Surah Al-Anbiyaa (21) — Ayah 78

(Ayah 79,78) ➊ The meaning of {وَ دَاوٗدَ وَ سُلَيْمٰنَ اِذْ يَحْكُمٰنِ فِي الْحَرْثِ …: ’’ نَفَشَتْ ‘‘} is the spreading of animals in the field at night and eating its crops and plants. The word {’’ غَنَم‘‘} applies to both sheep and goats. In these verses, Allah Almighty has mentioned the blessings granted to Dawud and Sulaiman (peace be upon them). First, He mentioned the blessing that was granted to both and which is superior to all the blessings that came later, thus He said: «{ وَ كُلًّا اٰتَيْنَا حُكْمًا وَّ عِلْمًا » “Hukman”} means the power of judgment, and {’’ عِلْمًا ‘‘} means knowledge of the Shariah.

➋ The explanation of these verses has not come from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), but Ibn Jarir has narrated from Ibn Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said regarding this verse: [ كَرْمٌ قَدْ أَنْبَتَتْ عَنَاقِيْدُهُ فَأَفْسَدَتْهُ الْغَنَمُ قَالَ فَقَضَی دَاوٗدُ بِالْغَنَمِ لِصَاحِبِ الْكَرْمِ، فَقَالَ سُلَيْمَانُ غَيْرُ هٰذَا يَا نَبِيَّ اللّٰهِ ! قَالَ وَمَا ذٰلِكَ؟ قَالَ تَدْفَعُ الْكَرْمَ اِلٰي صَاحِبِ الْغَنَمِ فَيَقُوْمُ عَلَيْهِ حَتّٰی يَعُوْدَ كَمَا كَانَ وَتَدْفَعُ الْغَنَمَ اِلٰي صَاحِبِ الْكَرْمِ فَيُصِيْبَ مِنْهَا حَتّٰی إِذَا عَادَ الْكَرْمَ كَمَا كَانَ دَفَعْتَ الْكَرْمَ اِلٰی صَاحِبِهِ وَدَفَعْتَ الْغَنَمَ اِلٰی صَاحِبِهَا قَالَ اللّٰهُ عَزَّوَجَلَّ: «{ فَفَهَّمْنٰهَا سُلَيْمٰنَ وَ كُلًّا اٰتَيْنَا حُكْمًا وَّ عِلْمًا }» ] [ مستدرک : 588/2، ح : ۴۱۳۸ ] “These were grapevines whose clusters had come out, which the goats and goats had destroyed.” He says that Dawud (peace be upon him) judged that the goats and goats should be given to the owner of the grapevines, so Sulaiman (peace be upon him) said: “O Prophet of Allah! The judgment is something else.” He asked: “What is that?” He replied: “You should hand over the grapevines to the owner of the goats and goats, so that he may take care of them until they return to their former state, and the goats and goats should be handed over to the owner of the grapevines, so that he may benefit from them until the grapevines return to their original state. Then, when the grapevines return to their former state, you should return the grapevines to their owner and the goats and goats to their owner.” So Allah Almighty said: “So We made Sulaiman understand it, and We gave each of them judgment and knowledge.” Dr. Hikmat bin Basheer, the researcher of Ibn Kathir, said: “Al-Hakim narrated it and declared it Sahih, and Al-Dhahabi agreed with him. (In this chain, there is the tadlis of Abu Ishaq).” Dr. Hikmat bin Basheer writes: “Tabari has narrated the same statement of Mujahid with a Sahih chain, and the same statement of Qatadah and Ibn Zayd is also narrated with a Sahih chain in Musnad ‘Abd al-Razzaq.” Allah Almighty, mentioning this incident, said that We were present at the time of the judgment of Dawud and Sulaiman, meaning We have complete knowledge of every detail of it. Although Ibn Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him) did not explicitly state that he heard this explanation from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), the situation of the incident appears to be as he described. This is also because this incident is not mentioned in the Bible nor is it known in Jewish literature, and furthermore, Abdullah bin Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him) is not known for narrating Isra’iliyyat.

➌ The judgment of each of Dawud and Sulaiman (peace be upon them) was their own ijtihad, because if it had been by revelation, there would have been no room for another judgment after the judgment of Dawud (peace be upon him). The Prophets also perform ijtihad, but the difference between their ijtihad and that of others is that if there is any error in the ijtihad of the Prophets, Allah Almighty corrects it, as He corrected it here with the judgment of Sulaiman (peace be upon him), and as Allah Almighty said to our Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): «{ عَفَا اللّٰهُ عَنْكَ لِمَ اَذِنْتَ لَهُمْ }» [ التوبۃ : ۴۳ ] “Allah has forgiven you, why did you give them permission?” And He said: «{ يٰۤاَيُّهَا النَّبِيُّ لِمَ تُحَرِّمُ مَاۤ اَحَلَّ اللّٰهُ لَكَ }» [ التحریم : ۱ ] “O Prophet! Why do you make unlawful what Allah has made lawful for you?” If Allah Almighty remains silent on any matter, then it is due to His approval and it holds the status of revelation, and this is the meaning of Allah Almighty’s statement: «{ وَ مَا يَنْطِقُ عَنِ الْهَوٰى (3) اِنْ هُوَ اِلَّا وَحْيٌ يُّوْحٰى }» [ النجم : ۳، ۴ ]. Except for the Prophets (peace be upon them), the error of any mujtahid is not corrected by revelation, so their ijtihads are not a proof in Shariah.

