Surah Saad (38) — Ayah 24

(Ayah 25,24) ➊ { قَالَ لَقَدْ ظَلَمَكَ بِسُؤَالِ نَعْجَتِكَ اِلٰى نِعَاجِهٖ :} Dawud (peace be upon him) said, “He has certainly wronged you by demanding to combine your ewe with his ewes.” Here, the noteworthy point is that these people came by climbing over the wall, and then, while presenting their case, they did not consider that they were speaking to a person whom Allah Almighty had honored with both prophethood and kingship, and from whom a decision against the truth or based on injustice could not be expected. Despite this, they were saying, “Judge between us with justice and do not be unjust.” These two sentences alone are enough to provoke anyone’s anger, let alone the fact that those saying this had already committed the disrespect of climbing over the wall. If it had been a worldly king, these people would have been killed or given some other exemplary punishment so that no one would dare such a thing in the future. But look at the patience and forbearance of Dawud (peace be upon him): despite being somewhat frightened at first, he did not become angry nor uttered a word of reproach to them. Rather, he patiently endured their manner of coming and their inappropriate words, and fulfilled the purpose for which they had come by deciding their case. This can only be the courage of prophets, for which the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was instructed to be patient over the words of the disbelievers and to remember Our servant Dawud (peace be upon him).

➋ {وَ اِنَّ كَثِيْرًا مِّنَ الْخُلَطَآءِ … :} While consoling the oppressed, Dawud (peace be upon him) mentioned that many people are oppressed in the same way, that you are not the only oppressed one and he is not the only oppressor. Rather, many partners wrong one another, because when a person sees that others are also oppressed along with him, he gains some courage. {’’لِأَنَّ الْمُصِيْبَةَ إِذَا عَمَّتْ طَابَتْ‘‘} “Because when calamity is widespread, it becomes bearable.” At the same time, it was also explained that those who have faith and do righteous deeds do not do such things, but rather avoid oppressing their partners. In this, there is also advice for the one with ninety-nine ewes to refrain from oppression, and this is the way of the prophets (peace be upon them).

➌ { وَ قَلِيْلٌ مَّا هُمْ:} That is, those who have faith and do righteous deeds, who do not wrong their partners, are very few; the majority is otherwise. The advocates of democracy should reflect on this. For more verses of this meaning, see Surah Saba (13), Baqarah (243), An’am (117), Hud (17), Yusuf (103, 106), Zukhruf (78), and Surah Ma’idah (100).

➍ { وَ ظَنَّ دَاوٗدُ:’’ ظَنَّ ‘‘} It refers to predominant assumption; the word “Zann” is also used for certainty obtained from circumstantial evidence, as He said: «وَ ظَنُّوْۤا اَنْ لَّا مَلْجَاَ مِنَ اللّٰهِ اِلَّاۤ اِلَيْهِ » [ التوبۃ : ۱۱۸ ] “And they were certain that there is no place of refuge from Allah except with Him.” And He said: « الَّذِيْنَ يَظُنُّوْنَ اَنَّهُمْ مُّلٰقُوْا رَبِّهِمْ وَ اَنَّهُمْ اِلَيْهِ رٰجِعُوْنَ» [ البقرۃ : ۴۶ ] “Those who are certain that they will meet their Lord and that they will return to Him.” Here, the meaning of {’’ ظَنَّ ‘‘} is {’’شَعُرَ‘‘} (understood), or {’’أَيْقَنَ‘‘} (became certain), because after it comes {’’أَنَّ‘‘}, a particle of emphasis.

➎ { اَنَّمَا فَتَنّٰهُ :} That is, Dawud (peace be upon him) became certain that the way these people climbed over the wall is a test for me, whether I become aware of my shortcoming and abandon it and seek forgiveness for it or not.

➏ {فَاسْتَغْفَرَ رَبَّهٗ :} So he sought forgiveness from his Lord and prayed for pardon.

