The story of David and Solomon, peace be upon them: Kingship and prophecy, wisdom and divine omnipotence
In the Book of the Prophets, the stories of the two great prophets David and Solomon, peace be upon them, shine as outstanding witnesses to God’s absolute greatness in combining prophethood with kingship, abundant knowledge with profound wisdom, and harnessing the universe with its wondrous laws to serve the righteous and faithful. They are inspiring stories that show how deep faith, constant thanksgiving, and absolute reliance on God can open doors of divine empowerment and generosity unimaginable to humans, and provide great lessons in wise leadership, comprehensive justice, and the use of divine blessings in obedience to God and seeking His pleasure.
David, peace be upon him: From Shepherd to Prophet King, Defeater of Goliath and Architect of Praise
The story of Prophet David (peace be upon him) begins at a difficult time, when the Israelites were suffering greatly from the oppression of a mighty and tyrannical king named Goliath, who was leading a great and heavily armed army. Fear and terror gripped the hearts of the Israelites, and there was no one who dared to face this tyrant who was armed with deadly weapons. At this difficult time, Talut, the king of the Israelites chosen by God, went out with a small army to confront Goliath, and he stipulated that whoever killed this tyrant would marry his daughter and receive the king.
At this critical moment, a young believer, strong in faith, and steadfast in spirit, stood out: David, peace be upon him. David was just a shepherd, but his heart was full of true faith and complete reliance on God, and he did not intimidate the enemies, no matter how powerful they were. With a fearless heart, the young David stepped forward to face the mighty Goliath, not with a blood-dripping sword or heavy armor, but with a simple and effective weapon: A slingshot and small stones he collected from the valley.
Qur’anic and historical evidence: The Qur’an mentions this great scene, which emphasizes the power of faith over the power of weapons, and how victory comes from God and not from the abundance of equipment in Surat al-Baqarah:
فَهَزَمُوهُم بِإِذْنِ اللَّهِ وَقَتَلَ دَاوُودُ جَالُوتَ وَآتَاهُ اللَّهُ الْمُلْكَ وَالْحِكْمَةَ وَعَلَّمَهُ مِمَّا يَشَاءُ
(Surat al-Baqarah: 251).
David hit Goliath with a fine stone from his slingshot, which landed in his forehead, and the mighty man fell instantly, and Goliath’s army was shaken and defeated. With this triumphant victory, God gave David a king and prophecy, and made him a just king and a wise ruler over the Israelites. God also taught him many industries and sciences, most notably the manufacture of elaborate armor, which was previously heavy, making it easy to make and perfect, protecting the fighter and not hindering him, which had a great impact on the advancement of the art of warfare at that time.
God gave David (peace be upon him) other great miracles, not given to a prophet before or after him. His voice was so sweet and beautiful, so unique in its splendor, that the towering mountains and the flying birds would praise with him and repeat the praise when he praised. This was proof of the greatness of his creation, his high position with his Lord, and the harnessing of the universe by God’s command to His righteous servants.
Qur’anic evidence: The Almighty said in Surah Saba, explaining some of the virtues of Dawud, peace be upon him:
وَلَقَدْ آتَيْنَا دَاوُودَ مِنَّا فَضْلًا ۗ يَا جِبَالُ أَوِّبِي مَعَهُ وَالطَّيْرَ ۖ وَأَلَنَّا لَهُ الْحَدِيدَ
(Surat Sheba: 10).
David, peace be upon him, was a just judge, adjudicating disputes with absolute truth, and God gave him wisdom in judging and adjudicating between people, as in the story of the owners of the crops and sheep, where he made an accurate judgment before Solomon, peace be upon him, came up with a more accurate judgment.
Solomon, peace be upon him: A king that no one should have after him, the pinnacle of wisdom and divine harnessing
After the death of David (peace be upon him), his son Solomon (peace be upon him ) inherited the king and prophethood. Solomon was a great prophet, and God gave him a king that no one before him and no one after him had, a king that was incomparable to a human king, as he harnessed the wind, the jinn, and the birds, taught him the logic of animals, and gave him the ability to understand their languages. This great king was a proof of the greatness of the Creator and an answer to Solomon’s unique supplication.
Qur’anic evidence: The Qur’an mentions Solomon’s prayer, which was answered by Allah with this unique king in Surah S:
قَالَ رَبِّ اغْفِرْ لِي وَهَبْ لِي مُلْكًا لَّا يَنبَغِي لِأَحَدٍ مِّن بَعْدِي ۖ إِنَّكَ أَنتَ الْوَهَّابُ
(Surah S: 35).
One of his most notable miracles was God’s harnessing of his incomparable kingdom:
- Harnessing the wind: The wind flowed at his command wherever he wished, so that he and his great army traveled a whole month’s march one way and a whole month’s march the other way, all in one day. This meant great speed in moving and controlling vast areas. Qur’anic evidence: “And to Solomon was given the wind, whose coming is a month and whose going is a month” (Shebaa: 12).
