he was also their king. The Holy Qur'an affirms:
"...And Allah gave him the kingdom! and wisdom and taught him of that
which He willed...." ( Surah 2: Verse 251).
"(And it was said unto him) O' Dawood! Lo! We have set you as a
vicegerent in the earth, therefore, judge aright between mankind and
follow not desire." ( Surah 38: Verse 26)
The Prophet Dawood (peace be upon him) had an ancestral link with the
Prophet Ya'qub (peace be upon him). He lived in Bait-ul-Lahm which was
situated at the distance of ten miles from Jerusalem. The Prophet
Dawood (peace be upon him) was the youngest of his eight brothers. The
Prophet Samuel (peace be upon him) had received an indication that the
Prophet Dawood (peace be upon him) would become king after Jalut
(Goliath). He went to Baitul-Lahm to cast a glance at Prophet Dawood
(peace be upon him). He was much impressed at his attractive and
angelic sight.
The Prophet Dawood Adopts the Companionship of Talut
According to the Torah, Talut (Saul) was in quest of a man who could
play on a harp. As the Prophet Dawood (peace be upon him) was well
versed in this art, he was asked to come to Talut and stay with him.
The Prophet Dawood (peace be upon him) passed most of the time in the
companionship of his master and visited his father off and on. He
helped him intending the sheep. Thus he got an opportunity to hunt
wild beasts. The Holy Qur'an, makes mention of Prophet Dawood (peace
be upon him) at many places.
Heroic Deeds of Prophet Dawood
The Bible relates an incident which throws a light on the heroic deeds
of Prophet Dawood (peace be upon him). Once a war broke out between
theIsraelites and the Philistines. The army of the Philistines was
commanded byJalutwho was a man of lofty stature. He put on a shining
armour. The Israelites were overawed to see Jalut's army which was
well accoutered. He called out his opponents to combat but none of the
Israelites had the courage to accept the challenge.
He declared: In case any one of the Israelites overpowered me, I would
surrender to him but if I gained the upper hand, the opponents would
have to become under the sway of the servitude of the Philistines. The
Israelites were terror-stricken. They had lost their courage and self
respect.
The Prophet could not bear this disgrace. So he decided to face Jalut
for thesake of truth, honour and dignity. The king Talut advised him
to refrain from fighting with an experienced warrior. The Prophet
Dawood (peace be upon him) did not budge an inch from his decision. He
took his cudgel and proceeded towards the battle-field to fight with
Jalut.
When they faced each other, Jalut disdained his adversary and cursed
him by taking the name of some deities. He threatened Talut that his
flesh would be thrown before the wild beasts and birds. The Prophet
Dawood (peace be upon him) did not care for such warnings and marched
forward. He prayed:
"Our Lord! Pour out constancy on us and make our steps firm and help
us against those who are disbelievers." ( Surah 2: Verse 250)
By God's will Jalut was killed by Prophet Dawood (peace be upon him)
and his army was put to rout. The Philistines took to their heels. The
Israelites chased them and came by an enormous booty. The Prophet
Dawood (peace be upon him)won a good deal of appreciation and
popularitybecause herescued his peoplefrom those grave dangers which
prevailed over them.
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