Contents
Background
Dawud (David) (as) is the son of Isha, the son of Uwayd, the son of Abir, the son of Salmoon, the son of Nahshoon, the son of Uwaynadib, the son of Iram, the son of Hasroon, the son of Furas, son of Yahuza, son of Jacob, son of Isaac, son of Abraham. Peace be upon them all. He lived in the area of present-day Palestine and was a shepherd. It is also said that he had a very beautiful voice and could sing in seventy different tones. He has received the psalms from Allah. David [peace be upon him] came from a family of nine brothers.
Battle against Jalot (Goliath)
When Shamweel and Talot decided to fight, David’s father [peace be upon him] brought his ten sons to join in war. There was a suit of armor from Moses [peace she with him] in the wooden box. All ten sons wanted to wear this armor, but the armor only fit Dawud [peace be upon him]. He wore this armor during the war against Jalot. Dawud [peace be upon him] was then about fifteen years young. He killed Jalot with a slingshot during the war. After this, he stayed close to Shamweel and later also became the leader of the Banu Israel.
In the Qur’an
Allah says the following about David [peace be upon him] in the Qur’an:
“And We bestowed on David a favor from Us: “O mountains, sing with him in repentance, and O birds, you also.” And We made for him the iron malleable. “Make chain mail and measure the links and deal well; I see everything you do.”1
And also: “And We caused Solomon to understand, and to each [of them] We gave judgment and knowledge. And We made the mountains subservient with David, so that they praise Us and likewise the birds. We did that! And We have taught him to make chain mail for you, that they may protect you from your violence. Are you then grateful?”2
And also: “Be patient with what they say and remember Our servant David, the solid; indeed, he was one who repeatedly turned back [to Allāh]. We made the mountains subservient with him, to hymn ˹Our praises˺ along with him in the evening and after sunrise. And ˹We subjected˺ the birds, flocking together. All turned to him ˹echoing his hymns˺. And We strengthened his dominion and gave him wisdom and discernment.”3
He got the Psalms (Zabur)
The Zabur was revealed on Prophet Dawud (AS) by Allah SWT just as Tawrat (Torah) was revealed on Musa (AS) and Injil (Gospel) to the Prophet Isa (AS) and similarly Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) received the Qur’an as the last holy book of Allah SWT.
Talut and his army went to conquer Palestine. In the Palestinian army there was a great giant ruthless man named Goliath. Half of Talut’s army had left after seeing that man, it was at that time when Prophet Dawud (AS) came forward to fight Goliath and defeat him in battle.
Characteristics
Dawud [peace be upon him] had the miracle that he could make things from iron, without using fire and tools. According to tradition, he made one coat of mail a day and sold it in the market for six thousand dinars. In addition, he had acquired a very beautiful voice, so that the birds gathered above him. Dawud [peace be upon him] had a custom to fast every other day and perform the night prayer every other night. He also received wisdom from Allah, because he often had to judge as a leader. The people of Banu Israil listened to him, because he, like Moses [peace be upon him], had much prestige.
One day two people came to him, one complaining about the other. He said his cow had been stolen, but the other denied this. Dawud [peace be upon him] did not give his verdict immediately, but wanted to wait overnight. In his dream he received a revelation, which showed that the one accused should be killed. The man swore that he had not stolen the cow, but David still listened to Allah’s command. When David [peace be upon him] said he asked him what he had done, the man indicated that he had not stolen a cow, but that he had killed the father of the one who had accused him. That’s why he got the death penalty.
His passing
David [peace be upon him] then knew that he was dealing with the angel of death. His soul was then taken from him at the age of a hundred. The funeral procession of David [peace be upon him] was grand. There were about 40,000 rabbis alone. It was a hot day during the funeral procession, so the people asked for help from the son of David [peace be upon him] called Solomon [peace be upon him]. Solomon [peace be upon him] ordered the birds to soar and the wind to blow, so that it would become cooler.
1 Surat as-Saba, verses 10-11
2 Surat al-Anbiya, verses 78-90
3 Surah Sad, verses 17-20
