Transliteration:( Tilkar Rusulu faddalnaa ba'dahum 'alaa ba'd; minhum man kallamal laahu wa rafa'a ba'dahum darajaat; wa aatainaa 'Eesab na Maryamal baiyinaati wa ayyadnaahu bi Roohil Qudus; wa law shaaa'al laahu maqtatalal lazeena mimba'dihim mim ba'di maa jaaa'athumul baiyinaatu wa laakinikh talafoo faminhum man aamana wa minhum man kafar; wa law shaaa'al laahu maq tataloo wa laakinnallaaha yaf'alu maa yureed )
"Of these Messengers, We have exalted some over others [641]. Among them are those to whom Allah spoke [642], and some He raised in degrees of honor [643]. We gave Isa, son of Mariam [644], clear signs and supported him with the pure spirit (Jibril) [645]. If Allah had willed, those who came after him would not have fought [646] with each other after receiving clear proofs. But they differed; some of them believed, while others became infidels. If Allah had willed, they would not have fought [647], but Allah does what He wills."
✅ [641] Differences in Rank Among Prophets
All Prophets are equal in the legitimacy of their Prophethood—none is counterfeit.
However, in rank and status, some Prophets are superior to others.
The Holy Prophet Muhammad ﷺ holds the highest status among them.
Despite differing ranks, it is impermissible to belittle any Prophet, as they were all chosen by Allah.
✅ [642] Allah Spoke to Musa Directly
Hazrat Musa (Moses) was spoken to directly by Allah on earth without any intermediary.
The Holy Prophet Muhammad ﷺ also spoke to Allah during Mi‘raj, but that was not upon the earth.
✅ [643] Degrees of Honor Refer to the Holy Prophet ﷺ
“Some He raised in degrees” refers to the Holy Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.
His greatness surpasses all others, and no limits have been placed on his rank.
Though all Prophets share Prophethood, their status and honor differ.
✅ [644] Miraculous Birth of Isa (Jesus) Son of Mariam
The Qur'an refers to him as “Isa son of Mariam” because he was born without a father.
According to the verse “Call them by their fathers” (S33:V5), this proves his unique creation.
Besides Bibi Mariam, no other woman’s name is mentioned in the Qur'an.
✅ [645] Ruhul Quds Means Hazrat Jibrael
Hazrat Isa was consistently supported by Jibrael (‘Alayhis Salam), referred to as “the pure spirit”.
This support shows that help from Allah’s chosen servants is valid and not shirk (polytheism).
The help given by angels or pious servants is in fact a means of Allah’s help.
✅ [646] Division Among Followers After Prophets
After the Prophets’ departure, their followers began to fight despite receiving clear proofs.
This verse also hints that similar disputes would occur among the followers of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ—such as:
Hazrat Abu Bakr’s war against Zakaat rejecters.
The battles between Hazrat Ali and Hazrat Muawiyah (peace be upon both).
✅ [647] Divine Will Behind Such Disputes
“If Allah had willed, they would not have fought” implies that these events are within Divine Wisdom and Plan.
The conflicts among followers—both past and future—are decreed by Allah.
The deeper wisdom behind these disputes relates to Taqdeer (Divine Predestination).
For further insight, scholars refer to Tafseer Naeemi for an in-depth explanation.
The tafsir of Surah Baqarah verse 252 by Ibn Kathir is unavailable here.
Please refer to Surah Baqarah ayat 250 which provides the complete commentary from verse 250 through 252.
(2:253) And these Messengers (who have been designated to guide people), We have exalted some of them above the others. Among them are such as were spoken to by Allah Himself, and some He exalted in other respects. And We granted Jesus, son of Mary, Clear Signs and supported him with the spirit of holiness. Had He willed, those who had seen these Clear Signs would not have fought one another thereafter. But (it was not the will of Allah to prevent people from disagreement by compulsion, hence) they differed among themselves whereby some attained faith and others denied the Truth. Yet had Allah so willed they would not have fought one another. Allah does whatever He wills.[275]
275. The main cause of the differences which arose after people had received true knowledge through the Prophets, and which were even aggravated into feuds and wars, is not that God was helpless, and lacked the power to put an end to the fighting. Had He willed so, no one would have had the power to defy the teachings of the Prophets, to take the course of disbelief and rebellion against Him, and to spread mischief and corruption in His world. But it was not His will to deprive human beings of their free-will and choice, and to compel them to follow a particular course. He has created human beings on earth in order to test them and hence endowed them with the freedom to choose from the various alternative courses of belief and action.
God did not appoint the Prophets as policemen to force people to faith and obedience. He sent them, instead, with reasonable arguments and clear signs in order to invite people to righteousness. Hence the cause of all the differences and wranglings and fighting which took place was that people, in exercising the free-will granted to them by God, followed divergent courses. In short, people follow divergent ways precisely because of God’s omnipotent will that men should have a choice. It would be a grave misunderstanding to hold that people follow different paths because God failed to persuade people to follow the path which He wanted them to choose.
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