➐ { وَ خَرَّ رَاكِعًا وَّ اَنَابَ :} The meaning of “ruku” is to bow or lower the head. {’’ خَرَّ ‘‘} He fell to the ground. That is, he fell into prostration while bowing. Therefore, some commentators have said that here “ruku” means “sajdah” (prostration). {’’ وَ اَنَابَ ‘‘} (And he turned to Allah). Some commentators have written that “Dawud (peace be upon him) remained in prostration, weeping for forty days, until greenery grew on the ground from his tears.” It is regrettable for those who write such things without refutation, as they write things that are not only not found in the Qur’an or hadith but are clearly against reason. What about his eating, drinking, and other necessities of life, prayer, and supervision of state affairs during those forty days? This is the result of blindly transmitting hearsay, whether it is an Israelite narration or someone else’s fabrication. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: [ كَفٰي بِالْمَرْئِ كَذِبًا أَنْ يُّحَدِّثَ بِكُلِّ مَا سَمِعَ ] [ مسلم، المقدمۃ : ۵، عن أبي ھریرۃ رضی اللہ عنہ ] “It is enough for a man to be considered a liar that he narrates everything he hears.”

➑ Most people have stumbled in understanding these verses, the reason for which is the Muslims’ reliance on Israelite traditions in the exegesis of the Qur’an, even though the enmity of the Jews towards Allah’s prophets, especially Dawud and Sulayman (peace be upon them), is well known. If a person clears his mind of these traditions, understanding the meaning of the verses is not difficult. Therefore, first the meaning of the verses is explained, and then a brief word about these traditions will follow. To understand these verses, it is necessary to look at the preceding verses: (1) It is absolutely clear that in this sequence of verses, the Qur’an is praising Dawud (peace be upon him). (2) There is not even a hint in the words or meaning of the Qur’an that this is some allegorical or figurative matter, which Allah Almighty mentioned to express displeasure at some act of Dawud (peace be upon him) that was against the Shari’ah or virtue. (3) At this place, Allah Almighty, while instructing the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) to be patient over the words of his people, presented Dawud (peace be upon him) as an example. The summary of the verses is that Allah Almighty is saying to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that if your heart becomes constricted due to the disbelief of your people, then be patient and remember Our servant Dawud. At the same time, Dawud (peace be upon him) is mentioned with great honor and respect, and his praise is stated with very lofty attributes: (1) He is called {’’ عَبْدَنَا ‘‘} (Our servant), and this single word outweighs all other attributes, as it is said about our Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): « سُبْحٰنَ الَّذِيْۤ اَسْرٰى بِعَبْدِهٖ لَيْلًا مِّنَ الْمَسْجِدِ الْحَرَامِ اِلَى الْمَسْجِدِ الْاَقْصَا الَّذِيْ بٰرَكْنَا حَوْلَهٗ » [ بني إسرائیل : ۱ ] “Glory be to Him who took His servant by night from the Sacred Mosque to the farthest mosque whose surroundings We have blessed.” (2) Then it is stated that he was {’’ ذَا الْاَيْدِ ‘‘} (possessor of strength in truth). (3) {’’ اَوَّابٌ ‘‘} (one who turned much to Allah). (4) {’’ اِنَّا سَخَّرْنَا الْجِبَالَ مَعَهٗ يُسَبِّحْنَ بِالْعَشِيِّ وَ الْاِشْرَاقِ ‘‘} (We subjected the mountains with him, glorifying [Allah] morning and evening). (5) {’’ وَ الطَّيْرَ مَحْشُوْرَةً ‘‘} (and the gathered birds were also subjected with him for glorification). (6) {’’ وَ شَدَدْنَا مُلْكَهٗ ‘‘} (and We strengthened his kingdom). (7) {’’ وَ اٰتَيْنٰهُ الْحِكْمَةَ ‘‘} (and We gave him wisdom). (8) {’’ وَ فَصْلَ الْخِطَابِ ‘‘} (and decisive speech). (9) After this, this incident is mentioned, after which his status in this world is mentioned: {’’ يٰدَاوٗدُ اِنَّا جَعَلْنٰكَ خَلِيْفَةً فِي الْاَرْضِ ‘‘} (O Dawud! We have made you a successor on earth). (10) Then his rank with Us and his status in the Hereafter is mentioned: {’’ وَ اِنَّ لَهٗ عِنْدَنَا لَزُلْفٰى ‘‘} (And surely for him with Us is a near place). (11) {’’ وَ حُسْنَ مَاٰبٍ ‘‘} (and a good place of return). From these attributes, it is clear that Dawud (peace be upon him) was a very close and beloved prophet of Allah Almighty, and all such traditions are clear slander and injustice against him, which make him appear even lower than an ordinary respectable person. So, what is the meaning of these verses and what was the purpose of these two disputants?

