Surah 2 Al-Baqara — Ayah 253
۞ تِلْكَ ٱلرُّسُلُ فَضَّلْنَا بَعْضَهُمْ عَلَىٰ بَعْضٍۢ ۘ مِّنْهُم مَّن كَلَّمَ ٱللَّهُ ۖ وَرَفَعَ بَعْضَهُمْ دَرَجَٰتٍۢ ۚ وَءَاتَيْنَا عِيسَى ٱبْنَ مَرْيَمَ ٱلْبَيِّنَٰتِ وَأَيَّدْنَٰهُ بِرُوحِ ٱلْقُدُسِ ۗ وَلَوْ شَآءَ ٱللَّهُ مَا ٱقْتَتَلَ ٱلَّذِينَ مِنۢ بَعْدِهِم مِّنۢ بَعْدِ مَا جَآءَتْهُمُ ٱلْبَيِّنَٰتُ وَلَٰكِنِ ٱخْتَلَفُوا۟ فَمِنْهُم مَّنْ ءَامَنَ وَمِنْهُم مَّن كَفَرَ ۚ وَلَوْ شَآءَ ٱللَّهُ مَا ٱقْتَتَلُوا۟ وَلَٰكِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يَفْعَلُ مَا يُرِيدُ
اِھي پيغمبر آھن اُنھن مان ھڪڙن کي ٻـين کان ڀلو ڪيوسون، منجھانئن ڪن سان الله ڳالھايو ۽ ڪن کي درجن ۾ وڏو ڪيائين، ۽ عيسىٰ پٽ مريم جي کي چٽا مُعجزا ڏناسون ۽ کيس پاڪ رُوح سان مدد ڏني سون، ۽ جيڪڏھن الله گُھري ھا ته جيڪي (ماڻھو) اُنھن (پيغمبرن) کان پوءِ هُئا سي پاڻ وٽ چِٽن مُعجزن اچڻ پڄاڻان (پاڻ ۾) نه وڙھن ھا پر اختلاف ۾ پيا پوءِ منجھانئن ڪن ايمان آندو ۽ منجھانئن ڪن ڪفر ڪيو، ۽ جيڪڏھن الله گھري ھا ته (پاڻ ۾) نه وڙھن ھا، پر الله جيڪي گھرندو آھي سو ڪندو آھي.
til'ka l-rusulu faḍḍalnā baʿḍahum ʿalā baʿḍin min'hum man kallama l-lahu warafaʿa baʿḍahum darajātin waātaynā ʿīsā ib'na maryama l-bayināti wa-ayyadnāhu birūḥi l-qudusi walaw shāa l-lahu mā iq'tatala alladhīna min baʿdihim min baʿdi mā jāathumu l-bayinātu walākini ikh'talafū famin'hum man āmana wamin'hum man kafara walaw shāa l-lahu mā iq'tatalū walākinna l-laha yafʿalu mā yurīdu
Word by word
- ۞ تِلْكَ til'ka These
- ٱلرُّسُلُ l-rusulu (are) the Messengers
- فَضَّلْنَا faḍḍalnā We (have) preferred
- بَعْضَهُمْ baʿḍahum some of them
- عَلَىٰ ʿalā over
- بَعْضٍۢ ۘ baʿḍin others
- مِّنْهُم min'hum Among them
- مَّن man (were those with) whom
- كَلَّمَ kallama spoke
- ٱللَّهُ ۖ l-lahu Allah
- وَرَفَعَ warafaʿa and He raised
- بَعْضَهُمْ baʿḍahum some of them
- دَرَجَـٰتٍۢ ۚ darajātin (in) degrees
- وَءَاتَيْنَا waātaynā And We gave
- عِيسَى ʿīsā Isa
- ٱبْنَ ib'na son
- مَرْيَمَ maryama (of) Maryam
- ٱلْبَيِّنَـٰتِ l-bayināti the clear proofs
- وَأَيَّدْنَـٰهُ wa-ayyadnāhu and We supported him
- بِرُوحِ birūḥi with Spirit
- ٱلْقُدُسِ ۗ l-qudusi [the] Holy
- وَلَوْ walaw And if
- شَآءَ shāa (had) willed
- ٱللَّهُ l-lahu Allah
- مَا mā not
- ٱقْتَتَلَ iq'tatala (would have) fought each other
- ٱلَّذِينَ alladhīna those who
- مِنۢ min (came) from
- بَعْدِهِم baʿdihim after them
- مِّنۢ min from
- بَعْدِ baʿdi after
- مَا mā [what]
- جَآءَتْهُمُ jāathumu came to them
- ٱلْبَيِّنَـٰتُ l-bayinātu the clear proofs
- وَلَـٰكِنِ walākini [And] but
- ٱخْتَلَفُوا۟ ikh'talafū they differed
- فَمِنْهُم famin'hum [so] of them
- مَّنْ man (are some) who
- ءَامَنَ āmana believed
- وَمِنْهُم wamin'hum and of them
- مَّن man (are some) who
- كَفَرَ ۚ kafara denied
- وَلَوْ walaw And if
- شَآءَ shāa (had) willed
- ٱللَّهُ l-lahu Allah
- مَا mā not
- ٱقْتَتَلُوا۟ iq'tatalū they (would have) fought each other
- وَلَـٰكِنَّ walākinna [and] but
- ٱللَّهَ l-laha Allah
- يَفْعَلُ yafʿalu does
- مَا mā what
- يُرِيدُ yurīdu He intends
Tafsir · Ibn Kathir (Abridged)
Allah Honored Some Prophets Above Others
Allah states that He has honored some Prophets to others. For instance, Allah said,
وَلَقَدْ فَضَّلْنَا بَعْضَ النَّبِيِّينَ عَلَى بَعْضٍ وَءَاتَيْنَا دَاوُودَ زَبُورًا
(And indeed, We have preferred some of the Prophets above others, and to Dawud We gave the Zabur (Psalms)) 17:55.
