(21:105)(38:18-20-26)(21:78-79)
After the war was over, the Jews started living peacefully,
without any external fear, in their land. The
Palestinians suffered a crushing defeat
and their leader was killed in the war. David
was given knowledge and prophet hood along with a book called Zab’ur by
God. In it was clearly stated that only those who believe
in the immutable values given in the scripture, live according to them, form a
balanced society under the guidance of the book, and use their administrative
skills for the welfare of humanity could develop their abilities to inherit the kingdom
on earth permanently, although less capable individuals acquire it temporarily.
In the time of David, his kingdom expanded and he conquered
many adjacent territories. He was given
wisdom, insight, and power to discern the data and reach correct decisions by
God. With these qualities, he was able
to conquer vast land and became a mighty, powerful king. He was so powerful that many great, unruly
chiefs in the surrounding areas were working for him. Among these tribes, one tribe was very famous
for swift horses. The gypsy tribe of Thair, which was living scattered in
various places, was gathered by David and they formed a major part of his army. This tribe was famous for horse-breeding; the
horses from their breeding ground were very swift and strong. At the time of King David, modern means of
communication were not available. King
David’s battalions of swift horses had played a great role in his success. Moreover, he knew the skill of making armor
that gave his army an extra advantage over the unskilled armies present at his
time.
With his entire vast and powerful kingdom, King David always
abode by the rules and guidance of the Scripture; power was unable to cloud
his judgment and good sense. In the Quran, elaborate details of his life are
not given; however, one great achievement is portrayed in minute detail. The
unruly, hard-working tribes that were working for him were not sophisticated in
their manners. They had no sense of
privacy; if they wanted to present a case, they would burst into the house
without caring about time and permission.
King David never lost his temper at their ill manners; he treated them
kindly and tried to explain the absurdity of their manners.
One day, King David was working in a silent corner of his
house, when two men climbed the wall of his house and burst in. David was disturbed by their entry; both men
said, “Don’t be afraid, we have come to you without any ill intention. In reality, we are two litigants and want to
present a case to you; please decide it for us.
You are known for justice and insight throughout the country.”
David’s worries vanished with the declaration of purpose; he
explained their mistake in entering the house without permission by climbing
the wall in a polite way, and said, “What is the case? I will decide it for
you.” The plaintiff said, “My case is
against my brother. In reality, we are two real brothers. My brother is rich and I am poor. He has
ninety-nine ewes and I have one. Now, he
wants to take that one from me even though he says that he is my brother;
because he is rich, he prevails upon me in arguments and the people around us
agree with him. Now, you show us the
right path and do justice in this case.” Without any hesitation, David said, “Your
brother’s claim is based on cruelty and injustice. He has no right to take your one ewe and rob
you of your means of sustenance. Mostly when
people combine their resources to do business, those who do not believe in the
unchangeable values try to cheat their partners. Only those who believe in the
laws of God shun such practices.”
Suddenly, in an epiphany, David realized that it was not an
ordinary case; these two litigants came to make him see the abnormal and unjust
condition of his kingdom, where the rich had become richer and the poor
ordinary folks were left with nothing.
The society had been divided into two halves, rich and poor; the gap
between these two halves was becoming wider every day.
David made up his
mind that he would change this system which was based on cruelty and injustice. He prayed to God to grant him the strength
and protection to root out the capitalism from his territory. God provided him the protection; moreover, He
said that the kingdom was given to him so that he could rule it in accordance
with His laws, without caring about the desires and emotions of anyone. Otherwise,
they would mislead him. With his courage
and insight, David was able to set up an economic system which was based on the
principle of justice. Under the changed
system, the oppressed classes got new life and they willingly worked for the
prosperity of the country. This new
attitude made the kingdom of King David an example of prosperity and wealth.
