Dawud — Name Meaning in Islam

Origin: Hebrew David, "beloved", carried into Arabic as Dāwūd. Like Yusuf and Ibrahim it is one of the names the Qur'an keeps in its original shape rather than translating, which is why it does not sit on an Arabic root.

Who carried it: the Prophet Dawud, who was Prophet and king together — a combination the Qur'an mentions of few others. It says he was given the Zabūr, the Psalms (al-Isra 17:55); that he killed Jalut, after which Allah gave him kingship and wisdom (al-Baqara 2:251); and that the mountains and the birds were made to glorify Allah along with him, and iron made soft in his hands (Saba 34:10-11), from which he shaped coats of mail.

In the sources: the Prophet ﷺ described the fast of Dawud — fasting one day and not the next — as the most beloved fasting to Allah, and his night prayer as the most beloved night prayer; and mentioned that he ate only from the work of his own hand.

Spellings: Dawud, Dawood, Daud, Davut / Davud (Turkish), Daud (Indonesian), Dawood (Urdu), Daoud (French/Maghrebi), داوود / داود.

Pronunciation: dā-WŪD, two long vowels, stress on the second. English "David" is the same name arriving through Hebrew and Latin instead of Arabic.

Feminine counterpart: none formed from this name.