Islamic view of David
Encyclopedia
Islam
ic views on David
(circa 1043 BC - 937 BC?) are unified in his status as appointed prophet
, messenger ("Rasul"), and lawgiver of God
, and as a righteous King of the united Kingdom of Israel, which itself is a holy country in Islam
. David is perhaps most famous in Islam
for defeating the Philistine giant Goliath, when he was a soldier in King Saul's army.
His genealogy goes back through Judah, the son of Jacob
(Ya'qub), to Abraham
(Ibrahim). The figure of David is of extreme importance in Islam because he was one of the few prophets to receive a named revealed book. It says in the Qur'an
that the Zabur
, the Biblical
Psalms
, were given to David. David's son, Solomon
(Sulaiman), took over the task of prophecy after his death and he was made the subsequent King of Israel.
The Judeo-Christian
and Islamic views of David, however, differ in some aspects. Muslims do not accept the sins of adultery
and murder
attributed to David in the Hebrew Bible
, as they feel that prophets - in their belief the utmost chosen and elect of God
- would never commit such grave crimes. The story of Bathsheba
and Uriah
is also absent in David's Qur'anic narrative and plays no role in Islamic tradition.
, fleshed out through details given in exegesis:
. There were, however, many doubtful unbelievers in his army. Thus, God
made the wise king perform a test to see which of his warriors were loyal and which were not. They stopped by a flowing stream, and Saul, performing a test similar to that of Gideon's before him, warned his people that whoever drank of the stream's water would not go forward with the army. Even in the small band of warriors that remained faithful to God, there were some that were appalled by the sheer size of the opposing Philistine army, and were startled when they saw the size and strength of their commander, the giant Goliath. But there were a very small band of men that kept their belief in God and were determined to fight against all odds. Among these believing men was David.
tradition, Goliath challenged any soldier from Saul
's army to single combat, as was the custom of battle in those days. The men were frightened, and no one had enough courage to volunteer. The king offered the hand of his daughter in marriage to the man who would fight Goliath, but even this offer did not change the silence among his soldiers. Then, to everyone's surprise, a youth stepped forward. A roar of laughter echoed from the enemy's side, and even Saul's shook their heads. The young man was David, from the city of Bethlehem
. David at this point was a mere youth. He did not have much of a standing even in the Israelite camp. Although he was not as experienced in warfare as some of his contemporaries, his strong faith in God exalted him above any companion or enemy, and his mastery of the slingshot led to the defeat of Goliath. David used his slingshot and used it to aim the pebble at the mocking Goliath. The pebble shot from the whirling sling with the speed of an arrow and hit Goliath's head with great force. Blood gushed out, and Goliath fell to the ground, lifeless, before he even had a chance to draw his sword. When the rest of his men saw their mighty hero slain they ran for their lives.
After David killed Goliath (Ǧālūt in the Qur'an), he became a hero overnight, and the Israelites loved him. Before this victory, David was an insignificant figure in the community, known only for his kind demeanour. Now, however, the Children of Israel wanted him as the successor to King Saul
(Tālūt). When David took the position, however, he became not only the king of Israel but he was also given the gift of prophethood
. The Qur'an states:
taught David the making of armour. the Qur'an
says the 'iron was made soft for him', through which David could make instruments for protection against enemies. However, the rule in this story is to use weapons of defense only in true war (e.g., if you are fighting for freedom of worship) and not to simply use weapons for degenerate violence. Later accounts in Muslim literature have references to David's armor-making abilities.
God says in the Qur'an:
mentions David's praise of God:
. But the two men soon told the king that they were brothers who had come to ask him to resolve an argument between them. One of the brothers was more grieved than the other. He told David that his brother had ninety-nine ewes while he only had one. He went onto describe his brother's greed and told David that his brother wanted his ewe as well. The circumstances seemed mysterious to David, as he was puzzled at why the unjust brother would risk climbing into his palace and then not take any part in the argument. Nonetheless, he took the two men literally and began preaching about the falsehood and fraud of men, who should be content with what they have, but who always envy others. Although David, in his mind, thought he was doing the right thing, he soon realized that this whole vision was a test to see his wisdom and he fell down in prostration, praising God
.
