The Exalted Allah said:
"Remember Our servant David, the possessor of strength; indeed, he repeatedly turned back [to Allah]. Indeed, We subjected the mountains to join him in exalting [Us] in the evening and [after] sunrise. And the birds were assembled, all with him repeating [praises]." (Ṣād, 17–19.)
(O mountains and birds! When David glorifies Allah, you too repeat it with him, thus We surely bestowed a favor upon him from Our presence. "Make full coats of mail and calculate [precisely] the links, and work righteousness. Indeed, I am of what you do, Seeing." (Saba’, 10–11.)
In our tafsir (Qur’anic exegesis), when narrating the story of Prophet David, we mentioned that he had a beautiful voice, that Allah the Exalted subjected the birds to his command, that the birds would glorify Allah together with him, that the mountains would also respond to him and glorify Allah with him, that he was swift in recitation, that he would command his mounts and release them, that he would recite the Zabur (Psalms) whenever he found free time, and then mount his steed. May Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him.
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) also possessed a beautiful and sweet voice. He would recite the Qur’an with a melodious tone. Jubayr b. Muṭʿim said:
"The Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) recited the surah Wa’t-Tīn wa’z-Zaytūn in the Maghrib prayer. I have never heard a voice more pleasant than his. He would recite the Qur’an with measured recitation (tartīl). Indeed, the Mighty and Majestic Allah had commanded him to recite in this manner."
As for the birds glorifying Allah together with Prophet David, it is even more wondrous that inanimate and mute mountains would glorify Allah. As narrated in a hadith mentioned in previous sections, pebbles glorified Allah in the palm of the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him).
In a well-known and famous hadith narrated by Ibn Ḥamīd, it is related that stones, trees, and clods of clay would greet the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him). In Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, it is narrated from Ibn Masʿūd that he said:
"We used to hear the sounds of glorification from the food eaten at the table of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). The poisoned sheep’s leg informed the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) that it was poisoned. Both domestic and wild animals bore witness to his prophethood. Inanimate objects also bore witness to him. Indeed, explanations regarding all these have been given in previous sections. Undoubtedly, the emergence of glorification sounds from small, inanimate, and mute pebbles that contain no hollowness is more wondrous compared to the mountains. For mountains have hollows and caves, so they may echo the voice of the one who glorifies, thus responding in a certain way. For example, when ʿAbdullāh b. Zubayr was the governor of Medina and delivered the sermon in the Sacred Mosque, the mountains of Abū Qubays and Zarūd would echo his voice. However, this does not mean that they were glorifying Allah. This, too, is among the miracles of Prophet David. Yet, pebbles have glorified Allah in the hands of the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him), Abū Bakr, ʿUmar, and ʿUthmān; and this glorification is even more wondrous than the miracle of Prophet David.
As for Prophet David not eating anything except what he earned with his own hand, the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) also used to eat from what he earned with his own hand. Indeed, he would graze the sheep of the Meccans for a few measures of grain. There is no prophet who did not tend sheep. He also entered into a business partnership with Khadīja and traveled to Syria for trade. The Exalted Allah says regarding this:
"And they say, 'What is this messenger that eats food and walks in the markets? Why was there not sent down to him an angel so he would be a warner with him? Or [why is not] a treasure presented to him [from heaven], or does he [not] have a garden from which he eats?' And the wrongdoers say, 'You follow not but a man affected by magic.' See how they strike for you comparisons; but they have strayed, so they cannot [find] a way." (al-Furqān, 7–9.)
"And We did not send before you, [O Muhammad], any of the messengers except that they ate food and walked in the markets." (al-Furqān, 20.)
That is, they would walk about in the markets to earn a lawful livelihood through trade. Later, when Allah made jihad lawful in Medina, the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) began to eat from the spoils of war—which had not been made lawful for any prophet before him—and from the share of the property of the disbelievers that fell to him as fayʾ. As al-Tirmidhī narrated from Ibn ʿUmar, the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
"Before the Hour, I was sent with the sword so that only Allah, the One without partner, would be worshipped. My sustenance has been placed under the shadow of my spear. Humiliation and abasement are for those who oppose my command. Whoever resembles a people is one of them."
