17: "And remember Our servant David..."

(Meaning: Remember for them his story, peace be upon him, to magnify the gravity of disobedience in their eyes and to alert them to the extreme ugliness of what they have dared to commit. For he, peace be upon him—despite his lofty status and having been granted prophethood and kingship—when he engaged in what was contrary to the better course, was afflicted by what pained him and sustained his grief and remorse. What, then, of these humiliated disbelievers who have remained persistent in the greatest of major sins? Or, [it means] remember his story, peace be upon him, within yourself, and guard against committing that which necessitates reproach.)

It is said that Allah, the Exalted, commanded him, peace and blessings be upon him, to remember the stories of the prophets—peace be upon them—who were subjected to what they were subjected to, yet they remained patient until Allah, the Exalted, granted them relief and a good outcome. This was to encourage him toward patience, to ease his task, and to signify the attainment of what he desired thereby. This is as you see.

It is also said that He commanded him to be patient and to remember the stories of the prophets so that it might serve as proof of the authenticity of his own prophethood, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. According to this view—and the first one—the "remembering" is oral, whereas according to the view between them, it is internal (in the heart). This is what is intended by those who interpret "remember" as "calling to mind."

"Possessor of strength (dha al-ayd)," meaning possessor of power. It is said, "So-and-so is ayd, dhu ayd, dhu ad, and ayyad," all meaning the same thing; the ayyad of anything is that by which it gains strength.

"Indeed, he was oft-returning (awwab)." (Meaning: one who returns frequently to Allah, the Exalted, and to His obedience.) Ibn Jarir reported from Ibn Abbas and Mujahid that they both said: "The awwab is the one who glorifies Allah (the musabbih)." From Amr ibn Sharhabil, it is reported that it means the musabbih in the Ethiopian language. Al-Daylami reported from Mujahid, saying: "I asked Ibn Umar about the awwab, and he replied: 'I asked the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, about it, and he said: "He is the man who remembers his sins in private and seeks the forgiveness of Allah, the Exalted."'" If this is authentic, it is not to be abandoned.

This sentence acts as an explanation for why he, peace be upon him, was "possessor of strength." Whatever meaning is taken for awwab, it indicates that what is meant by "strength" (ayd) is religious strength, which is the strength to perform acts of worship, as stated by Mujahid, Qatadah, al-Hasan, and others. For it would not be an appropriate explanation if the strength were interpreted as physical strength—though he, peace be upon him, was indeed physically strong as well, yet that is not what is intended here.

In expressing him as "Our servant" and describing him as "possessor of strength" and providing the aforementioned explanation, there is an indication of the abundance of his worship and the plenitude of his obedience. Al-Bukhari reported in his Tarikh from Abu al-Darda', who said: "When the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, mentioned David and spoke of him, he would say: 'He was the most devout of all human beings.'" Al-Daylami reported from Ibn Umar, may Allah be pleased with both of them, that he said: The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said: "It is not fitting for anyone to say: 'I am more devout than David.'" It is narrated that he used to fast every other day and stand in prayer for half the night; in this is evidence of his strength in worship, due to the abandonment of ease involved in both the mentioned fasting and standing, which will be mentioned shortly.