Transliteration:( Wa qaala lahum Nabiy yuhum innal laaha qad ba'asa lakum Taaloota malikaa; qaalooo annaa yakoonu lahul mulku 'alainaa wa nahnu ahaqqu bilmulki minhu wa lam yu'ta sa'atamminal maal; qaala innallaahas tafaahu 'alaikum wa zaadahoo bastatan fil'ilmi waljismi wallaahu yu'tee mulkahoo mai yashaaa'; wallaahu Waasi'un 'Aleem )
247. And their Prophet said to them: "Surely, Allah has appointed Talut (Saul) [616] for you as a king." They said: "How can he have the right of kingship over us [617]? Whereas we are more entitled [618] to the kingship than he and he has not been given ample wealth." He (Talut) said: "Surely, Allah has chosen him [619] over you and has increased him [620] abundantly in knowledge and body. And Allah bestows His kingdom to whom He wills. And Allah is All-Encompassing, All-Knowing."
Talut (Saul) was from the tribe of Binyamin, a son of Hazrat Yaqub (Jacob عليه السلام).
🔹 His name Talut is derived from his exceptional physical stature—he was tall like a walking stick, fitting a sign from Allah revealed to Hazrat Shumail (Samuel عليه السلام).
🔹 In that era, Prophethood and kingship were distinct, and Hazrat Shumail did not assume both roles, unlike later Prophets such as Dawood and Sulaiman.
The Bani Israel questioned the choice of Talut, saying:
“How can he rule over us?”
🔹 This was their first act of disobedience—they argued using worldly logic and rejected divine decree, which reflects the influence of ego and Satanic whispers.
Their argument continued with:
“He has not been given ample wealth…”
🔹 They believed wealth and lineage were the primary criteria for leadership, a misconception that still persists today.
🔹 This shows their materialistic mindset, even in spiritual matters.
In response, the Prophet declared that:
Allah had chosen Talut due to his knowledge and strength, not wealth.
🔹 This teaches that:
Religious knowledge is superior to worship and wealth.
A leader must be learned, spiritually aware, and physically capable.
🔹 Leadership in Islam is based on merit, not money or popularity.
Talut was blessed with intelligence, bravery, and physical health, making him fit to lead.
🔹 This refutes modern systems that prioritize:
Votes, political gamesmanship, or inherited power,
Instead of virtue, knowledge, and moral strength.
🔹 The early Caliphs, like Hazrat Abu Bakr and Hazrat Umar (RA), were chosen for their deep knowledge, justice, and piety, not wealth or family ties.
246. Have you not thought about the group of the Children of Israel after (the time of) Musa When they said to a Prophet of theirs, “Appoint for us a king and we will fight in Allah’s way.” He said, “Would you then refrain from fighting, if fighting was prescribed for you” They said, “Why should we not fight in Allah’s way while we have been driven out of our homes and our children (families have been taken as captives)” But when fighting was ordered for them, they turned away, all except a few of them. And Allah is All-Aware of the wrongdoers.
Mujahid said that the Prophet (mentioned in the Ayah 2:246 above) is Shamwil (Samuel). Wahb bin Munabbih said: The Children of Israel remained on the straight path for a period of time after Moses. They then innovated in the religion and some of them even worshipped the idols. Yet, there were always Prophets sent among them who would command them to work righteous deeds, refrain from doing evil and who would rule them according to the commands of the Torah. When they (Israelites) committed the evil that they committed, Allah caused their enemies to overwhelm them, and many fatalities fell among them as a consequence. Their enemies also captured a great number of them, and took over large areas of their land. Earlier, anyone who would fight the Israelites would lose, because they had the Torah and the Tabut, which they inherited generation after generation ever since the time of Moses, who spoke to Allah directly. Yet, the Israelites kept indulging in misguidance until some king took the Tabut from them during a battle. That king also took possession of the Torah, and only a few of the Israelites who memorized it remained. The prophethood halted among their various tribes and only a pregnant woman remained of the offspring of Lavi (Levi), in whom the prophethood still appeared. Her husband had been killed, so the Israelites kept her in a house so that Allah may give her a boy, who would be their Prophet. The woman also kept invoking Allah to grant her a boy. Allah heard her pleas and gave her a boy whom she called `Shamwil’ meaning `Allah has heard my pleas.’ Some people said that the boy’s name was Sham`un (Simeon), which also has a similar meaning.
As that boy grew, Allah raised him to be a righteous person. When he reached the age of prophethood, Allah revealed to him and commanded him to call (his people) to Him and to His Tawhid (Oneness). Shamwil called the Children of Israel (to Allah) and they asked him to appoint a king over them so that they could fight their enemies under his command. The kingship had also ended among them. Their Prophet said to them, “What if Allah appoints a king over you, would you fulfill your vow to fight under his command”
(They said, “Why should we not fight in Allah’s way while we have been driven out of our homes and our children”) meaning, `After our land had been confiscated and our children had been taken from us’ Allah said:
(But when fighting was ordered for them, they turned away, all except a few of them. And Allah is All-Aware of the wrongdoers) meaning, only a few of them kept their promise, but the majority abandoned Jihad and Allah has full knowledge of them.
(2:247) And their Prophet said to them: “Indeed Allah has sent forth Saul (Talut) as your king.”[269] They said: “By what right shall he rule over us when we are more worthy than he to dominion, for he is not very wealthy?” He said: “Allah has chosen him over you and has endowed him abundantly with both intellectual and physical capacities. Allah indeed has the power to bestow dominion upon whomsoever He wills. Allah is All-Resourceful, All- Knowing.”
269. In the Bible he is called Saul. He was a thirty-year-old Benjaminite youth. ‘There was not a man among the people of Israel more handsome than he; from his shoulders upward he was taller than any of the people’ (1 Samuel 9: 2). He went out in search of the lost asses of his father. During this search, he passed through the house of Samuel and God informed Samuel that this was the person who had been chosen to govern the people of Israel. Samuel brought Saul to his house, took a vial of oil, poured it on his head,. kissed him and said: ‘Has not the Lord anointed you to be the prince over His people of Israel? (1 Samuel 10: 1). Samuel later called the people of Israel together and proclaimed Saul to be their king (1 Samuel 10: 17).
This was the second Israelite to be anointed by God’s command to a position of leadership. Earlier, Aaron had been anointed as the chief priest. The third case of anointment was that of David, and the fourth that of Jesus. There is no clear statement in the Qur’an regarding the designation of Talut (the Saul of the Bible) to prophethood. The mere fact of his being appointed a ruler does not necessarily warrant considering him a Prophet as well.
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