Talut
طالوتDefinition
Talut — Saul — was the man whom Allah chose as the first king of the Israelites, despite the people's objections that he lacked wealth, tribal prestige, and social standing. The divine criteria were stated simply: he was given expansive knowledge and physical stature — gifts of mind and body rather than social position. Ibn Kathir uses Talut's appointment to articulate a principle of divine selection that recurs throughout the prophetic tradition: Allah chooses on criteria that human social hierarchies do not recognize. The test of the river crossing — only those who refrained from drinking too deeply could continue — filtered Talut's army from thousands to hundreds, establishing the principle that divine victory requires a quality of commitment that excess and self-indulgence undermine.
As understood in the classical tradition of Ibn Kathir and the scholars of his school.
How the scholars use Talut.
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"Goliath, striking him in the forehead and causing his head to split open. Goliath's army fled in defeat. Saul fulfilled his promise to David by giving him his daughter in marriage and establishing his rule over the kingdom. David, peace be upon him, grew in stature among the children of Israel, who loved him more than Saul. It was said that Saul became envious and sought to kill David, but his plans did not succeed. Scholars warned Saul against this, but he turned against them, killing many until only a few remained. Consider the one in poverty as dead, and clothe him in a worn-out shroud, and his abode is a grave. Saul eventually repented and regretted"
— Ibn Kathir, Volume 3 — The Sīrah: From the First Revelation to Badr
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"as well as the signs and miracles that appeared upon him. Muhammad ibn Ishaq mentioned that the prophet sent to inform Saul of his repentance was al-Yasa ibn Aqtub. Al-Thalabi noted that the woman took Saul to the grave of Samuel, where he was reproached for his actions. It is possible that Saul only saw him in a dream, as raising from the grave would be a miracle for a prophet, and the woman was not a prophetess. The people of the Torah claim that Saul's kingship lasted 40 years until he was killed with his sons. Allah knows best. When the events unfolded, she took the hand of the"
— Ibn Kathir, Volume 3 — The Sīrah: From the First Revelation to Badr
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"the forehead and causing his head to split open. Goliath's army fled in defeat. Saul fulfilled his promise to David by giving him his daughter in marriage and establishing his rule over the kingdom. David, peace be upon him, grew in stature among the children of Israel, who loved him more than Saul. It was said that Saul became envious and sought to kill David, but his plans did not succeed. Scholars warned Saul against this, but he turned against them, killing many until only a few remained."
— Ibn Kathir, Volume 2 — From the Israelite Prophets to Pre-Islamic Arabia
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