Prophethood & Kingship
38:17: "Be patient over what they say and remember Our servant, David, the possessor of strength; indeed, he was one who repeatedly turned back [to Allah]."
38:20: "And We strengthened his kingdom and gave him wisdom and discernment in speech."
38:26: "O David, indeed We have made you a vicegerent upon the earth, so judge between the people in truth and do not follow [personal] desire, lest it lead you astray from the way of Allah."
Wisdom & Judgement
38:21-26: "And has there come to you the news of the adversaries, when they climbed over the wall of [his] prayer chamber? When they entered upon David and he was alarmed by them? They said, 'Fear not. [We are] two adversaries, one of whom has wronged the other, so judge between us with truth and do not exceed [it] and guide us to the sound path. Indeed, this, my brother, has ninety-nine ewes, and I have one ewe; so he said, "Entrust her to me," and he overpowered me in speech.' [David] said, 'He has certainly wronged you in demanding your ewe [in addition] to his ewes. And indeed, many associates oppress one another, except for those who believe and do righteous deeds – and few are they.' And David became certain that We had tried him, and he asked forgiveness of his Lord and fell down bowing [in prostration] and turned in repentance [to Allah]. So We forgave him that; and indeed, for him is nearness to Us and a good place of return. O David, indeed We have made you a vicegerent upon the earth, so judge between the people in truth and do not follow [personal] desire, lest it lead you astray from the way of Allah."
21:78-79: "And [mention] David and Solomon, when they judged concerning the field – when the sheep of a people overran it [at night], and We were witness to their judgement. And We gave understanding of it [the case] to Solomon, and to each [of them] We gave judgement and knowledge."
Revelation of Zabur
17:55: "And your Lord is most knowing of whoever is in the heavens and the earth. And We have made some of the prophets exceed others [in various ways], and to David We gave the Zabur."
Worship & Devotion
38:17-19: "Be patient over what they say and remember Our servant, David, the possessor of strength; indeed, he was one who repeatedly turned back [to Allah]. Indeed, We subjected the mountains to exalt [Us] with him at evening and sunrise. And the birds were assembled, all with him repeating [praises]."
38:30: "And to David We gave Solomon. How excellent a servant! Indeed, he was one repeatedly turning back [to Allah]."
Miracles & Bounties
34:10-11: "And We certainly gave David from Us bounty. [We said], 'O mountains, repeat [Our] praises with him, and the birds [as well].' And We made pliable for him iron, [Commanding], 'Make full coats of mail and calculate [precisely] the links, and work, [O family of David], righteousness. Indeed I, of what you do, am Seeing.'"
21:79: "And We gave understanding of it [the case] to Solomon, and to each [of them] We gave judgement and knowledge. And We subjected the mountains to exalt [Us] with David, and the birds. And We were the doers [of that]."
Character & Repentance
38:24-25: "[David] said, 'He has certainly wronged you in demanding your ewe [in addition] to his ewes. And indeed, many associates oppress one another, except for those who believe and do righteous deeds – and few are they.' And David became certain that We had tried him, and he asked forgiveness of his Lord and fell down bowing [in prostration] and turned in repentance [to Allah]. So We forgave him that; and indeed, for him is nearness to Us and a good place of return."
Battle with Goliath
2:251: "So they defeated them by permission of Allah, and David killed Goliath, and Allah gave him the kingship and wisdom and taught him from that which He willed."
## 1. Direct Mentions of David (Dawud)
- **Al-Baqarah 2:251**
“So they defeated them by permission of Allah, and David killed Goliath, and Allah gave him the kingship and prophethood and taught him from that which He willed. And if it were not for Allah checking [some] people by means of others, the earth would have been corrupted, but Allah is full of bounty to the worlds.”
- **An-Nisa' 4:163**
“Indeed, We have revealed to you, [O Muhammad], as We revealed to Noah and the prophets after him. And we revealed to Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, the Descendants, Jesus, Job, Jonah, Aaron, and Solomon, and to David We gave the book [of Psalms].”
- **Al-An'am 6:84**
“And We gave to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob - all [of them] We guided. And Noah, We guided before; and among his descendants, David and Solomon and Job and Joseph and Moses and Aaron. Thus do We reward the doers of good.”
- **Al-Isra' 17:55**
“And your Lord is most knowing of whoever is in the heavens and the earth. And We have made some of the prophets exceed others [in various ways], and to David We gave the book [of Psalms].”
