When, after the days of Shamuil and Tâlut, the robe of prophecy and the tunic of royalty had begun to fit the person of Dâud—u. w. b., etc.—his position and dignity became so exalted that, according to one tradition, his body-guard consisted of four thousand men. His lordship united the supreme ecclesiastical and secular dignity in his own person, although before his time the prophet belonged to one, and the judge to another tribe. The Most High has said: ‘O Dâud, verily we have appointed thee a sovereign prince upon the earth; judge therefore between men with truth.’* When he became the absolute successor [Khalifah] the Lord Most High sent down to him the Psalms, which contained exhortations and commands. The voice of Dâud was so pleasing, that whoever heard it became enamoured therewith, and seventy-two different notes are said to have issued from his blessed larynx. Wuhub Bin Muniah states that whenever he was engaged in reading the Psalms the wild beasts, birds, and rapacious animals gathered around him, and would not injure each other. It is related that when men and genii obeyed Dâud, and were delighted to listen to his voice, the flame of envy blazed up in the oven of the mind of Eblis, who became disquieted, assembled the Satans, and asked: ‘By what stratagem can the possession of the hearts of mankind be taken away from Dâud, and by what means can the intercourse of human beings with him be diminished?’ They all replied: ‘In this matter thou art more knowing than we.’ Satan said: ‘We must try to invent a voice resembling his [musical] notes!’ After they had agreed on this point, Eblis commenced to manufacture harps, psalteries, and all sorts of musical instruments, upon which his followers played, and thereby decoyed men from the straight path, precipitating them into the valley of perdition. Wuhub also states that the prophet Dâud— u. w. b., etc.—was extremely devout, wept much, comforted the weak, the poor, orphans, and widows. He walked about mostly dressed in woollen garments, meditating, and roaming through the city and the public places, asking the people [incognito] how they were treated by Dâud, and whether they were contented with him or not; he also made inquiries among the inhabitants concerning his laudable and blameworthy qualities. One day he met an angel in the guise of a traveller, and questioned him according to his usual way concerning himself. The angel replied: ‘Dâud would be one of the best of men if he had not one peculiarity.’ The prophet asked: ‘What is it?’ The angel replied: ‘He subsists on the public treasury, and draws all his personal expenses therefrom.’ Dâud, having thus been admonished, now implored the Lord of Magnificence to exalt him by teaching him a trade for the support of himself and of his family; whereon Dâud was by a revelation of grace instructed in the craft of weaving cuirasses. The most glorious of speakers has said: ‘And we taught him the art of making coats of mail for you.’* Some learned men have asserted that Dâud did not make coats of mail to gain the approbation of the world, or for monetary purposes, because prophets are exempted from similar attributes, but that this was one of his miracles, as the iron became soft in his blessed hands like wax. He fabricated shirts of mail, but used no hammer, anvil, or other tools, and his object was to disburse in alms any sums he gained in this way, after he had satisfied his personal wants. Tradition informs us that when Dâud was engaged in praising and magnifying God, the mountains, the animals, the sea, and the land, united with him in doing so. It is said that he divided his time into four parts, as follows: One day he spent with scholars and learned men, occupying himself with learning and study. One day he sat in the judgment seat, and judged the people righteously. One day he was engaged in devotions and supplications to the Creator of the inhabitants of this world. And the fourth day he spent with his wives and family. [Nothing is said of the three remaining days of the week.]