was the Holy Book attributed to David by God, just as Musa
(Moses
) got the Tawrat
(Torah
), Isa (Jesus
) got the Injil
(Gospel
) and Muhammad
received the Qur'an
. In the current Hebrew Bible
scriptures, the Zabur is known as the Psalms
. However, like other Islamic scripture of the past, the Psalms are believed to have been corrupted over time, with some of the original message gone. Nonetheless, Muslims are told to treat the present Psalms with immense respect because, in their original form, they too were an inspired Book of God
. The Qur'an states:
The term Zabur is the Arabic equivalent of the Hebrew Zimra, meaning "song/music." It, along with Zamir ("song") and Mizmor ("Psalm"), is a derivative of Zamar, meaning "sing", "sing praise", "make music". Thus, David is also usually attributed the gifts of music and song.
who received kingship as well. While other prophets preached during the reign of kings, David, in his time, was the king. Thus, he received an extremely large task, of making sure that the people of Israel
were not only held in check spiritually but that the country itself remained strong as well. His place as both leader and prophet is revered by all Muslims as one of extremely high rank. The figure of David, together with that of his prophetic son Sulaiman (Solomon
), are iconic of people who ruled justly over their land.
God frequently mentions David's high rank as a prophet and messenger in the Qur'an. He is often mentioned alongside other prophets, to show emphasize how great he was. For example, God says:
When the caliph
Umar
visited Jerusalem, the Patriarch
Sophronius
accompanied him on the Temple Mount
, while he searched for the Mihrab Dawud (David's prayer-niche) to perform a prayer. Later commentators identified this site with the Tower of David
.
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
ic views on David
David
David was the second king of the united Kingdom of Israel according to the Hebrew Bible and, according to the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, an ancestor of Jesus Christ through both Saint Joseph and Mary...
(circa 1043 BC - 937 BC?) are unified in his status as appointed prophet
Prophet
In religion, a prophet, from the Greek word προφήτης profitis meaning "foreteller", is an individual who is claimed to have been contacted by the supernatural or the divine, and serves as an intermediary with humanity, delivering this newfound knowledge from the supernatural entity to other people...
, messenger ("Rasul"), and lawgiver of God
God in Islam
In Islamic theology, God is the all-powerful and all-knowing creator, sustainer, ordainer, and judge of the universe. Islam puts a heavy emphasis on the conceptualization of God as strictly singular . God is unique and inherently One , all-merciful and omnipotent. According to the Islamic...
, and as a righteous King of the united Kingdom of Israel, which itself is a holy country in Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
. David is perhaps most famous in Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
for defeating the Philistine giant Goliath, when he was a soldier in King Saul's army.
His genealogy goes back through Judah, the son of Jacob
Jacob
Jacob "heel" or "leg-puller"), also later known as Israel , as described in the Hebrew Bible, the Talmud, the New Testament and the Qur'an was the third patriarch of the Hebrew people with whom God made a covenant, and ancestor of the tribes of Israel, which were named after his descendants.In the...
(Ya'qub), to Abraham
Abraham
Abraham , whose birth name was Abram, is the eponym of the Abrahamic religions, among which are Judaism, Christianity and Islam...
(Ibrahim). The figure of David is of extreme importance in Islam because he was one of the few prophets to receive a named revealed book. It says in the Qur'an
Qur'an
The Quran , also transliterated Qur'an, Koran, Alcoran, Qur’ān, Coran, Kuran, and al-Qur’ān, is the central religious text of Islam, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God . It is regarded widely as the finest piece of literature in the Arabic language...
that the Zabur
Zabur
Zabur is, according to Islam, the holy book of Dawud , one of the holy books revealed by God before the Qur'an, alongside others such as the Tawrat of Musa and the Injil of Isa ....
, the Biblical
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
Psalms
Psalms
The Book of Psalms , commonly referred to simply as Psalms, is a book of the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Bible...
, were given to David. David's son, Solomon
Solomon
Solomon , according to the Book of Kings and the Book of Chronicles, a King of Israel and according to the Talmud one of the 48 prophets, is identified as the son of David, also called Jedidiah in 2 Samuel 12:25, and is described as the third king of the United Monarchy, and the final king before...
(Sulaiman), took over the task of prophecy after his death and he was made the subsequent King of Israel.
The Judeo-Christian
Judeo-Christian
Judeo-Christian is a term used in the United States since the 1940s to refer to standards of ethics said to be held in common by Judaism and Christianity, for example the Ten Commandments...
and Islamic views of David, however, differ in some aspects. Muslims do not accept the sins of adultery
Adultery
Adultery is sexual infidelity to one's spouse, and is a form of extramarital sex. It originally referred only to sex between a woman who was married and a person other than her spouse. Even in cases of separation from one's spouse, an extramarital affair is still considered adultery.Adultery is...
and murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
attributed to David in the Hebrew Bible
Hebrew Bible
The Hebrew Bible is a term used by biblical scholars outside of Judaism to refer to the Tanakh , a canonical collection of Jewish texts, and the common textual antecedent of the several canonical editions of the Christian Old Testament...
