اَلْحَمْدُ لِلّهِ بِجَمِیعِ مَحَامِدِه کُلِّهَا عَلَی جَمِیعِ نِعَمِهِ کُلِّهَا… اَلْحَمْدُ لِلّهِ مالِکِ الْمُلْکِ مُجْرِی الْفُلْکِ مُسَخِّرِ الرِّیاحِ فالِقِ الاْصْباحِ دَیّانِ الدّینِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمینَ اَلْحَمْدُ لِلّهِ عَلی حِلْمِهِ بَعْدَ عِلمِهِ وَالْحَمْدُ لِلّهِ عَلی عَفْوِهِ بَعْدَ قُدْرَتِهِ وَالْحَمْدُ لِلّهِ عَلی طُولِ اَناتِهِ فی غَضَبِهِ وَهُوَ قادِرٌ عَلی ما یُریدُ
All praise be to Allah with full gratitude for all His bounties. … All praise be to Allah: the master of the sovereignty, Who allows arks to flow [on seas], Who controls the winds, Who causes the day to break, Who administers the authority, and Who is the Lord of the worlds. All praise be to Allah for His forbearance despite His full knowledge. All praise be to Allah for His amnesty despite His full power. All praise be to Allah for the length of His respite during His wrath, while He is able to do whatever He wills.
و نشهد أن لا اله الا الله وحده لا شریک له، و أَنَّ محمداً عبده و رسوله ارسله بالهدی و دین الحق لیظهره علی الدین کله و لو کره المشرکون
We bear witness that there is no god but Allah. He is one and has no partners. We bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and messenger, whom He sent with guidance and the religion of truth that He may make it prevail over all religions, though the polytheists should be averse.
اوصیکم عبادالله و نفسی بتقوی الله و اتباع امره و نهیه، و اخوفکم من عقابه
I enjoin you, servants of Allah and myself, to have fear of God and comply with His commands and forbiddances, and warn you against His retribution.
Prophet David’s Triumph in the War and the Beginning of His Reign
The Quranic account of Prophet David’s life commences with the tale of the battle between Saul (Talut) and Goliath (Jalut), and David’s pivotal role in the battle and its aftermath. The Quran provides a concise retelling of the incident, omitting specific intricacies.
As per the Quranic account, the Children of Israel approach their contemporary prophet (as mentioned in the Bible, this prophet was Samuel), asking him to appoint a leader for their battle in the name of God. Being well acquainted with the Israelites and aware of their lack of courage, Samuel initially declined their plea.
أَلَمْ تَرَ إِلَى الْمَلَإِ مِنْ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ مِنْ بَعْدِ مُوسَى، إِذْ قَالُوا لِنَبِيٍّ لَهُمُ: ابْعَثْ لَنَا مَلِكًا نُقَاتِلْ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ. قَالَ: هَلْ عَسَيْتُمْ إِنْ كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ الْقِتَالُ أَلَّا تُقَاتِلُوا! قَالُوا: وَمَا لَنَا أَلَّا نُقَاتِلَ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ وَقَدْ أُخْرِجْنَا مِنْ دِيَارِنَا وَأَبْنَائِنَا؟…
Have you not considered the assembly of the Children of Israel after [the time of] Moses when they said to a prophet of theirs, “Send to us a king, and we will fight in the way of Allah “? He said, “Would you perhaps refrain from fighting if fighting was prescribed for you?” They said, “And why should we not fight in the cause of Allah when we have been driven out from our homes and from our children?”… (Al-Baqara, 246)
The Quran affirms the fulfillment of Samuel’s prophecy:
فَلَمَّا كُتِبَ عَلَيْهِمُ الْقِتَالُ تَوَلَّوْا إِلَّا قَلِيلًا مِنْهُمْ
But when fighting was prescribed for them, they turned away, except for a few of them. (Al-Baqara, 246)
Upon persistent insistence from the Israelites, the contemporary prophet then selected Saul (Talut) as the king to lead the battle against the Palestinians. However, the Children of Israel raised objections to this decision, believing that the commander should be the wealthiest individual, while perceiving Saul as financially weak. Samuel clarified this misconception, emphasizing that the king and war commander must possess both intellectual prowess and physical strength. Furthermore, Samuel affirmed that Saul was chosen by God, indicated by his possession of the holy chest or coffin.
