Al-Qur'an Surah Al-Baqarah Verse 253

Mufti Taqi Usmani

Those are the messengers some of whom We have given excellence over some others. Among them there are ones to whom Allah spoke (directly) and He raised some of them steps higher (in other respects), and We gave clear signs to ‘Īsā (Jesus), the son of Maryam (Mary) and supported him with the Holy Spirit. If Allah so willed, those succeeding him would have not fought against each other after clear signs had come to them.But they disagreed among themselves. So, there were some who believed and there were some who disbelieved, and if Allah so willed, they would have not fought against each other. But Allah does what He intends

Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran

We have chosen some of those messengers above others.[[ Those messengers mentioned earlier in this sûrah (see verse 136). ]] Allah spoke directly to some, and raised some high in rank. To Jesus, son of Mary, We gave clear proofs and supported him with the holy spirit.[[ i.e., Gabriel. ]] If Allah had willed, succeeding generations would not have fought ˹among themselves˺ after receiving the clear proofs. But they differed—some believed while others disbelieved. Yet if Allah had willed, they would not have fought one another. But Allah does what He wills.

Ruwwad Translation Center

Those messengers: We favored some over others. There are some to whom Allah spoke, and some He raised high in rank. To Jesus, son of Mary, We gave clear signs and supported him with the Holy Spirit. If Allah had willed, those who came after them would not have fought one another after receiving clear signs. But they differed – some believed and some disbelieved. If Allah had willed, they would not have fought one another, but Allah does what He wills.

A. J. Arberry

And those Messengers, some We have preferred above others; some there are to whom God spoke, and some He raised in rank. And We gave Jesus son of Mary the clear signs, and confirmed him with the Holy Spirit. And had God willed, those who came after him would not have fought one against the other after the clear signs had come to them; but they fell into variance, and some of them believed, and some disbelieved; and had God willed they would not have fought one against the other; but God does whatsoever He desires.

Abdul Haleem

We favoured some of these messengers above others. God spoke to some; others He raised in rank; We gave Jesus, son of Mary, Our clear signs and strengthened him with the holy spirit. If God had so willed, their successors would not have fought each other after they had been brought clear signs. But they disagreed: some believed and some disbelieved. If God had so willed, they would not have fought each other, but God does what He will.

Abdul Majid Daryabadi

These apostles: We have preferred some of them above some others: of them are some unto whom Allah spake, and some He raised many degrees. And We vouchsafed unto Isa, son of Maryam, the evidences, and We aided him with the holy spirit; and had Allah so willed those who came after them had not fought among themselves after the evidences had come unto them but they differed; then of them some believed and of them some disbelieved. And had Allah so willed, they had not fought among themselves, but Allah doth whatsoever He intendeth.

Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Those messengers We endowed with gifts, some above others; To one of them Allah spoke; others He raised to degrees (of honour); to Jesus the son of Mary We gave clear (Signs), and strengthened him with the holy spirit. If Allah had so willed, succeeding generations would not have fought among each other, after clear (Signs) had come to them, but they (chose) to wrangle, some believing and others rejecting. If Allah had so willed, they would not have fought each other; but Allah Fulfilleth His plan.

Abul Ala Maududi

Of these Messengers (whom We sent for the guidance of mankind), We raised some above the others in rank. Among them was one with whom Allah Himself had direct talks. There were others whom He raised high in rank in other ways. Likewise We gave clear signs to Jesus, son of Mary, and supported him with the Holy Spirit. Had Allah so willed the people who had seen clear signs would not have fought against one another after the Prophets. But (it was not Allah's will to prevent people forcibly from differences: so) they disagreed; then some of them accepted the Truth and others rejected it. If Allah had so willed they would have never fought against one another, but Allah does whatever He pleases (to fulfil His designs.

Ahmed Ali

Of all these apostles We have favoured some over the others. God has addressed some of them, and the stations of some have been exalted over the others. And to Jesus, son of Mary, We gave tokens, and reinforced him with divine grace. If God had so willed those who came after them would never have contended when clear signs had come to them. But dissensions arose, some believed, some denied. And if God had willed they would never have fought among themselves. But God does whatsoever He please.

