The Bani Israa'il, who had been brought out of Egypt by Prophet Musa (A), had settled in the land of Palestine. However, they were constantly engaged in war against the Philistines who finally managed to banish them from their homes.

In the last battle, the Sacred Casket containing the original Tablets of the Tawrat was lost, and this greatly demoralised the Bani Israa'il. They spent many gloomy years in exile before they approached Prophet Samuel (A) and asked him to appoint a strong king for them so that they could regain their land.

On the command of Allah, Prophet Samuel (A) appointed Taalut (Saul) as their king. The Bani Israa'il protested at this choice, saying that Taalut was a poor and unknown man. However, Prophet Samuel (A) informed them that Taalut had been chosen because of his knowledge, wisdom and strength, and he would undoubtedly lead them to victory.

It took Taalut 20 years to relocate the Sacred Casket and once it was restored to the people, they marched to Palestine. The Philistines were led by a fearsome commander, a huge man by the name of Jaalut (Goliath). The sight of Jaalut filled the Bani Israa'il with dread and none dared to fight him.

Prophet Dawood (A) was present in the army of Taalut. He was only a young man at the time, and had not come to fight. His job was to attend to his three older brothers who were soldiers, and to bring news of the war back to their father. When Taalut saw that Jaalut had terrified his army, he tried to encourage his men by promising them great rewards if they faced Jaalut. He promised that he would marry his daughter to the man who killed Jaalut.

Drawn by the commotion at the battlefront, Prophet Dawood (A) left his post and came to find out what was going on. When he saw the scene, he approached Taalut and said,

"I am fit to fight this devil because I have killed a tiger and a bear that attacked my father's sheep."

The brave words of Prophet Dawood (A) touched Taalut, who dressed him in a coat of armour and warned him to be careful.

Why do you think Talut was touched by the words of Prophet Dawood (A)

Before Prophet Dawood (A) approached Jaalut, he removed the heavy armour which was restricting his movement. He stood before the enemy, armed only with a catapult and the staff with which he used to guide his sheep.
Before Jaalut could react to this challenge, Prophet Dawood (A) had shot a stone from his catapult. The stone struck Jaalut's forehead with terrible force and brought him to the ground in a daze. Prophet Dawood (A) then drew Jaalut's heavy sword and cut off his head. The sight of their champion dead crushed the Philistines, who deserted the battlefield in panic.

In appreciation of the extraordinary courage of Prophet Dawood (A), Taalut married him to his daughter Mikaal.

The Holy Qur'an says:

Through Allah's Will, they defeated their enemy. Dawood slew Jaalut and Allah granted him the kingdom and wisdom... Baqarah, 2: 251(Part)

Prophet Dawood (A) was made commander-in-chief of Taalut's army and his close friendship to Taalut's son Yunathaan, made him very powerful and popular in the land. After Taalut's death Prophet Dawood (A) became the king.

Prophet Dawood (A) was given many blessings by Allah:

• Allah gave him wisdom and the Divine Book, Zaboor (Psalms), which he used to recite in a melodious voice to attract the people to the words of Allah. When he used to praise Allah, the mountains and the birds would also join him.
• Iron was like wax in his hands, and he used to design and mould special, light-weight battle armour made of iron ringlets joined together. By selling these to the army, he earned his livelihood.

The Holy Qur'an says:

Indeed We granted Dawood a favour, saying, "O Mountains! sing the praise of Allah along with him, and O Birds!, you too." And We made iron soft for him.  Saba, 34 : 10