Talut and Jalut

Talut is also mentioned in the Hadith literature thus: "Narrated al-Bara: The companions of the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) who took part in Badr, told me that their number was that of Talut's companions who crossed the river (of al-Urdun) with him and they were over three-hundred-and-ten men. By Allah, none crossed the river with him but a believer."

It is well known that there were eighty thousand men with Talut. Some say they were 70,000. Many have said that those who did not drink more than a handful of the canal water were 313 like the number of those who were with the holy Prophet during the war of Badr, who had remained steadfast with him and who had faith in Allah’s help. Those who had drunk more water had run away from war. It is understood from ‘Ali ’s ‘Sermon of Talut’ and all other hadiths that those who had remained steadfast with him were these 313. Some traditions say those who did not drink the water at all were these 313 men and that those who did not drink more than a handful were more.

Now we conclude the hadith. Then Allah sent a revelation to their Prophet informing him that Jalut will be killed by a man on whose body the armor of Musa will fit properly and that he will be from the sons of Lawi. His name will be Dawud. Dawud ’s father was a shepherd having ten sons. Dawud was the youngest of all. Anyway, when Talut gathered The Israelites for a fight with Jalut, he also called for father of Dawud along with his sons. When he arrived Talut called the sons one by one and made them wear the armor but it did not fit on anyone’s body. So Talut asked him whether he had left out any of his sons? He said, Yes, as my sheep are yet young I have left my youngest son for their protection. Talut sent someone for him. He was Dawud. While leaving his home Dawud took with him a sling and a bag. In his way, three stones called him out: O Dawud! Pick us up. So he put them in his bag. Dawud was very strong and courageous. When he came to Talut, he made him (Dawud) wear the armor of Musa and it fitted him properly. When the army marched toward Jalut Talut marched toward the army of Jalut as says Almighty Allah in the Holy Qur’an: So when Talut departed with the forces, he said, Surely Allah will try you with a river; whoever then drinks from it, he is not of me, and whoever does not taste of it, he is surely of me, except he who takes with his hand as much of it as fills the hand; but with the exception of a few of them they drank from it vide Surah Baqarah: 249.

According to some reports Talut recruited approximately 33,000 men from the society of Bani Israel. Jalut’s army was 250,000 to 400,000 strong, and was mighty in strength and fully equipped.