David in Islam

Dawud(Arabic:دَاوُوْد,romanized:Dāwūd[daːwuːd]), orDavid,is considered aprophet and messengerofGod(Allah) inIslam,as well as a righteous, divinely-anointed monarch of theUnited Kingdom of Israel.Additionally, Muslims also honor David for having received the divine revelation of theZabur(Psalms).

Khalifa
NabīandRasūl

Dāwūd (Alayhi assalam)
دَاوُود
Hebrew:דָּוִד,romanized:Dāwīḏ Syriac:ܕܘܝܕ,romanized:Dawīd KoineGreek:Δαυίδ,romanized:Dauíd
Caligraphic style of name
Khalifaof Earth King of theIsraelites
Biography
Born	10th century BCE Jerusalem,Kingdom of Israel
Died	9th century BCE Jerusalem, Kingdom of Israel
Spouse	unknown
Children	Sulayman
Quranic narratives
Mention by name	Yes
Surah(Chapters)	2,4,5,6,17,21,27,34,38
Āyāt	verse: 2:251 4:163 5:78 6:84 17:55 21:78–79 34:10–11 34:13 38:17–29 38:30
Number of mentions	16
Prophethood
Known for	DefeatingJalut;being the Khalifa (Viceroy) on Earth (Al-Arḍ, الأَرْض), and the Wise King ofBanī Isrāʾīl;receiving theZabur;prophesying to and warning Israel; being highly gifted musically and vocally
Scripture	Zabur
Predecessor	Talut
Successor	Sulayman
Status	Prophet, Viceroy, Sovereign, Wise judge, Holy scripture receiver
Other equivalent	David
Footnotes

Dawud is considered one of the most important people in Islam. Mentioned sixteen times in theQuran,David appears in the Islamic scripture as a link in the chain of prophets who precededMuhammad.Although he is not usually considered one of the "law-giving" prophets (ulū al-ʿazm), "he is far from a marginal figure"in Islamic thought.In later Islamic traditions, he is praised for his rigor inprayerandfasting.He is also presented as the prototypical just ruler and as a symbol of God's authority on earth, having been at once a king and a prophet.

David is particularly important to the religious architecture ofIslamic Jerusalem.Dawud is known asbiblicalDavidwho was, according to theHebrew Bible,the second king of theUnited Kingdom of Israel and Judah,reigningc. 1010–970 BCE.

Name

TheQuranic Arabicform of David isDāwudorDāwūd,differing fromKoineGreek:ΔαυίδandSyriac:ܕܘܝܕ,romanized:Dawīd(which followHebrew:דָּוִד,romanized:Dāwīd). These forms appear in the Quran sixteen times.

Narrative in the Quran

David's narrative in theQuran,in many respects,parallels that given in the Bible.He is named aprophet(nabī) and also a messenger (rasūl), David is included in lists of those who receivedrevelation(waḥy;Q4:163) or guidance (hudā;6:84) from God. In both lists his name appears next to that of his sonSolomon.Elsewhere, the Quran explains that God gave to both of them the gifts of "sound judgment" (ḥukm;21:79) and "knowledge" (ʿilm;21:79;27:15). Yet the Quran also ascribes to David merits that distinguish him from Solomon: David killedGoliath(2:251) and received a divine revelation named "thePsalms"(Quran17:55uses an indefinite form, while21:105uses the definite formal-Zabūr),presumably a reference to the Psalms or the Psalter (the termZabūris perhaps related to theHebrewtermmizmōrorSyriacmazmūrā,"psalm" ). The mountains and the birds praised God along with David (21:79;in34:10God commands them to do so; cfr.Psalm148:7–10). God made David a "vicegerent" (khalīfa;38:26), a title that the Quran otherwise gives only toAdam(2:30). This title suggests that, according to the Quran, David was something more than a messenger: he was a divinely guided leader who established God's rule on Earth.This role is also suggested by2:251:"God gave him authority (mulk) and wisdom (ḥikmah) and taught him what He willed. If God did not drive back some people by others, the earth would become corrupt. "

Among the things taught to David was the ability to make armour (21:80,34:10–11), a suggestion that David's military exploits were the act of God. It is also important that the Quranic reference to David's "wisdom" was sometimes explained by the classical exegetes as the gift of prophecy.The Quran also connects David and Jesus, by insisting that both cursed Jews against their prophecy who did not believe (5:78). Moreover, according to the Quran, David was given the ability to distinguish between truth and falsehood when dispensing justice (faṣl al-khiṭāb,38:20). Furthermore, there is the allusion to a test David was put through, wherein he prayed and repented and God forgave him (38:24-5).Surat Sad(the 38th chapter of the Quran) is also called "the sūra of David"Exegetes explain that since David prostrated when asking God to forgive him, Muhammad was ordered to imitate him and to perform a prostration when reading this chapter.

