Four hundred and sixty years passed from the time that Yusha (AS) re-entered the land of Palestine. During this time—as you might have guessed from the way they entered the city, doing the opposite of what they were supposed to—the next several generations and centuries were extremely problematic.
They kept losing control over that area. Various rulers came and began ruling over them, until eventually, they lost all their power and influence, and the entire area was taken over by others. During this time, whenever prophets came to them with a message they did not like, they would attack or even kill those prophets. They had set themselves up for serious consequences.
Now, the people ruling over them had taken away all their privileges and imposed heavy taxes, crippling them as a society. They hoped that a prophet would come and unite them, but Allah (SWT) did not bless them with that immediately.
At that time, there was only one family left from the bloodline of the prophets—traditionally, both prophethood and kingship came from certain noble lineages. There was one woman from this bloodline who was expecting a child. The people kept her in a secure place, took good care of her, and she eventually gave birth to a son named Shamwīl.
Shamwīl grew up under the care of a pious man in the area. One night, just as he was falling asleep, he heard someone calling his name. He got up and asked the man raising him—whom he saw as a father—if he had called him. The man said, “No.”
Again, he heard the voice, and the same exchange happened. The third time, Jibreel (AS) appeared before Shamwīl and told him, “You are going to be a prophet.”
Shamwīl grew up and became the authoritative religious figure of Bani Isra’il. Before long, the people came to him and said:
“We need you to appoint a king for us so that we may be united.”
This is where the Qur’an picks up the story:
“Have you not considered the assembly of the Children of Israel after Moses when they said to a prophet of theirs, ‘Appoint for us a king and we will fight in the way of Allah’?”
(Quran 2:246)
They said they wanted a king to fight and reclaim what had been taken from them. But Shamwīl knew them better than anyone. He said:
“Even if a king is appointed over you and makes it obligatory for you to fight in the path of Allah, it is likely you will refuse. You’ve been rejecting prophets since the time of Musa (AS). What makes you think I should believe you now?”
They replied:
“We have nothing left to lose. Before, we were afraid of losing everything. Now, we have lost our land, our sons, and our possessions. We will not hesitate.”
But Allah (SWT) says in the Qur’an:
“But when fighting was ordained for them, they turned away, except for a few of them.”
(Quran 2:246)
Before the Qur’an gets to how that happened, it introduces the story of their king. Shamwīl (AS) chose a man named Tālūt.
He said:
“Allah (SWT) has appointed Tālut as your king.”
Now, these people expected the king to be from their own noble bloodlines. They assumed that if they were the ones to request leadership, one of them would be chosen. But Shamwīl (AS) chose someone from a different lineage, with no nobility.
They objected:
“He’s not from the royal bloodline. If he were rich or influential, maybe we could accept it—but he’s a nobody.”
Shamwīl (AS) replied:
“Allah (SWT) has chosen him over you. He has granted him vastness in two things: knowledge and strength.”
Tālūt was known for his intelligence—particularly in warfare and strategy—and he was physically large and strong.
Still, the people protested. So Shamwīl (AS) gave them a sign: for centuries, Bani Isra’il had a chest containing sacred relics, including the staff of Musa (AS) and the tablets of the Torah. Whenever they took this chest into battle, they would always win. But it had been taken away by the tyrants who ruled over them.
Shamwīl (AS) said:
“The sign that Tālut is your rightful king will be that this chest will be returned to you.”
They objected:
“We don’t have that chest, and it’s nowhere nearby. How is that possible?”
Shamwīl (AS) responded:
“The angels will carry it and place it in front of you. Just wait and see.”
And so they did. The angels came and brought the chest and placed it in front of them. They witnessed the miracle with their own eyes, confirming that Tālūt had been appointed king by Allah (SWT), and that they were now required to fight under his leadership.
Tālūt began organising the army, recruiting soldiers, and devising a strategy.
As they were marching, he said:
“Allah (SWT) is going to test you with a river. Whoever drinks from it is not from my army. Those who abstain will remain. Those who only take a handful in their hands will be permitted to stay.”
This was the River Jordan. About 76,000 soldiers drank from the river and walked away in defiance. Tālūt’s army was now reduced to 4,000.
Even among those, Tālūt warned them not to fill their flasks—just take a few sips and move on. Still, 3,687 of them drank too much and were unable to continue.
From an army of 80,000, only 313 remained.
On the battlefield, a standoff took place between Tālūt’s army and the army of a man named Jālūt (Goliath).
Every day, Jālūt would emerge and challenge the army of Tālūt:
“Send someone to fight me in single combat.”
No one stepped forward—until a young boy in the army named Dāwūd (AS) came forward and said:
“Let me go. Today, I will face Jālūt.”
Tālūt finally gave him permission.
Dāwūd (AS) went forward with just a few stones and a slingshot. Jālūt was tall, powerful, and heavily armoured. But Dāwūd (AS) launched one stone, which struck Jālūt in the head, and he collapsed, dead.
The army of Bani Isra’il, though small in number, defeated an army that vastly outnumbered them.
Before the battle, Tālūt had made a promise:
“Whoever kills Jālūt will become my successor.”
So when Dāwūd (AS) killed Jālūt, he was given the right to marry Tālūt’s daughter, and he eventually became king. This is when Allah (SWT) made him both a prophet and a king.
He became Dāwūd (AS)—the prophet-king.
This marked a turning point in the history of Bani Isra’il, Bayt Al-Maqdis, and Al-Masjid Al-Aqsa.
For the first time, the prophet was also the king, and the king was also a prophet.
Previously, kings and prophets were always separate—but now, political leadership and divine guidance were united in one person. Dāwūd (AS) had control over:
the administration and political structure of society
prophethood, divine revelation, and the support of Allah (SWT)
This era of history looked very different from all the ones before. It was the first time that the people of Bani Isra’il had true prominence and strength.
Shortly after this, Bayt Al-Maqdis was built in a much more organised way.
May Allah (SWT) fill our hearts with love for this blessed land, and enable us to see it with our own eyes, in a state of peace and justice, where its residents are not oppressed, and their land and basic rights are no longer taken away.
Ameen.
