14. The Story of Prophet Dāwūd
    14.1 Banī Isrā’īl Breaks its Promise to Fight in Allah’s ﷻ Way
    14.2 Allāh ﷻ Appoints Tālūt as the King over Bani Israel
    14.3 Tālūt Makes his Soldiers go Through a Series of Tests
    14.4 Dāwūd (David) عليه السالم Kills Jālūt (Goliath)
    14.5 Qualities and Miracles of Dāwūd عليه السالم
    14.6 All Thank, Praise and Credit belong to Allāh ﷻ
    14.7 Dāwūd عليه السالم Gives Judgement Without Hearing the Other Side
    14.8 Tawbāh – Repentance to Allāh ﷻ Turns Bad Deeds into Good Deeds
    14.9 Sharī’ah Encompasses the Complete Life of a Human Being
    14.10 Ibādah in Seclusion is Essential for Constant Improvement
    14.11 The Death of Sayyidnā Dāwūd عليه السالم

14. The Story of Prophet Dāwūd

14.1 Banī Isrā’īl Breaks its Promise to Fight in Allah’s ﷻ Way

Time past; few generations, maybe a few centuries, and then the enemies were regrouping and attacking again. And there was continuous Jihād with Banī Isrā’īl, under the leadership of one of their Ambiyā. Banī Isrā’īl came to their Nabī, and they told him, “Send us a king so that we can fight under his leadership.” Allāh ﷻ says,

Have you not thought about the group of the Children of Israel after (the time of) Mūsā (Moses)? When they said to a Prophet of theirs, “Appoint for us a king and we will fight in Allāh’s Way.”(Al-Baqarah – 2:246)

They came to their Nabī, and they told him, “We want to fight in the sake of Allāh ﷻ.” Their Nabī was very wise, He said, “Would you then refrain from fighting, if fighting was prescribed for you?”(Al-Baqarah – 2:246) He said, “You’re asking for fighting, but when fighting is prescribed on you, will you fight?” Because it’s easy to claim that you’re willing to fight. And people talk, but rarely do we find anybody walking the talk. People say that we’re willing to fight in the sake of Allāh ﷻ, and they’re giving out these sermons, and everybody is motivated and encouraged, but then when it comes to the real situation, people back out. And the Nabī of Allāh ﷻ told them. He said, “Now you’re asking for fighting. What if it is prescribed on you? Will you then fight?” They said, “Definitely!”

They said, “Why should we not fight in Allāh’s Way while we have been driven out of our homes and our children (families have been taken as captives)?”(Al-Baqarah – 2:246) ‘They have kicked us out of our land. How come we will not fight? And we will fight in the sake of Allāh.’ And they gave their promises, and they said, ‘We will fight in the sake of Allāh. Don’t worry, we will fight.’ Allāh ﷻ says,

But when fighting was ordered for them, they turned away, all except a few of them.(Al-Baqarah – 2:246)

We should never be fooled by the claims that we hear, and the talk. Banī Isrā’īl, they said, “We’re going to fight! Why shouldn’t we fight, and we were driven out of our homes, and driven out of our children?” When Allāh ﷻ prescribed fighting on them, they didn’t. But now it’s too late to back out, because the Order is already revealed.

14.2 Allāh ﷻ Appoints Tālūt as the King over Bani Israel

They asked for a king, they asked for a leader, Allāh ﷻ provided them with one. Their Nabī said,

And their Prophet (Samuel) said to them, “Indeed Allāh has appointed Tālūt (Saul) as a king over you.”(Al-Baqarah – 2:247)

Allāh ﷻ has appointed for you a king, and he is Tālūt. Now these people who asked to fight in the sake of Allāh ﷻ, they were the first ones to argue with the commandment of their Nabī. They came to the Nabī, and they said, “We want a leader.” When they were provided with a leader they started arguing and they said, “We don’t want it.” They are asking for a king, Allāh ﷻ provided them with a leader, and then they said, “We don’t want him.” Why? They gave two reasons. They gave two reasons why they disagree with the appointment of Tālūt as a king. Allāh ﷻ says,

They said, “How can he be a king over us when we are better fitted than him for the kingdom, and he has not been given enough wealth.”(Al-Baqarah – 2:247)

The two reasons are:
1.He’s not from the nobility. He’s not from the noble families.
2.He’s not wealthy.

These are the two reasons. They said, “How can he be a king when he does not belong to the high class? And how can he be a king when he is not wealthy?” And this is the nature of Banī Isrā’īl; what they consider to be success in life is the status of which class you come from. Because they always use race as an issue. Banī Isrā’īl, the Jews, it’s an issue to them; “We are the chosen people, we are the special people, you are the gentiles, you are lower class.” So, race is important to them.

And then the second issue is money. These are the criteria that they use: race and money. And this is a disease that is in the hearts of the Children of Isrā’īl – Al-Yahūd, and it’s also a disease that exists, somewhat, among us. We consider people to be successful according to how much money they have. What do they say? How much is he, what? Worth. How much is he worth? So, we qualify the person according to how much money he has. When you say how much the person is worth, what are you talking about? His money. He’s worth a billion, he’s worth a million. If he doesn’t have any money, he’s worth nothing. His Īmān doesn’t matter, his Salāh doesn’t matter, his Dīn doesn’t matter. If he doesn’t have any money, he’s worth nothing. Their Nabī is teaching them that this is wrong. He told them,

He said: “Verily, Allāh has chosen him above you and has increased him abundantly in knowledge and stature. And Allāh grants His Kingdom to whom He wills.(Al-Baqarah 2: 247)

This is enough to settle the argument: Allāh ﷻ is the One who chose him. Don’t argue! His ancestry, his ethnicity, his race, doesn’t matter. His wealth doesn’t matter. Why? BECAUSE Allāh ﷻ has chosen him. So that could have been the end of the conversation. Allāh ﷻ has chosen him. Period. But Allāh ﷻ wants to teach us how to choose leaders. Therefore, the Nabī has told them two qualifications you should be looking for, when you’re looking for a leader. They gave two reasons why he shouldn’t be a leader; their Nabi gave them two reasons why he should be the leader. He said, Allāh ﷻ has increased him amply in two things: knowledge and strength. The word ‘knowledge’ is defined according to the job which you are appointing the leader to. Why am I saying this? Because many times, whenever we say knowledge, our minds would immediately take us to Fiqh, and that’s not necessarily the case. If a person is going to be appointed as a military leader, then he should have a lot of knowledge in fighting in war. And that’s why Rasūlullāh ﷺ appointed Khālid ibn Walīd to be the General – the Amīr of the army. But it wasn’t Khālid ibn Walīd who was appointed to be the Khalīfa. Abū Bakr As-Siddīq was appointed to be the Khalīfa. Every position has its knowledge that is required. Tālūt had the knowledge he needed for the job of leading Banī Isrā’īl in Jihād, and he had strength. And again, ‘strength’ is defined according to the job. It’s not a matter of physical strength. You don’t need to have a bodybuilder for every job. In this job, you need to be strong, physically strong, but in other types of jobs that needs to have mental strength, or strength of will, or strength of heart, it depends on the type of job. But these are the two things you should look for in the leader: knowledge and strength. Then he said, “Wa Allāhu Yu’utī Mulkahu Man Yashā’u – Allāh gives the kingdom to whomever He wills.” It’s not up to you, it’s up to Allāh ﷻ. Allāh ﷻ says,