- **Al-Anbiya' 21:78-80**
“And [mention] David and Solomon, when they judged concerning the field - when the sheep of a people overran it [at night], and We were witness to their judgement. And We gave understanding of it [i.e., the case] to Solomon, and to each [of them] We gave judgement and knowledge. And We subjected the mountains to exalt [Us], along with David and [also] the birds. And We were doing [that]. And We taught him the fashioning of coats of armor to protect you from your [enemy in] battle. So will you then be grateful?”
- **Sad 38:17–26**
“Be patient over what they say and remember Our servant, David, the possessor of strength; indeed, he was one who repeatedly turned back [to Allah]. Indeed, We subjected the mountains [to praise] with him, exalting [Allah] in the [late] afternoon and [after] sunrise. And the birds were assembled, all with him repeating [praises]. And We strengthened his kingdom and gave him wisdom and discernment in speech. And has there come to you the news of the adversaries, when they climbed over the wall of [his] prayer chamber - When they entered upon David and he was alarmed by them? They said, ‘Fear not. [We are] two adversaries, one of whom has wronged the other, so judge between us with truth and do not exceed [it] and guide us to the sound path. Indeed this, my brother, has ninety-nine ewes, and I have one ewe; so he said, "Entrust her to me," and he overpowered me in speech.’ [David] said, ‘He has certainly wronged you in demanding your ewe [in addition] to his ewes. And indeed, many associates oppress one another, except for those who believe and do righteous deeds - and few are they.’ And David became certain that We had tried him, and he asked forgiveness of his Lord and fell down bowing [in prostration] and turned in repentance [to Allah]. So We forgave him that; and indeed, for him is nearness to Us and a good place of return. [We said], ‘O David, indeed We have made you a successor upon the earth, so judge between the people in truth and do not follow [your own] desire, as it will lead you astray from the way of Allah.’ Indeed, those who go astray from the way of Allah will have a severe punishment for having forgotten the Day of Account.”
---
## 2. Indirect/Related Mentions (Contemporaries & Era)
### A. Solomon (Sulaiman: David’s son and successor)
- **Al-Anbiya' 21:78-82**
“And [mention] David and Solomon, when they judged concerning the field - when the sheep of a people overran it [at night], and We were witness to their judgement. And We gave understanding of it [i.e., the case] to Solomon, and to each [of them] We gave judgement and knowledge. And We subjected the mountains to exalt [Us], along with David and [also] the birds. And We were doing [that]. And We taught him the fashioning of coats of armor to protect you from your [enemy in] battle. So will you then be grateful? And to Solomon [We subjected] the wind, blowing forcefully, proceeding by his command toward the land which We had blessed. And We are ever, of all things, Knowing. And of the devils were those who dived for him and did work other than that. And We were of them a guardian.”
- **An-Naml 27:15–16**
“And We had certainly given to David and Solomon knowledge, and they said, ‘Praise [is due] to Allah, who has favored us over many of His believing servants.’ And Solomon inherited David. He said, ‘O people, we have been taught the language of birds, and we have been given from all things. Indeed, this is evident bounty.’”
- **Al-An'am 6:84**
“And We gave to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob - all [of them] We guided. And Noah, We guided before; and among his descendants, David and Solomon and Job and Joseph and Moses and Aaron. Thus do We reward the doers of good.”
- **Sad 38:30**
“And to David We gave Solomon. An excellent servant, indeed he was one repeatedly turning back [to Allah].”
### B. Goliath (Jalut) and Samuel (Prophet of Banu Israel)
- **Al-Baqarah 2:246–252**
“Have you not considered the assembly of the Children of Israel after [the time of] Moses when they said to a prophet of theirs, ‘Send to us a king, and we will fight in the way of Allah’? He said, ‘Would you perhaps refrain from fighting if fighting was prescribed for you?’ They said, ‘And why should we not fight in the cause of Allah when we have been driven out from our homes and from our children?’ But when fighting was prescribed for them, they turned away, except for a few of them. And Allah is Knowing of the wrongdoers. And their prophet said to them, ‘Indeed, Allah has sent to you Saul as a king.’ They said, ‘How can he have kingship over us while we are more worthy of kingship than him and he has not been given any measure of wealth?’ He said, ‘Indeed, Allah has chosen him over you and has increased him abundantly in knowledge and stature. And Allah gives His sovereignty to whom He wills. And Allah is all-Encompassing [in favor] and Knowing.’ And their prophet said to them, ‘Indeed, a sign of his kingship is that the chest will come to you in which is assurance from your Lord and a remnant of what the family of Moses and the family of Aaron had left, carried by the angels. Indeed in that is a sign for you, if you are believers.’ And when Saul went forth with the soldiers, he said, ‘Indeed, Allah will be testing you with a river. So whoever drinks from it is not of me, and whoever does not taste it is indeed of me, excepting one who takes [from it] in the hollow of his hand.’ But they drank from it, except a [very] few of them. Then when he had crossed it along with those who believed with him, they said, ‘There is no power for us today against Goliath and his soldiers.’ But those who were certain that they would meet Allah said, ‘How many a small company has overcome a large company by permission of Allah. And Allah is with the patient.’ And when they went forth to [face] Goliath and his soldiers, they said, ‘Our Lord, pour upon us patience and plant firmly our feet and give us victory over the disbelieving people.’ So they defeated them by permission of Allah, and David killed Goliath, and Allah gave him the kingship and prophethood and taught him from that which He willed. And if it were not for Allah checking [some] people by means of others, the earth would have been corrupted, but Allah is full of bounty to the worlds.”
