(246–248) “Have you not considered the chiefs of the Children of Israel after Moses, when they said to one of their prophets, ‘Appoint a king for us, and we will fight in the cause of Allah.’ He said, ‘Might it be that, if fighting were prescribed for you, you would not fight?’ They said, ‘Why should we not fight in the cause of Allah when we have been driven from our homes and separated from our children?’ Yet when fighting was prescribed for them, they turned away—all but a few of them. And Allah knows the wrongdoers.
“Their prophet told them, ‘Allah has appointed Saul as king over you.’ They said, ‘How can he be king over us when we are more entitled to kingship than he is, and he has not been given abundant wealth?’ He said, ‘Allah has chosen him over you and abundantly endowed him with knowledge and stature. Allah grants His kingship to whomever He wills. Allah is All-Bountiful, All-Knowing.’
“Their prophet also told them, ‘The sign of his kingship is that the Ark will come to you, containing tranquility from your Lord and relics left behind by the families of Moses and Aaron, carried by the angels. There is surely a sign in that for you, if you are believers.’”
Allah Most High recounts to His Prophet the story of the chiefs of the Children of Israel—that is, their nobles and leaders. He singles out the chiefs because they are ordinarily the ones who consider their people’s interests and reach a common decision, whereupon the rest follow what they deem best. They came to one of their prophets after Moses, peace be upon him, and said, “Appoint a king for us”—that is, designate a king for us—“and we will fight in the cause of Allah,” so that our divided ranks may be united and he may lead us in resisting our enemy. It may be that at the time they had no leader to unite them. This commonly occurs among tribes composed of different houses: no house is willing to accept a leader from another. They therefore asked their prophet to appoint a king who would satisfy both sides and whose appointment would be uniquely suited to their customary ways. The prophets used to govern the Children of Israel; whenever one prophet died, another succeeded him.
When they made this request, their prophet “said” to them, “Might it be that, if fighting were prescribed for you, you would not fight?” In other words: perhaps you are requesting something that you will fail to carry out once it is prescribed for you. He thus offered them the safer course, but they refused it and relied upon their resolve and intention. They said, “Why should we not fight in the cause of Allah when we have been driven from our homes and separated from our children?” That is: What could prevent us from fighting when we have been compelled to do so, having been expelled from our homelands and our offspring taken captive? This alone would give us cause to fight even if it had not been prescribed for us—so how much more when it has been made obligatory after all that has befallen us?
Because their intentions were not sound and their trust in their Lord was not strong, “when fighting was prescribed for them, they turned away.” They became too cowardly to fight their enemies, lacked the resolve to confront them, and abandoned what they had intended. Weakness and cowardice overcame most of them, “all but a few of them.” Allah protected these few, made them steadfast, strengthened their hearts, and enabled them to adhere to His command and steel themselves to confront His enemies. They thereby attained the honor of this world and the Hereafter. Most of them, however, wronged themselves and abandoned Allah’s command. Hence He said, “And Allah knows the wrongdoers.”
“Their prophet told them,” in answer to their request, “Allah has appointed Saul as king over you.” This was an appointment from Allah, so they were obliged to accept it, submit to it, and refrain from objection. Yet they would do nothing but object, saying, “How can he be king over us when we are more entitled to kingship than he is, and he has not been given abundant wealth?” That is: How can he be king when he is beneath us in standing and lineage and we are more entitled to kingship than he is? Moreover, he was ⦗108⦘ poor and did not possess the wealth needed to sustain a kingdom.
This objection was based on their false assumption that kingship and other positions of authority necessarily require noble lineage and abundant wealth. They did not realize that the true qualities warranting precedence take priority over these things. Their prophet therefore told them, “Allah has chosen him over you,” so you must submit to His choice, “and abundantly endowed him with knowledge and stature.” That is, He favored him over you in knowledge and physique—namely, in sound judgment and bodily strength, the two qualities by which the affairs of a kingdom are properly conducted. When a person possesses sound judgment and the strength to implement what correct judgment requires, the necessary perfection is attained. If either quality is lacking, his affairs will be impaired. If he is physically strong but weak in judgment, his rule will be marked by recklessness, oppression, and violations of what is prescribed—strength without wisdom. Conversely, if he understands affairs but lacks the power to carry out his decisions, judgment that he cannot implement will be of no benefit to him.
“Allah is All-Bountiful” in favor and abundant in generosity. He does not reserve His mercy and universal kindness for one person rather than another, or for the noble rather than the lowly. Yet He is also “All-Knowing” of who deserves favor, and He bestows it where it belongs. Through these words, their prophet removed every doubt, uncertainty, and misconception from their hearts by explaining that Saul possessed all the qualifications for kingship and that Allah grants His favor to whomever He wills among His servants. No one can repel His favor or obstruct His beneficence.
Their prophet then mentioned another tangible sign that they would witness: the return of the Ark, which they had lost long before. Within that Ark was tranquility by which their hearts would be calmed and their minds set at ease. It also contained relics left behind by the families of Moses and Aaron. The angels brought it to them, carrying it as they watched with their own eyes.