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Ayah
Word by Word
تِلۡكَ
These
ٱلرُّسُلُ
(are) the Messengers
فَضَّلۡنَا
We (have) preferred
بَعۡضَهُمۡ
some of them
عَلَىٰ
over
بَعۡضٖۘ
others
مِّنۡهُم
Among them
مَّن
(were those with) whom
كَلَّمَ
spoke
ٱللَّهُۖ
Allah
وَرَفَعَ
and He raised
بَعۡضَهُمۡ
some of them
دَرَجَٰتٖۚ
(in) degrees
وَءَاتَيۡنَا
And We gave
عِيسَى
Isa
ٱبۡنَ
son
مَرۡيَمَ
(of) Maryam
ٱلۡبَيِّنَٰتِ
the clear proofs
وَأَيَّدۡنَٰهُ
and We supported him
بِرُوحِ
with Spirit
ٱلۡقُدُسِۗ
[the] Holy
وَلَوۡ
And if
شَآءَ
(had) willed
ٱللَّهُ
Allah
مَا
not
ٱقۡتَتَلَ
(would have) fought each other
ٱلَّذِينَ
those who
مِنۢ
(came) from
بَعۡدِهِم
after them
مِّنۢ
from
بَعۡدِ
after
مَا
[what]
جَآءَتۡهُمُ
came to them
ٱلۡبَيِّنَٰتُ
the clear proofs
وَلَٰكِنِ
[And] but
ٱخۡتَلَفُواْ
they differed
فَمِنۡهُم
[so] of them
مَّنۡ
(are some) who
ءَامَنَ
believed
وَمِنۡهُم
and of them
مَّن
(are some) who
كَفَرَۚ
denied
وَلَوۡ
And if
شَآءَ
(had) willed
ٱللَّهُ
Allah
مَا
not
ٱقۡتَتَلُواْ
they (would have) fought each other
وَلَٰكِنَّ
[and] but
ٱللَّهَ
Allah
يَفۡعَلُ
does
مَا
what
يُرِيدُ
He intends
تِلۡكَ
These
ٱلرُّسُلُ
(are) the Messengers
فَضَّلۡنَا
We (have) preferred
بَعۡضَهُمۡ
some of them
عَلَىٰ
over
بَعۡضٖۘ
others
مِّنۡهُم
Among them
مَّن
(were those with) whom
كَلَّمَ
spoke
ٱللَّهُۖ
Allah
وَرَفَعَ
and He raised
بَعۡضَهُمۡ
some of them
دَرَجَٰتٖۚ
(in) degrees
وَءَاتَيۡنَا
And We gave
عِيسَى
Isa
ٱبۡنَ
son
مَرۡيَمَ
(of) Maryam
ٱلۡبَيِّنَٰتِ
the clear proofs
وَأَيَّدۡنَٰهُ
and We supported him
بِرُوحِ
with Spirit
ٱلۡقُدُسِۗ
[the] Holy
وَلَوۡ
And if
شَآءَ
(had) willed
ٱللَّهُ
Allah
مَا
not
ٱقۡتَتَلَ
(would have) fought each other
ٱلَّذِينَ
those who
مِنۢ
(came) from
بَعۡدِهِم
after them
مِّنۢ
from
بَعۡدِ
after
مَا
[what]
جَآءَتۡهُمُ
came to them
ٱلۡبَيِّنَٰتُ
the clear proofs
وَلَٰكِنِ
[And] but
ٱخۡتَلَفُواْ
they differed
فَمِنۡهُم
[so] of them
مَّنۡ
(are some) who
ءَامَنَ
believed
وَمِنۡهُم
and of them
مَّن
(are some) who
كَفَرَۚ
denied
وَلَوۡ
And if
شَآءَ
(had) willed
ٱللَّهُ
Allah
مَا
not
ٱقۡتَتَلُواْ
they (would have) fought each other
وَلَٰكِنَّ
[and] but
ٱللَّهَ
Allah
يَفۡعَلُ
does
مَا
what
يُرِيدُ
He intends
Translation
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.
Tafsir
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 may peace and salutation be upon him, 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-Maseeh), 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.