And their Prophet (Samuel) said to them: Verily! The sign of His Kingdom is that there shall come to you At-Tābūt (a wooden box), wherein is Sakīnah (peace and reassurance) from your Lord and a remnant of that which Mūsā (Moses) and Hārūn (Aaron) left behind, carried by the angels. Verily, in this is a sign for you if you are indeed believers.(Al-Baqarah – 2:248)

Allāh ﷻ, to strengthen their hearts, is going to appoint Tālūt as a king through a ceremony. And this ceremony would be a miracle from Allāh ﷻ, to strengthen their hearts so that they would accept him as a leader. Allāh ﷻ is going to provide a miracle – Āyah. That Āyah was At-Tābūt. At-Tābūt is a casket. In that casket were some of the belongings of Mūsā and Hārūn. And Banī Isrā’īl used to consider that to be Barakah because it is left behind from the Ambiyā. And between them and Mūsā are centuries, few hundreds of years. So, they have been separated from Mūsā through a long history. What happened is, the enemy was able to take hold of this, and the enemy took it away from them. This Āyah – miracle, that Allāh ﷻ going to give them, is that this Tābūt – casket, will be delivered by the angels to Banī Isrā’īl. So, the angels carried this casket and brought it back to Banī Isrā’īl. And in it, Allāh ﷻ also says is Sakīnah – tranquillity, peace for you. This be- longs to the Ambiyā, Allāh ﷻ will bring it back to you. So, it’s going to be Sakīnah for you. Tālūt was appointed as a king.

14.3 Tālūt Makes his Soldiers go Through a Series of Tests

Allāh ﷻ says, Then when Tālūt (Saul) set out with the army, he said: “Verily! Allāh will try you by a river. So whoever drinks thereof, he is not of me, and whoever tastes it not, he is of me, except him who takes (thereof) in the hollow of his hand.”(Al-Baqarah – 2:249)

Tālūt, now, recruited all of the men, and he set out with them – Faşala. Falammā Faşala Ţālūtu Bil-Junūdi – meaning that he separated himself from the rest of Banī Isrā’īl; all of the children, and the woman, and the el- derly are left behind, and now Tālūt is with the fighters, he has the soldiers with him. As-Suddi, one of the Mufassirīn says, “They numbered 80,000.” His army was 80,000 soldiers: men. Tālūt is not looking for numbers. Tālūt knows that what he is facing ahead, needs an iron will. It needs patience, it needs strength. Therefore, he’s going to take his Ummah, he is going to take this army through a series of tests. He’s not going to take them and fight; he’s not looking for a crowd. He’s looking for strong soldiers who can fight with him. Because Tālūt, out of his wisdom knew that if there are any weak soldiers with us, they’re going to cause us more harm than benefit.

And we know that from the Seerah of Rasūlullāh ﷺ. In the Battle of Tabūk, the Munāfiqīn were coming to Rasūlullāh ﷺ and everyone was giving him an excuse to stay behind. I mean, they were inventing excuses; one of them even came and said, “Oh Rasūlullāh, I fear the Fitnāh of woman. I don’t want to go with you and fight because if I see women, then I would lose my mind.” That is the excuse that he gave. He said, “Please let me stay here.” Munāfiqīn, they were coming to Rasūlullāh ﷺ and everyone was giving an excuse. And Rasūlullāh ﷺ knows that they are Munāfiqīn, and he is telling them, “Stay behind.” Allāh ﷻ says,

And if they had intended to march out, certainly, they would have made some preparation for it.(At-Tawbāh – 9:46) ‘If they were serious that they wanted to fight,they would have found ways to prepare for it.’ But they’re not serious. They don’t want to fight; these excuses are fake.

But Allāh was averse to their being sent forth, so He made them lag behind, and it was said (to them), “Sit you among those who sit (at home).”(At-Tawbāh – 9:46)

Allāh ﷻ did not want them to go out, so Allāh made them stay behind, because Allāh ﷻ says,

Had they marched out with you, they would have added to you nothing except disorder.(At-Tawbāh – 9:47)

‘If they went out with you, they would have caused you nothing but weakness.’ Because when the battle starts and the screws are tightened, then they’re going to fail. So instead of having a brother next to your side, helping you in the battlefield, you are going to have somebody who is putting fear in your heart, telling you, ‘Let’s run away!’.

Tālūt did not want this quality of people to come with him. He did not want them in his army. And we know in the Battle of Hunayn because there were many new Muslims in the army. After Fath-Makkah, there were many who just became Muslim. When Rasūlullāh ﷺ opened Makkah, that was the hugest army ever that Rasūlullāh ﷺ had. One of the Sahāba looked at this army and said, “We’re not going to lose because of numbers. Numbers is not going to be factored in this war. Look at this huge number we have.” What happened in the Battle of Hunayn? As soon as they received the first blow from the enemy, they were running in every direction!

Tālūt didn’t want these to be with him. So, he’s going to take them through a test. This test is: ‘Inna Allāha Mubtalīkum Binaharin – Allāh ﷻ is going to test you with a river.’

Tālūt made them march in the desert, and he made them thirsty, exhausted, and tired. And then when they saw water in front of their eyes, Tālūt said, “Don’t drink!” Thirsty, exhausted and tired. Some of them are maybe wondering that we might face death if we don’t drink. Tālūt said, “Don’t drink!” ‘Faman Shariba Minhu Falaysa Minnī – whoever drinks does not belong to me’, you cannot come with me anymore. Wa Man Lam Yaţ`amhu Fa’innahu Minnī – and if you do not drink, then you can come with me. Or if you drink one handful, then you can still come with me.” So, you either don’t drink, or if you drink, you only drink one handful; just one hand, and one hand cannot take much. Not two hands, one hand. I assume that it is easier not to drink, rather than take one drink, because when you take that first drink, Shaitān is going to make it taste the best sip of water that you ever had in your life.

In the end, the result was: 80,000 went through this admission test, and only 4000 graduated. Out of 80,000, 76,000 of them drank from the river. Only 4000 crossed it to the other side; the rest failed from the first test.

It’s a test of will, because he wants to have men with him who are willing to stand up against temptations, and who are going to be patient against hardship. They’re willing to stand up against the strong temptations, and in the same time, they are very patient and enduring hardship. In the end, 4000 remained with him. When they crossed to the other side of the river, and the ones who were left behind with Tālūt were only 4000, then that was another test for them.

Allāh ﷻ says, So when he had crossed it (the river), he and those who believed with him, they said: “We have no power this day against Jālūt (Goliath) and his hosts.”(Al-Baqarah – 2:249) They said, “We have no way of fighting Jālūt. 4000? Do you want us to fight Jālūt? Look at his army. There’s no way.” But The believers said,

But those who knew with certainty that they were to meet their Lord, said: ”How often a small group overcame a mighty host by Allāh’s Leave?” And Allāh is with As-Sābirīn (the patient ones, etc.).(Al-Baqarah – 2:249)

The ones who are sure that they are going to meet Allāh, said, “How many times has a small group defeated a larger group, with the will of Allāh”. It’s not a matter of numbers. Who are these, who are speaking? The ones who are sure that they will meet Allāh ﷻ. So, they’re not thinking in terms of this Dunyā, but they’re thinking in terms of meeting Allāh ﷻ. The others are telling them, “No! Let’s be real! Let’s be real! 4000 against this huge army? There is no way we can win.” They’re thinking in terms of the logic of this world; what they can see with their eyes. They see, “I can see with my eyes a larger army. They can defeat us.” They’re not believing in the unseen.

