King David 1

(6:84) (17:55) (21:105) (27:15) (38:20-26) (2:246-251)

          In the Quran, the ups and downs the Israelites had been facing are given in great detail.  There are many reasons for it.  The first nation addressed by the Quran was the Arab nation, but along with Arabs, Jews were also living in Arabia, and the inhabitants of Arabia were aware of their history and culture; any allusion to their history was liable to be understood easily.

 The method adopted by the Quran is that it states the law about the rise and fall of nations, but it does not leave it abstract, and in order to prove the truth, it brings evidence from history. The Israelites have a checkered history. Moreover, the history of this nation clearly illustrates the laws that govern the rise and fall of nations. The Israelites were a slave nation in Egypt; from such a miserable position they rose to the status of the most advanced nation in world history.  As long as they followed the laws given to Moses they prospered, but when they transgressed the laws they were beaten down.

The Quran narrates an event from the history of the Israelites, when after the death of Moses, the leaders of the Israelites came to a prophet and requested him to appoint a commander for them, so they could fight in the cause of Allah.  The prophet said, “I will ask God to appoint a commander for you, but before doing that, I want you to consider the request seriously, so that you may not refrain from war when it is prescribed for you.”

 The leaders replied, “What are you saying?  Don’t you see that we are driven away from our land and children? Is this not enough cause to urge us to fight? We will definitely fight in the cause of Allah.” However, what the Nabi anticipated from them turned out to be true. When the commander was appointed, the order of war was given, but only a few were willing to fight; the rest of them turned back from their promise. 

God appointed Saul as their commander.  The first objection to his appointment came from rich people.  They openly declared, “How can Saul be our commander?  He is a poor man.  We, rich people, deserve this rank. It should have been given to us.” The prophet said, “Riches are the sole criterion for giving respect and position for the majority of people in this world, but it is not the criterion of God.  Saul is appointed as a commander because he has gotten an abundance of mental and physical powers along with knowledge.  Moreover, he has been sharing his gifts with less privileged folks. Anyhow, a good sign for you will be that he is going to regain the relics of Moses and Aaron, so that you can again live according to their instructions.”

The commander Saul organized his forces and marched towards the enemy.  The march was long and tiring, and the sun was sending scorching hot rays on the earth. Saul gave an order about a canal which they had to cross on the way.  The order prohibited the army from drinking water from the canal, except a handful to moisturize the face.  He further emphasized that the one who would drink the water did not belong to him.  Almost everyone disobeyed the order and heartily drank the water to quench their thirst in the burning heat. A small minority of firm believers abstained from breaking the discipline.

When the march was over, both armies settled on the battle-field; the same leaders who were asking for a commander to fight went to Saul and informed him that they would not fight with such a large army. Moreover, they were frightened by the size and strength of the leader of the Palestinian army.  The small minority that had not drunk the water said, “Don’t behave like cowards and be afraid of the large number of the enemy. The numbers are not the only criterion for victory.  Many times small numbers have attained victory over large numbers. Have faith in God; remain steadfast on the battle-field, so that you can gain victory.”

When both the armies were facing each other, David, who was a budding youth, joined the Israelite army. He killed Goliath. The small minority of the Israelites’ army prayed to God for steadfastness, firmness, and victory.   Their morale was boosted up by the courageous act of David; the small minority fought with such courage that a crushing defeat was inflicted on the Palestinian army.  After the victory, David, an unknown shepherd boy, became a big star in the nation. He became a well-known celebrity.