Transliteration:( Am yahsudoonan naasa 'alaa maaa aataahumul laahu min fadlihee faqad aatainaaa Aala Ibraaheemal Kitaaba wal Hikmata wa aatainaahum mulkan 'azeemaa )
“Or do they envy [189] the people for what Allah has given them out of His Bounty [190]? But We have already given the family of Ibrahim the Book and wisdom [191] and conferred upon them a great kingdom [192].”
This verse refers to the envy of the Jews toward the Holy Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and his companions, begrudging the honor, leadership, and divine grace bestowed upon them by Allah.
Rather than accepting the truth, they were consumed with jealousy, unable to bear that the final messenger had emerged from the Arabs, not from among the Children of Israel.
This verse teaches that piety, faith, and prophethood are purely from the Bounties of Allah.
No one has the right to claim or boast about them by lineage or personal merit. These are gifts from Allah, given to whom He wills.
From this emerge several important points:
Prophethood and religious knowledge are among the greatest blessings of Allah, as He mentioned them in reference to Hazrat Ibrahim (Alaihis Salaam) and his family.
Prophethood after Ibrahim was restricted to his descendants. No one outside his lineage was ever made a prophet. Thus, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad Qadiani cannot be a prophet, because he is not from the progeny of the Holy Prophet ﷺ (not a Sayyid).
Being from a noble and pious lineage is itself a divine favor. For example, Khilafat after the Prophet ﷺ was confined to the Quraish, as the Prophet ﷺ said:
“Khilafat will only be from the Quraish.”
According to Sawāiq al-Muharriqah, the highest spiritual personalities will arise from the Sayyids—the progeny of the Prophet ﷺ, including Imam Mahdi (Alaihis Salaam).
The “great kingdom” refers to worldly rule granted to prophets like:
Hazrat Yusuf (Alaihis Salaam)
Hazrat Dawood (Alaihis Salaam)
—both of whom were given prophethood and kingship.
If Allah Almighty grants His beloved Prophet Muhammad ﷺ both prophethood and influence, why should this cause grief to the disbelievers?
Their hatred only reveals their pride, while Allah’s decision reflects His perfect wisdom and justice.
The tafsir of Surah Nisa verse 54 by Ibn Kathir is unavailable here.
Please refer to Surah Nisa ayat 53 which provides the complete commentary from verse 53 through 55.
(4:54) Do they envy others for the bounty that Allah has bestowed upon them?[85] (Let them bear in mind that) We bestowed upon the house of Abraham the Book and Wis-dom, and We bestowed upon them a mighty dominion,[86]
85. By implication, this query accurately portrays the state of mind of the Jews. They saw the Muslims being endowed with the grace and reward of God which they, notwithstanding their own unworthiness had expected to fall to their share. By virtue of the advent of a great Prophet among the ummis of Arabia, a spiritual, moral and intellectual revolution had taken place which totally changed their practical life and ultimately led them to greatness and glory. It is this which aroused their spite and envy, and which was reflected in their unjustifiable remarks about the Muslims.
86. This ‘mighty dominion’ refers to the position of world leadership and authority which a people attain by virtue of receiving the knowledge in the Book of God and acting according to its dictates.
[193]- Prophetic teachings.
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