Tafsir of Surah Sad - Verse 18

Allah tells us that His servant and Messenger Dawud, peace be upon him, was endued with power

Al-Ayd means strength in knowledge and action. Ibn `Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, As-Suddi and Ibn Zayd said, "Al-Ayd means strength." Mujahid said, "Al-Ayd means strength in obedience to Allah." Qatadah said, "Dawud, peace be upon him, was given strength in worship and the proper understanding of Islam." He told us that he, peace be upon him, used to spend a third of the night in prayer, and he fasted for half a lifetime. This was reported in the Two Sahihs, where it is recorded that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

«أَحَبُّ الصَّلَاةِ إِلَى اللهِ تَعَالَى صَلَاةُ دَاوُدَ، وَأَحَبُّ الصِّيَامِ إِلَى اللهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ صِيَامُ دَاوُدَ، كَانَ يَنَامُ نِصْفَ اللَّيْلِ، وَيَقُومُ ثُلُثَهُ، وَيَنَامُ سُدُسَهُ، وَكَانَ يَصُومُ يَوْمًا وَيُفْطِرُ يَوْمًا، وَلَا يَفِرُّ إِذَا لَاقَى، وَأَنَّهُ كَانَ أَوَّابًا»

(The most beloved of prayer to Allah is the prayer of Dawud, and the most beloved of fasting to Allah is the fasting of Dawud. He used to sleep for half of the night, stand in prayer for a third of the night, then sleep for a sixth of the night, and he used to fast alternate days. He never fled from the battlefield, and he always turned to Allah.) which means that he turned to Allah with regard to all of his affairs.

إِنَّا سَخَّرْنَا الجِبَالَ مَعَهُ يُسَبِّحْنَ بِالْعَشِىِّ وَالإِشْرَاقِ

(Verily, We made the mountains to glorify Our praises with him in the `Ashi and Ishraq. ) means, Allah caused the mountains to glorify His praises with him at sunrise and at the end of the day. This is like the Ayah:

يَجِبَالُ أَوِّبِى مَعَهُ وَالطَّيْرَ

(O you mountains. Glorify (Allah) with him! And you birds (also)!) (34:10). The birds also used to glorify Allah's praises with him. If a bird flew by him and heard him chanting the Zabur, it would not go away; instead it would stay hovering in the air, glorifying Allah along with him. And the lofty mountains would respond to him and echo his glorification of Allah. Ibn Jarir recorded from `Abdullah bin Al-Harith bin Nawfal that Ibn `Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, did not pray Ad-Duha. `Abdullah said: "So I took him to Umm Hani, may Allah be pleased with her, and said to her, `Tell him what you told me.' She said, `The Messenger of Allah ﷺ entered my house on the day of the conquest of Makkah. He called for water to be poured into a large bowl, then he called for a garment which he used as a screen between me and him, and he washed himself. Then he sprinkled water around the house and prayed eight Rak`ahs. This was Ad-Duha, and its standing, bowing, prostration and sitting were all equal in brevity.' Ibn `Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, left, saying, `I have read the Qur'an from cover to cover, and I never knew about Salat Ad-Duha until now!' Then he recited:

يُسَبِّحْنَ بِالْعَشِىِّ وَالإِشْرَاقِ

(glorify Our praises with him in the `Ashi and Ishraq.) I used to say, "What is Salat Al-Ishraq, but now I know what it is."

وَالطَّيْرَ مَحْشُورَةً

(And (so did) the birds assembled,) meaning, hovering in the air.

كُلٌّ لَّهُ أَوَّابٌ

(all obedient to him.) means, they obeyed him and followed him in glorifying Allah. Sa`id bin Jubayr, Qatadah and Malik said, narrating from Zayd bin Aslam and Ibn Zayd:

كُلٌّ لَّهُ أَوَّابٌ

(all obedient to him.) means, "Following his commands."

وَشَدَدْنَا مُلْكَهُ

(We made his kingdom strong) means, `We gave him complete dominion with all that kings need.' Ibn Abi Najih reported that Mujahid said, "He was the strongest and most powerful of the people of this world."

وَءَاتَيْنَـهُ الْحِكْمَةَ

(and gave him Al-Hikmah) Mujahid said, "This means understanding, reason and intelligence." Qatadah said, "The Book of Allah and following what is in it." As-Suddi said:

الْحِكْمَةَ

(Al-Hikmah) "Prophethood."