The reality is that Dawud (peace be upon him) was a prophet and also a king, and these are both very heavy responsibilities. In addition, he had great zeal for the worship of Allah, i.e., glorification, remembrance of Allah, recitation, night prayer, and fasting. Therefore, it was necessary for him to divide his time for glorification and remembrance, the duties of prophethood, and the responsibilities of kingship. Along with this, add that he used to eat only from the earnings of his own hands, for which he had to do the difficult and delicate work of making iron armor. From the verse of Surah Saba (11): « اَنِ اعْمَلْ سٰبِغٰتٍ وَّ قَدِّرْ فِي السَّرْدِ » (Make full coats of mail and measure precisely the links), one can estimate the difficulty and delicacy of his work. Now, how to divide time for prophethood, kingship, worship, and earning? For this, he allocated some times for the affairs of prophethood, kingship, and earning, and some time was reserved exclusively for worship, during which he would not leave his mihrab (prayer chamber). Allah Almighty willed that Dawud (peace be upon him) should realize that even when he secludes himself for worship, there are such injustices occurring among people that require the justice of Dawud (peace be upon him). Thus, Allah Almighty made it easy for these two disputants that, despite the doors being closed and guards present, they entered his prayer chamber by climbing over the wall, and one of them narrated his story and the injustice his brother had done to him: how, despite being very wealthy and owning ninety-nine ewes, he was demanding, with great severity, to take possession of his poor brother’s only ewe. Dawud (peace be upon him) was initially alarmed by their manner of coming, but when the reality became clear, he neither became angry with them nor gave them another date to come, but listened to their case and immediately decided it. At the same time, he understood that even on days of worship, disputes and injustices occur among people, but due to his being engaged in worship, the oppressed cannot reach him with their complaints, whereas reconciling between people and helping the oppressed is superior to seclusion in the prayer chamber. He became certain that their coming in this way was a test from Allah Almighty to see whether I understand that one should not be so engrossed in worship that the oppressed cannot access the court. Therefore, he sought forgiveness from his Lord for this shortcoming and, turning to Him, fell in prostration, so We forgave him.

➒ Most commentators have tried to find some mistake of Dawud (peace be upon him) that resembles the incident of the ninety-nine ewes and the one ewe. However, this incident is a picture of extreme oppression and victimization: a very wealthy person wants to snatch even the only ewe of his poor brother, and the ruler is engaged in worship behind closed doors—what should the oppressed do? Some people said, they could have come the next day, but everyone knows that delay in justice is also equivalent to oppression. By climbing over the wall and narrating the story, it became clear to Dawud (peace be upon him) that Allah Almighty had made him a successor, whose job is to judge between people. Worship should be done, but not in such a way that the complainant cannot access your court. It is said: « يٰدَاوٗدُ اِنَّا جَعَلْنٰكَ خَلِيْفَةً فِي الْاَرْضِ فَاحْكُمْ بَيْنَ النَّاسِ بِالْحَقِّ وَ لَا تَتَّبِعِ الْهَوٰى فَيُضِلَّكَ عَنْ سَبِيْلِ اللّٰهِ اِنَّ الَّذِيْنَ يَضِلُّوْنَ عَنْ سَبِيْلِ اللّٰهِ لَهُمْ عَذَابٌ شَدِيْدٌۢ بِمَا نَسُوْا يَوْمَ الْحِسَابِ » [ صٓ : ۲۶ ] “O Dawud! Indeed, We have made you a successor on earth, so judge between people with truth and do not follow desire, lest it lead you astray from the way of Allah. Surely, those who go astray from the way of Allah will have a severe punishment because they forgot the Day of Reckoning.” “Successor” means ruler, who becomes the ruler in place of previous people; saying “Allah’s successor” is not correct. See Surah Baqarah (30).

