"And their Prophet said to them"
(And their Prophet said to them) This is a commencement of detail following a summary. That is, he spoke after he had been inspired with what he was inspired with: (Indeed, Allah has sent to you Saul [Talut] as a king) to manage your affairs, and you are to defer to his judgment in fighting.
Regarding "Talut," there are two opinions. The most manifest is that it is a non-Arabic proper noun of Hebrew origin, which is why it is diptote (non-declinable). It is also said that it is Arabic, derived from al-tūl (height/length), originating from tūlūt, rahbūt, and rahmūt; the waw was changed to an alif because it was mobile and preceded by a fatha. In this case, it is forbidden from being declined due to its status as a proper noun and its resemblance to foreign words, as it does not follow the morphological structures of the Arabs. As for the claim that it is derived from tawīl (long), or the claim that it is Hebrew agreeing with Arabic, that is forced.
(As a king) is a circumstantial qualifier (hal) for Talut. Ibn Abi Hatim recorded from al-Suddi that when their prophet prayed to his Lord to appoint a king for them, he was brought a staff to measure those who were to rule over them, and no one reached its measurement except Talut. Ibn Ishaq and Ibn Jarir recorded from Wahb ibn Munabbih that when he prayed to Allah the Exalted, He said to him: "Look for the horn containing oil in your house; when a man enters upon you whose oil overflows, he is the king of the Children of Israel, so anoint his head with it and appoint him as their king." He waited to see when such a man would enter. Talut was a tanner who worked with hides; it is also said he was a water-carrier. He was from the tribe of Benjamin, son of Jacob (peace be upon him), and there was neither prophecy nor kingship in them. Talut went out in search of a beast of his that had strayed, accompanied by a servant. They passed by the Prophet’s house, and Talut’s servant said to him, "If you would only take us in to this Prophet, we could ask him about our beast, and he would guide us and pray for our success." Talut replied, "There is no harm in what you say." They entered upon him, and while he was mentioning the matter of his beast to him and asking him to pray for him, the oil in the horn began to overflow. The Prophet stood up to him, took it, and then said to Talut, "Bring your head near," and he brought it near. He anointed it, then said, "You are the king of the Children of Israel whom Allah the Exalted has commanded me to appoint over them." He sat beside him, and the people said, "Talut is king." The notables of the Children of Israel came to their Prophet, astonished by this, as he was neither of the house of prophecy nor the house of kingship.
(They said, "How can he have kingship over us?") That is, from where or how can he have this? The interrogation is either literal or for the purpose of astonishment, not to belie their Prophet or deny his authority in their opinion. Its position is in the accusative as a circumstantial qualifier (hal) from "kingship." "How" (anna) can be interrogative, and "for him" (lahu) is the predicate, while "over us" (‘alaynā) is a circumstantial qualifier of "kingship"; or the predicate is "over us" and "for him" is the circumstantial qualifier. It is also possible that it is complete (tāmmah), in which case "for him" is linked to it, and "over us" is a circumstantial qualifier. (And we are more worthy of kingship than he, and he has not been given an abundance of wealth). The first "and" is circumstantial, and the second is conjunctive, combining the two sentences. That is: How can he rule over us while he is not entitled to rule, due to the existence of those who are more worthy than him, and because he lacks the wealth upon which kingship depends, or lacks that which would compensate for his deficiency—if he had any—to raise him to the rank of the nobles in custom?
The origin of sa‘ah (abundance) is saw‘ah with a waw, but it was deleted due to its deletion in yasa‘u (he has capacity). The verb should have had a kasra on the sin to facilitate the deletion, as in ya‘idu (he promises), but the fatha was used due to the guttural letter; it is accidental, and for that reason, the rule of the kasra was applied to it. Thus, the sin was opened in the verbal noun and not kasra-ed, unlike the ‘ayn in ‘idah.
(He said, "Indeed, Allah has chosen him over you and has increased him abundantly in knowledge and physique. And Allah gives His sovereignty to whom He wills. And Allah is All-Encompassing, All-Knowing.") He replied to them in the most eloquent and perfect manner. It is as if it were said: Do not deem his kingship over you unlikely due to his poverty or the inferiority of his lineage compared to yours. Firstly, because the essence of the matter is Allah’s choice, and He has chosen and selected him, and He is more knowing of what is in your best interest. Secondly, because the primary factors are the abundance of knowledge—so that he may be able to comprehend political affairs—and the greatness of the body—so that he may be more imposing in hearts and stronger in fighting enemies and enduring the hardships of war—not what you have mentioned. Allah has granted him a generous portion of both. Thirdly, because He, the Exalted, is the King of kings absolutely, and it is for the owner to enable whom He wills to exercise authority over His property by His permission. Fourthly, because He, the Exalted, is of all-encompassing grace; He expands for the poor and makes them rich. (All-Knowing) of what befits kingship in terms of lineage and other matters.
Placing the abundance of knowledge before the abundance of physique indicates that spiritual virtues are higher and nobler than physical virtues—indeed, there is almost no comparison between them, especially the bulk of the body. For this reason, some interpreted the abundance here as beauty or strength, not size such as height. For if that were perfection, the most worthy of creation for it would have been the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), even though he was of medium stature among men. Perhaps it was mentioned because it is an attribute that adds beauty to a king tasked with fighting giants, as they were massive and had abundance in body, and the shadow of their king, Goliath, was a mile long, according to some reports—not because these are the primary matters in kings based on who they are, as is not hidden from one who realizes that a person is by his two small parts [heart and tongue], not by the size of his body or the length of his robes.
In selecting "All-Encompassing" and "All-Knowing" to describe Him, the Exalted, here, there is a beautiful appropriateness to the abundance of physique and the abundance of knowledge that delights the minds, especially regarding what is suggested by the abundance of physique. The first descriptor was put forward even though what fittingly corresponds to it [in the narrative] appears later, because it has a semantic connection to the beginning of the reports, since choosing is also from the abundance of grace, and because "All-Knowing" is more suitable for the verse endings, and the manifestation of the Majestic Name is for the cultivation of reverence.
