Surah Sad — Ayah 26 (38:26)
يَٰدَاوُۥدُ إِنَّا جَعَلۡنَٰكَ خَلِيفَةٗ فِي ٱلۡأَرۡضِ فَٱحۡكُم بَيۡنَ ٱلنَّاسِ بِٱلۡحَقِّ وَلَا تَتَّبِعِ ٱلۡهَوَىٰ فَيُضِلَّكَ عَن سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِۚ إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ يَضِلُّونَ عَن سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ لَهُمۡ عَذَابٞ شَدِيدُۢ بِمَا نَسُواْ يَوۡمَ ٱلۡحِسَابِ ٢٦
English translation (Saheeh International)
[We said], "O David, indeed We have made you a successor upon the earth, so judge between the people in truth and do not follow [your own] desire, as it will lead you astray from the way of Allāh." Indeed, those who go astray from the way of Allāh will have a severe punishment for having forgotten the Day of Account.
Brief commentary
O David, I made you a deputy on earth to execute worldly and religious rulings and judgments, so judge between people with justice. And do not follow desires in your judgement between people, by inclining towards one of the disputants due to relationship or friendship, or by turning away from him due to enmity, whereby desires will misguide you from Allah’s straight path. Those who go astray from Allah’s straight path will have a severe punishment due to their forgetting the day of reckoning, because if they were to remember it and fear it they would not incline to their desires.