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Thursday 22 September 2011

Prophet Daud a.s.Messenger,King,Warrior,Lawgive,Leader:Defeating Goliath,Being King of Israel given Zaboor Children Solomon a.s


Prophet Daud a.s.Messenger,King,Warrior,Lawgive,Leader:Defeating Goliath,Being King of Israel given Zaboor Children Solomon a.s

by Mohammed Arshad Dehlvi on Tuesday, 25 January 2011 at 15:56
Prophet Daud a.s.

David (Arabic: داود, Daud or Dawood; meaning Beloved‎) (circa 1043 BC - 937 BC?) is known as an appointed prophet, messenger ("Rasul"), and lawgiver of God, and was 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.

King Saul set forth with his armies to fight the Philistines. 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 the courageous and wise youth David.

Daud a.s. is made the King of Israel

A Bible illustration, picturing David being anointed as King by the prophet Samuel
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 sling-shot led to the defeat - and death - of Goliath. The young warrior picked up some smooth pebbles from the ground and used his sling to such startling effect that he knocked down Goliath. He then used the giant's very own sword to slay him.

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:
By the will of God they defeated them, and David killed Goliath, and God gave him kingship and wisdom, and taught him whatsoever He pleased. If God did not make men deter one another this earth would indeed be depraved. But gracious is God to the people of the world.
—Qur'an, Sura 2 (Al-Baqara), ayah 251[6]

 Teaching of the making of armor
Islamic belief holds that God taught David the making of armour. God 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.
God says in the Qur'an:
We favoured David with excellence, (and commanded): "O mountains and birds, glorify the greatness of God with him." And We made iron pliable for him.
"Make long coats of mail," (We said), "and fix their links, and do the right. I surely see whatsoever you do."
—Qur'an, sura 34 (Saba), ayat 10-11[7]
 David's remembrance of God

An imagining of Prophet David by Nikolaos Doxaras
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'an mentions David's praise of God:
Bear with patience what they say, and remember Our votary David, man of strength. He surely turned to Us in penitence.
We subjugated the chiefs (of tribes) to struggle day and night with him,
And the levied birds. They were all obedient to him.
—Qur'an, sura 38 (Sad), ayat 17-19[9]
 The disputants
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 apparition. 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, the men subsequently disappeared. David immediately realized that this whole vision was a test to see his wisdom and he fell down in prostration, praising God.

The Book of David
Main article: Holy book Zabur
The Zabur 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 s.a.w.s.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:
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.
—Qur'an, sura 17 (Al-Isra), ayah 55[12]
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 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 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 Sulayman a.s.(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:
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.
—Qur'an, sura 6 (Al-An'am), ayah 84[13]
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.
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