: That Allah, glorified and exalted is He, creates in them a glorification just as He created speech in the tree, so that what is heard from them is what is heard from the glorifier: a miracle for Dawud. And it is said: He used to lament for his sin with a return and sadness, and the mountains would assist him in his lament with their echoes. And the birds with their voices. And it was read: 'and the birds', in both the nominative and accusative, in connection with the word 'mountains' and its position. And it was permitted that it could be an accusative object with it, and that it could be connected to 'favor', meaning 'and We made the birds submissive to him.' If you say: What is the difference between this arrangement and saying 'And certainly We have given Dawud from Us favor, the returning of the mountains with him and the birds?' I say: How much difference there is between them. Do you not see what it contains of grandeur that is not hidden: of indicating the might of lordship and the majesty of divinity, where the mountains are made to be in the position of rational beings who, when commanded, obey and submit, and when called, they hear and respond: indicating that there is no living being, inanimate object, speaker, or silent one, except that it is submissive to His will, not resisting His desire. And We softened iron for him and made it soft for him like clay, dough, and wax, so that he could shape it with his hand as he wishes without fire or striking with a hammer. And it is said: Because the iron was in his hand due to the strength he was given. And it was read: 'sabbighat', which are the wide, covering armors, and he was the first to make them, as they were before plates. And it is said: He would sell the armor for four thousand and spend from it on himself and his family, and give charity to the poor. And it is said: He would go out when he ruled over the Children of Israel disguised, and ask the people about himself, saying to them: What do you say about Dawud? They would praise him, so Allah caused for him a king in the form of a human who asked him as usual, and said: Yes, a good man, except for one trait: the extravagance of Dawud. So he asked him? He said: If only he did not feed his family from the public treasury. So at that he asked his Lord to provide him with something by which he could be independent of the public treasury, and He taught him the craft of making armor and said: Do not make the nails thin so that they cause discomfort, nor thick so that they break the rings. And the weaving: the weaving of the armors. And work the conscience for Dawud and his family. And We made the wind submissive to Sulayman, in the one who is in the accusative: 'And for Sulayman, the wind is made submissive', in the one who is in the nominative, and likewise for the one who read: 'the winds', in the nominative. Its morning journey is a month, its journey in the morning is a month's distance, and its journey in the evening is likewise. And it was read: 'Its morning and evening.' And it is narrated that Al-Hasan, may Allah be pleased with him, used to go in the morning and rest in Istakhr, then return and his return would be to Kabul. And it is said that some of them saw written in a house near the Tigris, written by some of Sulayman's companions: We descended and did not build it, and we found it built. We went in the morning from Istakhr and rested there, and we are returning from it and spending the night in Sham, if Allah wills. The 'qatar' refers to molten copper from tar. If you say: What did he mean by 'the eye of the qatar'? I say: He meant by it the mine of copper, but he made it flow just as he softened iron for Dawud, so it flowed like water flows from a spring, and that is why he called it 'the eye of the qatar' by the name of what it became, just as he said: 'Indeed, I see myself pressing wine.' And it is said: He would spread it for three days a month by the permission of his Lord by His command. And whoever deviates from them, and whoever turns away from Our command that We commanded him regarding the obedience to Sulayman, and it was read: 'deviates' from 'azagha'. And the punishment of the blazing fire: the punishment of the Hereafter, according to Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with both of them, and according to Al-Suddi: There was with him an angel with a whip of fire, whenever he resisted him, he would strike him from where the jinn could not see.

The mihrabs: the noble and protected residences and assemblies that are safeguarded from triviality. They are called mihrabs because they are defended and protected. It is said that they are the mosques. The images: the representations of angels, prophets, and the righteous, which were made in the mosques from brass, copper, glass, and marble so that people could see them and worship in accordance with their worship. If you say: How did Solomon, peace be upon him, allow the making of images? I say: This is something in which the laws may differ, for it is not one of the things that are repugnant to reason, such as injustice and lying. And from Abu Aliah: Making images was not prohibited at that time. It is permissible for there to be non-living images, such as images of trees and others, because the term 'image' refers to anything that is depicted in the likeness of something else, whether it is living or non-living. Or it may refer to images without heads. It is narrated that they made for him two lions at the base of his throne and two eagles above it. When he wanted to ascend, the lions would extend their arms for him, and when he sat, the eagles would shade him with their wings. The jawabiyyah: the large basins. He said: "You bring forth for the family of Al-Muhalliq a dish... like the jawabiyyah of the Iraqi stream, overflowing." [This is from Al-A'sha in praise of Al-Muhalliq. It is narrated as "taluh" instead of "turoh," because it appears upon leaving the house at the beginning of the day, rising above them. The dish: a large bowl of thareed. The jawabiyyah: the basin that collects water, meaning it gathers it into the basin. The stream: the abundant flowing water. And 'fahq' means to overflow, like 'farah' means to rejoice: it expanded and filled and overflowed. From it is the hadith: he approached the gate of Paradise and it opened wide for him, meaning it opened and expanded. The one who is 'mutafihq' is one who speaks a lot, so his saying 'tahfaq' means it fills with expansion until it nearly overflows. Because the water gathers in it, meaning it collects. The action is made for it metaphorically, and it is one of the predominant attributes like a creature. It is said: a thousand men would sit at the dish. And it is recited by omitting the 'ya' in reliance on the kasrah, like His saying: "The day the caller calls." Firmly established on the supports, they do not descend from them due to their size. "Work, O family of David," is a narration of what was said to the family of David. 'Shukran' is in the accusative case as it is an object of purpose, meaning: work for Allah and worship Him as an expression of gratitude for His blessings. And it indicates that worship must be performed in the manner of gratitude. Or in the state, meaning: being grateful. Or on the assumption of 'thank you for your thanks,' because 'work' in this context means 'thank you,' in that the action for the benefactor is gratitude to Him. It is permissible for it to be in the accusative case as an object of 'work.' Its meaning is: We have made the jinn work for you, so you should work in gratitude in the manner of 'the grateful' who is abundant in performing gratitude, who gives his utmost in it: he has occupied his heart, tongue, and limbs with it, in belief, acknowledgment, and effort, most of his time. And from Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, he who is grateful in all his conditions. And from Al-Suddi: he who is grateful for gratitude. And it is said: he who sees his inability to be grateful. And from David that he divided the hours of the night and day among his family, so there was not an hour that passed except that a person from the family of David was standing in prayer. And from Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, that he heard a man saying: O Allah, make me one of the few. Umar said: What is this supplication? The man said: I heard Allah say: "And few of My servants are grateful," so I ask Him to make me one of those few. Umar said: Everyone is more knowledgeable than Umar.