The life of Prophet Dawud after defeating Goliath and becoming famous, where he instead withdrew to worship, received the Zabur, and was given a beautiful voice and the ability to understand the language of animals.
What Happened After Prophet Dawud Killed Goliath
After Dawud killed Goliath, he reached the peak of fame among his people, so he became the most famous man among the Children of Israel. He became a commander of troops and the husband of the king's daughter. However, Dawud was not really pleased with all this. He did not aim to achieve fame or position or honor, but he sought to attain the love of Allah (Glorified and Exalted be He). Dawud was given a very beautiful and wonderful voice. Dawud glorified Allah and extolled Him with his appealing voice that invited admiration. Therefore, after defeating Goliath, Dawud hid himself. He went to the desert and mountains. He found peace among other creatures. While in seclusion, he repented to Allah (Glorified and Exalted be He).
When Dawud sat, he glorified Allah and exalted Him. Allah chose Dawud as a Prophet and gave him the Zabur. Allah said:
And your Lord is most knowing of who is in the heavens and on the earth. And We have certainly favored some of the prophets over others, and We gave the Zabur to Dawud. (Qur'an 17:55)
What Happened After Prophet Dawud Killed Goliath
The Zabur is a sacred scripture like the Torah. Dawud read that scripture and glorified Allah. When he glorified, the mountains also glorified along with him, and the birds gathered together with him.
Dawud was a mighty man. He was able to kill Goliath at a very young age. He was later crowned as a king with great power. However, Dawud had a very tender heart and always glorified and praised Allah in unity with nature around him. Scholars also believe that Dawud was given extraordinary musical ability. He often sang his praises and supplications in beautiful melodies. The Qur'an says:
And remember Our servant Dawud, possessor of strength; indeed, he was ever devoted (to his Lord). Indeed, We subjected the mountains to exalt [Allah] with him in the evening and [after] sunrise, and the birds assembled, all with him devoted. And We strengthened his kingdom and gave him wisdom and discernment in judgment. (Qur'an 38:17-20)
The desert stretches to the horizon. This is the day of Dawud's fasting. Prophet Dawud fasted one day and broke his fast on another day. This is what is called fasting of perpetuity (Shiam ad-Dahr). Dawud read the Zabur and reflected on its verses. The mountains glorified with him. The mountain perfected the recitation of those verses, and sometimes he would be silent while the mountain perfected its glorification. Not only the mountains glorified with him, but the birds also glorified along with him. When Dawud began to recite the sacred Zabur, the birds, wild beasts, and trees gathered at his side, and even the mountains glorified. It was not only because of Dawud's sincerity that the mountains and birds glorified with him; it was not only the beauty of his voice that caused other creatures to glorify with him, but this was a miracle from Allah to him as a Prophet who possessed great faith, whose love for Allah was sincere. Not only this miracle was given to him; Allah also gave him knowledge and the ability to understand the language of birds and other animals.
What Happened After Prophet Dawud Killed Goliath
One day, he reflected and listened to birds conversing with each other. Then he understood what the birds were saying. Allah placed light in his heart so that he understood the language of birds and other animals. Dawud loved animals and birds greatly. He was gentle with them, and he even cared for them when they were sick, so the birds and other creatures loved him in return. Besides the ability to understand the language of birds, Allah also gave him wisdom and knowledge. When Dawud gained knowledge from Allah or when he received a miracle, his love for Allah increased and his gratitude to Him also increased, and so too did his worship increase. Therefore, he fasted one day and broke his fast the next day. Allah loved Dawud greatly and gave him a great kingdom.
The Zabur is a sacred scripture revealed by Allah to Dawud (peace be upon him), just as Prophet Musa (peace be upon him) received the Torah, Prophet Isa (peace be upon him) received the Gospel, and Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) received the Qur'an.
In the Gospel that circulates today, the Zabur is known as the Psalms. Like other sacred scriptures besides the Qur'an, it is believed that many messages in the Psalms have been changed from their original form. Nevertheless, Muslims should still respect the Psalms in their original form. As it is said in the Qur'an:
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