Ahmed Raza Khan

These are the Noble Messengers, to whom We gave excellence over each other; of them are some with whom Allah spoke, and some whom He exalted high above all others; and We gave Eisa (Jesus), the son of Maryam, clear signs and We aided him with the Holy Spirit; and if Allah willed, those after them would not have fought each other after the clear evidences had come to them, but they differed – some remained on faith and some turned disbelievers; and had Allah willed, they would not have fought each other; but Allah may do as He wills.

Ali Quli Qarai

These are the apostles, some of whom We gave an advantage over others: of them are those to whom Allah spoke and some of them He raised in rank, and We gave Jesus, son of Mary, manifest proofs and strengthened him with the Holy Spirit. Had Allah wished, those who succeeded them would not have fought one another after the manifest proofs had come to them. But they differed. So there were among them those who had faith and there were among them those who were faithless, and had Allah wished, they would not have fought one another; but Allah does whatever He desires.

Ali Ünal

Of those Messengers, some We have exalted above others (in some respects). Among them are those to whom God spoke, and He raised some others in degrees. We granted Jesus son of Mary the clear proofs (of his Messengership), and confirmed him with the Spirit of Holiness. Had God willed (to deny humankind free will and compelled them to act in a pre-determined way), those who came after them would not have fought one against the other after the most manifest truths had come to them; but they differed among themselves, some of them believing and some disbelieving. Yet had God so willed, they would not have fought one against the other, but God does whatever He wills.

Amatul Rahman Omar

We have made these Messengers excel one another. There are those of them to whom Allâh has spoken much, and some of them He has exalted by many degrees of rank. And We gave Jesus, son of Mary, clear arguments, and We supported him with the blessed word (of God). Had Allâh (so) willed, people (who came) after them (- the Messengers) would not have fought one another (particularly) after clear arguments had come to them, but (as it was) they differed one from another; so that some of them believed while others disbelieved. Had Allâh (so) willed they would not have fought one another. Yet Allâh does whatever He intends.

English Literal

Those are the messengers, We preferred/favoured/blessed some/part of them over some/part, from them who spoke/conversed/talked (with) God, and He rose some/part of them steps/stages/degrees. And We gave Jesus ,Mary`s son, the evidences, and We supported him with the Holy/Sanctimonious Soul/Spirit , and if God wanted/willed, those from after them would not (have) fought/killed each other from after the evidences came to them, and but they differed/disagreed/disputed, so from them who believed, and from them who disbelieved, and if God willed/wanted, they would not (have) fought/killed each other, and but God does/makes what Hewants/wills/intends.

Faridul Haque

These are the Noble Messengers, to whom We gave excellence over each other; of them are some with whom Allah spoke, and some whom He exalted high above all others; and We gave Eisa (Jesus), the son of Maryam, clear signs and We aided him with the Holy Spirit; and if Allah willed, those after them would not have fought each other after the clear evidences had come to them, but they differed - some remained on faith and some turned disbelievers; and had Allah willed, they would not have fought each other; but Allah may do as He wills.

Hamid S. Aziz

Of these Messengers, We preferred some above others. Of them are some to whom Allah spoke; and We have exalted some of them by degrees; and We gave Jesus, the son of Mary, manifest signs, and strengthened him with the Holy Spirit. And, if Allah had willed, those who came after them would not have fought one another, after the clear proof had come to them. But they disagreed, some believing and others disbelieving. And, if Allah had willed, they would not have fought one another; but Allah does what He will.

Hilali & Khan

Those Messengers! We preferred some to others; to some of them Allah spoke (directly); others He raised to degrees (of honour); and to 'Iesa (Jesus), the son of Maryam (Mary), We gave clear proofs and evidences, and supported him with Ruh-ul-Qudus [Jibrael (Gabriel)]. If Allah had willed, succeeding generations would not have fought against each other, after clear Verses of Allah had come to them, but they differed - some of them believed and others disbelieved. If Allah had willed, they would not have fought against one another, but Allah does what He likes.

Maulana Mohammad Ali

We have made some of these messengers to excel others. Among them are they to whom Allah spoke, and some of them He exalted by (many) degrees of rank. And we gave clear arguments to Jesus son of Mary, and strengthened him with the Holy Spirit. And if Allah had pleased, those after them would not have fought one with another after clear arguments had come to them, but they disagreed; so some of them believed and some of them denied. And if Allah had pleased they would not have fought one with another, but Allah does what He intends.