So now, another group failed. In the end, Tālūt was left with the pure, the best of the Children of Isrā’īl; 314. Out of 80.000, 314 remained with Tālūt. The Sahāba of Rasūlullāh ﷺ, it is narrated that they said, “We were told that the number of Mujāhidīn – or fighters, were with Tālūt, was the same number as the ones who fought in the Battle of Badr.”(Sahīh al-Bukhārī 3957, 3958, 3959, – Jāmi` at-Tirmidhi 1598) More than 310, these are the ones who remained with Tālūt, out of 80,000.

Tālūt took them through tests that would separate between the men and the boys; set them aside, take the strong on one side, and the weak and the unfit on the other side. In the end, he was left with 310 or 314.

These 314, Allāh ﷻ says about them, And when they advanced to meet Jālūt (Goliath) and his forces.(Al-Baqarah – 2:250)

Before that, Tālūt was taking them through tests to see how patient they are, how strong they are, how determined are they. But now, when they are facing the enemy, he is putting all of that aside. It’s not your strength, it is not your patience, it is not your will; all of these are means. Now, it is pending on Allāh ﷻ.

So, we use the means before. These means, you prepare for them before the battle. But then when you are in the battlefield, you do not depend on the means anymore. You depend on Allāh ﷻ. Rasūlullāh ﷺ lined up the army, gave them instructions and orders in the Battle of Badr, but then when it was time to fight, what did Rasūlullāh ﷺ do? He went on a hilltop and started making Du’ā. Now you put your whole dependency on Allāh ﷻ. At that moment, when they were facing Jālūt , what did they say?

They invoked: “Our Lord! Pour forth on us patience and make us victorious over the disbelieving people.”(Al-Baqarah – 2:250) Directing their call to Allāh ﷻ,

“Oh Allāh, shower us, or cover us with patience.” Allāhu Akbar. They’re not asking for patience, they’re saying, “’Afrigh `Alaynā Şabrāan – Oh Allāh, cover us with patience”, because you don’t need a little bit of patience, you do not need a small amount, you need a lot. So, they said, “’Afrigh `Alaynā” – ‘Afrigh is like, you have a big bucket and you’re pouring it over someone; that is Ifrāgh. ‘Afrigh `Alaynā Şabrāan – pour on us patience. Wa Thabbit ‘Aqdāmanā – and make our feet firm. Wa Anşurnā `Alá Al-Qawmi Al- Kāfirīna – and give us victory over the Nonbelievers.

14.4 Dāwūd (David) عليه السالم  Kills Jālūt (Goliath)

The battle started. A huge army was fighting this small army – Al-Fi’atu Qal- īlin Wa At-Tālūt. Jālūt was the king of the enemy; a powerful, huge, strong man, with arrogance and pride, fighting in the battlefield, asking for anyone to challenge him: “Who dares to fight me?!” Tālūt said, “Who will go out and get rid of him? Who will eliminate Jālūt?” He didn’t get any response. A young man, short; he was described by Wahb ibn Munabbih as a short man, came up to Tālūt and said, “I will.” Tālūt saw that this is a child, so he made the announcement again, “Who will go and face Jālūt?” Nobody responded except this young man, and for the third time, nobody came except him. Tālūt said, “Then go.” This young man was armed with a slingshot, just a slingshot, but he was armed with Īmān and trust in Allāh ﷻ in the heart. He went up to Jālūt and challenged him. Jālūt said, “I don’t want to fight you. You are a kid. Send somebody stronger. I don’t want to kill you.” This young man said, “But I want to kill you.” And he put a small pebble in his slingshot, and he shot Jālūt and Jālūt was dead. He eliminated the King of the enemy, and the battle was over. And this young man was Dāwūd عليه السالم . At that time, he was not a Nabī yet, he was a young fighter in the army. After that, he was the one who inherited the kingdom from Tālūt.

And now, the Children of Isrā’īl are going to enter into their golden age; under the leadership of Dāwūd عليه السالم  and Sulaimān عليه السالم . But this was built on the shoulders of these 314 men who fought in that battle; just like the Khilāfah was established on the shoulders of the 300, who fought in the Battle of Badr. That is how you establish Khilāfah. It is not by talking. You establish it by the sacrifice. And it’s not an issue of numbers, but it’s an issue of Īmān and strength in the hearts. That is the best era that Banī Isrā’īl ever had. After that, it was their downfall. After that, it was the curse of their Ambiyā on them, and it was their downfall, and it was the end, until they, eventually, were the nation whom Allāh ﷻ was angry with.

Even though we are done with the story of Mūsā, but we’re not done with the story of Banī Isrā’īl, and Banī Isrā’īl are going to continue with us until we end the series of the ‘Lives of the Prophets’. Until the end of this series, we’re still going to be talking about this Ummah, because every other Nabī that we’re going to talk about from now on, is from this nation; Banī Isrā’īl. Allāh ﷻ has made them the nation of the Ambiyā and the nations of Al- ‘Ulamā. Out of them were the best scholars of their age and the best people of their time. It wasn’t until they neglected the Book of Allāh ﷻ and threw it behind their backs, that is when Allāh ﷻ put His wrath and anger on them.

Allāh ﷻ says, So they routed them by Allāh’s Leave and Dāwūd (David) killed Jālūt (Goliath), and Allāh gave him [Dāwūd (David)] the kingdom [after the death of Tālūt (Saul) and Samuel] and Al-Hikmah (Prophethood), and taught him of that which He willed.(Al-Baqarah – 2:251) ‘Wa `Allamahu Mimmā Yashā’u’. Allāh ﷻ also taught him wisdom and `Allamahu Mimmā Yashā’u – and He taught him other things that He willed. Allāh ﷻ has given Sayyidnā Dāwūd: kingdom and He has given him Al-Hikmah – wisdom, and Allāh ﷻ has taught him knowledge. Hikmah was interpreted as good judgment and the ability to run the affairs of the people.

