\nWhen\nthe two armies faced each other, Goliath challenged any soldier from\nKing Saul’s army to single combat, as was the custom of battle in\nthose days. Goliath also wanted to show off his strength. The men\nwere terrorized, and no one had enough courage to volunteer. The king\noffered the hand of his pretty daughter in marriage to the man who\nwould fight Goliath, but even this tempting offer did not change the\ndeadly silence among his soldiers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nThen,\nto everyone’s surprise, a youth stepped forward. A roar of laughter\nechoed from the enemy’s side, and even Saul’s men shook their heads.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nThe\nyoung man was David (Dawud), from the city of Bethlehem. His elderly\nfather had chosen three of his sons to join Saul’s army. He had\ninstructed the youngest one, David, not to take part in the fighting\nbut to help the army in other ways and to report to his father daily\non what was happening on the war front.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nAlthough\nSaul was very impressed by the youth’s courage, he said: “I\nadmire your courage, but you are no match for that mighty warrior.\nLet the strong men come forward.” David, however, had already\ndecided and was willing to meet the challenge. Proudly, he told the\nking that only the day before he had killed a lion which had\nthreatened his father’s sheep, and on another occasion he had killed\na bear. He asked Saul not to judge him by his appearance, for he\nfeared no man or wild beast. Saul, surprised by young David’s brave\nstance, agreed: “My brave soldier, if you are willing, then may\nAllah guard you and grant you strength!”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nThe\nking dressed David in battle armor and handed him a sword, but David\nwas not used to wearing battle dress. He felt uncomfortable in it,\nand it obstructed his movements. He removed the armor, then collected\na few pebbles and filled his leather pouch with them. He slung it\nover his shoulder next to his sling. With his wooden staff in hand,\nhe began to walk towards the enemy. Saul was worried and asked him\nhow on earth, with a sling and a couple of stones was he going to\ndefend himself against the giant? David replied: “Allah Who\nprotected me from the claws of the bear and the fangs of the lion\nwill certainly protect me from this brute!”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nWhen\nGoliath set eyes on the lean young man who looked like a boy, he\nlaughed loudly and roared: “Are you out to play war with one of\nyour playmates, or are you tired of your life? I will simply cut off\nyour head with one swipe of my sword!”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nDavid\nshouted back: “You may have armor, shield, and sword, but I face\nyou in the name of Allah, the Lord of the Israelites, Whose laws you\nhave mocked. Today you will see that it is not the sword that kills\nbut the will and power of Allah!”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nSo\nsaying, he took his sling and placed in it a pebble from his pouch.\nHe swung and aimed it at Goliath. The pebble shot from the whirling\nsling with the speed of an arrow and hit Goliath’s head with great\nforce. Blood gushed out, and Goliath thumped to the ground, lifeless,\nbefore he had a chance to draw his sword. When the rest of his men\nsaw their mighty hero slain, they took to their heels. The Israelites\nfollowed in hot pursuit, taking revenge for their years of suffering\nat the hands of their enemy, killing every soldier they could lay\nhands on. In this battle the Israelites regained the glory and honor\nthat had been lost for a long time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nDavid\nbecame a hero overnight. Saul kept his word and married his daughter\nMichal (Miqel) to the young warrior and took him under his wing as\none of his chief advisors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nAlmighty\nAllah declared: So\nthey routed them by Allah’s Leave and David killed Goliath, and Allah\ngave him (David) the kingdom (after the death of Saul and Samuel) and\nwisdom, and taught him of that which He willed. And if Allah did not\ncheck one set of people by means of another, the earth would indeed\nbe full of mischief. But Allah is full of Bounty to the Alamin\n(mankind, jinns and all that exist). (Ch 2:251 Quran).<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \nDavid\nbecame the most famous man among the Israelites. However, he was not\ninveigled by this; he was not a prisoner of fame or leadership but a\nprisoner of Allah’s love.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \nTherefore,\nafter killing Goliath he went out into the desert in the company of\nnature, glorifying Almighty Allah and contemplating His favors.\nVerily, We made the mountains to glorify Our Praises with him (David)\nin the Ashi (after the mid-day till sunset) and Ishraq (after the\nsunrise till mid-day). And (so did) the birds assembled: all with him\n(David) did turn (to Allah, glorified His Praises). We made his\nkingdom strong and gave him wisdom and sound judgment in speech and\ndecision. (Ch 38:18-20 Quran)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \nCreatures\nsuch as the plants, birds, beasts, and even the mountains responded\nto his voice glorifying Allah. Allah had chosen David to be a prophet\nand revealed the Psalms to him. As He the Almighty said: And\nto David We gave the Psalms. (Ch 17:55 Quran).<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \nDavid\nrecited his scripture and glorified Allah while the mountains joined\nhim praise and the birds rallied around him. Almighty Allah directed:\nBe\npatient (O Muhammad) of what they say, and remember Our slave David,\nendured with power. Verily, he was ever oft-returning in all matters\nand in repentance toward Allah. (Ch 38:17 Quran).