Mohammad Habib Shakir

We have made some of these apostles to excel the others among them are they to whom Allah spoke, and some of them He exalted by (many degrees of) rank; and We gave clear miracles to Isa son of Marium, and strengthened him with the holy spirit. And if Allah had pleased, those after them would not have fought one with another after clear arguments had come to them, but they disagreed; so there were some of them who believed and others who denied; and if Allah had pleased they would not have fought one with another, but Allah brings about what He intends.

Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall

Of those messengers, some of whom We have caused to excel others, and of whom there are some unto whom Allah spake, while some of them He exalted (above others) in degree; and We gave Jesus, son of Mary, clear proofs (of Allah's Sovereignty) and We supported him with the holy Spirit. And if Allah had so wiled it, those who followed after them would not have fought one with another after the clear proofs had come unto them. But they differed, some of them believing and some disbelieving. And if Allah had so willed it, they would not have fought one with another; but Allah doeth what He will.

Muhammad Sarwar

We gave some of Our Messengers preference over others. To some of them God spoke and He raised the rank of some others. We gave authoritative proofs to Jesus, son of Mary, and supported him by the Holy Spirit. Had God wanted, the generations who lived after those Messengers would not have fought each other after the authority had come to them. But they differed among themselves, some of them believed in the authority and others denied it. They would not have fought each other had God wanted, but God does as He wills.

Qaribullah & Darwish

Of these Messengers, We have preferred some above others. To some Allah spoke; and some He raised in rank. We gave (Prophet) Jesus, the son of Mary, clear signs and strengthened him with the Spirit of Purity (Gabriel). Had Allah willed, those who succeeded them would not have fought against one another after the clear verses came to them. But they differed among themselves; some believed, and others disbelieved. Yet had Allah willed, they would not have fought against one another. Allah does whatever He will.

Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri

Those Messengers! We preferred some of them to others; to some of them Allah spoke (directly); others He raised to degrees (of honor); and to `Isa, the son of Maryam, We gave clear proofs and evidences, and supported him with Ruh-il-Qudus [Jibril]. If Allah had willed, succeeding generations would not have fought against each other, after clear Verses of Allah had come to them, but they differed ـ some of them believed and others disbelieved. If Allah had willed, they would not have fought against one another, but Allah does what He wills.

Wahiduddin Khan

Of these messengers, We have given something additional among them. There are some to whom God spoke directly and others He exalted in rank. We gave Jesus, son of Mary clear signs, and strengthened him with the holy spirit. Had God pleased, those who succeeded them would not have fought against one another after the clear signs had come to them. But they disagreed among themselves; some believed, while others did not. Yet had God willed, they would not have fought against one another; but God does whatever He wills.

Talal Itani

These messengers: We gave some advantage over others. To some of them God spoke directly, and some He raised in rank. We gave Jesus son of Mary the clear miracles, and We strengthened him with the Holy Spirit. Had God willed, those who succeeded them would not have fought one another, after the clear signs had come to them; but they disputed; some of them believed, and some of them disbelieved. Had God willed, they would not have fought one another; but God does whatever He desires.

Tafsir jalalayn

Those (tilka is the subject) messengers (al-rusul is either an adjective or the predicate) some We have preferred above others, by assigning a particular trait to one not found in the other; some there are to whom God spoke, such as Moses, and some He raised in rank, namely, Muhammad (s), on account of his call being to all peoples, his being the Seal of the Prophets, on account of the superiority of his community to all others, the sundry miracles and the many special qualities. And We gave Jesus son of Mary the clear proofs, and confirmed him, strengthened him, with the Holy Spirit, namely, Gabriel who would accompany him wherever he went. And had God willed, that all people be guided, those who came after them, after the messengers, that is, their communities, would not have fought against one another after the clear proofs had come to them, because of their disagreement and their leading one another astray; but they fell into variance, as He willed, and some of them believed, and adhered firmly to his faith, and some disbelieved, as the Christians did after Jesus (al-Mash), and had God willed they would not have fought against one another (repeated here for emphasis), but God does whatever He desires, giving success to whomever He will and disappointment to whomever He will.

