سُوْرَةُ صٓ
Surah Saad (38) — Ayah 17
ٱصْبِرْ عَلَىٰ مَا يَقُولُونَ وَٱذْكُرْ عَبْدَنَا دَاوُۥدَ ذَا ٱلْأَيْدِ ۖ إِنَّهُۥٓ أَوَّابٌ ﴿17﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
Be patient (O Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم) of what they say, and remember Our slave Dâwûd (David), endued with power. Verily, he was ever oft-returning in all matters and in repentance (toward Allâh).
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
ٱصْبِرْ
iṣ'bir
Be patient
عَلَىٰ
ʿalā
over
مَا
mā
what
يَقُولُونَ
yaqūlūna
they say
وَٱذْكُرْ
wa-udh'kur
and remember
عَبْدَنَا
ʿabdanā
Our slave
دَاوُۥدَ
dāwūda
Dawood
ذَا
dhā
the possessor of strength
ٱلْأَيْدِ ۖ
l-aydi
the possessor of strength
إِنَّهُۥٓ
innahu
Indeed, he (was)
أَوَّابٌ
awwābun
repeatedly turning
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran — Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran (Facilitation of the Quran) is a comprehensive Quran commentary by Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar from Pakistan. Known for his eloquent and accessible writing style, Kilani authored this tafsir with a focus on clarity — making Quranic meanings understandable to the common reader. The tafsir provides detailed historical context for verses related to battles and expeditions, and firmly refutes modernist ideologies using strong scriptural evidence. It is widely regarded as an invaluable resource for understanding the Quran and countering deviant interpretations. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
17. So be patient over what they say, and remember Our servant David [19], the man of strength, who constantly turned (to Us) [20][21].
[19] Another meaning of ﴿وَاذْكُرْ﴾ could also be that his story should be narrated to others.
[20]
The Literal Meaning of ﴿يد﴾ and ﴿ذوالايد﴾:
The literal meaning of ﴿ذوالايد﴾ is "one with hands," and in almost every language, such a word is used to denote strength and power. The possessor of strength can refer to physical strength as well. Thus, it is narrated about him that in your childhood, when you used to graze a herd of goats, if any beast attacked them, you would grab one of its jaws and pull the other with such force that you would tear it apart. Then, it was also his physical strength that he killed Jalut on the battlefield. And it can also mean military and political power, as you defeated the surrounding polytheist nations and established a strong Islamic kingdom.
[21]
His Exalted Qualities:
Such was his turning to Allah and devotion in worship that he always preferred poverty over kingship. Many authentic ahadith have been reported in his praise. You did not burden the public treasury with your personal expenses; rather, you used to meet your expenses with your own earnings. You would fast one day and not fast the next; this remained your practice throughout your life. You would spend a third of the night in worship. You had divided the twenty-four hours of the day and night among himself and his family in such a way that there was never a time when someone from the family of Dawud was not engaged in the worship of Allah. You had also made it a rule that every three days, one day was devoted to the worship of Allah, one day to deciding people's cases, and one day to the management and administration of the affairs of the kingdom.
[19] Another meaning of ﴿وَاذْكُرْ﴾ could also be that his story should be narrated to others.
[20]
The Literal Meaning of ﴿يد﴾ and ﴿ذوالايد﴾:
The literal meaning of ﴿ذوالايد﴾ is "one with hands," and in almost every language, such a word is used to denote strength and power. The possessor of strength can refer to physical strength as well. Thus, it is narrated about him that in your childhood, when you used to graze a herd of goats, if any beast attacked them, you would grab one of its jaws and pull the other with such force that you would tear it apart. Then, it was also his physical strength that he killed Jalut on the battlefield. And it can also mean military and political power, as you defeated the surrounding polytheist nations and established a strong Islamic kingdom.
[21]
His Exalted Qualities:
Such was his turning to Allah and devotion in worship that he always preferred poverty over kingship. Many authentic ahadith have been reported in his praise. You did not burden the public treasury with your personal expenses; rather, you used to meet your expenses with your own earnings. You would fast one day and not fast the next; this remained your practice throughout your life. You would spend a third of the night in worship. You had divided the twenty-four hours of the day and night among himself and his family in such a way that there was never a time when someone from the family of Dawud was not engaged in the worship of Allah. You had also made it a rule that every three days, one day was devoted to the worship of Allah, one day to deciding people's cases, and one day to the management and administration of the affairs of the kingdom.