It is related that one day he implored the Palace of Monotheism in the following words: ‘O Lord, how shall I live under Thy dominion so as to please Thee?’ Then the allocution came: ‘Thou must remember Me much; for whoever loves Me, I love him. Thou must so govern the people of the world, and so watch thy passions, as to abstain from approaching thy absent brother’s bed.’*
Histories inform us that the Absolute Sovereign presented Dâud with a chain, one end of which was fixed [in the sky] to the path usually called the Milky Way, and the other near the oratory of his lordship, so that the people could touch it with their hands. This chain was of iron, and bright like fire. Whenever a misfortune was sent from heaven, the chain moved, a voice issuing from it reached Dâud—u. w. b., etc.—and informed him of the event. Every sick man who touched this chain with his hand was delivered of his malady. After his lordship’s departure to the mansion of eternity, the children of Esrâil fixed the chain, and decided judicial cases by means of it. When an innocent person wished to touch the chain it remained in its place, so that it might be grasped, but when an oppressor or liar endeavoured to do so, it eluded his attempts to take hold of it, and moved upwards. The Jews had recourse to it for a long time, until a?? man made use of a stratagem [to obtain judgment in his favour], when the chain was taken up [and disappeared for ever]. This happened as follows: One of the grandees of the children of Esrâil had entrusted a jewel of great price to the keeping of a man; the latter, however, denied afterwards that he had it in his possession when the owner wished to recover it. The possessor of the jewel desired to bring this matter before the chain, but the other man asked for some respite; he agreed, however, to the proposal after he had concealed the gem in a hollow staff. On the appointed day both the accuser and the accused made their appearance, with the chiefs of the tribe, in the vicinity of the chain. The claimant stretched forth his hand and grasped the chain, whereby he became convinced that his demand was well founded. Then the defendant handed the above-mentioned staff to the accuser and said: ‘Pray hold it for a moment, that I may likewise take hold of the chain.’ The owner of the jewel took the cane, while the rogue turned his face towards heaven and said: ‘O Lord, Thou knowest that I have restored to my accuser what he has entrusted me with. I am, therefore, now innocent of the imputation. Allow me to touch the chain.’ Uttering these words, he grasped the chain, whereat the people were highly astonished, because at that time no one knew the cause. The deceiver then again took possession of his staff, and defrauded the owner of the precious jewel by this stratagem; but when the Jews got up from their sleep the next morning they found that the chain had disappeared.
Some commentators have said that the blessed verse, ‘And We established his kingdom, and gave him wisdom and eloquence of speech,’* confirms the fact that the pomp of his lordship had attained such a degree that, when he spent the night near the altar of the Benign Sovereign, one thousand body-guards were watching; and their awe of him was such that they dared not to utter a single word contrary to the law or wisdom. Some say that his royalty was confirmed on the occasion when a man brought one of the nobles of the children of Esrâil, and accused him of having taken his cow by force. The accused man denied the fact, and as the accuser was unable to produce witnesses in his favour, Dâud said to them: Depart ye both, until I consider this matter.’ That very night Dâud heard in a dream the words: ‘The accuser is right, and the accused deserves capital punishment; kill him.’ When Dâud awoke, he said to himself: ‘How can I kill a man merely on account of a dream?’ But after he had for three successive nights heard the same voice, he called the accused man and said: ‘I shall kill thee.’ The individual was distressed, and replied: ‘According to what law is it permitted to kill a Musalmân without a proof of his guilt?’ Dâud continued: ‘I have been ordered by the Mighty Avenger to do it.’ When this man saw that Dâud was determined to take his life, he said: ‘O prophet of Allah, I have not become worthy of this chastisement on account of forcibly taking the cow, but because I have formerly killed the father of the owner of the cow without a just cause.’ After his lordship the prophet had despatched the spirit of that individual of high dignity to its original centre [i.e., after he had killed him] great fear overawed the people, and no one dared to oppose him in anything. The word ‘wisdom’ in the last-quoted verse points to his prophetic dignity, but concerning the expression ‘eloquence of speech’ there are many opinions, three of which may here be adduced: 1. That it means judicial commands. 2. That it implies science and philosophy and discernment in judgments. 3. A’li, the son of Abu Tâleb—may Allah ennoble his countenance—has said that ‘eloquence of speech’ means the establishment of the claim of the accuser, and the administration of an oath to the defendant, because judgment depends upon these two matters. Allah, however, knows best!