Tafsir of Sad 38:17

[17] "Be patient over what they say..."

If you ask: How does the command "Be patient over what they say" correspond to the command "And remember Our servant David," such that one is conjoined to the other?

I say: It is as if He said to His Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): "Be patient over what they say, and magnify the gravity of disobeying God in their eyes by mentioning the story of David." He was a Prophet of God to whom He had granted prophecy and kingship. Yet, because of his high status and proximity to God, when he committed a slip, God sent angels to rebuke him by way of parable and allusion. He realized his error, sought forgiveness, and turned in repentance. He was found to be in constant weeping and perpetual grief, even engraving his sin on the palm of his hand so he would never cease looking at it and feeling remorse. If this was his state, what then is to be expected of you, with your disbelief and sins?

Or, it may be said: "Be patient over what they say, and guard your soul against slipping in the duties of patience and enduring their harm. Remember your brother David and his honor before God; how, despite that minor slip, he encountered such rebuke, intimidation, and attribution of transgression from God."

"Possessor of strength" (Dhu al-ayd): Possessor of strength in religion, capable of bearing its hardships and obligations. Despite the burdens of prophecy and kingship, he would fast every other day—the most rigorous form of fasting—and stand in prayer for half the night. Ayd means strength; ayād of anything is that by which it is strengthened.

"Oft-returning" (Awwāb): One who repents, frequently returning to the pleasure of God.

If you ask: What indicates that ayd here means strength in religion? I say: His saying "Indeed, he is awwāb (oft-returning)," for it is an explanation for "possessor of strength."

"The time of sunrise" (al-ishrāq): The time when the sun shines, meaning it glows and its rays become clear. This is the time of Duḥā (mid-morning). Shurūq refers to the sun’s rising. It is said: "The sun has sharaqat (risen)," and "It has not yet tushriqu (shone)."

Regarding the Duḥā prayer, it is narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) prayed it and called it the "prayer of ishrāq." Ibn Abbas and others found evidence for the Duḥā prayer in the verse: "They glorify [Him] in the evening and at sunrise."

"Glorifying" (yusabbiḥna): This is in the sense of musabbiḥāt (glorifiers), acting as a state (ḥāl). If you ask: Is there a difference between yusabbiḥna (verb) and musabbiḥāt (active participle)? I say: Yes. The verb was chosen to indicate that the glorification from the mountains occurred incrementally, moment by moment, as if the listener were present, hearing them glorify repeatedly.

"Gathered" (maḥshūra): This is in contrast to "glorifying." However, since the gathering did not require the same indication of incremental occurrence as the glorification, it was brought as a noun (participle) rather than a verb. If it were said "the birds gather" (yaḥshurna), it would imply God gathers them bit by bit, which is less indicative of power than gathering them all at once.

"All to Him are oft-returning": Every one of the mountains and birds is awwāb (oft-returning) for David’s sake—meaning, because of his glorification, they glorified. Awwāb is used in place of musabbiḥ (glorifier) either because they were "returning" the glorification, or because the awwāb (the one who frequently returns to God) is accustomed to frequent remembrance and constant glorification.

"And We strengthened his kingdom": We made it powerful. It is said that forty thousand armed men guarded his sanctuary. Others say God cast awe into the hearts of his people through a specific judgment he rendered regarding a dispute over a cow, which demonstrated that God would expose the sins of the guilty.

"Sound judgment" (Faṣl al-khiṭāb): The ability to distinguish between two things. It refers to clear, decisive speech that separates truth from falsehood, right from wrong, and correctness from error. It also refers to the proper placement of pauses and connections in speech, such that the speaker does not err in the logical flow of his discourse. It may also mean the "decisive" speech that separates the valid from the invalid in legal judgments and royal decrees. It can also refer to the opening of speech with the praise of God, followed by "As for what follows" (ammā baʿd), which separates the invocation from the intended subject. It may also simply mean speech that is neither too brief to be understood nor too long to be tedious.