, as they feel that prophets - in their belief the utmost chosen and elect of God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
- would never commit such grave crimes. The story of Bathsheba
Bathsheba
According to the Hebrew Bible, Bathsheba was the wife of Uriah the Hittite and later of David, king of the United Kingdom of Israel and Judah. She is most known for the Bible story in which King David seduced her....
and Uriah
Uriah the Hittite
Uriah the Hittite was a soldier in King David’s army mentioned in the Hebrew Bible. He was the husband of Bathsheba, and was murdered by order of David by having the soldiers retreat from him in battle. Uriah's wife was pregnant by King David through an adulterous affair...
is also absent in David's Qur'anic narrative and plays no role in Islamic tradition.
David in the Qur'an
The following is David's narrative in the Qur'anQur'an
The Quran , also transliterated Qur'an, Koran, Alcoran, Qur’ān, Coran, Kuran, and al-Qur’ān, is the central religious text of Islam, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God . It is regarded widely as the finest piece of literature in the Arabic language...
, fleshed out through details given in exegesis:
Saul sets forth with his army
King Saul set forth with his armies to fight the PhilistinesPhilistines
Philistines , Pleshet or Peleset, were a people who occupied the southern coast of Canaan at the beginning of the Iron Age . According to the Bible, they ruled the five city-states of Gaza, Askelon, Ashdod, Ekron and Gath, from the Wadi Gaza in the south to the Yarqon River in the north, but with...
. There were, however, many doubtful unbelievers in his army. Thus, God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
made the wise king perform a test to see which of his warriors were loyal and which were not. They stopped by a flowing stream, and Saul, performing a test similar to that of Gideon's before him, warned his people that whoever drank of the stream's water would not go forward with the army. Even in the small band of warriors that remained faithful to God, there were some that were appalled by the sheer size of the opposing Philistine army, and were startled when they saw the size and strength of their commander, the giant Goliath. But there were a very small band of men that kept their belief in God and were determined to fight against all odds. Among these believing men was David.
David slays Goliath
According to MuslimMuslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
tradition, Goliath challenged any soldier from Saul
Saul
-People:Saul is a given/first name in English, the Anglicized form of the Hebrew name Shaul from the Hebrew Bible:* Saul , including people with this given namein the Bible:* Saul , a king of Edom...
's army to single combat, as was the custom of battle in those days. The men were frightened, and no one had enough courage to volunteer. The king offered the hand of his daughter in marriage to the man who would fight Goliath, but even this offer did not change the silence among his soldiers. Then, to everyone's surprise, a youth stepped forward. A roar of laughter echoed from the enemy's side, and even Saul's shook their heads. The young man was David, from the city of Bethlehem
Bethlehem
Bethlehem is a Palestinian city in the central West Bank of the Jordan River, near Israel and approximately south of Jerusalem, with a population of about 30,000 people. It is the capital of the Bethlehem Governorate of the Palestinian National Authority and a hub of Palestinian culture and tourism...
. David at this point was a mere youth. He did not have much of a standing even in the Israelite camp. Although he was not as experienced in warfare as some of his contemporaries, his strong faith in God exalted him above any companion or enemy, and his mastery of the slingshot led to the defeat of Goliath. David used his slingshot and used it to aim the pebble at the mocking Goliath. The pebble shot from the whirling sling with the speed of an arrow and hit Goliath's head with great force. Blood gushed out, and Goliath fell to the ground, lifeless, before he even had a chance to draw his sword. When the rest of his men saw their mighty hero slain they ran for their lives.
After David killed Goliath (Ǧālūt in the Qur'an), he became a hero overnight, and the Israelites loved him. Before this victory, David was an insignificant figure in the community, known only for his kind demeanour. Now, however, the Children of Israel wanted him as the successor to King Saul
Saul
-People:Saul is a given/first name in English, the Anglicized form of the Hebrew name Shaul from the Hebrew Bible:* Saul , including people with this given namein the Bible:* Saul , a king of Edom...
(Tālūt). When David took the position, however, he became not only the king of Israel but he was also given the gift of prophethood
Prophethood
Prophethood is the word used to reference the institution by which God sends emissaries, or prophets, to guide mankind. Use of the word is almost always theological.-Islam:...
