إِذ دَخَلوا عَلىٰ داوودَ فَفَزِعَ مِنهُم ۖ قالوا لا تَخَف ۖ خَصمانِ بَغىٰ بَعضُنا عَلىٰ بَعضٍ فَاحكُم بَينَنا بِالحَقِّ وَلا تُشطِط وَاهدِنا إِلىٰ سَواءِ الصِّراطِ
When they entered into the presence of David, he was alarmed by them. They said: ‘Do not be afraid. [We are only] two contenders: one of us has bullied the other. So judge justly between us, and do not exceed [the bounds of justice], and show us the right path.
EXEGESIS
Faziʿa (he was alarmed) comes from fazaʿ and is the type of fear that results from being surprised and caught off guard. So, for example, one would not say ‘I am alarmed by God’, but rather that one fears Him (khashyah or khawf). Therefore, this is not in contradiction with the verse, Such as deliver the messages of Allah and fear Him, and fear no one except Allah (33:39). This is similar to being scared when one thinks they are alone and suddenly their friend touches them on the shoulder. This does not mean that they are fearful of their friend. In any case, short-term fear arising from worry or alarm is not a demerit and can happen to even great prophets (see for example 27:10, 11:70, 20:21, 20:67-68, 29:33, and 51:28).
Khaṣmān (two contenders) was discussed in the previous verse. Some have said that there were only two who had come based on the usage of the dual here, arguing that the verbs and prepositions in this and the previous verse are plural even though they are two because even two can be considered a group. However, this does not make much sense as Arabic has a dual in place for those verbs and pronouns as well. It has more correctly been pointed out that the dual khaṣmān is used, because they were two contending groups.
Baghā (bullied) is from the root baghy, which means to strive to exceed moderation in something, whether one ends up exceeding it or not. This excess can be either qualitative or quantitative. Hence, it could mean to seek to take for example more than your fair share in something, or it could mean to exceed the fair limits of some action. This is why baghy is often used for rebellion since it can have the meaning of seeking superiority over others without just cause.
Tushṭiṭ (exceed) comes from shaṭṭa, meaning to go far. Hence it can mean exceeding the bounds of truth, as in, we shall certainly have said an atrocious lie (shaṭaṭ) (18:14). Here it means do not exceed the truth and justice, and do not favour one group over the other.
Sawāʾ (right) means the just and equitable middle way, neither excessive nor defective, or just the middle of something, as in the verse, Then he will take a look and sight him in the middle (sawāʾ) of hell (37:55). Here it means the middle path which is with the truth, and not disproportionate in either direction.
EXPOSITION
After scaling the wall, the angels entered into the presence of David. Their sudden and unexpected entrance frightened him and he was alarmed by them.
Prophet David (a) was alarmed because they entered into his sanctuary through the abnormal means of scaling the wall and bypassing all his guards as described in the previous verse, or because they entered without first seeking permission, or that they came at a time that people did not usually come to him. It is said Prophet David (a) had divided his time: one day for worship, one day for passing judgement, one day for admonishing people and delivering sermons, and one day with his council of advisors. The angels who entered then came on the day he had set aside for his private worship.
At this point Prophet David (a) apparently did not know that they were angels sent to test him, but rather thought they were human beings. This is very similar to what we are told about the angels that came to Prophet Abraham (a) in verses 11:69-70 and 51:24-28, where he did not realise that they were angels when they came and he became worried and alarmed that they might bear ill intentions towards him.
Sensing his apprehension They said: ‘Do not be afraid. [We are only] two contenders: one of us has bullied the other’. As king and prophet, one of Prophet David’s (a) duties was to judge between his subjects and followers. In fact, as mentioned, he had a day set aside for that. Obviously, this was not one of those days, yet he did not send the contenders away, seeing as they had gone through considerable effort to come seek his judgement, so he allowed them to remain.
Aside from their bold and presumptuous entrance, the contenders continued with their audacious behaviour, telling Prophet David (a) three conditions to which he should adhere if he were to pass judgement in their case. All three were reminders to be just. This repeated emphasis makes sense in hindsight, when Prophet David (a) realises that this was all a test from God. The three conditions were as follows:
- So judge justly between us.
- And do not exceed.
- And show us the right path.
Such an entrance and such demands! If such statements were issued to any ordinary judge, they would be construed as an insinuated attack on the judge’s character and status. It is a testament to Prophet David (a) that he did not get angry or offended at this. As such, it is a great reminder to anyone who wishes to act in the position of a judge, to take example from Prophet David’s (a) noble character.
[1] Raghib, p. 635.
[2] Mizan, 17/191.
[3] These are tasawwarū (they scaled), dakhalū (they entered), qālū (they said), and minhum (by them), which are all plural instead of dual.
[4] Thalabi, 8/188; Baghawi, 4/60.
[5] Tibyan, 8/551; Tabrisi, 8/734; Zamakhshari, 4/82; Razi, 26/382; Mizan, 17/192. See also 22:19.
[6] Tibyan, 10/45.
[7] Razi, 26/383.
[8] Tibyan, 8/552; Qurtubi, 15/172.
[9] Razi, 26/383.
[10] Tabrisi, 8/734; Tabari, 23/89.
[11] Baydawi, 5/27; Zamakhshari, 4/83.
[12] Alusi, 12/172.