• Another lesson: the one who receives advice—even if he occupies a lofty station and possesses vast knowledge—should neither take offense nor feel repulsed. Instead, he ought to hasten to accept the counsel, thank the advisor, and praise Allah for having arranged the guidance through that person. David, for instance, did not recoil when the two litigants said, “Judge between us with justice; do not go to excess, and guide us to the straight path” (Ṣād 38:22); rather, he ruled with uncompromised fairness.
• Another lesson: close interaction among relatives, friends, and business partners, and the proliferation of worldly financial entanglements, inevitably breed enmity and lead some to wrong others. Nothing can ward off this chronic disease except piety and steadfast patience grounded in faith and righteous deeds—qualities that are, regrettably, scarce among people.
• Another lesson: Allah honored David and Solomon with nearness to Him and a beautiful return. No one, therefore, should imagine that what occurred from them diminished their rank with Allah. Part of His perfect kindness to His sincere servants is that when He forgives them and removes the stain of their sins, He also effaces every lingering trace—even from the hearts of fellow creatures. Such grace is easy for the Most Generous.
• Another lesson: the office of judging between people is a religious station undertaken by the messengers of Allah and His elite servants. Whoever assumes it must rule according to truth and not follow personal desire. Judging justly requires knowledge of the revealed rulings, an accurate grasp of the case at hand, and the ability to apply the general principles of the law to its particulars. Anyone ignorant of even one of these elements has no right to adjudicate people’s disputes.
• Another lesson: Solomon himself is counted among David’s merits and among Allah’s favors to him. The Exalted says, “We granted David Solomon—what an excellent servant; indeed, he was ever penitent” (Ṣād 38:30). This is the greatest commendation and the highest honor for Solomon.
• Another lesson: the abundance of Allah’s goodness and bounty toward His righteous servants is such that He bestows upon them noble character and righteous deeds, then praises them for those very qualities and assigns them manifold varieties of reward—for He alone is the benefactor of both causes and their outcomes.