What is the test of Dawud (peace be upon him), and why did Dawud seek forgiveness from his Lord, fall prostrate, and turn in repentance, and an explanation of the falsehood of the Isra'iliyyat attributed to him in this matter.
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The Shaykh : I say, what is the test in this story? What is the test in this story so that we know why Dawud sought forgiveness and fell prostrate and turned in repentance to Allah?
The questioner : That he listened to one of the two litigants without the other.
The Shaykh : He says the test is that Dawud (peace and blessings be upon him) ruled in favor of one litigant without asking the other, as if (peace and blessings be upon him) did so to return to his private worship, because he closed the door on himself and secluded himself in his prayer niche only to perform a special act of worship. And Dawud (peace and blessings be upon him) has a great duty, which is to judge between people[Sad 38:26] So he secluded himself in his private worship and left the affairs of the people. So Allah tested him in this story. He (peace and blessings be upon him) ruled for one of two litigants without asking the other. Is this permissible? No, you must listen to the litigant. Therefore, we often ask: a man comes and says so-and-so did such and such to me, especially what happens between spouses. A woman comes and complains about her husband until she says this husband has wronged her greatly. Then when you ask the husband, you find the matter is the opposite, or vice versa. The husband comes and complains about his wife until she says this wife has wasted the right of Allah and the right of her husband. And upon inquiry, the matter is the opposite. So what must we do? We must ask the litigant. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Bulugh al-Maram 1423 This is one aspect. Another aspect.
The questioner : That he was hasty.
The Shaykh : The second aspect is that Dawud (peace and blessings be upon him) secluded himself in private worship and closed the prayer niche on himself. The evidence that he closed it is that they climbed over the prayer niche; they did not enter through the door. A person obligated to judge between people must devote himself to judging between people. This is also a form of neglecting the reception of people's cases. So Dawud saw this as a sin, sought forgiveness from his Lord, fell prostrate, and turned in repentance. In a third matter, some people said there is a third thing, which is Dawud's fear of them. Why would he be afraid? Does this not contradict reliance upon Allah? But this is not correct, because fear in such a situation is part of human nature, and one is not blamed for it. Musa (peace be upon him), despite his strength and severity in the cause of Allah, left Egypt in fear, looking around. This is something for which a person is not blamed because it is part of his nature. So if we look at this story, we find it is clear in the Qur'an. But nevertheless, in the books of exegetes that deal with transmitting the Isra'iliyyat, it is said that Dawud (peace and blessings be upon him) had a man with the army, with the soldiers. This man had a beautiful, lovely wife. And Dawud had ninety-nine women. So Dawud (peace and blessings be upon him) thought about how to reach this beautiful woman. He plotted a scheme and a trick. What was the scheme and the trick? That he sent this man in the army to fight the enemies so that this man would be killed, and then Dawud would marry his wife. So I ask you, by Allah, is it possible to attribute such a thing to a prophet of the prophets of Allah? No, by Allah, this is not possible for any person of sound mind, even if he were not a believer, to behave in this way. Every person sees that this behavior is among the most abhorrent and deceptive things, and it cannot come from a prophet of the prophets of Allah. But the Jews, upon them be the curses of Allah until the Day of Resurrection, are able to plot such things and to cast doubt upon the prophets with such things. It is known from their condition that they kill the prophets without right and kill those who enjoin justice among the people. It is not strange for them to plot this lie about Dawud. For this reason, they still call him what? They call Dawud a king. They see him as a king and not a prophet. Even among them, there is a star they call what? The Star of King Dawud. They do not say that he is a prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). He is purer, more chaste, and better in character than to plot this great scheme. So we must know the rights of the prophets and say that Dawud (peace and blessings be upon him) exercised independent legal reasoning, and this independent legal reasoning occurred from him in the manner you have heard. And the story is clear, praise be to Allah.
The questioner : That he listened to one of the two litigants without the other.
The Shaykh : He says the test is that Dawud (peace and blessings be upon him) ruled in favor of one litigant without asking the other, as if (peace and blessings be upon him) did so to return to his private worship, because he closed the door on himself and secluded himself in his prayer niche only to perform a special act of worship. And Dawud (peace and blessings be upon him) has a great duty, which is to judge between people
O David, indeed We have made you a successor upon the earth, so judge between the people
يا داود إنا جعلناك خليفة في الأرض فاحكم بين الناسNarrated Ibn 'Abbas (RA): The Prophet (ﷺ) said: "If people were given whatever they claimed (in disputes), some people would claim the lives and wealth of others; but the oath (of denial) must be taken by the defendant." [Agreed upon]. al-Baihaqi has reported with a Sahih (authentic) chain of narrators: "But the proof (Bayyinah) lies on the one who is making the claim, and the other (Yamin) must be taken by the one who rejects the claim."
لو يعطى الناس بدعواهم لادعى رجال دماء قوم وأموالهم ولكن البينة على المدعي واليمين على من أنكرThe questioner : That he was hasty.
The Shaykh : The second aspect is that Dawud (peace and blessings be upon him) secluded himself in private worship and closed the prayer niche on himself. The evidence that he closed it is that they climbed over the prayer niche; they did not enter through the door. A person obligated to judge between people must devote himself to judging between people. This is also a form of neglecting the reception of people's cases. So Dawud saw this as a sin, sought forgiveness from his Lord, fell prostrate, and turned in repentance. In a third matter, some people said there is a third thing, which is Dawud's fear of them. Why would he be afraid? Does this not contradict reliance upon Allah? But this is not correct, because fear in such a situation is part of human nature, and one is not blamed for it. Musa (peace be upon him), despite his strength and severity in the cause of Allah, left Egypt in fear, looking around. This is something for which a person is not blamed because it is part of his nature. So if we look at this story, we find it is clear in the Qur'an. But nevertheless, in the books of exegetes that deal with transmitting the Isra'iliyyat, it is said that Dawud (peace and blessings be upon him) had a man with the army, with the soldiers. This man had a beautiful, lovely wife. And Dawud had ninety-nine women. So Dawud (peace and blessings be upon him) thought about how to reach this beautiful woman. He plotted a scheme and a trick. What was the scheme and the trick? That he sent this man in the army to fight the enemies so that this man would be killed, and then Dawud would marry his wife. So I ask you, by Allah, is it possible to attribute such a thing to a prophet of the prophets of Allah? No, by Allah, this is not possible for any person of sound mind, even if he were not a believer, to behave in this way. Every person sees that this behavior is among the most abhorrent and deceptive things, and it cannot come from a prophet of the prophets of Allah. But the Jews, upon them be the curses of Allah until the Day of Resurrection, are able to plot such things and to cast doubt upon the prophets with such things. It is known from their condition that they kill the prophets without right and kill those who enjoin justice among the people. It is not strange for them to plot this lie about Dawud. For this reason, they still call him what? They call Dawud a king. They see him as a king and not a prophet. Even among them, there is a star they call what? The Star of King Dawud. They do not say that he is a prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). He is purer, more chaste, and better in character than to plot this great scheme. So we must know the rights of the prophets and say that Dawud (peace and blessings be upon him) exercised independent legal reasoning, and this independent legal reasoning occurred from him in the manner you have heard. And the story is clear, praise be to Allah.