سُوْرَةُ الإِسۡرَاءِ
Surah Al-Israa (17) — Ayah 55
وَرَبُّكَ أَعْلَمُ بِمَن فِى ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ ۗ وَلَقَدْ فَضَّلْنَا بَعْضَ ٱلنَّبِيِّـۧنَ عَلَىٰ بَعْضٍ ۖ وَءَاتَيْنَا دَاوُۥدَ زَبُورًا ﴿55﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
And your Lord knows best all who are in the heavens and the earth. And indeed, We have preferred some of the Prophets above others, and to Dâwûd (David) We gave the Zabûr (Psalms).
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
وَرَبُّكَ
warabbuka
And your Lord
أَعْلَمُ
aʿlamu
(is) most knowing
بِمَن
biman
of whoever
فِى
fī
(is) in
ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ
l-samāwāti
the heavens
وَٱلْأَرْضِ ۗ
wal-arḍi
and the earth
وَلَقَدْ
walaqad
And verily
فَضَّلْنَا
faḍḍalnā
We have preferred
بَعْضَ
baʿḍa
some
ٱلنَّبِيِّـۧنَ
l-nabiyīna
(of) the Prophets
عَلَىٰ
ʿalā
to
بَعْضٍۢ ۖ
baʿḍin
others
وَءَاتَيْنَا
waātaynā
And We gave
دَاوُۥدَ
dāwūda
Dawood
زَبُورًۭا
zabūran
Zaboor
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran — Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran (Facilitation of the Quran) is a comprehensive Quran commentary by Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar from Pakistan. Known for his eloquent and accessible writing style, Kilani authored this tafsir with a focus on clarity — making Quranic meanings understandable to the common reader. The tafsir provides detailed historical context for verses related to battles and expeditions, and firmly refutes modernist ideologies using strong scriptural evidence. It is widely regarded as an invaluable resource for understanding the Quran and countering deviant interpretations. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
55. Your Lord knows best all who are in the heavens and the earth. And We have favored some prophets [67] over others, and to David We gave the Psalms [68].
[67]
Aspects of the Excellence of the Prophets:
There are also many aspects of this excellence, for example, the work of da'wah of some prophets proved to be more fruitful, for some less; some only fulfilled the duty of preaching, some also engaged in jihad; some were given one miracle, while another prophet was given another; some prophets spent their lives in poverty and indigence, and some were also kings at the same time, and so on.
[68]
If a King Can Be a Prophet, Then Why Can't an Ordinary Man Be a Prophet?
At this point, there seem to be two reasons for especially mentioning Sayyiduna Dawud ؑ: one is that Dawud ؑ was the youngest among his brothers, was of short stature, and was considered insignificant. He used to herd sheep, but the precious qualities that were present in him were known only to Allah. Therefore, Allah not only made him a prophet but made him a prophet who was given a book, and then also granted him kingship. This is Allah's gift and Allah's grace, that whoever is chosen by His gaze of selection, He bestows upon him, and as much as He wills, He bestows. The second aspect is that one of the objections of the polytheists of Makkah regarding the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was that he is just a human like us, who eats and drinks like us, walks around, marries, and has children. He is a seeker of the world, so how can he be God-reached or a messenger of Allah? According to their view, instead of being a seeker of the world, it was necessary for a God-reached or prophet to be an ascetic, as there were monks among the Jews and Christians. Allah Almighty, refuting their view, said that if you think that an ordinary person or a seeker of the world cannot be a prophet, then what can you think about a king, who is much more entangled in the world than ordinary people, a seeker of the world, and supposedly farther from Allah? Then when We granted prophethood to Dawud the king and made him a prophet who was given a book, then why can this Prophet of the Last Age not be a prophet?
[67]
Aspects of the Excellence of the Prophets:
There are also many aspects of this excellence, for example, the work of da'wah of some prophets proved to be more fruitful, for some less; some only fulfilled the duty of preaching, some also engaged in jihad; some were given one miracle, while another prophet was given another; some prophets spent their lives in poverty and indigence, and some were also kings at the same time, and so on.
[68]
If a King Can Be a Prophet, Then Why Can't an Ordinary Man Be a Prophet?
At this point, there seem to be two reasons for especially mentioning Sayyiduna Dawud ؑ: one is that Dawud ؑ was the youngest among his brothers, was of short stature, and was considered insignificant. He used to herd sheep, but the precious qualities that were present in him were known only to Allah. Therefore, Allah not only made him a prophet but made him a prophet who was given a book, and then also granted him kingship. This is Allah's gift and Allah's grace, that whoever is chosen by His gaze of selection, He bestows upon him, and as much as He wills, He bestows. The second aspect is that one of the objections of the polytheists of Makkah regarding the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was that he is just a human like us, who eats and drinks like us, walks around, marries, and has children. He is a seeker of the world, so how can he be God-reached or a messenger of Allah? According to their view, instead of being a seeker of the world, it was necessary for a God-reached or prophet to be an ascetic, as there were monks among the Jews and Christians. Allah Almighty, refuting their view, said that if you think that an ordinary person or a seeker of the world cannot be a prophet, then what can you think about a king, who is much more entangled in the world than ordinary people, a seeker of the world, and supposedly farther from Allah? Then when We granted prophethood to Dawud the king and made him a prophet who was given a book, then why can this Prophet of the Last Age not be a prophet?
