Allah tells us that His servant and Messenger Dawud, peace be upon him, was endued with power

Al-Ayd means strength in knowledge and action. Ibn `Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, As-Suddi and Ibn Zayd said, "Al-Ayd means strength." Mujahid said, "Al-Ayd means strength in obedience to Allah." Qatadah said, "Dawud, peace be upon him, was given strength in worship and the proper understanding of Islam." He told us that he, peace be upon him, used to spend a third of the night in prayer, and he fasted for half a lifetime. This was reported in the Two Sahihs, where it is recorded that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

«أَحَبُّ الصَّلَاةِ إِلَى اللهِ تَعَالَى صَلَاةُ دَاوُدَ، وَأَحَبُّ الصِّيَامِ إِلَى اللهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ صِيَامُ دَاوُدَ، كَانَ يَنَامُ نِصْفَ اللَّيْلِ، وَيَقُومُ ثُلُثَهُ، وَيَنَامُ سُدُسَهُ، وَكَانَ يَصُومُ يَوْمًا وَيُفْطِرُ يَوْمًا، وَلَا يَفِرُّ إِذَا لَاقَى، وَأَنَّهُ كَانَ أَوَّابًا»

In verse 18, it was said: إِنَّا سَخَّرْ‌نَا الْجِبَالَ مَعَهُ يُسَبِّحْنَ بِالْعَشِيِّ وَالْإِشْرَ‌اقِ (We had subjugated the mountains to join him in making tasbih (i.e. pronouncing Allah's purity) at evening and sunrise). In this verse, mention has been made of mountains and birds joining Sayyidna Dawud (علیہ السلام) in the act of tasbih. Detailed explanation of this phenomenon has already appeared in the commentary on Surah Al-Anbiya' and Saba'. Here, it is worth noting that the tasbih of mountains and birds has been mentioned at this place in a manner that it was a particular blessing for Sayyidna Dawud (علیہ السلام) . The question is: How did this become a blessing for Sayyidna Dawud (علیہ السلام) and what particular benefit accrued from the tasbih of mountains and birds?

One answer to this is that it unravels a miracle at the hands of Sayyidna Dawud (علیہ السلام) - and it goes without saying that it is a great reward and blessing. In addition' to that, Maulana Thanavi (رح) has given a subtle explanation about it. He says that the tasbih performed by mountains and birds had created in him a special taste for the remembrance of Allah, something that generates initiative, courage and verve in acts of worship (` ibadah). Collective dhikr has another benefit - that the Barakah that issues forth from it reflects on each other from the participants. There is a particular method of dhikr and spiritual engagement (shughl) recognized among the noble Sufis in which the participant imagines that the whole universe is making dhikr. This method has an unusual efficacy of its own in correcting and purifying one's inner state as well as in his enthusiasm for "ibadah. The basis of this method of dhikr is also deduced from this verse. (Masa'ilu-s- Suluk, Maulana Ashraf Thanavi ‘Ali (رح))