14.5 Qualities and Miracles of Dāwūd عليه السالم

Allāh ﷻ has given Sayyidnā Dāwūd some miracles and unique qualities. Dāwūd عليه السالم , first of all, had a beautiful voice. When Rasūlullāh ﷺ was hearing Abū Mūsā Al-Ash’ari, who had the most beautiful voice among the Sahāba in recitation of Qur’ān. Rasūlullāh ﷺ, when he heard him read Qur’ān, Rasūlullāh ﷺ said, “You have been given a flute, of the flutes of the family of Dāwūd.”(Al-Ādāb Al-Mufrad 805, 1087) This does not mean a flute literally, it means the beauty of the sound. The sound was so beautiful. And Rasūlullāh ﷺ is telling Abū Mūsā Al-‘Ash’ari, “You have part of that beautiful sound.” Dāwūd’s voice was so beautiful, in his Tasbīh and reading of their Qur’ān, which was their book, the book of Dāwūd, because Dāwūd عليه السالم  received a Book from Allāh ﷻ. We know five books. There are many other Messengers who received books from Allāh ﷻ, but we know the names of five:

1.Al-Qur’ān, which was revealed on Muhammad ﷺ
2.Al-Injīl – the Gospel, which was revealed on ‘Īsā – Jesus عليه السالم
3.At-Torāh, the Torāh, which was revealed on Mūsā عليه السالم
4.And then Az-Zabūr, which was revealed on Dāwūd عليه السالم
5.And then the final one was Suhuf ‘Ibrāhīm – the scrolls which were revealed to Ibrāhīm عليه السالم

Dāwūd would recite Az-Zabūr, and Allāh ﷻ made it so easy on him. When Sayyidnā Dāwūd would read Qur’ān and make Dhikr, the mountains and the birds would join with him, and they would repeat after him. Allāh ﷻ says, And indeed We bestowed grace on David from Us (saying): “O you mountains. Glorify (Allāh) with him! And you birds (also)!”(Saba’ – 34:10)

‘Awwibī means Tarjī’ – repeat after him. Allāh ﷻ is commanding the mountains and the birds to repeat after Dāwūd. Imagine, Dāwūd عليه السالم  is reciting Qur’ān, and the mountains and the birds are repeating after him.

Because everything around us is making Tasbīh of Allāh ﷻ. Allāh ﷻ says, “Everything is making Tasbīh” – everything is glorifying Allāh ﷻ, but you do not know. They’re glorifying. And what is the sound of lightning? Thunder? What is thunder? Thunder is a Tasbīh of Allāh ﷻ. Allāh ﷻ says,

And Ar-Ra’d (thunder) glorifies and praises Him, and so do the angels because of His Awe, He sends the thunderbolts.(Ar-Ra’d – 13:13)

Allāh ﷻ says that the thunder is making Tasbīh. That sound of the thunder is Tasbīh of Allāh ﷻ – it is glorifying of Allāh ﷻ. Now tell this to a scientist. He is going to say, ‘What is this nonsense that you’re talking about? You don’t know. Let me explain to you what thunder is.’ He will tell you, that thunder is the sound waves that come from the lightning. When the lightning strikes, it causes a vacuum in the air and that shockwave travels through the air, and that is what you hear in the form of thunder. Well, tell them that is right, and then give him an example. Tell him, imagine that there is an ant or a kingdom of ants. These ants are scientists like you, and they want to do a Research on human beings. They heard that there’s a creation out there called human beings. So, this advanced Kingdom of ants, they want to study about this creature called ‘human being’. So, they send an ant, a reporter, they send an ant to report about this human being. This ant goes up to this human being and is studying this human being and writing all of the observations. The human being that was sitting, turns out to be a Muslim and he says, “Subhān’Allāh.” That Muslim says, “Subhān’Allāh.” So, the ant is writing its observations: the mouth opened, and the tongue moved, and air came out, and that is the voice that we heard. It was due to the movement of the tongue and the lips, and the air coming out from the mouth in a form of sound waves that travel through the air. And it will go down to the ant kingdom and report these findings. The ant will say, “I heard a voice coming out from that human being, the mouth was moving, and the tongue was moving, and the sound wave came out and it travelled in the air.”

That’s the extent of the knowledge of the ant, because it doesn’t under- stand the language of the human being. But the human being, what was he saying? He was saying, “Subhān’Allāh,” but the ant is not able to understand it, so it describes it as the physical motions that it can see. The same thing with us human beings; we are describing the physical phenomena of thunder or any other voices that we hear in nature, because we are uncapable of understanding the language of the thunder. We’re uncapable of understanding the language of the birds, or the language of the bees, or the language of any other beasts that Allāh ﷻ created, so we describe it in a scientific fashion and way. And in reality, it is Tasbīh. “Yusabbiĥu Ar-Ra`du Biĥamdihi – the Ra’d is making Tasbīh.”(Ar-Ra’d – 13:13)

The unique thing with Sayyidnā Dāwūd عليه السالم  and his son Sulaymān, is that they understood the language of the animals and the birds. And Dāwūd had another quality that his son Sulaimān did not have; that when Dāwūd would make Tasbīh, the creation around him would join him in Tasbīh. It is a miracle. Allāh ﷻ gives the Ambiyā miracles. Sayyidnā Dāwūd would make Tasbīh, the mountains are making Tasbīh with him, and the birds are making Tasbīh with him.

Allāh ﷻ also gave him another miracle. And We made the iron soft for him.(Saba’ – 34:10)

And that is iron, steel would become soft in his hands. He could move it however he wishes. Wa ‘Alannā Lahu Al-Ĥadīda – We made iron soft in his hands. Humans in that time, they had iron, but the process of making tools out of it was very difficult and time consuming. Allāh ﷻ made iron soft in the hands of Dāwūd; he would mould it however he wants. Allāh ﷻ then taught him how to make shields, armoury out of steel in a new way, so it was a new invention. Before that, they would make armoury in the form of iron plates which were solid. So, the soldier would have to wear that heavy iron plate, which has two downsides to it. First of all, it’s heavy. The second downside is that it prevents flexibility and movement, because it’s a solid plate of iron, steel. Allāh ﷻ says

Saying: “Make you perfect coats of mail, balancing well the rings of chain armour, and work you (men) righteousness. Truly, I am All Seer of what you do.”(Saba’ – 34:11)

Allāh ﷻ taught Dāwūd how to make armoury out of rings of iron. So, he would make the iron into rings, and attach the rings together, and attach rings to those rings, until he would make a whole armoury that would cover the body. And this prevents and this eliminates the two downsides of the other armoury, because it’s very light in weight; rings are very light, and it’s very flexible; because it’s rings, you can move freely. But it offers the same protection because it is from iron. Allāh ﷻ says,

And We taught him the making of metal coats of mail (for battles).(Al-Ambiyā – 21:80)

Allāh ﷻ taught him how to make these metal coats. Allāh ﷻ says,

To protect you in your fighting.(Al-Ambiyā – 21:80)

Allāh ﷻ is the One who taught him how to do this. In the other Āyah, Āyah 11 of Sura 34, Allāh ﷻ says, “Saying: “Make you perfect coats of mail, balancing well the rings of chain armour,” Wa Qaddir Fī As-Sardi. Allāh ﷻ is telling Dāwūd عليه السالم , “Make the rings proportionate.” Don’t make them too large, because if they’re too large, they could be penetrated. And if they are too small, there could be some other negative aspects to it. So Allāh is telling Dāwūd, “Wa Qaddir Fī As-Sardi – make them the right size.”