"Allah Honored Some Prophets Above Others
Allah says;
تِلۡكَ الرُّسُلُ فَضَّلۡنَا بَعۡضَهُمۡ عَلَى بَعۡضٍ
Those Messengers! We preferred some of them to others;
Allah states that He has honored some Prophets to others. For instance, Allah said,
وَلَقَدۡ فَضَّلۡنَا بَعۡضَ النَّبِيِّينَ عَلَى بَعۡضٍ وَءَاتَيۡنَا 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,
تِلۡكَ الرُّسُلُ فَضَّلۡنَا بَعۡضَهُمۡ عَلَى بَعۡضٍ مِّنۡهُم 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 بَعۡضَهُمۡ دَرَجَاتٍ
Others He raised to degrees (of honor),
as is evident in the Hadith about the Isra' journey, when the Messenger of Allah ﷺ 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 الاۡاَنۡبِيَاءِ فَإِنَّ النَّاسَ يَصۡعَقُونَ يَوۡمَ الۡقِيَامَةِ فَأَكُونُ أَوَّلَ مَنۡ يُفِيقُ فَأَجِدُ مُوسَى بَاطِشًا بِقَايِمَةِ الۡعَرۡشِ فَلَا أَدۡرِي أَفَاقَ قَبۡلِي أَمۡ جُوزِيَ بِصَعۡقَةِ الطُّورِ فَلَا تُفَضِّلُونِي عَلَى الاۡاَنۡبِيَاء
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,
وَاتَيۡنَا عِيسَى ابۡنَ مَرۡيَمَ الۡبَيِّنَاتِ
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.
وَأَيَّدۡنَاهُ بِرُوحِ الۡقُدُسِ
And supported him with Ruh-il-Qudus,
meaning Allah aided `Isa with Jibril, peace be upon him.
Allah then said,
وَلَوۡ شَاء اللّهُ مَا اقۡتَتَلَ الَّذِينَ مِن بَعۡدِهِم مِّن بَعۡدِ مَا جَاءتۡهُمُ الۡبَيِّنَاتُ وَلَـكِنِ اخۡتَلَفُواۡ فَمِنۡهُم مَّنۡ امَنَ وَمِنۡهُم مَّن كَفَرَ وَلَوۡ شَاء اللّهُ مَا اقۡتَتَلُواۡ
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 يَفۡعَلُ مَا يُرِيدُ
But Allah does what He wills
Allah Says;
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ امَنُواۡ أَنفِقُواۡ مِمَّا رَزَقۡنَاكُم
O you who believe! Spend of that with which We have provided for you,
Allah commands His servants to spend for His sake, in the path of righteousness, from what He has granted them, so that they acquire and keep the reward of this righteous deed with their Lord and King. Let them rush to perform this deed in this life,
مِّن قَبۡلِ أَن يَأۡتِيَ يَوۡمٌ
before a Day comes,
meaning, the Day of Resurrection,
لااَّ بَيۡعٌ فِيهِ وَلَا خُلَّةٌ وَلَا شَفَاعَةٌ
when there will be no bargaining, nor friendship, nor intercession.
This Ayah indicates that on that Day, no one will be able to bargain on behalf of himself or ransom himself with any amount, even if it was the earth's fill of gold; nor will his friendship or relation to anyone benefit him.
Similarly, Allah said,
فَإِذَا نُفِخَ فِى الصُّورِ فَلَ أَنسَـبَ بَيۡنَهُمۡ يَوۡمَيِذٍ وَلَا يَتَسَأءَلُونَ
Then, when the Trumpet is blown, there will be no kinship among them that Day, nor will they ask of one another. (23:101)
وَلَا شَفَاعَةٌ
Nor intercession,
meaning, they will not benefit by the intercession of anyone.
Allah's statement,
وَالۡكَافِرُونَ هُمُ الظَّالِمُونَ
and it is the disbelievers who are the wrongdoers.
indicates that no injustice is worse than meeting Allah on that Day while a disbeliever.
Ibn Abi Hatim recorded that Ata bin Dinar said,
""All thanks are due to Allah Who said,
وَالۡكَافِرُونَ هُمُ الظَّالِمُونَ
(and it is the disbelievers who are the wrongdoers), but did not say, `And it is the wrongdoers who are the disbelievers."""
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