وَفَصْلَ الْخِطَابِ

(and sound judgement) Shurayh Al-Qadi and Ash-Sha`bi said, "Sound judgement is testimony and oaths." Qatadah said, "Two witnesses for the plaintiff or an oath on the part of the defendant is meaning of sound judgement." This is the sound judgement which the Prophets and Messengers judged and the believers and righteous accepted. This is the basis of this Ummah's judicial system until the Day of Resurrection. This was the view of Abu `Abdur-Rahman As-Sulami. Mujahid and As-Suddi said, "It means passing the right judgement and understanding the case." Mujahid also said, "It is soundness in speech and in judgement, and this includes all of the above." This is what is meant, and this is the view favored by Ibn Jarir.

In verse 18, it was said: إِنَّا سَخَّرْ‌نَا الْجِبَالَ مَعَهُ يُسَبِّحْنَ بِالْعَشِيِّ وَالْإِشْرَ‌اقِ (We had subjugated the mountains to join him in making tasbih (i.e. pronouncing Allah's purity) at evening and sunrise). In this verse, mention has been made of mountains and birds joining Sayyidna Dawud (علیہ السلام) in the act of tasbih. Detailed explanation of this phenomenon has already appeared in the commentary on Surah Al-Anbiya' and Saba'. Here, it is worth noting that the tasbih of mountains and birds has been mentioned at this place in a manner that it was a particular blessing for Sayyidna Dawud (علیہ السلام) . The question is: How did this become a blessing for Sayyidna Dawud (علیہ السلام) and what particular benefit accrued from the tasbih of mountains and birds?

One answer to this is that it unravels a miracle at the hands of Sayyidna Dawud (علیہ السلام) - and it goes without saying that it is a great reward and blessing. In addition' to that, Maulana Thanavi (رح) has given a subtle explanation about it. He says that the tasbih performed by mountains and birds had created in him a special taste for the remembrance of Allah, something that generates initiative, courage and verve in acts of worship (` ibadah). Collective dhikr has another benefit - that the Barakah that issues forth from it reflects on each other from the participants. There is a particular method of dhikr and spiritual engagement (shughl) recognized among the noble Sufis in which the participant imagines that the whole universe is making dhikr. This method has an unusual efficacy of its own in correcting and purifying one's inner state as well as in his enthusiasm for "ibadah. The basis of this method of dhikr is also deduced from this verse. (Masa'ilu-s- Suluk, Maulana Ashraf Thanavi ‘Ali (رح))

The Salah of ad-Duha (صلوٰۃ الضُحیٰ )

At the end of verse 18, it was said: بِالْعَشِيِّ وَالْإِشْرَ‌اقِ at evening and sunrise).

The word: عَشِيِّ (ashiyy) used here means the time following Zuhr up to the next morning while إِشْرَ‌اقِ (ishraq) means the time of the morning when sunshine has spread over the land. From this verse, Sayyidna ` Abdullah Ibn ` Abbas ؓ has argued that the Salah of ad-duha stands proved. This Salah is also called the Salah of al-Awwabin. There are others who call it the Salah of al-Ishraq - though, later on, the name of the Salah of al-Awwabin became particularized with the six nafls made after Maghrib, while the Salah of al-Ishraq became well known for the two or four naffs offered close after sunrise.

In the Salah of ad-duha, one could choose to offer any (even) number of rakat from two to twelve. Hadith mentions many benefits it brings. According to a narration of Sayyidna Abu Hurairah ؓ appearing in Jami' of Tirmidhi, the Holy Prophet ﷺ said: "Anyone who were to become particular about two rakat of the Salah of ad-duha, has his sins forgiven - even if they be like the froth of the sea." In another narration from Sayyidna Anas ؓ ، he is reported to have said: "Anyone who were to make twelve rakat of the Salah of ad-duha, for him or her Allah Ta’ ala will make a palace of gold in Jannah." (Qurtubi)

` Ulama' have said that any (even) number of rakat from two to twelve that can be performed conveniently is correct. But, having some particular routine in the case of its number is better, and if this routine reaches the minimum of four rakat, it is much better - because, the normal routine of the Holy Prophet ﷺ was to do four rakat.

David presents a good example of being a devout subject. God bestowed him with extraordinary strength, yet he remained ever grateful to Him. David used to sit in the foothills of the mountains and sing praises of God. He praised with such devotion that would turn the entire environment spiritual.