يَا دَاوُودُ إِنَّا جَعَلْنَاكَ خَلِيفَةً فِي الْأَرْضِ فَاحْكُمْ بَيْنَ النَّاسِ بِالْحَقِّ وَلَا تَتَّبِعِ الْهَوَى فَيُضِلَّكَ عَنْ سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يَضِلُّونَ عَنْ سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ لَهُمْ عَذَابٌ شَدِيدٌ بِمَا نَسُوا يَوْمَ الْحِسَابِ ﴿۲۶﴾ وَمَا خَلَقْنَا السَّمَاءَ وَالْأَرْضَ وَمَا بَيْنَهُمَا بَاطِلًا ذَلِكَ ظَنُّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا فَوَيْلٌ لِلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا مِنَ النَّارِ ﴿۲۷﴾

﴾26﴿ Yaa Daawoodu innaa ja'alnaaka khaleefatan fil ardi fahkum bainan naasi bilhaqqi wa laa tattabi'il hawaa fayudillaka 'an sabeelil laah; innal lazeena yadilloona 'an sabeelil laah; lahum 'azaabun shadeedum bimaa nasoo Yawmal Hisaab
﴾27﴿ Wa maa khalaqnas samaaa'a wal arda wa maa bainahumaa baatilaa; zaalika zannul lazeena kafaroo; fa waylul lil lazeena kafaroo minan Naar

﴾26﴿ O David (peace be upon him), indeed, We have made you a successor (a judge) on earth, so judge between the people with truth and do not follow desire, for it will lead you away from the path of Allah. Indeed, those who turn away from the path of Allah will have a severe punishment because they have forgotten the Day of Reckoning
﴾27﴿ And We did not create the heavens and the earth and whatever is between them in vain; that is the assumption of the disbelievers. So woe to the disbelievers from the Fire

[26] The context of this verse clearly shows that the previous incident relates to the matter of legal judgment, as two interpretations have already been mentioned later on.
It has no connection to the story of Uriah, and this incident serves as a confirmation and strengthening for Dawud (peace be upon him), as well as a lesson in the etiquettes and proper method of issuing rulings in Shariah matters.
It is also a warning to others about following desires. As for Dawud (peace be upon him), he is ma‘ṣūm (infallible), and there is no risk of him following desires—neither in this case nor in the future.
This is exactly what the commentator Al-Alusi wrote in Rūḥ al-Ma‘ānī.
Therefore, those commentators who claimed that this verse is a rebuke to Dawud (peace be upon him) because he allegedly followed his desires in obtaining the wife of Uriah have spoken unjustly.
Such claims show disrespect towards the honor of the prophets and go beyond the bounds of fairness.
"(Khalīfatan fī al-arḍ)"—Al-Khaṭīb al-Shirbīnī wrote that khalīfah has two meanings:
1. Allah the Exalted has appointed you as the successor of previous prophets (peace be upon them) in calling people to Allah and in managing the affairs of the people.
2. Allah has given you the power and authority to enforce His rulings on the earth.
[27] The connection of this verse with the previous one is that the previous verse contained a warning regarding forgetting the Day of Judgment. In these verses, there is a refutation of the deniers of the Day of Judgment and an affirmation of the Resurrection.
And this verse is evidence that those who consider this creation to be in vain and mere play are disbelievers, and this assumption is the cause of Hell.