David became the most famous man among the Israelites. However, he was not inveigled by this;
he was not a prisoner of fame or leadership but a prisoner of Allah’s love.
Therefore, after killing Goliath he went out into the desert in the company of nature, glorifying
Almighty Allah and contemplating His favors.
“Verily, We made the mountains to glorify Our Praises with him (David) in the Ashi (after the
mid-day till sunset) and Ishraq (after the sunrise till mid-day). And (so did) the birds assembled:
all with him (David) did turn (to Allah, glorified His Praises). We made his kingdom strong and
gave him wisdom and sound judgment in speech and decision. (Ch 38:18-20 Quran)
Creatures such as the plants, birds, beasts, and even the mountains responded to his voice
glorifying Allah. Allah had chosen David to be a prophet and revealed the Psalms to him. As He
the Almighty said:
“And to David We gave the Psalms.” (Ch 17:55 Quran).
David is Granted the Language of Animals
David recited his scripture and glorified Allah while the mountains joined him praise and the birds
rallied around him. Almighty Allah directed:
Be patient (O Muhammad) of what they say, and remember Our slave David, endured with
power. Verily, he was ever oft-returning in all matters and in repentance toward Allah. (Ch
38:17 Quran).
David’s sincerity was not the only factor responsible for the birds and beasts joining with him in
glorifying Allah, nor was the sweetness of his voice. IT was a miracle from Allah. This was not his
only miracle, for Allah also endowed him with the faculty of understanding the languages of birds
and animals.
David’s Fasting and Praying
David (pbuh) fasted every other day. Abdullah Ibn Amr Ibn Al-As narrated: Allah’s Apostle
(pbuh) said to me:
“The most beloved fasting to Allah was the fasting of the Prophet David, who used to fast alternate days. And the most beloved prayer to Allah was the prayer of David, who used to sleep the first half of the night, and pray for one third of it and again sleep for a sixth of it.'” (Sahih Al-Bukhari).
Abdullah Ibn Amr Ibn Al-As also narrated:
“The Prophet (pbuh) said to me: ‘I have been informed that you pray all the nights and observe fast all the days; is this true?’ I replied: ‘Yes.’ He said: ‘If you do so, your eyes will be weak and you will get bored. So fast three days a month, for this will be the fasting of a whole year. (Or equal to the fasting of a whole year).’ I said: ‘I find myself able to fast more.’ He said: ‘Then fast like the fasting of (the Prophet) David (pbuh) who used to fast on alternate days and would not flee on facing the enemy.'” (Sahih Al-Bukhari)
Iron Becomes Flexible for David
Allah granted David great influence. His people had a great number of wars in their time, but they
had a problem in that the iron armor was too heavy for the fighter to move and fight as he wished.
It is said that David was sitting one day, contemplating this problem while toying with a piece of
iron. Suddenly, he found his hand sinking in the iron. Almighty Allah had made it flexible for him:
“And We made the iron soft for him.” (Ch 34:10 Quran)
Saul Becomes Jealous of David
The people praised and loved David. However, the hearts of men are fickle and their memories
short. Even great men can feel insecure and become petty-minded.
One day David found Saul in a worried state. He sensed something strange in Saul’s attitude towards him. That night, when he shared his feeling with his wife, she started to weep bitterly and said: “O David, I will never keep any secrets from you.
” She told him that her father had become jealous of his popularity and feared that he would lose his kingdom to him. She advised him to be on his guard.
This information shocked David very much. He prayed and hoped that Saul’s good nature would
overcome the darker side of his character.
The following day, Saul summoned David to inform him that Canaan had gathered its forces and would march on the kingdom. He ordered David to advance on them with the army and not to return unless victory was gained.
David sensed that this was an excuse to get rid of him; either the enemy would kill him, or in the
thick of battle, Saul’s henchmen might stab him in the back. Yet he hastened with his troops to
meet the army of Canaan. They fought the Canaanites brav, without thinking of their own safety.
Allah granted them victory, and David lived to return to Saul.
Saul Plots to Kill David
Unfortunately, this only increased Saul’s fear, so he plotted to kill David. Such is jealousy that not
even a daughter’s well-being mattered.
Michal learned of her father’s plan and hurried to warn her husband. David gathered some food and things, mounted his camel and fled. He found a cave in which he remained hidden for many days.
After a time, David’s brothers and some citizens joined forces with him. Saul’s position became
very weak, for he began to rule with a heavy hand.
He ill-treated the learned, tortured the reciters of the Talmud, and terrorized his soldiers. This worsened his position, and his subjects began to turn against him. He decided to go war against David. Hearing this news, David marched to confront Saul’s army.
David Forgives Saul
The king’s army had traveled a great distance and was overcome by fatigue, so they decided to
rest in a valley, where they fell asleep.
Quietly, David crept up to the sleeping Saul, removed his spear, and cut off a piece of his garment with the sword. David then awakened the king and told him: “Oh king, you come out seeking me, but I do not hate you, and I do not want to kill you.
If I did, I would have killed you when you were asleep. Here is a piece of your garment. I could have
hacked your neck instead, but I did not. My mission is that of love, not malice.” The king realized
his mistake and begged for forgiveness.
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