How God Favored the Children of Israel

By: Maged Taman

وَإِذْ قَالَ مُوسَى لِقَوْمِهِ يَا قَوْمِ اذْكُرُواْ نِعْمَةَ اللّهِ عَلَيْكُمْ إِذْ جَعَلَ فِيكُمْ أَنبِيَاء وَجَعَلَكُم مُّلُوكًا وَآتَاكُم مَّا لَمْ يُؤْتِ أَحَدًا مِّن الْعَالَمِينَ (5:20) 5:20

And Moses said "O my people! Remember the blessings which God bestowed upon you when he raised up prophets in you, and made you kings, and granted unto you [favours] such as He had not granted to anyone else in the world".

Explanation:
Moses is one of the greatest prophets of God who God loves to talk about him in the Quran and mention his name to us in many of the verses. Moses here tell us the simple story of the Children of Israel.

God favored them over the whole humanity with prophethood and kingship. Muslims scholars are still debating the meaning of the kingship here. Commonly the notion is he gave them their freedom from Egypt and a free man is a king in his feeling and perception of the people.

Other thinking is Moses prophesied to them there will be kings among them. The last notion is they given brilliant minds that had allowed them to be the top or kings in most branches of science and posts. Or more likely all of the above. As noted by some Muslim scholars that God can aim many meanings to some of his words.

There is no contradiction in the meanings it is all aim to one and the same their superiority. God mention here that no one had that like them which is having most of his prophets among them even Jesus (PBUH), real kings and their prevalence in most branches of knowledge despite their few numbers compared to other nations.

However, this does not come without price and the price here which is eluded first by Moses (PBUH) is to remember the blessings of God and not mentioned here but is understood and is mentioned in many of the verses of the Quran is to obey him. The Quran is his book they have to read it and consider it. Christians and Muslims came after the Jews and they are favored by God if they to follow his path as well.

One of the linguistic miracles in this verse is God mention (through Moses) that in you prophets this is the preposition in Arabic used Fi or in. This is more brilliant than using with you, among you above you and so forth. They are inside them as the conscience of God and being people like them. For kings God mention them all as kings since the freedom, knowledge and excellence are attained by many and any of them. You find the Jew is the most of humans who church the freedom of his soul.

There is no antisemitism in the Quran, it is the simple role of God you follow what is determined by him to be lawful and just. That is applied to Muslims, Christians, Jews and all humanity.