Gratitude and worship; just leadership
Close your eyes for a moment and imagine a voice so beautiful that when it sang praises to Allah, the mountains themselves would join in. The birds would stop mid-flight to listen. The wind would carry the melody across valleys and hills, and every creature that heard it would turn toward Allah in worship. This was the gift of Prophet Dawud, peace be upon him, the king with the voice of heaven.
Dawud (AS) was not always a king. He began as a young shepherd boy in the hills of ancient Palestine, tending his father's sheep. He was small for his age, and no one would have guessed that this quiet boy would one day be chosen by Allah for something extraordinary. But Allah sees what people cannot see. He looks not at the outside, but at the heart.
While the other boys played and boasted, young Dawud (AS) would sit among his sheep on the hillside and sing. He sang praises to Allah, hymns of gratitude that came from somewhere deep in his soul. And something miraculous happened when he sang: the mountains around him would echo his praise, as if they too were alive and worshipping. The Quran tells us: "We subjected the mountains to glorify with him, at evening and sunrise." The birds would gather in flocks above him, each one adding its own voice to the chorus. It was as if all of creation recognized what this young boy was doing and wanted to join in.
Allah gave Dawud (AS) another gift as well. He taught him to work with iron, to soften it with his hands and shape it into coats of armor. The Quran says: "We made iron soft for him." This was not just a craft; it was a mercy for his people, because the armor would protect them from those who wished to harm them. Dawud (AS) would work the iron with skill and care, shaping each ring of the armor with precision, and even this work became an act of worship, for he did everything seeking Allah's pleasure.
As Dawud (AS) grew, Allah elevated him. He was given not just prophethood, but also kingship. He became the ruler of his people, and here is where his story carries its deepest lesson: Dawud (AS) was a just king. In a world where kings often grew proud and cruel, Dawud (AS) ruled with fairness, humility, and constant awareness of Allah.
The Quran tells us about a test that came to Dawud (AS), a test of his judgment. One day, two men came to him with a dispute. One said, "This man has ninety-nine sheep, and I have only one. Yet he demands that I give him my one sheep so he can add it to his flock." Dawud (AS) listened carefully, and at first he judged quickly, saying the man with ninety-nine was wrong.
But then he paused. He realized that he had judged too quickly, without hearing both sides fully. The Quran says: "And Dawud realized that We had tested him, so he asked forgiveness of his Lord, and he fell down bowing in prostration, and he turned to Allah in repentance." This moment is powerful because it shows us that even a prophet, even a king chosen by Allah, must be careful about justice. He must hear all sides. He must not rush.
Allah forgave him immediately, and the Quran adds: "And indeed, he had nearness to Us and a beautiful place of return." Dawud (AS) was not diminished by this moment of self-correction. He was made greater by it, because the willingness to recognize your own mistake and turn back to Allah is one of the most beautiful qualities a person can have.
From that day forward, Dawud (AS) became even more careful in his judgments. He would sit among his people, not on a high throne behind walls, but where they could reach him. Anyone, rich or poor, could come to him with a dispute, and he would listen patiently, weighing each side with care before speaking. The people loved him, not because he was powerful, but because he was fair.
And always, morning and evening, Dawud (AS) would sing his psalms. The Zabur, the book of psalms that Allah revealed to him, was filled with praises, supplications, and wisdom. When Dawud (AS) recited the Zabur, the sound was so magnificent that all of nature would respond. The mountains would tremble with glorification. The birds would form circles in the sky, each species singing its own tasbih. Even the iron in his workshop seemed to become softer, more willing to be shaped.
Imam Ali (AS), the cousin and son-in-law of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), was known for his own beautiful recitation of the Quran. It is said that when Ali (AS) recited, people would weep, for his voice carried the same sincerity and love for Allah that Dawud's voice had carried centuries before. And like Dawud (AS), Ali (AS) was famous for his justice. In Nahj al-Balagha, he wrote: "Be an enemy to the oppressor and a helper to the oppressed." This was the same principle that guided Dawud (AS) in his judgments.
Ali (AS) also said: "The value of a person is in their good deeds." Dawud (AS) lived this truth every day. His kingship was not about power or luxury. He would fast every other day, worshipping Allah with his body. He would spend his nights in prayer, singing the Zabur until the stars began to fade. And during the day, he would work with his own hands, making armor, earning his bread through honest labor even though he was a king.
The lesson of Dawud (AS) is threefold. First, gratitude: he used every gift Allah gave him, his voice, his strength, his craft, his authority, in the service of Allah and His creation. He never took credit for his talents, knowing they were all from Allah. Second, justice: he showed that a true leader listens before judging, admits mistakes, and treats every person's concerns as worthy of attention. Third, humility: despite being both a prophet and a king, he worked with his hands, fasted regularly, and never placed himself above his people.
The next time you hear a beautiful sound in nature, a bird singing at dawn, wind rustling through trees, rain tapping on a rooftop, remember Dawud (AS). Remember that all of creation is singing praises to Allah, and you are part of that chorus. Use whatever gift Allah has given you, whether it is a talent for art, for kindness, for listening, for math, for anything, and use it to make the world more just, more beautiful, and more grateful.
"Wa sakhkharna ma'a Dawud al-jibala yusabbihna wal-tayr" "And We subjected the mountains to glorify [Allah] with Dawud, and [also] the birds." -- Al-Anbiya (21:79)