<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \nDavid’s\nsincerity was not the only factor responsible for the birds and\nbeasts joining with him in glorifying Allah, nor was the sweetness of\nhis voice. IT was a miracle from Allah. This was not his only\nmiracle, for Allah also endowed him with the faculty of understanding\nthe languages of birds and animals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \nDavid\n(pbuh) fasted every other day. Abdullah Ibn Amr Ibn Al-As narrated:\nAllah’s Apostle (pbuh) said to me: “The most beloved fasting to\nAllah was the fasting of the Prophet David, who used to fast\nalternate days. And the most beloved prayer to Allah was the prayer\nof David, who used to sleep the first half of the night, and pray for\none third of it and again sleep for a sixth of it.'” (Sahih\nAl-Bukhari).<\/p>\n\n\n\n \nAbdullah\nIbn Amr Ibn Al-As also narrated: “The Prophet (pbuh) said to me:\n‘I have been informed that you pray all the nights and observe fast\nall the days; is this true?’ I replied: ‘Yes.’ He said: ‘If you do\nso, your eyes will be weak and you will get bored. So fast three days\na month, for this will be the fasting of a whole year. (Or equal to\nthe fasting of a whole year).’ I said: ‘I find myself able to fast\nmore.’ He said: ‘Then fast like the fasting of (the Prophet) David\n(pbuh) who used to fast on alternate days and would not flee on\nfacing the enemy.'” (Sahih Al-Bukhari)<\/p>\n\n\n\n \nAllah\ngranted David great influence. His people had a great number of wars\nin their time, but they had a problem in that the iron armor was too\nheavy for the fighter to move and fight as he wished. It is said that\nDavid was sitting one day, contemplating this problem while toying\nwith a piece of iron. Suddenly, he found his hand sinking in the\niron. Almighty Allah had made it flexible for him: And\nWe made the iron soft for him. (Ch 34:10 Quran)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \nThe\npeople praised and loved David. However, the hearts of men are fickle\nand their memories short. Even great men can feel insecure and become\npetty-minded. One day David found Saul in a worried state. He sensed\nsomething strange in Saul’s attitude towards him. That night, when he\nshared his feeling with his wife, she started to weep bitterly and\nsaid: “O David, I will never keep any secrets from you.”\nShe told him that her father had become jealous of his popularity and\nfeared that he would lose his kingdom to him. She advised him to be\non his guard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \nThis\ninformation shocked David very much. He prayed and hoped that Saul’s\ngood nature would overcome the darker side of his character. The\nfollowing day, Saul summoned David to inform him that Canaan had\ngathered its forces and would march on the kingdom. He ordered David\nto advance on them with the army and not to return unless victory was\ngained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \nDavid\nsensed that this was an excuse to get rid of him; either the enemy\nwould kill him, or in the thick of battle, Saul’s henchmen might stab\nhim in the back. Yet he hastened with his troops to meet the army of\nCanaan. They fought the Canaanites brav, without thinking of their\nown safety. Allah granted them victory, and David lived to return to\nSaul.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \nUnfortunately,\nthis only increased Saul’s fear, so he plotted to kill David. Such is\njealousy that not even a daughter’s well-being mattered. Michal\nlearned of her father’s plan and hurried to warn her husband. David\ngathered some food and things, mounted his camel and fled. He found a\ncave in which he remained hidden for many days. After a time, David’s\nbrothers and some citizens joined forces with him. Saul’s position\nbecame very weak, for he began to rule with a heavy hand. He\nill-treated the learned, tortured the reciters of the Talmud, and\nterrorized his soldiers. This worsened his position, and his subjects\nbegan to turn against him. He decided to go war against David.\nHearing this news, David marched to confront Saul’s army.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \nThe\nking’s army had traveled a great distance and was overcome by\nfatigue, so they decided to rest in a valley, where they fell asleep.\nQuietly, David crept up to the sleeping Saul, removed his spear, and\ncut off a piece of his garment with the sword. David then awakened\nthe king and told him: “Oh king, you come out seeking me, but I\ndo not hate you, and I do not want to kill you. If I did, I would\nhave killed you when you were asleep. Here is a piece of your\ngarment. I could have hacked your neck instead, but I did not. My\nmission is that of love, not malice.” The king realized his\nmistake and begged for forgiveness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \nTime\npassed and Saul was killed in a battle in which David did not take\npart. David succeeded Saul, for the people remembered what he had\ndone for them and elected him king. So it was that David the Prophet\nwas also a king. Allah strengthened the dominion of David and made\nhim victorious. His kingdom was strong and great; his enemies feared\nhim without engaging in war with him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \nDavid\nhad a son named Solomon (Sulaiman), who was intelligent and wise from\nchildhood. When the following story took place, Solomon was eleven\nyears old.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \nOne\nday David, was sitting, as usual, solving the problems of his people\nwhen two men, one of whom had a field, came to him. The owner of the\nfield said: “O dear Prophet! This man’s sheep came to my field\nat night and ate up the grapes and I have come to ask for\ncompensation.” David asked the owner of the sheep: “Is this\ntrue?” He said: “Yes, sir.” David said: “I have\ndecided that you give him your sheep in exchange for the field.”\nSolomon, to whom Allah had given wisdom in addition to what he had\ninherited from his father, spoke up: “I have another opinion.\nThe owner of the sheep should take the field to cultivate until the\ngrapes grow, while the other man should take the sheep and make use\nof their wool and milk until his field is repaired. If the grapes\ngrow, and the field returns to its former state, then the field owner\nshould take his field and give back the sheep to their owner.