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ʾidh dakhalū ʿalā dāwūda fa-faziʿa minhum qālū lā takhaf khaṣmāni baghā baʿḍunā ʿalā baʿḍin fa-ḥkum baynanā bi-l-ḥaqqi wa-lā tushṭiṭ wa-hdinā ʾilā sawāʾi ṣ-ṣirāṭi
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.’
— Ali Quli Qarai
Surah Sad - Verses 21-22
21. “And has the story of the litigants come to you when they climbed the wall into the (David’s) prayer chamber?”
22. “When they entered to David, and he was frightened of them, they said: ‘Fear not, (we are) two litigants, one of us has exceeded against the other, so decide between us with truth, and treat not unjustly, and guide us unto the right way.”
The act of judgment in the prayer room increases its value and sanctity. Hadrat Ali (as) used to judge among people in Kufah Mosque, and the place of David’s judgment was often in his prayer chamber. Following to the previous verses which stated the special qualities of David and the great merits that Allah gave him, the Holy Qur’an explains the event which happened for him in a judgment. At first, addressing the holy Prophet of Islam (S), the Qur’an says:
The Arabic word /xasm/ originally means: ‘To quarrel’ but it frequently happens that each of the parties of a quarrel is called /xasm/ (enemy). This word is used for both singular and plural forms, but sometimes its Arabic plural form has been used in the shape of /xusum/. The Qur’anic phrase: /tasawwaru/ is derived from /sur/ in the sense of a high wall which has surrounded around a house or a city; but it must be noted that this word originally means: ‘to jump and climb’.
The Arabic term /mihrab/ means: the highest seat of an assembly, or the rooms in upstairs; and since the place of worship had usually been there it has gradually been used in the sense of ‘temple’, and in daily usages it is particularly used for the place where the prayer leader stands for performing the congregation prayer. It has been narrated in Mufradat that the prayer niche of a mosque is called such because it is the place of fight against Satan and the carnal desire.
The second verse denotes that though David had numerous protectors, the two parties of quarrel climbed the wall of his prayer chamber and, through an unusual way, they entered his castle and suddenly they appeared in front of him. In the continuation of this discussion, the Qur’an implicitly says that they suddenly entered David’s room and, without previously informing him or getting permission, they stood in front of him. Therefore, by observing them, David terrified, because he thought they had an evil intention about him.
The verse in this regard says:
But soon they removed his terror by their manner. The verse continues saying:
The Qur’anic term /tuštit/ is derived from /šatat/ which originally means: ‘much remoteness’, and since injustice and cruelty keeps man aloof very much from the truth, the word /šatat/ has been used in this sense. It is also called to the speech which is far from reality. The two parties of a quarrel must demand the execution of the truth, not the protection of their profits.