14.6 All Thank, Praise and Credit belong to Allāh ﷻ

In modern terms, we would call this a new technological invention, even though it happened through a miracle with Dāwūd عليه السالم . But I’m getting to another point. In modern terms, we call this a modern invention; just like a car, or a computer, or an airplane or whatever. Even though we all believe that everything is created by Allāh ﷻ, somehow subconsciously, we attribute these things to the human beings who made them. So, we’re always impressed with the manufacturer, whether it be IBM, or Intel, or Toyota, or Sony, whatever manufacturer is making for us these new inventions. And we always hold the scientists in high esteem, whether it is Isaac Newton, or Edison or others, or Bell or whoever, Einstein. We rarely thank Allāh ﷻ for these things. Rarely do you find somebody saying, “Alhamdulillāh for the car,” or “Alhamdulillāh, Who made communication easy,” or “Alhamdulillāh, Who made transportation easier for us,” “Alhamdulillāh, Who pro- vided us with the telephone, or the car, or the airplane or whatever.” When- ever we attribute the credit, we give the credit to the human being. Now it’s true that this happened through the human being. That is true, but in the end, who is the One who made it possible for the human being to do it? It’s Allāh ﷻ.

Now when Allāh ﷻ is talking about Dāwūd عليه السالم , particularly making these shields. What did Allāh ﷻ say?

And We taught him the making of metal coats of mail (for battles), to protect you in your fighting. Are you then grateful?(Al-Ambiyā – 21:80)

Allāh ﷻ says, “We taught him how to make armoury for you. So, are you going to be grateful?” Allāh ﷻ is telling the human beings, “It is Dāwūd who made this for you.” But Allāh ﷻ did not say, “Be grateful to Dāwūd.” Allāh ﷻ said, “Be grateful to Allāh.” Because that is where the credit belongs.

So whatever technological accessories we have, the credit should go to Allāh ﷻ, the One who created everything. It is from Allāh ﷻ, and it is a blessing from Allāh ﷻ. And it is a test for the ones who made these things. And it’s a test for the nations who are producing these things for us. Who are they giving credit to?

In France, there was a Muslim PhD student who did an excellent Research. And then he wrote on the cover page of that PhD dissertation, “And all credit goes to Allāh ﷻ. And if there is any mistake in this research, it is because of me.”

His professor, who happens to be an atheist, said, “You work for years on this research, and then you give credit to someone who didn’t do anything for you? And you, the one who worked for four years, you say that all mistakes belong to you? What’s wrong with you? Can’t you think straight? Now you’re going to be a PhD student. I’m going to give you a PhD, and you’re still thinking in this backward mentality? The credit doesn’t go to Allāh.”

We should say Alhamdulillāh for everything. Alhamdulillāh for everything; every tool, or every instrument, or every machine, or anything that we have around us, it came to us from Allāh ﷻ, through mankind. You find that many of these inventions were invented in what seems to be a random way. I mean, the scientist was sitting down a tree, and then the apple falls down. This might be a story, but with penicillin, we know for a fact that it came from a random observation. They were studying something else and somehow, they discovered penicillin. And with many other things, scientists would be studying something, and then this thing comes along on the side, and they found out about it, and it turns out to be a greater invention, or a greater study than what they were studying before. Who was turning their attention to these directions? It was Allāh ﷻ. They say it happened randomly. It’s not random. Everything is with the Qadr of Allāh ﷻ. It is Qadr from Allāh ﷻ, Taqdīr from Allāh ﷻ. There is nothing that is haphazard and random in the universe. Allāh ﷻ says,

We made his kingdom strong and gave him Al-Hikmah (Prophethood, etc.) and sound judgement in speech and decision.(Sād – 38:20)

Allāh ﷻ has given him a strong kingdom, and we said that this was the golden age of the Children of Isrā’īl; the time of Dāwūd and Sulaimān عليه السالم , that is when their kingdom reached to its peak. And that is when it was the kingdom of Tawhīd – the unity of Allāh ﷻ and the Kingdom of Islam. After that, their religion was changing and the Children of Isrā’īl were going down. Allāh ﷻ has given him strength in his Kingdom; his kingdom was strong. Wa ‘Ātaynāhu Al-Ĥikmata Wa Faşla Al-Khiţābi – and Allāh ﷻ has given him wisdom and the good judgment. Wa Faşla Al-Khiţābi – and has given him decisiveness. Being decisive is important for somebody who is in the position of Dāwūd عليه السالم . Dāwūd was a king, and he had to deal with enemies, he had to deal with internal problems, he had to deal with many difficult, conflicting situations. Therefore, decisiveness is important in such a situation. It is a quality that is needed for somebody in such a position. When you’re dealing with militaries, and you’re dealing with enemies, and you’re dealing with huge nations around you, and strong enemies, the issue of decisiveness is important. And decisiveness, also, is needed in court. See, there are some places where you need decisiveness, some places where it’s not needed that much. In court, it’s also needed; you have to have the decisive judgment, you can’t go back and forth, you can’t have one foot to the left, one foot to the right. You have to have a clear understanding of the situation, and then a clear judgment. And Allāh ﷻ has given Sayyidnā Dāwūd the decisiveness – Faşla Al-Khiţābi. He had the ability to study the situation, and take a final judgment, and go ahead with it. And then he would not retreat and not hesitate.

Dāwūd عليه السالم  reached to this stage after he went through training. See, people don’t suddenly come out of nowhere with all of these qualities. We learn things through our knowledge and life experiences. Two sources: knowledge on one side and life experiences from the other side. That is how we learn. And that is why we need to understand the importance of the concept of Tarbiyyah. Tarbiyyah is important in Islam. Tarbiyyah – training and raising up a person from one stage to another. You cannot have a revolutionary, sudden change. Things have to go step by step. And Allāh ﷻ put the Sahāba in the furnace, he put them through the tests for years and years, so then in the end when they graduated, they graduated with the highest certificates. Put the Sahābi in any situation, he will never fail, because they went through trial after trial, test after test in the school of Muhammad ﷺ. When they graduated in the end, Rasūlullāh ﷺ knew that he has left behind men who can carry the message. But they went through experiences, and they learned from their mistakes. We are not born with all the qualities.

The same with the Ambiyā. I mean, with Rasūlullāh ﷺ, Allāh ﷻ put him through 40 years of preparation. He didn’t become a prophet when he was born. Allāh ﷻ planned the life of Muhammad ﷺ day by day. Everything in the life of Muhammad ﷺ for the 40 years before Prophethood, was for a purpose. And the same thing with Mūsā عليه السالم ; we already talked about this. When he was raised in the palace of Fir’aun, that was an experience for him. And Yūsuf عليه السالم . With Dāwūd عليه السالم , Allāh ﷻ also prepared him through some tests. We’re going to talk about one of these tests, a sample.

