read

Surah Saad (Sad) Section 2 - God’s Blessings On David

  • David blessed with Wisdom as well as with physical strength

  • Warning to those who follow their vain desires going astray from God’s way

Surah Saad (Sad) Verses 15 – 26

وَمَا يَنظُرُ هَـٰٓؤُلَآءِ إِلَّا صَيْحَةً وَٰحِدَةً مَّا لَهَا مِن فَوَاقٍ

And wait not these (infidels) but a single (Trumpet) blast, there shall be no delaying1it. (38:15)2

وَقَالُوا۟ رَبَّنَا عَجِّل لَّنَا قِطَّنَا قَبْلَ يَوْمِ ٱلْحِسَابِ

And (yet) they (dare to) say: “O’ Our Lord! hasten on unto us our lot before the Day of Reckoning” (38:16)

ٱصْبِرْ عَلَىٰ مَا يَقُولُونَ وَٱذْكُرْ عَبْدَنَا دَاوُۥدَ ذَا ٱلْأَيْدِ إِنَّهُۥٓ أَوَّابٌ

Bear (thou) with patience what they say, and remember Our servant David, (who was blessed by Us) with the strength of hand, (and yet) verily he (was the one who) Oft-turned (unto Us in patience). (38:17)3

إِنَّا سَخَّرْنَا ٱلْجِبَالَ مَعَهُۥ يُسَبِّحْنَ بِٱلْعَشِىِّ وَٱلْإِشْرَاقِ

Verily, We did subject the mountains to join with him in the hymns (of their Lord) at the night-fall and at sunrise, (38:18)4

وَٱلطَّيْرَ مَحْشُورَةً كُلٌّ لَّهُۥٓ أَوَّابٌ

And the birds assembled together (to sing the hymns unto their Lord) and were unto him5obedient. (38:19)6

وَشَدَدْنَا مُلْكَهُۥ وَءَاتَيْنَـٰهُ ٱلْحِكْمَةَ وَفَصْلَ ٱلْخِطَابِ

And made We strong his kingdom and bestowed We on him wisdom, and the clear (power of) judgment. (38:20)

وَهَلْ أَتَىٰكَ نَبَؤُا۟ ٱلْخَصْمِ إِذْ تَسَوَّرُوا۟ ٱلْمِحْرَابَ

And hath the story of the litigants come unto thee? when they climbed the wall into the prayer room? (38:21)

إِذْ دَخَلُوا۟ عَلَىٰ دَاوُۥدَ فَفَزِعَ مِنْهُمْ قَالُوا۟ لَا تَخَفْ خَصْمَانِ بَغَىٰ بَعْضُنَا عَلَىٰ بَعْضٍ فَٱحْكُم بَيْنَنَا بِٱلْحَقِّ وَلَا تُشْطِطْ وَٱهْدِنَآ إِلَىٰ سَوَآءِ ٱلصِّرَٰطِ

When entered they upon David and he was frightened7of them, said they: “Fear8(thou) not, (we are) two litigants, one of us hath exceeded against the other, so decide thou between us with justice, and act not unjustly, and guide us unto the right way.” (38:22)

إِنَّ هَـٰذَآ أَخِى لَهُۥ تِسْعٌ وَتِسْعُونَ نَعْجَةً وَلِىَ نَعْجَةٌ وَٰحِدَةٌ فَقَالَ أَكْفِلْنِيهَا وَعَزَّنِى فِى ٱلْخِطَابِ

“Verily, this my brother; he hath ninety and nine ewes and for me is but a single ewe;” but said he, “Make me the owner of that (also), and hath prevailed over me in arguing” (38:23)

قَالَ لَقَدْ ظَلَمَكَ بِسُؤَالِ نَعْجَتِكَ إِلَىٰ نِعَاجِهِۦ وَإِنَّ كَثِيرًا مِّنَ ٱلْخُلَطَآءِ لَيَبْغِى بَعْضُهُمْ عَلَىٰ بَعْضٍ إِلَّا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَعَمِلُوا۟ ٱلصَّـٰلِحَـٰتِ وَقَلِيلٌ مَّا هُمْ وَظَنَّ دَاوُۥدُ أَنَّمَا فَتَنَّـٰهُ فَٱسْتَغْفَرَ رَبَّهُۥ وَخَرَّ رَاكِعًا وَأَنَابَ