As for iron being softened in the hand of Prophet David without fire, he would manufacture coats of mail woven from strong rings. Allah the Exalted Himself commanded him to make armor, saying: "Make full coats of mail and calculate [precisely] the links." That is, let the nails not thin out the armor, nor let them pile up so that the rings break. Indeed, there is such a narration in al-Bukhārī. The Exalted Allah said:
"And We taught him the fashioning of coats of armor to protect you from your [enemy in] battle. So will you then be grateful?" (al-Anbiyāʾ, 80.) Regarding the miracles of prophethood, a poet has said:
"The armor of David did not protect the Messenger of God in the cave. The true boast in protection belongs to the spider."
In the fourth year of the Hijra, during the digging of the trench, the Companions encountered a hard rock in the trench and could not break it. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), though extremely hungry and with a stone tied to his stomach, stood up and struck the rock three times. With the first blow, a light flashed from the tip of the pickaxe, and in that light the palaces of Syria appeared. With the second blow, another light appeared, and in it the palaces of Persia were seen. With the third blow, yet another light appeared. Then the rock crumbled into a heap of sand. Undoubtedly, for a rock that cannot be melted even by fire to be shattered like a heap of sand is even more wondrous than the softening of iron, which only softens when heated in fire. As a poet has said:
"If I were to treat the hardness of your heart with my own self, surely the rugged rock would soften." If there were anything harder than rock, the poet would have mentioned it in his verse. Indeed, in a noble verse Allah the Exalted says:
"Then your hearts became hardened after that, being like stones or even harder..." Now, let us look at the following noble verse: "Say, 'Be you stones or iron or any created thing that is greater [or harder] in your hearts, [you will be resurrected].'" (al-Isrāʾ, 50.)
Here, another meaning is intended. What is meant is this: Without any intervention, iron is harder than stone. But when subjected to intervention, iron softens and is affected, whereas stone is never affected or softened. Allah knows best.
Abū Nuʿaym said: "If it is said that iron was softened for Prophet David, it may be replied: Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) also softened stones and deaf rocks. A hard rock became a cave for him, into which he entered and hid from the polytheists. This event took place on the day of Uhud. He turned to the mountain to conceal himself from the polytheists, and the mountain softened; he placed his head inside the rocky area and hid. This is even more wondrous than the miracle of Prophet David softening iron, for iron is softened by fire, but we have never seen fire soften stone. The cave that concealed the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) during the Battle of Uhud still exists today, and people see it. Likewise, in one part of Mecca, a stone from the mountain came and softened for the Messenger of God, so much so that he pressed his hand and arm into it. That stone is still known, and when pilgrims go to Mecca, they visit it. On the night of the Miʿrāj, a rock in Jerusalem also softened like dough, and the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) tied his mount Burāq to it. That stone still exists today; people visit it and touch it with their hands."
Regarding what the author says about the stone in which the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) hid on the day of Uhud and the stone in Mecca into which he pressed his hand and arm, there is indeed something strange. In fact, such stones are not mentioned in the famous sīra (biographical) works. However, it is true that on the night of the Miʿrāj, he tied his mount to a stone; as narrated in Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, Gabriel tied his mount to that stone.
As for the wisdom and authority to judge being given to Prophet David, this is true. But it was also given to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). The sharia (sacred law) given to the Prophet is more perfect than the sharia and wisdom given to the prophets before him. May Allah’s blessings and peace be upon them all. Allah the Exalted gathered in our Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) all the beauty, virtue, and excellence found in the previous prophets, and made him superior and perfect over them. He gave him what He had not given to those before him. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said in a noble hadith:
"The superiority of concise speech has been given to me. Wisdom has been summarized and given to me."
Undoubtedly, the Arabs are the most eloquent speakers among the nations. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was the most eloquent among the Arabs. He was, in absolute terms, the most beautiful of all creation.