Dāwūd used to have a Mihrāb – a place of worship, where he would stay in seclusion, in solitude, and worship Allāh ﷻ away from everything, away from all distractions. And he would not allow anyone to come in. Suddenly, out of nowhere, two men appeared in front of Dāwūd. Tasawwarū Al- Miĥrāba – they jumped over, they climbed over, and suddenly Sayyidnā Dāwūd saw two men in front of him. So, you can see there was an element of shock and surprise in this, right? Suddenly, out of nowhere, you’re in the depth of your Tasbīh and Dhikr, and now you find two men standing in front of you, inside your house. Sayyidnā Dāwūd was in a state of shock and surprise, and they saw that he was worried. They said, “Lā Takhaf – don’t worry.” Allāh ﷻ says,

And has the news of the litigants reached you? When they climbed over the wall into (his) Mihrāb (a praying place or a private room,). When they entered in upon Dāwūd (David), he was terrified of them, they said: “Fear not! (We are) two litigants, one of whom has wronged the other, therefore judge between us with truth, and treat us not with injustice, and guide us to the Right Way.(Sād – 38:21, 22)

14.7 Dāwūd عليه السالم  Gives Judgement Without Hearing the Other Side

So Dāwūd عليه السالم  was presented with a case. These two men said that “We have a dispute, and we want you to judge upon us with justice and truth.” The case is as follows,

Verily, this my brother (in religion) has ninety-nine ewes, while I have (only) one ewe, and he says: “Hand it over to me, and he overpowered me in speech.”(Sād – 38:23) One man is saying that ‘This other person standing in front of you, has 99 ewes, sheep, female sheep. And I have only one. And he took away from me, that one single sheep that I have, and he didn’t give it back to me.’ There are many stories about this Āyah, but all of them are Isrāīliyāt. We are going to stay away from them, and we’re going to stick with the Qur’ān; with the authentic. So, this man said, “He has 99 sheep, so he has much more than I do. He’s wealthier than me. And I only have one, and he overpowered me. He fooled me. He took me over with his beautiful words, and I handed over to him my single sheep, and now he doesn’t want to give it back to me.” Dāwūd عليه السالم  gave his judgment. Allāh ﷻ says,

 [Dāwūd (David)] said (immediately without listening to the opponent):“He has wronged you in demanding your ewe in addition to his ewes. And, verily, many partners oppress one another, except those who believe and do righteous good deeds, and they are few.”(Sād – 38:24)

Dāwūd عليه السالم  said that “He has wronged you; he shouldn’t have taken away from you, your sheep.” And then Dāwūd said, “And partners, they al- ways wrong each other, except the few believers.” Dāwūd عليه السالم  is telling us, this is thousands of years ago, that most of the time, partners wrong each other. Partnerships, you usually find that every partner is trying to take over the other, and every partner is trying to outwit or trying to outsmart the other one, and everyone is trying to work out the best deal for himself. And that always happens between partners. And there is an exception to that, and these are the ones who believe. And this is a warning to us, that whenever you have a partnership, have it very clear. Have the terms clear written down. That is very important in partnerships; to have clear agreements.

When Dāwūd said that the two men standing in front of him disappeared and vanished. Without saying anything, they suddenly disappeared. Dāwūd immediately knew that this was a test from Allāh ﷻ, and that he has committed a mistake. He knew, and he didn’t need anybody to tell him. What was the mistake of Sayyidnā Dāwūd? He didn’t listen to the other side. He heard one side of the story; it sounded very appealing. 99 sheep, and you have only one, and he took it away from you? Clear oppression. He stole. I mean, this man has 99 sheep and you have only one, and he took it away from you? And he gave his judgment. He didn’t hear from the other side. And this was a test from Allāh ﷻ. Allāh ﷻ wants to test him. Why? Because Dāwūd is going to assume a very important responsibility, and he needs to have patience in giving out his judgment. And that’s why they surprised them. That element of surprise and shock was to knock Sayyidnā Dāwūd off his guard, and suddenly present the case to him very fast. So Sayyidnā Dāwūd عليه السالم  also gave his answer very fast. So, the whole setup was, in a way of, ‘push Sayyidnā Dāwūd to give fast or a hasty judgment.’ And that is what happened. It was a test from Allāh ﷻ, but Sayyidnā Dāwūd immediately realized that it was a test from Allāh ﷻ, and that he has committed a mistake. What was his reaction? He made Sujūd to Allāh ﷻ. Allāh ﷻ says,

And Dāwūd guessed that We have tried him and he sought Forgiveness of his Lord, and he fell down prostrate and turned (to Allāh) in repentance. So We forgave him that, and verily, for him is a near access to Us, and a good place of (final) return (Paradise).(Sād – 38:24, 25) After that, Allāh ﷻ says,

O Dāwūd (David)! Verily! We have placed you as a successor on earth.(Sād – 38:26)“Oh Dāwūd, We are appointing you as a Khalīfah – as a successor over mankind.” When did this happen? After Dāwūd went through the test.

14.8 Tawbāh – Repentance to Allāh ﷻ Turns Bad Deeds into Good Deeds

So, the scholars say something interesting. They said, that Dāwūd after the mistake, was better than the Dāwūd before the mistake. Even though he committed a mistake, but Dāwūd عليه السالم  after the mistake was better than the Dāwūd عليه السالم  before the mistake. If we learn from our mistakes, we improve through our mistakes. Because now, Dāwūd learned the right way to judge, and to be patient, and to listen from both sides, and not to be hasty in his judgment. And that qualified him to be king over mankind. Tawbāh – repentance to Allāh ﷻ, can make us better. Why? Because Allāh ﷻ says,

Except those who repent and believe (in Islamic Monotheism), and do righteous deeds, for those, Allāh will change their sins into good deeds, and Allāh is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.(Al-Furqān – 25:70)

Not only will Allāh ﷻ clear your account and you will start with a zero balance, not only that, but your previous sins will turn into good deeds. So, the evil, imagine it. This dirt that you have, this dirt that you have in your past, will turn into pure gold, because of Tawbāh. That is Tawbāh, learning from mistakes. But we need to repent. Sayyidnā Dāwūd, he asked Allāh ﷻ for forgiveness. Allāh ﷻ forgave him and he became better. Same thing with Ādamعليه السالم ; he became a prophet. When did he become a prophet? Before the mistake or after? He became a prophet after he committed his mistake, which brought us down from Paradise. He became a prophet after that. So, we learn from our mistakes. But if we continue doing mistakes, and we don’t get the lesson, and we don’t get the point, and we fail from test to test, we don’t benefit anything, and we become worse. The point is to learn, and to benefit from the experiences that we have. And then Allāh ﷻ said,

O Dāwūd! Verily! We have placed you as a successor on earth, so judge you between men in truth (and justice) and follow not your desire.(Sād – 38:26)

Do not follow your desires! Why?

And follow not your desire for it will mislead you from the Path of Allāh.(Sād – 38:26)

And then Allāh ﷻ says,

Verily! Those who wander astray from the Path of Allāh (shall) have a severe torment, because they forgot the Day of Reckoning.(Sād – 38:26)

Again, Allāh ﷻ is telling Dāwūd, ‘To judge among the people, and to rule among them, and to govern among them with truth. And do not follow your desire.’ The most dangerous thing on the Islam of judicial system, is following desires. The most dangerous thing in our relations with one another, is when we base it on our own desires, and not on the law of Allāh ﷻ. And as we say in Arabic, and I think this saying is also in English, Al-‘Adl Fī Nafs Al- Qādhi – justice is in the heart of the judge. The law can be on paper, but if the judge does not want to apply it, he can find ways around it. You can. And that is why we can only have justice through true Islamic system. Why? Because you either have good laws and a corrupt judge, or you have a good judge and corrupt laws.