➍ Issue: If someone’s animals graze in another’s field or garden during the day, there is no compensation upon the owner of the animals, but if they graze at night, then the owner of the animals is liable for the amount of damage caused, as is narrated from Bara’ bin ‘Azib (may Allah be pleased with them both) that he had a she-camel that used to cause a lot of damage. Once it entered a garden and caused damage there. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was consulted about this, and he judged: “During the day, the protection and guarding of gardens is the responsibility of their owners, and at night, the protection of animals is the responsibility of their owners, and whatever damage the animals cause at night is the responsibility of their owners (to compensate).” [ أبو داوٗد، الإجارۃ، باب المواشی تفسد زرع قوم : ۳۵۷۰۔ ابن ماجہ : ۲۳۳۲۔ سلسلۃ الأحادیث الصحیحۃ : 237/1، ح:۲۳۸ ] Some people say that there is no compensation upon the owner of the animals in any case, and as evidence they present {’’اَلْعَجْمَاءُ جُرْحُهَا جُبَارٌ‘‘} (the injury caused by an animal is waived), whereas in this hadith only the waiving of injury is mentioned, not the waiving of crop damage. Therefore, there is no contradiction between the hadith of Bara’ bin ‘Azib (may Allah be pleased with them both) and this, that would require the hadith of Bara' (may Allah be pleased with them both) to be considered abrogated. (Qurtubi)

➎ This verse supports the hadith narrated by ‘Amr bin al-‘As (may Allah be pleased with him) from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) that he said: [ إِذَا حَكَمَ الْحَاكِمُ فَاجْتَهَدَ ثُمَّ أَصَابَ فَلَهٗ أَجْرَانِ وَإِذَا حَكَمَ فَاجْتَهَدَ ثُمَّ أَخْطَأَ فَلَهٗ أَجْرٌ ] [ بخاري، الاعتصام بالکتاب والسنۃ، باب أجر الحاکم إذا اجتھد… : ۷۳۵۲ ] “When a judge makes a decision and strives to reach the correct judgment, then if he is correct, he has two rewards, and if he makes a decision and strives but errs, he has one reward.” Here, although Allah Almighty said {’’ فَفَهَّمْنٰهَا سُلَيْمٰنَ ‘‘} (We made Sulaiman understand it), thus supporting the judgment of Sulaiman (peace be upon him), He said regarding both Dawud and Sulaiman: «وَ كُلًّا اٰتَيْنَا حُكْمًا وَّ عِلْمًا» that We gave each of them judgment and knowledge.

➏ Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) another incident of Sulaiman’s (peace be upon him) perfect understanding and intelligence. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: [ كَانَتِ امْرَأَتَانِ مَعَهُمَا ابْنَاهُمَا جَاءَ الذِّئْبُ فَذَهَبَ بِابْنِ إِحْدَاهُمَا فَقَالَتْ صَاحِبَتُهَا إِنَّمَا ذَهَبَ بِابْنِكِ، وَقَالَتِ الْأُخْرَی إِنَّمَا ذَهَبَ بِابْنِكِ، فَتَحاكَمَتَا إِلٰی دَاوٗدَ فَقَضَی بِهِ لِلْكُبْرٰی، فَخَرَجَتَا عَلٰی سُلَيْمَانَ بْنِ دَاوٗدَ عَلَيْهِمَا السَّلاَمُ فَأَخْبَرَتَاهٗ فَقَالَ ائْتُوْنِيْ بِالسِّكِّيْنِ أَشُقُّهُ بَيْنَهُمَا، فَقَالَتِ الصُّغْرٰی لاَ تَفْعَلْ يَرْحَمُكَ اللّٰهُ، هُوَ ابْنُهَا ، فَقَضَی بِهِ لِلْصُّغْرٰی] [بخاري، الأنبیاء، باب قول اللہ تعالٰی : « ووھبنا لداوٗد سلیمان … » : ۳۴۲۷۔ مسلم : ۱۷۲۰۔ نسائی : ۵۴۰۵ ] “There were two women who had their sons with them. A wolf came and took away the son of one of them. She said to her companion, ‘It was your son that was taken.’ The other said, ‘No, it was your son that was taken.’ So they both went to Dawud (peace be upon him) for judgment. He judged in favor of the elder. As they were leaving, they passed by Sulaiman son of Dawud (peace be upon them both) and told him about it. He said, ‘Bring me a knife, I will divide him between you both.’ The younger said, ‘Do not do so, may Allah have mercy on you, he is her son.’ So he judged in favor of the younger.” Imam al-Nasa’i has made a chapter on this hadith that it is permissible for a judge to say about something he does not intend to do, “I will do it,” so that the truth may become clear.