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n \nDavid\nresponded: “This is a sound judgment. Praise be to Allah for\ngifting you with wisdom. You are truly Solomon the Wise.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n \nProphet\nDavid was a just and righteous ruler who brought peace and prosperity\nto his people, and whom Allah honored as a messenger. He delivered\nAllah’s message to the people through the precious gift of his\nmelodious voice. When he recited the Psalms (Zaboor), it was as if\nthe rest of creation chanted with him; people listened as if in a\ntrance. The messages David delivered are famous and well remembered.\nThey are known in the Bible as the Psalms or Songs of David. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n \nDavid\ndivided his working day into four parts: one to earn a living and to\nrest, one to pray to his Lord, one to listen to the complaints of his\npeople, and the last part to deliver his sermons. He also appointed\ndeputies to listen to his subjects’ complaints so that in his absence\npeople’s problems might not be neglected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \nAlthough\na king, he did not live on the income of his kingdom. Being\nwell-experienced in the craft of weapon-making, he made and sold\nweapons and lived on that income.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \nOne\nday, as David was praying in his prayer niche, he ordered his guards\nnot to allow anyone to interrupt him, but two men managed to enter\nand disturb him. “Who are you?” he asked. One of the men\nsaid: “Do not be frightened. We have a dispute and have come for\nyour judgment.” David said: “What is it?” The first\nman said: “This is my brother, has ninety nine sheep, and I have\none. He gave it to me but took it back.” David, without hearing\nfrom the other party said: “He did you wrong by taking the sheep\nback, and many partners oppress one another, except for those who are\nbelievers.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n \nThe\ntwo men vanished like a cloud, and David realized that they were two\nangels sent to him to teach him a lesson. He should not have passed a\njudgment without hearing from the opposing party.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \nAlmighty\nAllah told us of this incident: And\nhas the news of the litigants reached you? When they climbed over the\nwall into (his) Mihrab (a praying place or a private room). When they\nentered in upon David, he was terrified of them, they said: Fear not!\n(We are) two litigants, one of whom has wronged the other; therefore\njudge between us with truth, and treat us not with injustice, and\nguide us to the Right Way.”<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \n“Verily,\nthis is my brother (in religion) has ninety nine ewes, while I have\nonly one ewe, and he says: ‘Hand it over to me,’ and he overpowered\nme in speech.”<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \nDavid\nsaid immediately without listening to the opponent: “He has\nwronged you in demanding your ewe in addition to his ewes. And,\nverily, many partners oppress one another, except those who believe\nand do righteous good deeds, and they are few.”<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \nAnd\nDavid guessed that We have tried him and he sought Forgiveness of his\nLord, and he fell down prostrate and turned to Allah in repentance.\nSo We forgave him that, and verily, for him is a near access to Us,\nand as good place of final return Paradise.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \nO\nDavid! Verily! We have placed you as a successor on earth, so judge\nyou between men in truth and justice. And follow not your desire for\nit will mislead you from the Path of Allah. Verily! Those who wander\nastray from the Path of Allah shall have a severe torment, because\nthey forgot the Day of Reckoning. (Ch 38:21-26 Quran).<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \nDavid\nworshipped Allah, glorified Him and sang His praise until he died.\nAccording to traditions, David died suddenly and was mourned by four\nthousand priests as well as thousands of people. It was so hot that\npeople suffered from the intensity of the sun. Solomon called the\nbirds to protect David and the people from the sun, and they did so\nuntil he was buried. This was the first sign of his dominion to be\nwitnessed by the people.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" When the two armies faced each other, Goliath challenged any soldier from King Saul’s army to single combat, as was the custom of battle in those days. Goliath also wanted to show off his strength. The men were terrorized, and no one had enough courage to volunteer. The king offered the hand of his pretty […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[84],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1905","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-prophets"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/syahadah.laailahaillallah.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1905","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/syahadah.laailahaillallah.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/syahadah.laailahaillallah.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/syahadah.laailahaillallah.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/syahadah.laailahaillallah.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1905"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/syahadah.laailahaillallah.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1905\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1906,"href":"https:\/\/syahadah.laailahaillallah.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1905\/revisions\/1906"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/syahadah.laailahaillallah.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1905"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/syahadah.laailahaillallah.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1905"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/syahadah.laailahaillallah.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1905"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}