### C. Chain Mail / Armor Making
- **Al-Anbiya' 21:80**
“And We taught him the fashioning of coats of armor to protect you from your [enemy in] battle. So will you then be grateful?”
- **Saba' 34:10–11**
“And We certainly gave David from Us bounty. [We said], ‘O mountains, repeat [Our] praises with him, and the birds [as well].’ And We made pliable for him iron, [Commanding him], ‘Make full coats of mail and calculate [precisely] the links, and work [all of you] righteousness. Indeed I, of what you do, am Seeing.’”
### D. Psalms (Zabur) & Recitation
- **Al-Isra' 17:55**
“And your Lord is most knowing of whoever is in the heavens and the earth. And We have made some of the prophets exceed others [in various ways], and to David We gave the book [of Psalms].”
- **Sad 38:17–20**
“Be patient over what they say and remember Our servant, David, the possessor of strength; indeed, he was one who repeatedly turned back [to Allah]. Indeed, We subjected the mountains [to praise] with him, exalting [Allah] in the [late] afternoon and [after] sunrise. And the birds were assembled, all with him repeating [praises]. And We strengthened his kingdom and gave him wisdom and discernment in speech.”
- **Saba' 34:10**
“And We certainly gave David from Us bounty. [We said], ‘O mountains, repeat [Our] praises with him, and the birds [as well].’ And We made pliable for him iron,”
---
## 3. All Verses in Sequential Order with Context
- **Al-Baqarah 2:246–251**
“Have you not considered the assembly of the Children of Israel after [the time of] Moses when they said to a prophet of theirs, ‘Send to us a king, and we will fight in the way of Allah’? He said, ‘Would you perhaps refrain from fighting if fighting was prescribed for you?’ They said, ‘And why should we not fight in the cause of Allah when we have been driven out from our homes and from our children?’ But when fighting was prescribed for them, they turned away, except for a few of them. And Allah is Knowing of the wrongdoers. And their prophet said to them, ‘Indeed, Allah has sent to you Saul as a king.’ They said, ‘How can he have kingship over us while we are more worthy of kingship than him and he has not been given any measure of wealth?’ He said, ‘Indeed, Allah has chosen him over you and has increased him abundantly in knowledge and stature. And Allah gives His sovereignty to whom He wills. And Allah is all-Encompassing [in favor] and Knowing.’ And their prophet said to them, ‘Indeed, a sign of his kingship is that the chest will come to you in which is assurance from your Lord and a remnant of what the family of Moses and the family of Aaron had left, carried by the angels. Indeed in that is a sign for you, if you are believers.’ And when Saul went forth with the soldiers, he said, ‘Indeed, Allah will be testing you with a river. So whoever drinks from it is not of me, and whoever does not taste it is indeed of me, excepting one who takes [from it] in the hollow of his hand.’ But they drank from it, except a [very] few of them. Then when he had crossed it along with those who believed with him, they said, ‘There is no power for us today against Goliath and his soldiers.’ But those who were certain that they would meet Allah said, ‘How many a small company has overcome a large company by permission of Allah. And Allah is with the patient.’ And when they went forth to [face] Goliath and his soldiers, they said, ‘Our Lord, pour upon us patience and plant firmly our feet and give us victory over the disbelieving people.’ So they defeated them by permission of Allah, and David killed Goliath, and Allah gave him the kingship and prophethood and taught him from that which He willed. And if it were not for Allah checking [some] people by means of others, the earth would have been corrupted, but Allah is full of bounty to the worlds.”
