21:80
It was We Who taught him the making of coats of mail for your benefit, to guard you from each other’s violence: will ye then be grateful?
The Arabic noun labūs is synonymous with libās or libs, meaning “a garment” or “garments” (Lane; Lisān al-ʿArab). In some pre-Islamic usages, however, the term was also employed to denote “mail” or “coats of mail.” Because of this secondary meaning, many classical commentators interpret the term in this verse as referring to armor. Their interpretation is supported by a report attributed to the early scholar Qatādah, who stated that David was the first to produce chain mail (al-Ṭabarī). On this basis, the phrase is often understood to mean that God taught David how to manufacture coats of mail to protect people in warfare. In this interpretation, the word baʾs, which appears at the end of the verse, is understood in its secondary sense of “war” or “warlike violence.”
However, the term baʾs can also signify “harm,” “misfortune,” “distress,” or “danger,” referring more broadly to anything that causes fear or hardship (Tāj al-ʿArūs). If this wider meaning is adopted, the word labūs may instead be understood in its primary sense of “garment.” In that case, the verse may be interpreted metaphorically as referring to the “garment of God-consciousness” (libās al-taqwā) mentioned in Qurʾān 7:26. From this perspective, the passage suggests that God taught David how to cultivate deep spiritual awareness among his followers, enabling them to overcome fear, distress, and spiritual uncertainty. The concluding rhetorical question—“But are you grateful?”—implies that human beings often fail to fully recognize and appreciate the spiritual blessings granted to them by God (Asad).
References:
Asad, Muhammad (1980). The Message of the Quran.