Religious significance

David is one of the few Islamic Prophets 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 ofIsraelwere 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, 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 Quran. He is often mentioned alongside other prophets to emphasize how great he was. For example, God says:

And We gave him Isaac and Jacob and guided them, as We had guided Noah before them, and of his descendants, David and Solomon and Job and Joseph and Moses and Aaron. Thus We reward those who are upright and do good.

— Quran 6:84

When theCaliph'UmarvisitedJerusalem,thePatriarchSophroniusaccompanied him on theTemple Mount,while he searched for theMihrab Dawud(David's prayer-niche) to perform a prayer. Later commentators identified this site with theTower of David.In ahadith,the prayer and fasting of David is mentioned to be dear to God.

Narrated Abdullah bin 'Amr bin Al-'As: The Apostle of Allah told me, "The most beloved prayer to Allah is that of David and the most beloved fasts to Allah are those of David. He used to sleep for half of the night and then pray for one third of the night and again sleep for its sixth part and used to fast on alternate days."

— Muhammad al-Bukhari,Sahih al-Bukhari

The Book of David

Main article:Zabur

TheZaburis the holy book attributed to David by God, just asMusa(Moses) received theTawrat(Torah),Isa(Jesus) received theInjil(Gospel) and Muhammad received the Quran. In the Bible, theZaburis known as the Psalms.

Your Lord knows whoever is in the heavens and the earth. We exalted some of the prophets over the others; and to David We gave the Book of Psalms.

— Quran 17:55

Bibliography

Primary

• ʿAbdallāh b. al-Mubārak,Kitāb al-Zuhd,ed. Ḥ.R. al-Aʿẓamī, Beirut n.d., 161-4
• Aḥmad b. Ḥanbal,al-Zuhd,Cairo 1987, 111–2, 114, 134
• R.G. Khoury,Wahb b. Munabbih (Codices arabici antiqui i),Wiesbaden 1972 (with bibliography)
• id.,Les légendes prophétiques dans l'Islam depuis le Ier jusqu'au IIIe siècle de l'hégire (Codices arabici antiqui iii),Wiesbaden 1978, 157-74
• Hibat Allāh b. Salāma,al-Nāsikh wa-l-mansūkh(in the margin of Wāḥidī,Asbāb), Cairo 1316/1898-9, 262
• Ibn Qudāma al-Maqdisī,Kitāb al-Tawwābīn,ed. ʿA.Q. Arnāʾūṭ, Beirut 1974
• Majlisī,Biḥār al-anwār,Beirut 1983, xiv, 1-64; lxxiv, 39-44
• Muqātil,Tafsīr,i, 423; ii, 87–8, 639–43; iii, 87–8, 298–9, 525-6
• Sibṭ Ibn al-Jawzī,Mirʾāt,i, 472-92
• Suyūṭī,Durr,vii, 148-76
• Ṭabarī,Tafsīr,v, 360-76
• Ṭabarsī,Majmaʿ

Secondary

• A. Geiger,Judaism and Islam,Madras 1898, 144-5
• E. Margoliouth,The convicted in the Bible, cleared from guilt in the Talmud and Midrash (Hebrew),London 1949, 60-7
• F.A. Mojtabāʾī,Dāwūd,in Encyclopædia Iranica, vii, 161-2
• R. Paret,Dāwūd,in ei2, ii, 182
• Y. Zakovitch,David. From shepherd to Messiah (Hebrew),Jerusalem 1995 (see especially Annex A by A. Shinʾan, 181–99)

See also

• Al-Arḍ Al-Muqaddasah( "The Holy Land" )
• Biblical and Quranic narratives
• Legends and the Quran
• Qisas Al-Anbiyaʾ( "Stories of The Prophets" )
• Liwa Dawud,Syrianrebel group named after David