Dāwūd (David) is a prophet in Islamic folklore, from Levant. Dāwūd (David) in Islamic tradition is a human prophet (nabī), messenger (rasūl), and divinely anointed king who received the revealed scripture called the Zabur (Psalms). He is portrayed in the Qur’an as a paradigmatic just ruler, recipient of wisdom and authority from God, and an exemplar of devout prayer and fasting in later hadith literature.
In the Qur’anic and Islamic textual framework Dāwūd appears as the Israelite ruler-saint who succeeds earlier figures in the prophetic chain. The Qur’an describes God’s gifting of revelation to him (the Zabur) and granting him authority (mulk), wisdom (ḥikmah), and knowledge; classical and later Islamic commentaries place him historically as the king of the United Kingdom of Israel in the biblical chronology (traditionally dated in secondary literature to c. 1010–970 BCE, a dating drawn from biblical chronology rather than an internal Islamic claim). Scriptural episodes in the Qur’an associated with Dāwūd include his reception of the Zabur, his role as judge and exemplar of justice, a martial episode against a giant-figure (the Qur’anic analogue to Goliath), the teaching of armour-making by God, the praise of creation joining his worship (mountains and birds), and an episode of sin followed by repentance and divine forgiveness (Surat Sad 38:21–25).
The provided Islamic sources do not supply a physical or pictorial description of Dāwūd. Qur’anic and hadith material treat him textually in terms of office, deeds, and devotional practice; the supplied material contains no anthropomorphic or costume details or sustained descriptive imagery.
Qur’anic attributions to Dāwūd include reception of revealed scripture (the Zabur), divinely granted authority (mulk), wisdom (ḥikmah), sound judgment (ḥukm) and knowledge (ʿilm), and instruction in craft (the making of armour). Scriptural narratives portray him exercising decisive judicial judgment, leading in military action (the episode corresponding to the slaying of Goliath is referenced in Qur’an 2:251), and experiencing a special relation with creation whereby mountains and birds join in praising God with him. Later Islamic tradition and hadith praise his ascetic devotional regimen: a pattern of night prayer (dividing sleep and vigil into halves, thirds, and sixths) and fasting on alternate days, cited as especially beloved to God. The sources emphasize that these are divinely conferred gifts and exemplary practices rather than indications of a non-human or independently supernatural nature.
Weaknesses
- conditionmoral fallibility demonstrated in Qur’anic repentance episode (Surat Sad 38:21–25)
Wards
None recorded.
Aaron
Aaron is a central human figure in Israelite sacred literature: the elder brother of Moses, the first high priest (progenitor of the Aaronide priesthood), and a spokesman/prophet who mediates between Israel and God in Exodus–Deuteronomy narratives. His role in the texts establishes hereditary priestly authority, ritual functions (sacrifices, blessing, use of Urim and Thummim), and institutional norms for Israelite cultic life.
Ababil
Ababil (Arabic: أبابيل, romanized abābīl) are miraculous birds mentioned in the Qur'anic account of Surah Al‑Fil. In Islamic tradition they appear as a divinely sent avian host that defended the Kaaba by pelting an invading army with small clay stones; tradition places the event in the year traditionally given as 570 CE.
Abaddon
In Hebrew scripture Abaddon is primarily a noun meaning 'destruction' or a section/condition of the underworld paired with Sheol; in the New Testament Book of Revelation Abaddon is personified as an angelic figure (Greek Apollyon) described as the king of an army of locusts released from the abyss during the apocalypse.
Abadir
Abadir is a polysemous name attested in distinct cultural contexts: a legendary founding saint and clan ancestor in eastern Ethiopia (Sheikh Abadir Umar Al‑Rida / Aw Abadir), a term applied to cone‑shaped cult stones in Phoenician religious description, and a personal name of a martyr (Abadir/Apater) in the Coptic Synaxarium. The attestations are independent usages of the same name rather than a single supernatural being.
Abadiu of Antinoe
Abadiu of Antinoe was a fourth‑century bishop of Antinoe (Antinoopolis, in Roman Egypt) commemorated as a martyr and saint in the Coptic Orthodox Church, with a feast day on 26 December. Sources record that he was killed during a theological dispute with Arian opponents and reference him in collections of Egyptian martyrs.
Abagtha
Abagtha (Hebrew: אבגתא, ’Ǎḇaḡṯā) is a named human court official in the Hebrew Bible’s Book of Esther, listed among seven chamberlains who ministered before King Ahasuerus and were commanded to bring Queen Vashti before the king. He is attested only in Esther 1:10 and is presented as an institutional palace attendant rather than a supernatural being.
Abanoub
Abanoub is a 4th‑century Egyptian Christian child martyr venerated in the Coptic tradition. Remembered for his public confession of Christ, miraculous healings associated with his passion, and the translation and veneration of his relics, his feast is observed on July 31 (Epip 24) and his cult centers include Nehisa and Samanoud.
Abaskhiron the Soldier
A Coptic Orthodox martyr venerated for refusing imperial idolatry during the Diocletian persecution; reputedly healed by the Archangel Michael, preserved in monastery relics, and commemorated on 14 June (7 Paoni).
Abdel Messih El-Makari
Abdel Messih El-Makari (1892–1963) was a Coptic Orthodox monk and priest venerated as a 20th‑century Coptic saint. Associated with the Monastery of Saint Samuel the Confessor and the Monastery of Saint Macarius (Scetes/Wadi El‑Natrun), he is remembered for humility, asceticism, charity, and reported spiritual gifts such as prescience, discerning of spirits, and healing.
Abdiel
Abdiel (Hebrew עֲבְדִּיאֵל) is primarily a theophoric Hebrew personal name meaning "servant of El/servant of God," attested once in the Hebrew Bible (1 Chronicles 5:15). In later literature—most notably John Milton's Paradise Lost—Abdiel is reimagined as a faithful seraph who opposes Satan's revolt. The provided sources do not treat Abdiel as an autonomous folkloric spirit type or record rituals or wards associated with the name.
Abdul Qadir Gilani
A historical 11th–12th century Hanbali jurist, preacher, and Sufi shaykh who became the eponym and principal early figure of the Qadiriyya tariqa; venerated in Sunni Sufi traditions as an Awliya (saint) and often given exalted hagiographical ranks such as Muḥi al‑Dīn and Ghawth.
Abednego
Abednego is a human figure in the Book of Daniel (chapter 3), one of three Jewish youths (with Shadrach and Meshach) who refuse to bow to King Nebuchadnezzar II's image and are cast into a fiery furnace but preserved by divine intervention.
Community Record
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- [2]David in Islam (Wikidata). Wikidata entry Q1257863wiki
- [3]Psalms in Islam (Wikipedia). Wikipedia, 'Psalms in Islam'wiki
- [4]Answering Islam: Of Myths and Women (response). Answering-Islam.org, 'Of Myths and Women: A Response...'other