Tafseer Ibn Kathir

Allah Honored Some Prophets Above Others

Allah says;

تِلْكَ الرُّسُلُ فَضَّلْنَا بَعْضَهُمْ عَلَى بَعْضٍ

Those Messengers! We preferred some of them to others;

Allah states that He has honored some Prophets to others. For instance, Allah said,

وَلَقَدْ فَضَّلْنَا بَعْضَ النَّبِيِّينَ عَلَى بَعْضٍ وَءَاتَيْنَا دَاوُودَ زَبُورًا

And indeed, We have preferred some of the Prophets above others, and to Dawud We gave the Zabur (Psalms). (17;55)

In the Ayah, Allah said,

تِلْكَ الرُّسُلُ فَضَّلْنَا بَعْضَهُمْ عَلَى بَعْضٍ مِّنْهُم مَّن كَلَّمَ اللّهُ

Those Messengers! We preferred some of them to others; to some of them Allah spoke (directly),

meaning, Musa and Muhammad, and also Adam according to a Hadith recorded in Sahih Ibn Hibban from Abu Dharr.

وَرَفَعَ بَعْضَهُمْ دَرَجَاتٍ

Others He raised to degrees (of honor),

as is evident in the Hadith about the Isra' journey, when the Messenger of Allah saw the Prophets in the various heavens according to their rank with Allah.

If somebody asks about the collective meaning of this Ayah and the Hadith that the Two Sahihs collected from Abu Hurayrah which states,

"Once, a Muslim man and a Jew had an argument and the Jew said, `No, by Him Who gave Musa superiority over all human beings!'

Hearing him, the Muslim man raised his hand and slapped the Jew on his face and said, `Over Muhammad too, O evil one!'

The Jew went to the Prophet and complained to him and the Prophet said,

لَاا تُفَضِّلُونِي عَلَى الاْاَنْبِيَاءِ فَإِنَّ النَّاسَ يَصْعَقُونَ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ فَأَكُونُ أَوَّلَ مَنْ يُفِيقُ فَأَجِدُ مُوسَى بَاطِشًا بِقَايِمَةِ الْعَرْشِ فَلَا أَدْرِي أَفَاقَ قَبْلِي أَمْ جُوزِيَ بِصَعْقَةِ الطُّورِ فَلَا تُفَضِّلُونِي عَلَى الاْاَنْبِيَاء

Don't give me superiority above the Prophets, for the people will become unconscious on the Day of Resurrection, and I will be the first to be resurrected to see Musa holding on to the pillar of Allah's Throne. I will not know whether the unconsciousness Musa suffered on the Day of the Trumpet sufficed for him, or if he got up before me. So, do not give me superiority above the Prophets.

In another narration, the Prophet said,

Do not give superiority to some Prophets above others.

The answer to this question is that this Hadith prohibits preferring some Prophets above others in cases of dispute and argument, such as the incident mentioned in the Hadith. The Hadith indicates that it is not up to creation to decide which Prophet is better, for this is Allah's decision. The creation is only required to submit to, obey and believe in Allah's decision.

Allah's statement,

وَاتَيْنَا عِيسَى ابْنَ مَرْيَمَ الْبَيِّنَاتِ

And We gave `Isa, the son of Maryam, clear signs,

refers to the proofs and unequivocal evidences that testify to the truth that `Isa delivered to the Children of Israel, thus testifying that he was Allah's servant and His Messenger to them.

وَأَيَّدْنَاهُ بِرُوحِ الْقُدُسِ

And supported him with Ruh-il-Qudus,

meaning Allah aided `Isa with Jibril, peace be upon him.

Allah then said,

وَلَوْ شَاء اللّهُ مَا اقْتَتَلَ الَّذِينَ مِن بَعْدِهِم مِّن بَعْدِ مَا جَاءتْهُمُ الْبَيِّنَاتُ وَلَـكِنِ اخْتَلَفُواْ فَمِنْهُم مَّنْ امَنَ وَمِنْهُم مَّن كَفَرَ وَلَوْ شَاء اللّهُ مَا اقْتَتَلُواْ

If Allah had willed, succeeding generations would not have fought against each other, after clear Verses of Allah had come to them, but they differed ـ some of them believed and others disbelieved. If Allah had willed, they would not have fought against one another.

meaning all this happened by Allah's decree, and this is why He said next,

وَلَـكِنَّ اللّهَ يَفْعَلُ مَا يُرِيدُ



But Allah does what He wills