- **An-Nisa' 4:163**
“Indeed, We have revealed to you, [O Muhammad], as We revealed to Noah and the prophets after him. And we revealed to Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, the Descendants, Jesus, Job, Jonah, Aaron, and Solomon, and to David We gave the book [of Psalms].”
- **Al-An'am 6:84**
“And We gave to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob - all [of them] We guided. And Noah, We guided before; and among his descendants, David and Solomon and Job and Joseph and Moses and Aaron. Thus do We reward the doers of good.”
- **Al-Isra' 17:55**
“And your Lord is most knowing of whoever is in the heavens and the earth. And We have made some of the prophets exceed others [in various ways], and to David We gave the book [of Psalms].”
- **Al-Anbiya' 21:78–80**
“And [mention] David and Solomon, when they judged concerning the field - when the sheep of a people overran it [at night], and We were witness to their judgement. And We gave understanding of it [i.e., the case] to Solomon, and to each [of them] We gave judgement and knowledge. And We subjected the mountains to exalt [Us], along with David and [also] the birds. And We were doing [that]. And We taught him the fashioning of coats of armor to protect you from your [enemy in] battle. So will you then be grateful?”
- **Sad 38:17–26**
“Be patient over what they say and remember Our servant, David, the possessor of strength; indeed, he was one who repeatedly turned back [to Allah]. Indeed, We subjected the mountains [to praise] with him, exalting [Allah] in the [late] afternoon and [after] sunrise. And the birds were assembled, all with him repeating [praises]. And We strengthened his kingdom and gave him wisdom and discernment in speech. And has there come to you the news of the adversaries, when they climbed over the wall of [his] prayer chamber - When they entered upon David and he was alarmed by them? They said, ‘Fear not. [We are] two adversaries, one of whom has wronged the other, so judge between us with truth and do not exceed [it] and guide us to the sound path. Indeed this, my brother, has ninety-nine ewes, and I have one ewe; so he said, "Entrust her to me," and he overpowered me in speech.’ [David] said, ‘He has certainly wronged you in demanding your ewe [in addition] to his ewes. And indeed, many associates oppress one another, except for those who believe and do righteous deeds - and few are they.’ And David became certain that We had tried him, and he asked forgiveness of his Lord and fell down bowing [in prostration] and turned in repentance [to Allah]. So We forgave him that; and indeed, for him is nearness to Us and a good place of return. [We said], ‘O David, indeed We have made you a successor upon the earth, so judge between the people in truth and do not follow [your own] desire, as it will lead you astray from the way of Allah.’ Indeed, those who go astray from the way of Allah will have a severe punishment for having forgotten the Day of Account.”
- **Saba' 34:10–11**
“And We certainly gave David from Us bounty. [We said], ‘O mountains, repeat [Our] praises with him, and the birds [as well].’ And We made pliable for him iron, [Commanding him], ‘Make full coats of mail and calculate [precisely] the links, and work [all of you] righteousness. Indeed I, of what you do, am Seeing.’”
- **An-Naml 27:15–16**
“And We had certainly given to David and Solomon knowledge, and they said, ‘Praise [is due] to Allah, who has favored us over many of His believing servants.’ And Solomon inherited David. He said, ‘O people, we have been taught the language of birds, and we have been given from all things. Indeed, this is evident bounty.’”
Footnote:
Parable (2 Samuel 12:1–7):
Nathan said to David:
“There were two men in a city, one rich and the other poor. The rich man had exceedingly many flocks and herds. But the poor man had nothing, except one little ewe lamb which he had bought and nourished; and it grew up together with him and with his children. It ate of his own food and drank from his own cup and lay in his bosom; and it was like a daughter to him.
And a traveler came to the rich man, who refused to take from his own flock and from his own herd to prepare one for the wayfaring man who had come to him; but he took the poor man’s lamb and prepared it for the man who had come to him.”
So David’s anger was greatly aroused and he said to Nathan, “As the Lord lives, the man who has done this shall surely die! And he shall restore fourfold for the lamb, because he did this thing and because he had no pity.”
Then Nathan said to David, “You are the man!”
Explanation:
- Moral Purpose: Nathan’s parable was a way to make David realize his serious error in taking Bathsheba (the wife of Uriah) and causing Uriah’s death.
- The rich man = David, who took another man’s (Uriah’s) “little ewe lamb” (his only wife).
- The poor man = Uriah.
- The parable draws a strong response from David, before Nathan reveals its symbolic meaning.