An-Naml:15 - Wording

Question

The Prophets specifically praised Allah for 'knowledge' rather than their 'kingdom' (mulk). What does this lexical focus reveal about the rank of the people of knowledge in the sight of Allah?

Maani AI

This beautiful verse begins with Allah's declaration, "وَلَقَدْ ءَاتَيْنَا دَاوُۥدَ وَسُلَيْمَٰنَ عِلْمًۭا" (We gave knowledge to David and Solomon). Then, it immediately quotes their grateful response: "وَقَالَا ٱلْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ ٱلَّذِى فَضَّلَنَا عَلَىٰ كَثِيرٍۢ مِّنْ عِبَادِهِ ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ" (And they both said, ‘Praise be to God, who has favoured us over many of His believing servants.’).

The scholarly commentaries highlight that Dawud and Sulayman were given immense kingdom and authority, yet their praise specifically mentions 'knowledge' (عِلْمًا) as the basis of Allah's favor upon them.

Al-Razi points out that "they were given from kingship what no one else was given, yet their gratitude was not for kingship as much as it was for knowledge." This lexical focus reveals that, in the sight of Allah, the rank of knowledge is extremely high, perhaps even surpassing worldly dominion. The very act of these mighty kings attributing theirفضل (favor) to علم `ilm` (knowledge) underscores its superior value. It suggests that while kingdom and power are transient and can be given to anyone, true lasting distinction and a cause for profound gratitude is the gift of knowledge, especially knowledge of Allah and His attributes.

Source: al-Razi (Mafatih al-Ghayb)

The tafsir also discusses the subtle implication of the conjunction و `wa` (and) rather than ف `fa` (then) connecting the giving of knowledge to their praise. Would you like to explore that?