➓ Some people have described these two disputants as angels and have written that when Dawud (peace be upon him) gave the verdict, they laughed and disappeared. This entire story is baseless, with no existence in the Qur’an or hadith.

⓫ While seeking to find fault with Dawud (peace be upon him), most commentators have written that he fell in love with a woman after seeing her bathing, and ordered her husband “Uriah” to be stationed in such a place in battle where he would be killed, and then married his wife, even though he already had ninety-nine wives. Some said, he demanded her to be divorced, which he could not refuse, so he married her. The accursed Jews went so far as to slander Dawud (peace be upon him) and even altered the Torah, saying that he saw Uriah’s wife bathing, had her brought to him, and (God forbid) slept with her, from which she became pregnant. Then he sent her husband to war to be killed, and after her waiting period ended, he made her his wife, from whom a boy was born, because of which Allah became angry with him. (Summary of 2 Samuel, chapter 11, verses 2 to 27)

Some have found Dawud (peace be upon him) at fault for giving a verdict after hearing only the plaintiff’s side, whereas he should have heard the other party as well. However, for brevity, the other party’s statement is not mentioned. The absence of mention does not mean its negation, and it is also possible that he remained silent and accepted the claim of the oppressed. These and similar many useless things have been written by some commentators as slander against Dawud (peace be upon him), whereas reliance on Israelite traditions is not permissible, especially when they impugn the honor and chastity of a prophet. In this matter, the words of the commentator Ibn Kathir (may Allah have mercy on him) are very excellent; he writes: {’’ قَدْ ذَكَرَ الْمُفَسِّرُوْنَ هَاهُنَا قِصَّةً أَكْثَرُهَا مَأْخُوْذٌ مِّنَ الإِْسْرَائِيْلِيَّاتِ وَلَمْ يَثْبُتْ فِيْهَا عَنِ الْمَعْصُوْمِ حَدِيْثٌ يَجِبُ اتِّبَاعُهُ وَلٰكِنْ رَوَي ابْنُ أَبِيْ حَاتِمٍ هُنَا حَدِيْثًا لَا يَصِحُّ سَنَدُهُ، لِأَنَّهُ مِنْ رِوَايَةِ يَزِيْدَ الرُّقَاشِيِّ عَنْ أَنَسٍ رَضِيَ اللّٰهُ عَنْهُ، وَ يَزِيْدُ وَ إِنْ كَانَ مِنَ الصَّالِحِيْنَ، لٰكِنَّهُ ضَعِيْفُ الْحَدِيْثِ عِنْدَ الْأَئِمَّةِ، فَالْأَوْلٰي أَنْ يُّقْتَصَرَ عَلٰي مُجَرَّدِ تِلَاوَةِ هٰذِهِ الْقِصَّةِ وَ أَنْ يُّرَدَّ عِلْمُهَا إِلَي اللّٰهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ فَإِنَّ الْقُرْآنَ حَقٌّ وَمَا تُضَمِّنُ فَهُوَ حَقٌّ أَيْضًا ‘‘} “The commentators have mentioned here a story, most of which is taken from Israelite traditions, and there is no authentic hadith from the infallible (the Noble Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him) regarding it, which would make it obligatory to follow. However, Ibn Abi Hatim has narrated a hadith here whose chain is not authentic, because it is from Yazid Raqashi, who narrates from Anas (may Allah be pleased with him). Although Yazid was among the righteous, he is considered weak in hadith by the imams of hadith. So it is better to suffice with the recitation of this story and refer its knowledge to Allah Almighty, because the Qur’an is truth and whatever is in it is also truth.”