14.9 Sharī’ah Encompasses the Complete Life of a Human Being

In the Muslim world now, in most of the places, we have a corrupt law with a corrupt judge. We have them both. Here in America, you have a corrupt law, but sometimes we have a good judge, sometimes you don’t. The combination that we want is a good law and the good judge, and that could only happen when the law is Islamic, and when the heart of the judge is Islamic. But if the heart of the judge is not Islamic, no matter how good the law is, if it is Qur’ān sitting on his desk, it wouldn’t do anything. If the heart of the judge is not in line with the law, it won’t do anything. Because we have, in some Muslim countries Islamic law on paper. We do. In many Muslim countries, for example, the laws relating to the family are Islamic: divorce, and marriage, and their children rights, and all that and women, the divorced and the widow, most of that is Islamic. But the problem is with the heart of the judge, bribery and all those other problems. When we talk about Sharī’ah, unfortunately, this is another problem that we have. Now we all say, “We want Sharī’ah! We want Sharī’ah!” But then, when we look at it, we find that what the people are looking for isn’t really Sharī’ah. I mean, you find many people say. Ask them, ‘What is your definition of Sharī’ah? Why are you asking for Sharī’ah?’ He says, “We want them to cut the hand of the one who steals, and to kill the killer, and to stone the adulterer.” Is that Sharī’ah? Is that all what Sharī’ah is about? And then they would say, “This certain country or that place is applying Sharī’ah.” Why? “Because they would cut the hand of the one who steals, and they would kill the killer.” This is only part of a section of the Islamic law, which is the criminal code, the criminal law. That’s it. I mean, do you think that Allāh ﷻ has sent all of the Ambiyā, and all of the religions just to cut the hand of the one who steals, and to stone the adulterer, and to kill the killer?

And then also, what segment of the society do these people make: the thieves, and the killers, and the rapists, and the adulterers? What proportion do they make? It’s a minority of the society. So, all what Islam does, is deal with these people, and the rest of us, we don’t have any law apply to us? Is that the Islamic law? Is that Sharī’ah? That’s not Sharī’ah. That is only part of the Islamic law, which is relating to the criminal code, or the criminal section of law. The Islamic Sharī’ah that we are searching for is based on one important pillar, and that is justice. Justice for everyone. If you’re going to court, you will get a fair trial. The judge will treat you justly, preserving the rights of others. Justice is an important pillar. And then the Sharī’ah is to apply the religion of Allāh ﷻ completely.

Now let’s look at the four Khulafāh, which are our standard that we look at. Take Abū Bakr, the first Khalīfah. During all the time of Abū Bakr, we don’t know in history, that he has stoned any adulterer. Does that mean that Abū Bakr As-Siddīq was not applying Sharī’ah? This case never showed up in his time. Abū Bakr was busy with applying Sharī’ah day and night. What was he doing? The establishment of Islam, by fighting the Murtaddīn [Apostates] and establishing a strong Islamic government. That was applying the Sharī’ah. So, he was dealing with this project, and that is Sharī’ah. And then in the time of ‘Umar bin Khattāb, he came and found stability that was left behind from Abū Bakr As-Siddiq. The Islamic Khilāfah was already stable. ‘Umar bin Khattāb did not have to do anything. It was stabilized by Abū Bakr As-Siddīq. Now, ‘Umar bin Khattāb has to establish the institutions, because you already have stability, now you establish the institutions. So, he made Ad-Dīwān – which is the Treasury, to take care of the salaries of the government employees and the army. And then he established new ways and laws to divide the land among Muslims. And then he started paving the roads and making these infrastructure services for the Muslim Ummah. And then he worked on some other projects which were dealing with the very, very important role of the Khalīfah, and that is the issue of Jihād. And he is the one who took care of the Jihād with the Persian Empire. By the time ‘Umar bin Khattāb died, the Persian Empire was dead, it was over with. Because the Persian Empire was the stumbling block between Islam and the East. The Persian Empire was that wall that was preventing Islam from getting into the East. ‘Umar bin Khattāb eliminated that wall. So, by the time of ‘Uthmān bin Affān, Islam was spreading all over Central Asia.

And then ‘Uthmān bin Affān, what was his Sharī’ah? What was the establishing of Sharī’ah in the time of ‘Uthmān? He worked on a very important project, and that is the preservation of Qur’ān. That is Sharī’ah. And also, spreading towards the East, and continuing with the Futuhāt [Openings] towards the North.

And then in the time of ‘Alī ibn Abī Tālib, he had to deal with the internal conflicts, which were in the Muslim Ummah. So ‘Alī ibn Abī Tālib devoted his time of Khilāfah, which was four years, to solve this internal conflict that was caused by the death of ‘Uthmān bin Affān; by the assassination of ‘Uthmān bin Affān. ‘Alī ibn Abī Tālib had to deal with that problem for four years.

And then in the time of Mu’āwiyyah ibn Abū Sufyān, he came to deal with other problems, so he is the first one to establish the Islamic Navy, because now the Muslims need to go into the sea, and they need to spread towards the North and the Roman Empire. So, he is the first one to establish the Islamic Navy. That is Sharī’ah. That is the establishment of Sharī’ah; to work on these projects which would serve the Muslim Ummah. So, the Muslims in the time of ‘Umar bin Khattāb, or in the times of these Khulafāh, they would live with peace and security. They would travel from the east to the west of the Muslim Ummah, fearing no one, but Allāh ﷻ. Safety and security: they would do their business and they would not worry; they would leave their stores open and go to Salāh. This is the establishment of Sharī’ah. And this is what we are looking for. It’s not an issue of just establishing this issue of Sharī’ah which was important obviously, the criminal law, because you cannot have security, unless the criminals are put at check. But Sharī’ah is larger than that. Sharī’ah encompasses everything that is Islamic, Iqāmat Ad-Dīn – establishment of the religion of Allāh ﷻ.

And a very, very, important thing for the leader: Wa Lā Tattabi`i Al-Hawá – don’t follow your desires. Our problem now with Islamic work is that we always deal with others based on our desires. ‘I have a certain problem with you, I continue with that problem, and I try to justify it from an Islamic point of view. So, it’s not Islam that is instigating my dealing with you, it is my hatred towards you, and then I’m using Islam to fulfil it.’ No, we should instigate our actions based on Islam. And then we push our desires to follow the direction of the Sharī’ah. Wherever Islam goes, that is where we push our desire. And this is the Jihād of the Nafs. You don’t do things according to what you want. You do things according to what Allāh ﷻ wants. You do it Allāh’s way, not your way. And that is a very difficult discipline, and that is a very difficult and important Jihād. The Jihād of your soul; to fight these internal conflicts that are going in your heart, to follow the law of Allāh ﷻ and to follow what Allāh ﷻ wants from you, and that is the meaning of the word Islam – to submit to Allāh ﷻ. That is what it means – submission. So, you submit your will to Allāh ﷻ, you follow what Allāh ﷻ wants from you. “Sami’nā Wa Ata’nā, Wa ‘Ūlā’ika Humu Al-Mufliĥūna – we listen and we obey. Such people are the successful.”(An-Nūr – 24:51)

14.10 Ibādah in Seclusion is Essential for Constant Improvement

I want you to listen to these Ahādīth, and keep in mind that Sayyidnā Dāwūd was a Nabī, and he was a king. He was busy with establishing a kingdom, with fighting his enemies, with establishing justice, with establishing services for his people. And then look at what else he is doing. Even though he is doing all of this, look at what else Rasūlullāh ﷺ says he was doing. “The best fasting is the fasting of my brother Dāwūd; he would fast one day and break the next.”(Jāmi` at-Tirmidhi 770)

So, he would alternate between fasting. He would alternate between fasting throughout his life. This is the king who has whatever types of food or drink he wants, he can just point, and they would approach him, but he would fast.