In the Ayah above, Allah said,
تِلْكَ الرُّسُلُ فَضَّلْنَا بَعْضَهُمْ عَلَى بَعْضٍ مِّنْهُمْ مَّن كَلَّمَ اللَّهُ
(Those Messengers! We preferred some of them to others; to some of them Allah spoke (directly)) meaning, Musa and Muhammad , and also Adam according to a Hadith recorded in Sahih Ibn Hibban from Abu Dharr.
وَرَفَعَ بَعْضَهُمْ دَرَجَـتٍ
(Others He raised to degrees (of honor)) as is evident in the Hadith about the Isra' journey, when the Messenger of Allah ﷺ saw the Prophets in the various heavens according to their rank with Allah.
If somebody asks about the collective meaning of this Ayah and the Hadith that the Two Sahihs collected from Abu Hurayrah which states, "Once, a Muslim man and a Jew had an argument and the Jew said, `No, by Him Who gave Musa superiority over all human beings!' Hearing him, the Muslim man raised his hand and slapped the Jew on his face and said, `Over Muhammad too, O evil one!' The Jew went to the Prophet and complained to him and the Prophet said,
«لَا تُفَضِّلُونِي عَلَى الْأَنْبِيَاءِ، فَإِنَّ النَّاسَ يَصْعَقُونَ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ فَأَكُونُ أَوَّلَ مَنْ يُفِيقُ، فَأَجِدُ مُوسَى بَاطِشًا بِقَائِمَةِ الْعَرْشِ، فَلَا أَدْرِي أَفَاقَ قَبْلِي أَمْ جُوزِيَ بِصَعْقَةِ الطُّورِ؟ فَلَا تُفَضِّلُونِي عَلَى الْأَنْبِيَاء»
(Don't give me superiority above the Prophets, for the people will become unconscious on the Day of Resurrection, and I will be the first to be resurrected to see Musa holding on to the pillar of Allah's Throne. I will not know whether the unconsciousness Musa suffered on the Day of the Trumpet sufficed for him, or if he got up before me. So, do not give me superiority above the Prophets.) In another narration, the Prophet said, (Do not give superiority to some Prophets above others.)
The answer to this question is that this Hadith prohibits preferring some Prophets above others in cases of dispute and argument, such as the incident mentioned in the Hadith. The Hadith indicates that it is not up to creation to decide which Prophet is better, for this is Allah's decision. The creation is only required to submit to, obey and believe in Allah's decision.
Allah's statement,
وَءَاتَيْنَا عِيسَى ابْنَ مَرْيَمَ الْبَيِّنَـتِ
(And We gave `Isa, the son of Maryam, clear signs) refers to the proofs and unequivocal evidences that testify to the truth that `Isa delivered to the Children of Israel, thus testifying that he was Allah's servant and His Messenger to them.
وَأَيَّدْنَـهُ بِرُوحِ الْقُدُسِ
(And supported him with Ruh-il-Qudus) meaning Allah aided `Isa with Jibil, peace be upon him. Allah then said,
وَلَوْ شَآءَ اللَّهُ مَا اقْتَتَلَ الَّذِينَ مِن بَعْدِهِم مِّن بَعْدِ مَا جَآءَتْهُمُ الْبَيِّنَـتُ وَلَـكِنِ اخْتَلَفُواْ فَمِنْهُمْ مَّنْ ءَامَنَ وَمِنْهُم مَّن كَفَرَ وَلَوْ شَآءَ اللَّهُ مَا اقْتَتَلُواْ
(If Allah had willed, succeeding generations would not have fought against each other, after clear Verses of Allah had come to them, but they differed ـ some of them believed and others disbelieved. If Allah had willed, they would not have fought against one another.) meaning all this happened by Allah's decree, and this is why He said next,
وَلَـكِنَّ اللَّهَ يَفْعَلُ مَا يُرِيدُ
(But Allah does what He wills.)