Episode 5
Episode 5: The Case of the Field and the Wisdom of Two Prophets
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The Qur'an immortalizes a case of judgment involving Dawud together with his son Sulaiman. Allah said, "And [mention] David and Solomon, when they judged concerning the field โ when the sheep of a people overran it [at night], and We were witness to their judgment" (Qur'an 21:78). A people's sheep had strayed into another's field at night and ruined its crop. The two gave a ruling, and Allah gave Sulaiman a more precise understanding. Yet Allah did not blame Dawud; rather He praised them both: "And We gave understanding of it to Solomon, and to each [of them] We gave judgment and knowledgeโฆ" (Qur'an 21:79). The beauty of this verse: two prophets differed in a matter of considered judgment (ijtihad), yet both remained praised by Allah as possessors of "judgment and knowledge." This is a basis that sincere difference in ijtihad does not diminish one's honor, so long as both seek the truth. Reflection: true wisdom is to seek the most just and beneficial ruling, and to be open-hearted in accepting that another may be more correct. Knowledge is a favor of Allah, which He apportions as He wills. Source & Note: evidence from the Qur'an โ 21:78-79. The Qur'an does not detail the form of the two rulings; the details circulating in tafsir come from reports and are not part of the text, so we keep to the plain meaning of the ayat: both had wisdom, and Sulaiman was given a more precise understanding in that case.
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Episode 6: Successor on Earth and a Devoted Worshipper