. The Qur'an states:
Armor-making by David
Islamic belief holds that GodGod
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
taught David the making of armour. the Qur'an
Qur'an
The Quran , also transliterated Qur'an, Koran, Alcoran, Qur’ān, Coran, Kuran, and al-Qur’ān, is the central religious text of Islam, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God . It is regarded widely as the finest piece of literature in the Arabic language...
says the 'iron was made soft for him', through which David could make instruments for protection against enemies. However, the rule in this story is to use weapons of defense only in true war (e.g., if you are fighting for freedom of worship) and not to simply use weapons for degenerate violence. Later accounts in Muslim literature have references to David's armor-making abilities.
God says in the Qur'an:
Remembrance of God
David was a man of superb strength, slaying Goliath in his raw youth. But God afterwards had bestowed upon him various gifts, including those of kingship and prophethood. Thus, the wise king would frequently praise God, in unison with the nature around him. Many scholars believe he was given the gifts of music as well, and would sing his prayers too, as he was blessed with great eloquence. The Qur'anQur'an
The Quran , also transliterated Qur'an, Koran, Alcoran, Qur’ān, Coran, Kuran, and al-Qur’ān, is the central religious text of Islam, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God . It is regarded widely as the finest piece of literature in the Arabic language...
mentions David's praise of God:
Disputants of the chamber
David would retire to his prayer chamber at various times in the day, to express his devotion to God. One day, however, his privacy was invaded by two men, who had obtained access into his palace by climbing over a wall. David was frightened, by this supposed apparitionApparition
Generally, an apparition is an instance of something's appearing, i.e. being seen. The term may refer to:- Supernatural :*Apparitional experience, an anomalous, quasi-perceptual experience...
. But the two men soon told the king that they were brothers who had come to ask him to resolve an argument between them. One of the brothers was more grieved than the other. He told David that his brother had ninety-nine ewes while he only had one. He went onto describe his brother's greed and told David that his brother wanted his ewe as well. The circumstances seemed mysterious to David, as he was puzzled at why the unjust brother would risk climbing into his palace and then not take any part in the argument. Nonetheless, he took the two men literally and began preaching about the falsehood and fraud of men, who should be content with what they have, but who always envy others. Although David, in his mind, thought he was doing the right thing, he soon realized that this whole vision was a test to see his wisdom and he fell down in prostration, praising God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
.
The Book of David
The ZaburZabur
Zabur is, according to Islam, the holy book of Dawud , one of the holy books revealed by God before the Qur'an, alongside others such as the Tawrat of Musa and the Injil of Isa ....
was the Holy Book attributed to David by God, just as Musa
Islamic view of Moses
Musa , known as Moses in the Old Testament, is considered an Islamic prophet, messenger, lawgiver and leader in Islam. Moses is mentioned more in the Quran than any other individual, and his life is narrated and recounted more than that any other prophet...
(Moses
Moses
Moses was, according to the Hebrew Bible and Qur'an, a religious leader, lawgiver and prophet, to whom the authorship of the Torah is traditionally attributed...
) got the Tawrat
Tawrat
Tawrat is the Arabic word for the Torah. Muslims believe it was a holy book of Islam given by Allah to Musa . The Hebrew word for their scripture, the Torah means instructions, that is why Tawrat does not refer to the entire Tanakh or Old Testament...
(Torah
Torah
Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five books of the bible—Genesis , Exodus , Leviticus , Numbers and Deuteronomy Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five...
), Isa (Jesus
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
) got the Injil
Injil
The Injil is the Arabic name for the original Gospel of Jesus, and one of the four Islamic Holy Books the Qur'an records as revealed by God, the others being the Zabur, Tawrat and Qur'an. The word Injil is derived from the Greek word and means 'good news'. Muslims believe this original Gospel...
(Gospel
Gospel
A gospel is an account, often written, that describes the life of Jesus of Nazareth. In a more general sense the term "gospel" may refer to the good news message of the New Testament. It is primarily used in reference to the four canonical gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John...
) and Muhammad
Muhammad
Muhammad |ligature]] at U+FDF4 ;Arabic pronunciation varies regionally; the first vowel ranges from ~~; the second and the last vowel: ~~~. There are dialects which have no stress. In Egypt, it is pronounced not in religious contexts...
received the Qur'an
Qur'an
The Quran , also transliterated Qur'an, Koran, Alcoran, Qur’ān, Coran, Kuran, and al-Qur’ān, is the central religious text of Islam, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God . It is regarded widely as the finest piece of literature in the Arabic language...