وَقَالَ لَهُمْ نَبِيُّهُمْ: إِنَّ اللَّهَ قَدْ بَعَثَ لَكُمْ طَالُوتَ مَلِكًا. قَالُوا: أَنَّى يَكُونُ لَهُ الْمُلْكُ عَلَيْنَا وَنَحْنُ أَحَقُّ بِالْمُلْكِ مِنْهُ وَلَمْ يُؤْتَ سَعَةً مِنَ الْمَالِ. قَالَ: إِنَّ اللَّهَ اصْطَفَاهُ عَلَيْكُمْ وَزَادَهُ بَسْطَةً فِي الْعِلْمِ وَالْجِسْمِ وَاللَّهُ يُؤْتِي مُلْكَهُ مَنْ يَشَاءُ وَاللَّهُ وَاسِعٌ عَلِيمٌ؛ وَقَالَ لَهُمْ نَبِيُّهُمْ: إِنَّ آيَةَ مُلْكِهِ أَنْ يَأْتِيَكُمُ التَّابُوتُ فِيهِ سَكِينَةٌ مِنْ رَبِّكُمْ وَبَقِيَّةٌ مِمَّا تَرَكَ آلُ مُوسَى وَآلُ هَارُونَ تَحْمِلُهُ الْمَلَائِكَةُ، إِنَّ فِي ذَلِكَ لَآيَةً لَكُمْ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ مُؤْمِنِينَ
And their prophet said to them, “Indeed, Allah has sent to you Saul as a king.” They said, “How can he have kingship over us while we are more worthy of kingship than him and he has not been given any measure of wealth?” He said, “Indeed, Allah has chosen him over you and has increased him abundantly in knowledge and stature. And Allah gives His sovereignty to whom He wills. And Allah is all-Encompassing [in favor] and Knowing.” (247) And their prophet said to them, “Indeed, a sign of his kingship is that the chest will come to you in which is assurance from your Lord and a remnant of what the family of Moses and the family of Aaron had left, carried by the angels. Indeed in that is a sign for you, if you are believers.” (Al-Baqara, 247-248)
Reluctantly, the Israelites accepted Saul’s kingship and followed him on their journey to conquer Jerusalem. Along their path, they encountered a water stream, their thirst intensified by the scorching weather. In a test of their obedience, God presented the Children of Israel, who saw themselves as a chosen people, with a dilemma. Saul commanded the army not to drink from the water despite their desperate thirst. David and a few others among the troops obeyed this divine instruction and refrained from drinking. They emerged victorious in this trial of their devotion. However, the majority of the army succumbed to their thirst and drank from the water.
فَلَمَّا فَصَلَ طَالُوتُ بِالْجُنُودِ قَالَ: إِنَّ اللَّهَ مُبْتَلِيكُمْ بِنَهَرٍ، فَمَنْ شَرِبَ مِنْهُ فَلَيْسَ مِنِّي وَمَنْ لَمْ يَطْعَمْهُ فَإِنَّهُ مِنِّي إِلَّا مَنِ اغْتَرَفَ غُرْفَةً بِيَدِهِ، فَشَرِبُوا مِنْهُ إِلَّا قَلِيلًا مِنْهُمْ …
And when Saul went forth with the soldiers, he said, “Indeed, Allah will be testing you with a river. So whoever drinks from it is not of me, and whoever does not taste it is indeed of me, excepting one who takes [from it] in the hollow of his hand.” But they drank from it, except a [very] few of them… (Al-Baqara, 249)
Upon crossing the water stream, which served as a divine test, the majority of Saul’s troops who had not passed the test expressed their apprehension towards resisting Goliath and his army. Nevertheless, the few who had demonstrated unwavering faith in God by successfully completing the test, recalled the divine tradition that victory ultimately rests in God’s hands and is not solely reliant on superior numbers or advanced equipment. They reminded the others that throughout history, numerous individuals, with the divine will, had triumphed against formidable enemies despite having limited numbers and meager resources.
فَلَمَّا جَاوَزَهُ هُوَ وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا مَعَهُ قَالُوا لَا طَاقَةَ لَنَا الْيَوْمَ بِجَالُوتَ وَجُنُودِهِ قَالَ الَّذِينَ يَظُنُّونَ أَنَّهُمْ مُلَاقُو اللَّهِ كَمْ مِنْ فِئَةٍ قَلِيلَةٍ غَلَبَتْ فِئَةً كَثِيرَةً بِإِذْنِ اللَّهِ وَاللَّهُ مَعَ الصَّابِرِينَ
Then when he had crossed it along with those who believed with him, they said, “There is no power for us today against Goliath and his soldiers.” But those who were certain that they would meet Allah said, “How many a small company has overcome a large company by permission of Allah. And Allah is with the patient.” (Al-Baqara, 249)
As Saul and the Israelites confronted Goliath and his army, the devoted warriors within their ranks brimmed with hope for victory. Seeking solace and strength in God, they placed their trust in Him and fervently pleaded for His assistance, beseeching Him to grant them patience and deliverance.
وَلَمَّا بَرَزُوا لِجَالُوتَ وَجُنُودِهِ قَالُوا رَبَّنَا أَفْرِغْ عَلَيْنَا صَبْرًا وَثَبِّتْ أَقْدَامَنَا وَانْصُرْنَا عَلَى الْقَوْمِ الْكَافِرِينَ
And when they went forth to [face] Goliath and his soldiers, they said, “Our Lord, pour upon us patience and plant firmly our feet and give us victory over the disbelieving people.” (Al-Baqara, 250)
Consequently, by the permission of God, Saul’s troops emerged victorious in the battle, and it was through David’s hands that Goliath met his end. This significant triumph solidified David’s remarkable leadership, marking the genesis of his illustrious reign as a great king.
فَهَزَمُوهُمْ بِإِذْنِ اللَّهِ وَقَتَلَ دَاوُودُ جَالُوتَ وَآتَاهُ اللَّهُ الْمُلْكَ وَالْحِكْمَةَ وَعَلَّمَهُ مِمَّا يَشَاءُ
So they defeated them by permission of Allah, and David killed Goliath, and Allah gave him the kingship and prophethood and taught him from that which He willed. (Al-Baqara, 251)