"Has the news of the disputants reached you?"—meaning the news of the disputants, that is, you did not know of them until I informed you—"When they entered the sanctuary (al-mihrab)," the place of worship, up to His saying: "and he turned in repentance." Al-Hasan's interpretation is: David gathered the worshippers of the Children of Israel and said: "Which of you, had God left him to himself for a single day, would have been able to resist Satan?" They replied: "No one, except the Prophets of God." It was as if he considered intending to do something, when suddenly, while he was praying, a beautiful bird landed on a battlement of the sanctuary.
﴿وَهل أَتَاك نبأ الْخصم﴾ خبر الْخصم أَي: أَنَّك لم تعلَمْه؛ حَتَّى أعلمتك ﴿إِذْ تَسَوَّرُوا الْمِحْرَابَ﴾ الْمَسْجِد إِلَى قَوْله: ﴿وَأَنَابَ﴾ تَفْسِير الْحَسَن: أَن دَاوُد جمع عُبَّاد بني إِسْرَائِيل؛ فَقَالَ: أَيّكُم كَانَ يمْتَنع من الشَّيْطَان يَوْمًا لَو وَكله اللَّه إِلَى نفْسه؟ فَقَالُوا: لَا أحد إِلَّا أَنْبيَاء اللَّه؛ فكأنّه عرض فِي الْهم بِشَيْء فَبَيْنَمَا هُوَ يُصَلِّي إِذا بطائر حسن قد وَقع عَلَى شُرفة من شرفِ الْمِحْرَاب.