Said (David): “Indeed hath he been unjust unto thee in demanding thine ewe to add her to his own ewes: Verily many of the associates act wrongfully unto one another, save those who believe and do good deeds, and few are they!” And David perceived that We9had tried him: so asked he the forgiveness of his Lord, and he fell down bowing and oft-turning himself (unto Us). (38:24)10

فَغَفَرْنَا لَهُۥ ذَٰلِكَ وَإِنَّ لَهُۥ عِندَنَا لَزُلْفَىٰ وَحُسْنَ مَـَٔابٍ

So We forgave him that (lapse), and verily for him with Us is a near approach, and an excellent resort. (38:25)

يَـٰدَاوُۥدُ إِنَّا جَعَلْنَـٰكَ خَلِيفَةً فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ فَٱحْكُم بَيْنَ ٱلنَّاسِ بِٱلْحَقِّ وَلَا تَتَّبِعِ ٱلْهَوَىٰ فَيُضِلَّكَ عَن سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ يَضِلُّونَ عَن سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ لَهُمْ عَذَابٌ شَدِيدٌۢ بِمَا نَسُوا۟ يَوْمَ ٱلْحِسَابِ

“O’ David! Verily We have appointed thee a vicegerent in the earth, so judge thou between the people with justice and follow not vain desires, lest it should take thee astray from the Way of God; for them shall be a severe chastisement for forgot they the Day of Reckoning.” (38:26)11

Commentary

Verse 16

May refer to what the disbelievers used to say in mockery. (A.P.).

Verse 20

Two Israelites came to David disputing about a cow. David demanded witnesses from the plaintiff but the plaintiff could not produce them. David asked the disputants to come to him the next day. At night in a dream David was commanded to slay the defendant, but since the crime was not proved by any evidence, he did not execute the decree and yet delayed the decision. When for three consecutive nights David had the same dream, David ordered the defendant to be executed. The defendant pleaded asking the grounds on which the sentence was passed. David replied that he had been commanded by God through dreams consecutively for three nights.

When the defendant got sure of his death and helplessly confessed that he slew the plaintiff’s father and possessed the cow, the Israelites got very much frightened at David’s getting the true visions and thus remained quiet and peaceful in the land, always fearing David’s getting the knowledge of even the hidden and the concealed secrets. Thus, the authority of David in his Kingdom was firmly established by God.

Verses 21 - 22

Oriya the brother of David had asked for the hand of a woman in marriage to him. The match was fixed but at the last moment the guardians of the woman decided not to give her to Oriya and the match was consequently dissolved. David sent his message for the woman, and her guardians influenced by David’s position as the king, gave her away to him in marriage. David had already 99 wives, and this woman added, the number was a complete 100. Oriya was hurt. David ought to have chosen the course preferable for him, i.e., to have used his good services and dominant influence to have somehow brought reconciliation between the girl’s party and Oriya and got the woman married to his brother Oriya.

What David did, was not a sin but Oriya wanted him to act otherwise as a brother and also as the ruler or the father of the people. God sent two angels in the form of human beings to David and when they approached the gates of David’s residence, the sentries said that it was the Day of Prayer for David and they could come the next day. David had set apart certain days in the week for attending the court of justice and for other works. On the day, fixed for prayer, he used to shut himself into a guarded chamber and none would be allowed to have any approach to him to disturb him. The angels finding the sentries adamantly preventing their entry into the premises, scaled the walls and entered into David’s private chamber and presented their case, demanding strict justice from him in this matter.

Verse 23

The angels in human forms said that one of them already had ninety-nine sheep and the other had only one, but the one who had 99 wanted to have the only one also which the other one had.

Verse 24

David decreed that the demand was unjust. The disputants disappeared. David understood that they were angels sent to him by God to prove his indiscretion. It is said that David lay prostrating for 40 days praying to God for being forgiven and God granted his pardon to him.

There are several other versions about David which are impossible to have ever taken place and the Holy Imam Ali Ibn Abi Talib said that if any one suspects David of any impurity of intention with regard to the wife of Oriya, Ali would execute two decrees against him - one on behalf of David’s apostleship, for an apostle of God is free from such sinful weaknesses and the other decree on behalf of Islam, i.e., the man being a Muslim has coined a blasphemy.

This was a mere test in which David’s shortcoming was only that before listening to the defendant, he gave his verdict on the basis of the analogy and immediately he himself felt that it was a heavenly trial. (A.P.).

Verse 26

See verse 2:30.

It is obvious that David as represented in the Biblical story of the wife of Oriya, does not agree to his divine position as the Vicegerent of God on earth. (A.P.).

  • SHARES
  • 211 views