“We granted knowledge to David and Solomon and they said: ‘All praise be to Allah Who has exalted us above many of His believing servants!”
(Al Qur’ān – 27:15)
People say knowledge is power; but the question is wherefrom this power comes. Knowledge here refers to the Knowledge of Reality: to the knowledge that whatever people have is a gift from God and that the power over the things entrusted to man by God should be used in a manner that pleases Him; to the knowledge that people are responsible before God in their right or wrong exercise of this.
This knowledge was in sharp contrast to Pharaoh’s ignorance. The kind of character that this ignorance produced has been depicted in the previous ayaat. In the ayaat that follow a different character is being depicted – the character of a morally upright person which arises from this knowledge. The Prophets David and Solomon (peace be to them) had been granted dominion, wealth, power and glory, and so was Pharaoh. But David and Solomon were altogether different in their attitudes from Pharaoh and this because the Prophets had been endowed with true knowledge while Pharaoh wallowed in ignorance.
The conferment of political authority on David and Solomon (peace be to them) did not make them arrogant. They recognised that God alone could confer this authority on any of His servants. They were quite conscious that the conferment of political authority on them was an act of God’s favour rather than something to which they were entitled because of any intrinsic merit.