- Harnessing the jinn: The jinn worked under his command and obeyed him in everything, building him niches, statues and palaces, and diving deep into the seas to extract pearls and precious jewels. Those who strayed from his command were tormented by the Quranic evidence: “And of the jinn are those who work before him by the permission of his Lord; and whoever among them strays from our command, we will punish him with the torment of hell” (Saba: 12).
- Bird logic: God gave him a special knowledge of bird logic, so he understood their speech and listened to their news, as was clearly evident in the story of the hoopoe who told him about the kingdom of Sheba and its queen Bilqis and her people who worshipped the sun without God.
Solomon’s wisdom in the judiciary: Insightful and fair
Solomon, peace be upon him, inherited from his father David the wisdom to judge and adjudicate between people. One of the most famous stories in which his great wisdom was demonstrated is the story of the two women who disputed over a small child, each claiming it as her own. When David, peace be upon him, was unable to settle the matter, Solomon ruled with unique wisdom. He asked for a knife to divide the child between the two women, but the real mother screamed and demanded that the other take it and not divide it, while the other was silent and did not object to the division. Solomon knew that the one who screamed and gave up the child for his life was the real mother, and he awarded her the child.
Qur’anic evidence: The Almighty said in Surat al-Anbiya, explaining God’s favor on them:
وَدَاوُودَ وَسُلَيْمَانَ إِذْ يَحْكُمَانِ فِي الْحَرْثِ إِذْ نَفَشَتْ فِيهِ غَنَمُ الْقَوْمِ وَكُنَّا لِحُكْمِهِمْ شَاهِدِينَ (78) فَفَهَّمْنَاهَا سُلَيْمَانَ ۚ وَكُلًّا آتَيْنَا حُكْمًا وَعِلْمًا
(Prophets: 78-79).
This story shows Solomon’s rare insight and wisdom in reaching the truth, in a way that is unthinkable to humans, which confirms that his knowledge was from an all-knowing sage.
Kingdom of Sheba: A call to monotheism and the power of evidence
One of the most remarkable and strange chapters in the story of Solomon, peace be upon him, is his story with the Queen of Sheba, Bilqis. When the Hoopoe told him about her kingdom in Yemen and her people worshipping the sun without God, Solomon did not hesitate in his invitation. He sent her a letter inviting her and her people to Islam and to worship Allah alone. Bilqis tried to verify Solomon’s order and sent him a great gift, but Solomon showed her the greatness of his king and his power beyond all imagination, and that what he had from God’s kingdom was incomparable to the gifts of the world.
Then Solomon asked his entourage to bring the great throne of Bilquis before she came to him as a Muslim. When Bilquis came, she saw her throne being carried to her, and was asked about it, and she realized that Solomon was a prophet and that this was a king from God, not magic or human power. So she and Solomon became Muslims to God, the Lord of the Worlds, and her kingdom entered the religion of God.
Quranic evidence: The Qur’an mentions this story in detail in Surat al-Naml, starting from verse 20 to verse 44.
The death of Solomon, peace be upon him: A lesson in the harnessing of the jinn and the revelation of the unseen
Even in the death of Sulayman, peace be upon him, his story carries a great lesson in demonstrating God’s power, the wisdom of harnessing the jinn, and revealing the truth of the unseen that only God knows. He died while leaning on his staff, and the jinn were working in his hands building palaces and niches, thinking that he was alive, watching and commanding them. They continued to work in hardship and humiliating torment, and they did not discover his death until after a long time, until the earthworm ate his stick and it corroded, and Solomon, peace be upon him, fell dead on the ground.
Qur’anic evidence: The Almighty said in Surah Sheba, explaining the wisdom of this scene:1
فَلَمَّا قَضَيْنَا عَلَيْهِ الْمَوْتَ مَا دَلَّهُمْ عَلَىٰ مَوْتِهِ إِلَّا دَابَّةُ الْأَرْضِ تَأْكُلُ مِنسَأَتَهُ ۖ فَلَمَّا خَرَّ تَبَيَّنَتِ الْجِنُّ أَن لَّوْ كَانُوا يَعْلَمُونَ الْغَيْبَ مَا لَبِثُوا فِي الْعَذَابِ الْمُهِينِ
(Surat Sheba: 14).
This scene clearly demonstrated to the jinn, and to humans after them, that the jinn do not know the unseen, and that they had been working in humiliating torment throughout the period of Solomon’s death, thinking that he was alive.
Conclusion: King and Prophecy, Wisdom and Thankfulness, and Absolute Justice
The stories of Dawud and Sulayman, peace be upon them, are great lessons in thanksgiving for great blessings, using power, authority and empowerment in obedience to God, and spreading the call of monotheism and justice among people. God gave them a great king and prophethood, and gave them knowledge, wisdom, and empowerment that no one else had. Their lives teach us that great blessings require greater thanksgiving, that true wisdom lies in knowing the truth and acting on it, that praise and constant supplication to God is the key to harnessing the universe, that all power and authority are from God, and that the world is fleeting, and the face of your Lord remains.
What is the most important wisdom from the stories of David and Solomon and how can it be applied in our daily lives?
