romanized Romanization or romanisation, in linguistics, is the conversion of text from a different writing system to the Roman (Latin) script, or a system for doing so. Methods of romanization include transliteration, for representing written text, and ...

: Dāwīḏ syr, ܕܘܝܕ, Dawīd

Koine Koine Greek (; Koine el, ἡ κοινὴ διάλεκτος, hē koinè diálektos, the common dialect; ), also known as Hellenistic Greek, common Attic, the Alexandrian dialect, Biblical Greek or New Testament Greek, was the common supra-reg ...

el, Δαυίδ, Dauíd , image = Prophet Dawood Name.svg , image size = 150px , caption = David's name in

Islamic calligraphy Islamic calligraphy is the artistic practice of handwriting and calligraphy, in the languages which use Arabic alphabet or the alphabets derived from it. It includes Arabic, Persian, Ottoman, and Urdu calligraphy.Chapman, Caroline (2012). ...

, birth_date = 10th century BCE , birth_place =

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

, death_date = 9th century BCE , death_place =

United Kingdom of Israel The United Monarchy () in the Hebrew Bible refers to Israel and Judah under the reigns of Saul, David, and Solomon. It is traditionally dated to have lasted between and . According to the biblical account, on the succession of Solomon's son R ...

, resting_place = , known_for = Defeating Jalut; being the King of Israel; receiving the Zabur; prophesying to and warning Israel; being highly gifted musically and vocally , predecessor = Kingship: Talut, Prophethood: Samuʾil , successor = Sulayman , spouse = , children = Sulayman , title = Dawud ( ar-at, دَاوُوْد, Dāwūd ), in Islam is considered a prophet and messenger of God (

Allah Allah (; ar, الله, translit=Allāh, ) is the common Arabic word for God. In the English language, the word generally refers to God in Islam. The word is thought to be derived by contraction from '' al- ilāh'', which means "the god", a ...

), as well as a righteous, divinely-anointed monarch of the

. Additionally, Muslims also honor David for having received the divine revelation of the Zabur (

Psalms The Book of Psalms ( or ; he, תְּהִלִּים, , lit. "praises"), also known as the Psalms, or the Psalter, is the first book of the ("Writings"), the third section of the Tanakh, and a book of the Old Testament. The title is derived ...

). Dawud is considered one of the most important people in Islam. Mentioned sixteen times in the

Quran The Quran (, ; Standard Arabic: , Quranic Arabic: , , 'the recitation'), also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation from God. It is organized in 114 chapters (pl.: , ...

, David appears in the Islamic scripture as a link in the chain of prophets who preceded

Muhammad Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد; 570 – 8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet divinely inspired to preach and confirm the mon ...

. Although he is not usually considered one of the "law-giving" prophets ('' ulū al-ʿazm''), "he is far from a marginal figure" in Islamic thought. In later Islamic traditions, he is praised for his rigor in

prayer Prayer is an invocation or act that seeks to activate a rapport with an object of worship through deliberate communication. In the narrow sense, the term refers to an act of supplication or intercession directed towards a deity or a deifie ...

and

fasting Fasting is the abstention from eating and sometimes drinking. From a purely physiological context, "fasting" may refer to the metabolic status of a person who has not eaten overnight (see " Breakfast"), or to the metabolic state achieved after ...

. He is also presented as the prototypical just ruler and as a symbol of God's authority on earth, having been at once a king and a prophet. David is particularly important to the religious architecture of Islamic Jerusalem. Dawud is known as

biblical The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts of ...

David David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...

who was, according to the

Hebrew Bible The Hebrew Bible or Tanakh (;"Tanach"
'' United Kingdom of Israel and Judah, reigning –970 BCE.

Name

The

Quranic Arabic Classical Arabic ( ar, links=no, ٱلْعَرَبِيَّةُ ٱلْفُصْحَىٰ, al-ʿarabīyah al-fuṣḥā) or Quranic Arabic is the standardized literary form of Arabic used from the 7th century and throughout the Middle Ages, most nota ...

form of David is ''Dāwud'' or ''Dāwūd'', differing from

el, Δαυίδ and syr, ܕܘܝܕ, Dawīd (which follow he, דָּוִד, Dāwīd). These forms appear in the Quran sixteen times.

Narrative in the Quran

David's narrative in the

, in many respects, parallels that given in the Bible. He is named a

prophet In religion, a prophet or prophetess is an individual who is regarded as being in contact with a divine being and is said to speak on behalf of that being, serving as an intermediary with humanity by delivering messages or teachings from the ...

(''nabī'') and also a messenger (''rasūl''), David is included in lists of those who received

revelation In religion and theology, revelation is the revealing or disclosing of some form of truth or knowledge through communication with a deity or other supernatural entity or entities. Background Inspiration – such as that bestowed by God on the ...

