What dowry have you imposed upon me, when I possess nothing?” Saul replied, “I shall require of you only what you are able to bear. You are a bold man, and we have uncircumcised enemies (1). If you kill two hundred of them and bring me their foreskins, I shall give you my daughter in marriage.” So David went to them, and whenever he killed one of them, he threaded his foreskin onto a string, until he had strung together their foreskins. He brought them to Saul, cast them before him, and said, “Give me my wife.” Saul then married his daughter to him and granted him authority through his signet in his kingdom.
The people inclined towards David, loved him, and spoke of him often. Saul grew jealous of him and sought to kill him. A man called Dhu al-Aynayn informed Saul’s daughter of this, so she said to David, “You will be killed tonight.” He said, “Who will kill me?” She replied, “My father.” ⦗43b⦘ He said, “Have I committed any crime?” She said, “One who does not lie has told me. It will do you no harm to remain away tonight, until you see the confirmation of this.” He said, “If Allah has decreed this, I cannot escape; but bring me a wineskin (2) of wine.”
She brought it to him, and he placed it in his sleeping-place on the bed and covered it (3), then went beneath the bed. Saul entered at midnight and asked her, “Where is your husband?” She replied, “He is sleeping on the bed.” So he struck it once with his sword, and the wine flowed out. When he smelled the scent of the drink, he said, “May Allah have mercy on David! How much wine he used to drink!” Then he left.
When morning came, he realized that he had done nothing. He said, “A man from whom I have sought what I sought from him is bound not to leave me until he has taken vengeance upon me.” So he strengthened his attendants and guards and locked his gates against David.
Then one night, when all eyes had grown still, David came to him. Allah, glorified is He, blinded the attendants and opened the gates for him. David entered upon Saul while he slept in his bed, placed an arrow by his head, another by his feet, one on his right, and one on his left, and then left. When Saul awoke, he saw the arrows and recognized them. He said, “May Allah the Exalted have mercy on David. He is better than I: I gained power over him and intended to kill him, yet he gained power over me and spared me. Had he wished, he could have put this arrow in my throat. I cannot trust myself against him.”
The following night, David came to him again. Allah blinded the attendants, and David entered while Saul was sleeping. He took Saul’s ewer, from which he performed ablution, his drinking cup, cut some hairs from his beard, and took part of the fringe of his garment. Then he departed, fled, and concealed himself. When Saul arose in the morning and saw this, he set spies after David and sought him most earnestly, but could not find him.
One day Saul rode out and found David walking in the wilderness. He said, “Today I shall kill him,” and gave chase. David ran swiftly—for whenever he was frightened, none could catch him—and entered a cave. Allah the Exalted inspired a spider to weave a web over it. When Saul reached the cave and saw the spider’s web, he said, “Had he entered here, he would have torn the spider’s web.” So he left it and went on.
David then went to the mountain, joining the worshippers there, and devoted himself to worship. The scholars and worshippers reproached Saul concerning David. Thereafter, whenever anyone forbade Saul from killing David, he would kill that person. He incited the killing of the scholars, and whenever he was able to seize and kill a scholar among the Children of Israel, he killed him. Eventually, a woman who knew the Greatest Name of Allah was brought to him, and he ordered his baker to kill her, but the baker took pity on her.