David in Islam
Dawud (Arabic: دَاوُوْد, romanized: Dāwūd [daːwuːd]), or David, is considered a prophet and messenger of God (Allah) in Islam, as well as a righteous, divinely-anointed monarch of the United Kingdom of Israel.[1] Additionally, Muslims also honor David for having received the divine revelation of the Zabur (Psalms).[2][3]
10th century BCE
9th century BCE
Defeating Jalut; being the King of Israel; receiving the Zabur; prophesying to and warning Israel; being highly gifted musically and vocally
Dawud is considered one of the most important people in Islam. Mentioned sixteen times in the Quran, David appears in the Islamic scripture as a link in the chain of prophets who preceded Muhammad.[4] 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.[2] In later Islamic traditions, he is praised for his rigor in prayer and fasting. 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 of Islamic Jerusalem.[1] Dawud is known as biblical David who was, according to the Hebrew Bible, the second king of the United Kingdom of Israel and Judah, reigning c. 1010–970 BCE.
Narrative in the Quran[edit]
David's narrative in the Quran, in many respects, parallels that given in the Bible. He is named a prophet (nabī) and also a messenger (rasūl), David is included in lists of those who received revelation (waḥy; Q4:163) or guidance (hudā; 6:84) from God. In both lists his name appears next to that of his son Solomon. 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 killed Goliath (2:251) and received a divine revelation named "the Psalms"[5] (Quran 17:55 uses an indefinite form, while 21:105 uses the definite form al-Zabūr),[5] presumably a reference to the Psalms or the Psalter (the term Zabūr is perhaps related to the Hebrew term mizmōr or Syriac mazmūrā, "psalm"). The mountains and the birds praised God along with David (21:79; in 34:10 God commands them to do so; cfr. Psalm 148:7–10). God made David a "vicegerent" (khalīfa; 38:26), a title that the Quran otherwise gives only to Adam (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.[1] This role is also suggested by 2:251: "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."[2]
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.[6] 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"[7] 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.[8]