(''waḥy''; Q4:163) or guidance (''hudā''; ) from God. In both lists his name appears next to that of his son

Solomon Solomon (; , ),, ; ar, سُلَيْمَان, ', , ; el, Σολομών, ; la, Salomon also called Jedidiah (Hebrew language, Hebrew: , Modern Hebrew, Modern: , Tiberian Hebrew, Tiberian: ''Yăḏīḏăyāh'', "beloved of Yahweh, Yah"), ...

. Elsewhere, the Quran explains that God gave to both of them the gifts of "sound judgment" (''ḥukm''; ) and "knowledge" (''ʿilm''; ; ). Yet the Quran also ascribes to David merits that distinguish him from Solomon: David killed

Goliath Goliath ( ) ''Goləyāṯ''; ar, جُليات ''Ǧulyāt'' (Christian term) or (Quranic term). is a character in the Book of Samuel, described as a Philistine giant defeated by the young David in single combat. The story signified King Sau ...

() and received a divine revelation named "the

" ( uses an indefinite form, while uses the definite form ''al-Zabūr''), presumably a reference to the Psalms or the Psalter (the term ''Zabūr'' is perhaps related to the

Hebrew Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...

term ''mizmōr'' or Syriac ''mazmūrā'', "psalm"). The mountains and the birds praised God along with David (; in God commands them to do so; cfr. Psalm ). God made David a "vicegerent" (''khalīfa''; ), a title that the Quran otherwise gives only to

Adam Adam; el, Ἀδάμ, Adám; la, Adam is the name given in Genesis 1-5 to the first human. Beyond its use as the name of the first man, ''adam'' is also used in the Bible as a pronoun, individually as "a human" and in a collective sense as " ...

(). This title suggests that, according to the Quran, David was something more than a messenger: he was a divinely guided leader who established God's rule on Earth. This role is also suggested by : "God gave him authority (''mulk'') and wisdom (''ḥikmah'') and taught him what He willed. If God did not drive back some people by others, the earth would become corrupt." Among the things taught to David was the ability to make armour (, ), a suggestion that David’s military exploits were the act of God. It is also important that the Quranic reference to David's "wisdom" was sometimes explained by the classical exegetes as the gift of prophecy. The Quran also connects David and Jesus, by insisting that both cursed Jews against their prophecy who did not believe (). Moreover, according to the Quran, David was given the ability to distinguish between truth and falsehood when dispensing justice (''faṣl al-khiṭāb'', ). Furthermore, there is the allusion to a test David was put through, wherein he prayed and repented and God forgave him (). Surat Sad (the 38th chapter of the Quran) is also called "the sūra of David" Exegetes explain that since David prostrated when asking God to forgive him, Muhammad was ordered to imitate him and to perform a prostration when reading this chapter.Bukhārī, ''Ṣaḥīḥ'', vi, 155

Religious significance

David is one of the few Islamic Prophets who received Kingship as well. While other prophets preached during the reign of kings, David, in his time, was the king. Thus, he received an extremely large task, of making sure that the people of Palestine were not only held in check spiritually but that the country itself remained strong as well. His place as both leader and prophet is revered by all Muslims as one of extremely high rank. The figure of David, together with that of his prophetic son, Solomon, are iconic of people who ruled justly over their land. God frequently mentions David's high rank as a prophet and messenger in the Quran. He is often mentioned alongside other prophets to emphasize how great he was. For example, God says: When the

Caliph A caliphate or khilāfah ( ar, خِلَافَة, ) is an institution or public office under the leadership of an Islamic steward with the title of caliph (; ar, خَلِيفَة , ), a person considered a political-religious successor to th ...

Umar ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb ( ar, عمر بن الخطاب, also spelled Omar, ) was the second Rashidun caliph, ruling from August 634 until his assassination in 644. He succeeded Abu Bakr () as the second caliph of the Rashidun Caliphate ...

visited

, the

Patriarch The highest-ranking bishops in Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy, the Catholic Church (above major archbishop and primate), the Hussite Church, Church of the East, and some Independent Catholic Churches are termed patriarchs (and in c ...

Sophronius accompanied him on the

Temple Mount The Temple Mount ( hbo, הַר הַבַּיִת, translit=Har haBayīt, label=Hebrew, lit=Mount of the House f the Holy}), also known as al-Ḥaram al-Sharīf (Arabic: الحرم الشريف, lit. 'The Noble Sanctuary'), al-Aqsa Mosque compou ...