➐ From this incident, it is also known that sometimes a son can understand more than his father. There is also a lesson in this for the disbelievers of Arabia who, despite the guidance of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), were not ready to abandon the customs of their forefathers, and for those blind followers who, after the four Imams, have closed the door of ijtihad until the Day of Judgment. Tell me, what could be a greater insult to the general grace of Allah Almighty than this?

➑ { وَ سَخَّرْنَا مَعَ دَاوٗدَ الْجِبَالَ يُسَبِّحْنَ وَ الطَّيْرَ :} Before this, He mentioned the subjugation of fire and water for the sake of Ibrahim and Nuh (peace be upon them). Now, after mentioning the common blessing of judgment and knowledge granted to both Dawud and Sulaiman (peace be upon them), He mentioned the blessings granted to each of them separately. Thus, with Dawud (peace be upon him), Allah Almighty subjugated and bound the mountains and birds, and granted him such a beautiful voice that when he recited the Book of Allah, the Zabur, or glorified Allah, the mountains and birds would also glorify along with him. In Surah Saba, He said: «{ يٰجِبَالُ اَوِّبِيْ مَعَهٗ وَ الطَّيْرَ }» [ سبا : ۱۰ ] “O mountains! Echo the praises with him, and the birds also (were commanded the same).” In Surah Sad, He said: «{ اِنَّا سَخَّرْنَا الْجِبَالَ مَعَهٗ يُسَبِّحْنَ بِالْعَشِيِّ وَ الْاِشْرَاقِ (18) وَ الطَّيْرَ مَحْشُوْرَةً كُلٌّ لَّهٗۤ اَوَّابٌ }» [ صٓ : ۱۸، ۱۹ ] “Indeed, We subjected the mountains to glorify with him in the evening and at sunrise, and the birds assembled, all with him turning to Allah.” SubhanAllah! What a beautiful scene it must have been when the Prophet of Allah, Dawud (peace be upon him), was engaged in glorification along with the mountains and birds. Some people have interpreted the glorification of the mountains as their echoing due to Dawud’s loud and melodious voice, and the glorification of the birds as their pausing, but in reality, this is to deny the glorification of the mountains and birds with him by considering it impossible. Allah Almighty has mentioned this as a special blessing upon Dawud (peace be upon him); the echo of the mountains is produced by any loud sound, whether good or bad, so what is the distinction of Dawud (peace be upon him) in this? Therefore, the correct meaning is that the mountains and birds actually glorified along with him. For more details, see Surah Bani Isra’il (44).

➒ { وَ كُنَّا فٰعِلِيْنَ :} That is, do not be surprised at how the mountains and birds spoke and glorified; all this happened by Our doing. (Kabir)

The exegesis of this verse has been done along with the previous verse.

78. And (We favored) David and Solomon when they gave judgment concerning the field, when the goats of some people [65] strayed into it by night, and We were witnessing their judgment.

[65]
The Literal Meaning of "Nafsh":

In this verse, the word "nafsh" is used, which means for goats to scatter and graze at night without a shepherd. (Mufradat al-Qur'an) What happened was that some people's goats grazed and ruined a crop at night. The owner of the crop filed a claim in the court of Dawud ؑ. When he summoned the defendant, he admitted to the incident. Now, according to justice and law, the entire compensation was due from the owner of the goats. In this regard, the legal principle or law is clarified by the following hadith: The she-camel of Bara' bin Azib ؓ entered a garden and damaged it. The Prophet ﷺ ruled that during the day, the protection of gardens is the responsibility of the garden owners, and at night, if animals cause damage, their owners must pay compensation. [مالك، ابو داؤد، ابن ماجه بحواله مشكوة۔ كتاب البيوع، باب الغصب والناريه فصل ثاني]

The Judgment of Sayyiduna Dawud and Sulayman Regarding the Ruined Crop:

And this was the legal claim in that era as well. Now, it so happened that the value of the damage to the crop was approximately equal to the value of the goats. Thus, Dawud ؑ ruled that the owner of the goats should give his goats to the owner of the crop so that his loss would be compensated. Sulayman ؑ was also present and he disagreed with this decision, saying that in his opinion, the ruling should be that the owner of the goats should give his goats to the owner of the crop, but these goats would be held as collateral by the crop owner. The crop owner would take care of them and benefit from their milk, wool, etc., and during this time, the owner of the goats would tend to and irrigate the crop until it returned to its original state. When the crop returned to its original state, the goats would be returned to their owner. With this decision, the loss of the crop owner would be compensated, and the goat owner would not suffer much loss either. Therefore, Dawud ؑ also accepted Sulayman’s ؑ decision as correct and withdrew his own ruling. This is the decision regarding which Allah Almighty said that We had given Sulayman ؑ understanding of it.