David in the Muslim Tradition

By Khaleel Mohammed

Book Description

Khaleel Mohammed presents a fascinating exploration of how religious interpretation evolves over time, using the story of the biblical King David as a compelling case study. This scholarly work examines how early Muslim commentators understood a brief Quranic passage about David seeking divine forgiveness, initially connecting it to the well-known biblical account of David's affair with Bathsheba from the Hebrew scriptures.

The book reveals a remarkable transformation in religious thought. As Islamic theology developed the doctrine that prophets must be free from moral failings, later Muslim scholars completely reinterpreted the same Quranic verses. What once acknowledged David's human frailty gradually became explanations that preserved his prophetic perfection and moral purity.

Mohammed structures his analysis across four distinct historical periods, tracing this interpretive journey from acknowledgment of wrongdoing to complete exoneration. He demonstrates how religious communities reshape inherited narratives to align with evolving theological principles, showing that this process extends beyond Islam to include similar developments in Jewish and Christian traditions.

For readers interested in how sacred texts are understood and reinterpreted across cultures and centuries, this work offers valuable insights into the dynamic relationship between scripture, tradition, and theological development. The book illuminates universal patterns in how religious communities balance reverence for prophetic figures with the complexities of human nature found in ancient narratives.