, while he searched for the ''Mihrab Dawud'' (''David's prayer-niche'') to perform a prayer. Later commentators identified this site with the

Tower of David The Tower of David ( he, מגדל דוד, Migdál Davíd), also known as the Citadel ( ar, القلعة, al-Qala'a), is an ancient citadel located near the Jaffa Gate entrance to the Old City of Jerusalem. The citadel that stands today dates ...

. In a ''

hadith Ḥadīth ( or ; ar, حديث, , , , , , , literally "talk" or "discourse") or Athar ( ar, أثر, , literally "remnant"/"effect") refers to what the majority of Muslims believe to be a record of the words, actions, and the silent approva ...

'', the prayer and fasting of David is mentioned to be dear to God.

The Book of David

The ''Zabur'' is the holy book attributed to David by God, just as

Musa Musa may refer to: Places *Mūša, a river in Lithuania and Latvia * Musa, Azerbaijan, a village in Yardymli Rayon * Musa, Iran, a village in Ilam Province * Musa, Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari, Iran * Musa, Kerman, Iran * Musa, Bukan, West Azerbaija ...

(

Moses Moses hbo, מֹשֶׁה, Mōše; also known as Moshe or Moshe Rabbeinu ( Mishnaic Hebrew: מֹשֶׁה רַבֵּינוּ, ); syr, ܡܘܫܐ, Mūše; ar, موسى, Mūsā; grc, Mωϋσῆς, Mōÿsēs () is considered the most important pr ...

) received the Tawrat (

Torah The Torah (; hbo, ''Tōrā'', "Instruction", "Teaching" or "Law") is the compilation of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, namely the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. In that sense, Torah means the ...

Isa Isa or ISA may refer to: Places * Isa, Amur Oblast, Russia * Isa, Kagoshima, Japan * Isa, Nigeria * Isa District, Kagoshima, former district in Japan * Isa Town, middle class town located in Bahrain * Mount Isa, Queensland, Australia * Mount ...

(

Jesus Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label= Hebrew/ Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and relig ...

) received the Injil (

Gospel Gospel originally meant the Christian message (" the gospel"), but in the 2nd century it came to be used also for the books in which the message was set out. In this sense a gospel can be defined as a loose-knit, episodic narrative of the words a ...

) and Muhammad received the Quran. In the current Hebrew Bible, the ''Zabur'' is known as the Psalms. However, like other scriptures of the past, the Psalms are believed to have been corrupted over time, with some of the original message now gone. Nonetheless, Muslims are told to treat the present Psalms with immense respect because, Muslims believe it was a book from God ( Book of God). The Quran states:

Bibliography

Primary

* ʿAbdallāh b. al-Mubārak, ''Kitāb al-Zuhd'', ed. Ḥ.R. al-Aʿẓamī, Beirut n.d., 161-4 * Aḥmad b. Ḥanbal, ''al-Zuhd'', Cairo 1987, 111-2, 114, 134 * R.G. Khoury, ''Wahb b. Munabbih (Codices arabici antiqui i)'', Wiesbaden 1972 (with bibliography) * id., ''Les légendes prophétiques dans l'Islam depuis le Ier jusqu'au IIIe siècle de l'hégire (Codices arabici antiqui iii)'', Wiesbaden 1978, 157-74 * Hibat Allāh b. Salāma, '' al-Nāsikh wa-l-mansūkh'' (in the margin of Wāḥidī, ''Asbāb''), Cairo 1316/1898-9, 262 * Ibn Qudāma al-Maqdisī, ''Kitāb al-Tawwābīn'', ed. ʿA.Q. Arnāʾūṭ, Beirut 1974 * Majlisī, ''Biḥār al-anwār'', Beirut 1983, xiv, 1-64; lxxiv, 39-44 * Muqātil, ''Tafsīr'', i, 423; ii, 87-8, 639-43; iii, 87-8, 298-9, 525-6 * Sibṭ Ibn al-Jawzī, ''Mirʾāt'', i, 472-92 * Suyūṭī, ''Durr'', vii, 148-76 * Ṭabarī, ''Tafsīr'', v, 360-76 * Ṭabarsī, ''Majmaʿ''

Secondary

* A. Geiger, ''Judaism and Islam'', Madras 1898, 144-5 * E. Margoliouth, ''The convicted in the Bible, cleared from guilt in the Talmud and Midrash (Hebrew)'', London 1949, 60-7 * F.A. Mojtabāʾī, ''Dāwūd'', in Encyclopædia Iranica, vii, 161-2 * R. Paret, ''Dāwūd'', in ei2, ii, 182 * Y. Zakovitch, ''David. From shepherd to Messiah (Hebrew)'', Jerusalem 1995 (see especially Annex A by A. Shinʾan, 181-99)

References

{{Quranic people Cultural depictions of David Hebrew Bible prophets of the Quran