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 )
616. Talut was from the family of Binyamin, son of Hazrat Yaqubbecause he was physically a giant, he was referred to as Talut. Hazrat Shumail had received a revelation in which he was informed that anyone who is physically as tall as your walking stick shall become the king. Talut fitted the description and thus became king, Hazrat Shumail himself did not become a king, in those days kingdom and Prophethood never assimilated.
617. Their first disobedience took place when they used their own conjecture and quibbling in opposition to Divine Command, although conjecture against Divine Command is the work of the devil.
618. They are poor, while running the affairs ofthe kingdom requires a great deal of wealth, hence they were not suitable for kingdom.
619. From this verse we learn that knowledge is superior to worship the worshipper has the seclusion of the mosque, the learned has the throne of Khilafat. Furthermore, we also know that knowledge is superior to wealth as Divine leadership is achieved through knowledge, not wealth. Also that the king should be learned and healthy, to conduct the affairs of his kingdom efficiently. The present political system which is based on abundance of wealth and majority of votes, is not a healthy one.
620. From this verse we learn that government should not be based on family lineage or wealth, but rather on intelligence, bravery and courage. By knowledge is meant knowledge ofreligious politics. To think that only politician should become a Caliph is a total misnomer, because Hazrat Abu Bakr (on whom be peace) the first Caliph, was the most learned among the Companions of the Holy Prophet so much so, that the Holy
Prophet had appointed him to lead the congregation for Salaah just before his demise from the world. Hazrat Umar's (on whom be peace) politics, of course is well known up to today.
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 commandâ€
(They said, “Why should we not fight in Allah’s way while we have been driven out of our homes and our childrenâ€) 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.
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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