داود
Dāwūd
Prophet
King David, honoured in the Quran as a prophet and king to whom God gave the Psalms.
What it means
The Quran says God gave David the Zabur (4:163, 17:55), made him a ruler on earth (38:26), taught him to make coats of mail (21:80) and made mountains and birds echo his praises (21:79, 38:18–19). He killed Goliath (2:251). The Prophet said that David’s was the best fast, on alternate days, and the best prayer, at one half of the night (Sahih al-Bukhari).
What the sources say
The Quran presents David as one who sinned and repented, “and he fell down bowing and turned in repentance” (38:24). It does not tell the story of Bathsheba and Uriah as the Bible does, and Muslim scholars reject the claim that a prophet committed adultery or murder.