And Rasūlullāh ﷺ tells us something else about this Nabī of Allāh ﷻ. Rasūlullāh ﷺ says, “He would never run away from battle.”(Sahīh al-Bukhārī 1979, 3419, – Sahīh Muslim 1159, – Sunan an-Nasā’i 2399) If he’s in the battlefield, Dāwūd would never show the enemy his back; brave and strong. Rasūlullāh ﷺ also says about Sayyidnā Dāwūd, “The best fasting is the fasting of Dāwūd, and the best prayers are the prayers of Dāwūd. He used to sleep the first half of the night, and then he would wake up and pray for one third of the night, and then he would sleep for the remaining one sixth of the night.”(Sahīh al-Bukhārī 1131, 3420, – Sahīh Muslim 1159, – Sunan an-Nasā’i 1630, 2344, – Sunan Abī Dāwūd 2448) So every night, he would pray one third of the night. He had time for ‘Ibādah. You have to find time for ‘Ibādah. You might say, “He is busy, he is a king, he is busy with running the affairs of his kingdom. How could he find time for this ‘Ibādah?”

We need to understand, that we cannot be good in whatever we’re doing, and be successful in applying the law of Allāh ﷻ, and in making Dā’wah, if we are not having these moments of deep worship with Allāh ﷻ: in the depth of the night, and the Dhikr, and the fasting are important for any Muslim who’s in the field of Dā’wah, or in the field of politics, or in the field of Jihād or whatever. This ‘Ibādah is what prepares you for the work of the day, because one of the worst things that could erode your heart and put permanent scars in it, is the political work. I mean, working in politics can really wear down the heart and destroy it, and take the Taqwā out of the heart like a drainage, it would just take it out. So, anyone who’s working in that field, which is political, whether it is a king like Sayyidnā Dāwūd, or a Khalīfah like ‘Umar bin Khattāb, or a military general like Khālid bin Walīd, you need that worship, you need that prayer of Qiyām Al-Layl and Dhikr to keep you always on the right track. So that is the energy that they used to go ahead.

With the Kāfir, Shaitān is giving them energy to continue, because this is very difficult work. But for the believer, if you do not have this Qiyām Al- Layl, and Dhikr of Allāh ﷻ, and fasting, you could easily be misled and misguided because these are very difficult fields to work in; you’re dealing with many conflicting ideas and things, and this could take the concentration away from one’s mind and heart, so that’s why they need this ‘Ibādah, and Sayyidnā Dāwūd عليه السالم  would pray one third of the night.

‘Umar bin Khattāb, I remind you once again with this story. When Abū Muslim Al-Khawlāni came to deliver the news to ‘Umar bin Khattāb, that a certain area in As-Shaam (Present-day Syria, Palestine, Lebanon, and Jordan) was opened, Abū Muslim Al-Khawlāni came into Medina when it was the time of noon. And it was a tradition of the Arabs to sleep at noon because it was very hot. Abū Muslim Al-Khawlāni did not want to go and disturb ‘Umar bin Khattāb, so he went to the masjid. He felt that maybe ‘Umar bin Khattāb is sleeping, so I’ll go to the masjid. He went to the masjid, and he gave out the news. He spread the news to the people that, “We won! We were victorious.” Somehow the news reached to ‘Umar bin Khattāb. ‘Umar bin Khattāb called Abū Muslim Al-Khawlāni. He told him, “How come you didn’t come and tell me first? Who should you report to? To the Khalīfah. You go and tell the people in the Masjid? You should come and tell me first. Why didn’t you come and let me know?”

Abū Muslim Al-Khawlāni said, “Oh Amīr Al-Mu’minīn, I came into Medina when it was the time of noon, so I did not want to disturb you, because I thought that you were asleep.”

‘Umar bin Khattāb said, “How can I sleep? If I sleep during the daytime, I would not fulfil my duties toward the people, toward my nation. And if I sleep at night, I would not be able to fulfil my duties towards Allāh ﷻ.“

‘If I sleep at the daytime, I would not fulfil my duties towards the creation. And if I sleep at night, I would not be able to fill my duties towards the Creator.’ They said that ‘Umar bin Khattāb, when he became Khalīfah, he never slept the traditional way of sleeping, on a bed with a blanket. He would sleep sitting down, or leaning on a wall, or take a nap here and there, and keep on moving, keep on working. Mujāhidīn; these were the graduates from the training of Rasūlullāh ﷺ.

14.11 The Death of Sayyidnā Dāwūd عليه السالم

Dāwūd عليه السالم  was very protective of his family, he would not allow any man to see his wives. So, when he would leave, and this is mentioned in a Hadīth, when he would leave his home or palace or whatever, he would close all the doors and not allow any man to get in. Suddenly, one day, the wife of Dāwūd sees a man in the middle of the house. “There’s a man in our home.” She said, “If Dāwūd knows about this, we’re in big trouble. How did this man get in?” Dāwūd اليالمعليه did come, and he saw this man, and he said, “Who are you?” The man said, “I am the one who never fears the kings, and nothing can run away from me. I’m the one who does not fear the kings, and nothing can run away from me.” Dāwūd عليه السالم  said, “In the name of Allāh, you must be the angel of death. Welcome with the decree of Allāh.”

A king, he has everything a person would want in this life. I mean, we are holding to this world, holding so tight to this world for a few bucks that we make here and there. We don’t really have much; none of us are kings. We don’t have that much, and we’re holding so tight to this world. For the small part of the world, which is allocated for us, we became servants to it. And Dāwūd عليه السالم  is the king of the strongest nation of its time, and the Muslim Ummah of that time, Banī Isrā’īl, and when he saw the angel of death, he said, ‘Welcome! Welcome with the decree of Allāh ﷻ. I’m ready. I’m ready to die because I wasn’t a king for the kingdom, I wasn’t a king for the gold and silver, I wasn’t a king to love this world. I was a king to serve Allāh ﷻ. I was doing this as a service for Allāh ﷻ. I’m doing it for You, Oh Allāh. If You want me to leave, Allāh ﷻ I want to meet You.’

The Angel of Death took away the soul of Dāwūd عليه السالم  on the spot.

Sulaymān عليه السالم , his son, ordered the birds to cover the body of Sayyidnā Dāwūd, and to provide shade for him from the sun until they would finish the process of Dafn. And when night-time came, Sulaimān ordered the birds to protect him, and come closer to him, and to protect them with their wings until they finish the process of making Dafn of Sayyidnā Dāwūd عليه السالم .

And this shows you that Allāh ﷻ made the birds servants for them. The one who worships Allāh ﷻ and is righteous towards Allāh ﷻ, Allāh ﷻ can make steel, iron soft in his hands; Dāwūd عليه السالم . And Allāh ﷻ can have the birds serve him. This is the story of our beloved prophet of Allāh ﷻ, David, Dāwūd عليه السالم .