Former Prophets

Dawud and the Valley of the Duel

The day Dawud (peace be upon him) faced the giant Jalut in the valley between the armies (Q 2:251)

The time of Dawud (peace be upon him), before his kingship

Imagined 360° reconstruction of Dawud and the Valley of the Duel

Educational historical reconstruction

Where

The Valley of Elah, Judaean lowlands (modern Israel/Palestine)

31.6917, 34.9667 · View on OpenStreetMap

Background

The Qur'an records the duel between Dawud (peace be upon him) and the giant Jalut (Goliath) in Surat al-Baqara (Q 2:246-251). The Bani Isra'il, having asked their prophet for a king to lead them against their enemies, were given Talut (Saul) as king (Q 2:247); Talut led them out against the Philistines under Jalut. The narrative includes the famous trial at the river (Q 2:249), the king tested his army by forbidding them to drink more than a handful, and only a small number passed; those who passed continued with him to face Jalut. When the two armies met, the Qur'an records the famous prayer of the Muslim party, rabbana afrigh 'alayna sabran wa-thabbit aqdamana wa-nsurna 'ala al-qawmi al-kafirin (Q 2:250), and then: fa-hazamuhum bi-idhni Allahi wa-qatala Dawudu Jalut, 'They defeated them by the permission of Allah, and Dawud killed Jalut' (Q 2:251). The Sunni qisas al-anbiya' tradition (Ibn Kathir's Qisas al-Anbiya', al-Tha'labi's 'Ara'is al-Majalis) preserves the narrative of Dawud (peace be upon him), at this point a young man of the lineage of Yahudah, son of Ya'qub (peace be upon him), being given the kingship after the duel: 'Allah gave him the kingship and the wisdom, and taught him from what He willed' (Q 2:251). The site of the duel is the Valley of the Duel, located by the Sunni topographical tradition (cross-referenced with the Old Testament 1 Samuel 17 toponymy of the Valley of Elah) in the Judaean lowlands west of Jerusalem, between the modern towns of Beit Shemesh and Azeqah. The Sunni hadith corpus preserves the standing of Dawud (peace be upon him) further: his fast was the most beloved fast of Allah, fasting every other day (Sahih al-Bukhari 1131); his recitation of the Zabur was the most beautiful (Sahih al-Bukhari 5048). The dating is by anchor (the time of Dawud peace be upon him), conventionally the early 10th century BCE before his accession to the kingship. This scene depicts the moment of the duel: the two armies arrayed on the facing ridges of the valley, the single small figure walking forward in the centre with the sling at his belt, the smooth water-rounded stones at his feet from the stream-bed.

What you see

A wide valley running west-east through the rolling Judaean lowlands. The two slopes are dotted with limestone terraces and stunted oak; the stream-bed at the centre is dry but lined with smooth water-rounded stones.

On the northern ridge, the army of Talut (Saul) and the Bani Isra'il, drawn up in line, banners stationary. On the southern ridge facing them across the valley, the army of Jalut (Goliath) and the Philistines, similar formations, plain banners, no anachronistic detail. The Qur'anic record at Q 2:249-251 preserves the moment of the duel.

In the centre of the valley, between the two armies, a single figure, small at the distance, with a sling and a leather pouch at the belt, walking forward. The Qur'an records the boy who would become a prophet-king (Dawud peace be upon him) killing the giant Jalut with the sling, fa-hazamuhum bi-idhni Allahi wa-qatala Dawudu Jalut, 'They defeated them by the permission of Allah, and Dawud killed Jalut' (Q 2:251). The figure is depicted at distance, face not visible.

On the dry stream-bed at the boy's feet, smooth water-rounded stones, the projectiles of the sling that the Sunni qisas tradition (Ibn Kathir on Q 2:251) preserves as having been chosen from the brook of the valley.

The Qur'anic narrative is the foundation of the kingship of Dawud (peace be upon him): after the duel, Allah gave him the kingship and the hikma (wisdom) and taught him from what He willed (Q 2:251). Dawud (peace be upon him) is also recorded in the Sunni hadith corpus as the prophet whose fast was the most beloved fast of Allah (Sahih al-Bukhari 1131: every other day) and whose recitation of the Zabur was the most beautiful (Sahih al-Bukhari 5048).

The light is the high light of late spring in the Judaean lowlands. The dating is by anchor: the time of Dawud (peace be upon him), conventionally the early 10th century BCE in the academic consensus; the duel was before his kingship.

The narrative: Q 2:246-251 (the principal Qur'anic passage on Talut, Jalut, and Dawud peace be upon him). The Sunni qisas: Ibn Kathir, Qisas al-Anbiya'; al-Tha'labi; al-Tabari.

Primary sources

The Qur'an, Surat al-Baqara 2:246-251: The principal Qur'anic passage on the duel.

Sahih al-Bukhari 1131, Sahih al-Bukhari 5048: The hadith on the fast of Dawud (peace be upon him) and the beauty of his recitation of the Zabur.

Ibn Kathir, Qisas al-Anbiya': Standard Sunni stories of the prophets; the chapter on Dawud (peace be upon him).

al-Tabari, Tarikh and Jami' al-Bayan: Standard Sunni history and tafsir.

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