His Call to Allah, Peace Be Upon Him

His first appearance as a fighter was in the army of King Talut. The kingship among the Children of Israel was in one tribe, while prophethood was in another tribe. Then, Allah granted him kingship and wisdom, and he was appointed king after he killed Jalut (the king of the disbelievers who fought the Israelites). The Children of Israel then turned to him and loved him greatly. When Dawud, peace be upon him, reached the age of forty, Allah, the Exalted, granted him prophethood along with kingship and made him a messenger to the Children of Israel. Dawud, peace be upon him, called his people, the Children of Israel, to follow the law that had been revealed to him, which was the law of the Torah based on Islam. He was the first to combine kingship and prophethood, as they had been separate before that.

Allah, the Exalted, says:

”And We have favoured some of the prophets over others, and We gave Dawud the Zabur.”
(And David killed Goliath, and Allah granted him kingship and wisdom and taught him whatever He willed.)
(Surah Al-Isra, 17:55)

Prophet Dawud’s Profession

The Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) praised the Prophet of Allah, Dawud (peace be upon him), and mentioned him as an example of the best deeds in worship, fasting, and prayer.

Abu Hurairah narrated that the Prophet (ﷺ) said:

”Dawud (peace be upon him) used to eat only from the work of his own hands.” 

Narrated by Al-Bukhari.

Dawud (peace be upon him) was a king, and he had wealth and authority on earth. Despite this, he would only eat from the work of his own hands. Allah softened iron for Dawud and taught him how to make armour, and he used to earn his living from this craft. Therefore, scholars said that Dawud (peace be upon him) was a blacksmith, even though he was a king. He perfected this craft and made it with great skill through the teaching of Allah. His armour was well-made and not heavy for the person wearing it. Rather, it was lighter to carry while providing greater protection. Allah, the Exalted, says:

(And We taught him the making of armour for you to protect you from your fighting. So will you then be grateful?)
وَعَلَّمْنَاهُ صَنْعَةَ لَبُوسٍ لَكُمْ لِتُحْصِنَكُمْ مِنْ بَأْسِكُمْ فَهَلْ أَنْتُمْ شَاكِرُونَ
[Al-Anbiya: 80]

And He says:

(And We certainly gave Dawud favour from Us. ”O mountains and birds, glorify Allah with him.” And We softened the iron for him.)
وَلَقَدْ آتَيْنَا دَاوُدَ مِنَّا فَضْلًا يَا جِبَالُ أَوِّبِي مَعَهُ وَالطَّيْرَ وَأَلَنَّا لَهُ الْحَدِيد

(Make full-length coats of armour and measure precisely the links of the chainmail, and do righteousness. Indeed, I am All-Seer of what you do.)
أَنِ اعْمَلْ سَابِغَاتٍ وَقَدِّرْ فِي السَّرْدِ وَاعْمَلُوا صَالِحًا إِنِّي بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ بَصِيرٌ
[Saba: 10-11]

The Virtues of Prophet Dawud

   Allah, the Exalted, gave His servant Dawud (peace be upon him) great favour and blessed him with great goodness from Him. Allah blessed him with a melodious voice that became renowned for its exceptional beauty, and when he raised his beautiful voice in glorifying and praising Allah, the mountains and birds would glorify Allah along with him. Allah, the Exalted, says:

(And We certainly gave Dawud favour from Us. ”O mountains and birds, glorify Allah with him.” And We softened the iron for him.)
وَلَقَدْ آتَيْنَا دَاوُودَ مِنَّا فَضْلًا ۖ يَا جِبَالُ أَوِّبِي مَعَهُ وَالطَّيْرَ ۖ وَأَلَنَّا لَهُ الْحَدِيدَ
Surah Saba (34:10)

It was narrated that one day the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) stood listening to the noble Companion Abu Musa Al-Ash‘ari as he recited the Qur’an in his beautiful and gentle voice. The Prophet (ﷺ) said: ”You have been given one of the beautiful voices of the family of Dawud.” He said, ”O Messenger of Allah, were you listening to my recitation?” He replied, ”Yes.” Abu Musa said, ”If I had known that you were listening, I would have made it even more beautiful.”

The worship of Dawud (peace be upon him) in his night prayer and fasting was among the most remarkable acts of worship. The Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) said that they were the best of their kind. Abdullah ibn Amr ibn Al-As narrated that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said to him:

”The most beloved prayer to Allah is the prayer of Dawud, peace be upon him, and the most beloved fasting to Allah is the fasting of Dawud. He used to sleep half of the night, pray for one-third of it, and sleep for one-sixth of it. He used to fast one day and break his fast the next.”

Narrated by Al-Bukhari and Muslim.

The story of Prophet Dawud (peace be upon him) teaches us many valuable lessons about worship, gratitude, hard work, and relying on Allah. His life was a great example of combining strength and authority with sincere worship and humility before Allah.