. In the current Hebrew Bible
Hebrew Bible
The Hebrew Bible is a term used by biblical scholars outside of Judaism to refer to the Tanakh , a canonical collection of Jewish texts, and the common textual antecedent of the several canonical editions of the Christian Old Testament...
scriptures, the Zabur is known as the Psalms
Psalms
The Book of Psalms , commonly referred to simply as Psalms, is a book of the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Bible...
. However, like other Islamic scripture of the past, the Psalms are believed to have been corrupted over time, with some of the original message gone. Nonetheless, Muslims are told to treat the present Psalms with immense respect because, in their original form, they too were an inspired Book of God
Religious text
Religious texts, also known as scripture, scriptures, holy writ, or holy books, are the texts which various religious traditions consider to be sacred, or of central importance to their religious tradition...
. The Qur'an states:
The term Zabur is the Arabic equivalent of the Hebrew Zimra, meaning "song/music." It, along with Zamir ("song") and Mizmor ("Psalm"), is a derivative of Zamar, meaning "sing", "sing praise", "make music". Thus, David is also usually attributed the gifts of music and song.
Importance of David in Islam
David is one of the few Islamic prophetsProphets of Islam
Muslims identify the Prophets of Islam as those humans chosen by God and given revelation to deliver to mankind. Muslims believe that every prophet was given a belief to worship God and their respective followers believed it as well...
who received kingship as well. While other prophets preached during the reign of kings, David, in his time, was the king. Thus, he received an extremely large task, of making sure that the people of Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
were not only held in check spiritually but that the country itself remained strong as well. His place as both leader and prophet is revered by all Muslims as one of extremely high rank. The figure of David, together with that of his prophetic son Sulaiman (Solomon
Solomon
Solomon , according to the Book of Kings and the Book of Chronicles, a King of Israel and according to the Talmud one of the 48 prophets, is identified as the son of David, also called Jedidiah in 2 Samuel 12:25, and is described as the third king of the United Monarchy, and the final king before...
), are iconic of people who ruled justly over their land.
God frequently mentions David's high rank as a prophet and messenger in the Qur'an. He is often mentioned alongside other prophets, to show emphasize how great he was. For example, God says:
When the caliph
Caliph
The Caliph is the head of state in a Caliphate, and the title for the ruler of the Islamic Ummah, an Islamic community ruled by the Shari'ah. It is a transcribed version of the Arabic word which means "successor" or "representative"...
Umar
Umar
`Umar ibn al-Khattāb c. 2 November , was a leading companion and adviser to the Islamic prophet Muhammad who later became the second Muslim Caliph after Muhammad's death....
visited Jerusalem, the Patriarch
Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem
The Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem is the head bishop of the Orthodox Church of Jerusalem, ranking fourth of nine Patriarchs in the Eastern Orthodox Church. Since 2005, the Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem has been Theophilos III...
Sophronius
Sophronius
Sophronius was the Patriarch of Jerusalem from 634 until his death, and is venerated as a saint in the Catholic and the Eastern Orthodox Churches...
accompanied him on the Temple Mount
Temple Mount
The Temple Mount, known in Hebrew as , and in Arabic as the Haram Ash-Sharif , is one of the most important religious sites in the Old City of Jerusalem. It has been used as a religious site for thousands of years...
, while he searched for the Mihrab Dawud (David's prayer-niche) to perform a prayer. Later commentators identified this site with the Tower of David
Tower of David
The Tower of David is an ancient citadel located near the Jaffa Gate entrance to the Old City of Jerusalem.Built to strengthen a strategically weak point in the Old City's defenses, the citadel that stands today was constructed during the 2nd century BC and subsequently destroyed and rebuilt by,...
.
See also
- Biblical narratives and the Qur'an
- Goliath
- PsalmsPsalmsThe Book of Psalms , commonly referred to simply as Psalms, is a book of the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Bible...
- Kings of Israel
- Legends and the Qur'an
- Prophets of IslamProphets of IslamMuslims identify the Prophets of Islam as those humans chosen by God and given revelation to deliver to mankind. Muslims believe that every prophet was given a belief to worship God and their respective followers believed it as well...
- Stories of The ProphetsStories of The ProphetsStories of The Prophets or Qasas al-anbiya is a famous work of Islamic literature, written by the Muslim scholar Ibn Kathir. In the book, Kathir has compiled all accounts of information regarding various prophets and messengers through Islamic history...