How did Talut (Saul) Become king?

 

The system of the nation of Israel used to operate in such a way that there was always a king among them who governed the state system, and there was a prophet who provided guidance and leadership in religious and legal matters. Hence, it was established that the kingship belonged to the descendants of yahood abine yakoob, peace be upon him, and prophethood was the privilege of the descendants of ladee bin yakoob, peace be upon him.

Talut ( Saul ) as the king

When Prophet Shamuel, peace be upon him, was elevated to prophethood, there was no king during his time. So, the people of Israel requested him to appoint someone as their king. According to the divine command, Prophet Shamuel appointed Talut ( Saul ) as the king, who was the most powerful and prominent figure among the people of Israel, despite being very poor and humble.

He used to herd goats and lead a simple life. Upon this, the people of Israel objected that Talut ( Saul ) did not belong to a royal lineage, so how could he become our king and how could he be more deserving of kingship than us, who are from the royal lineage? Furthermore, Talut ( Saul ) did not possess much wealth either. How can a poor and humble person like him be worthy of the throne? Responding to the objections of the people of Israel, Prophet Shamuel, peace be upon him, delivered the following discourse.

He (Prophet Shamuel) said, 'Indeed, Allah has chosen him over you and has increased him abundantly in knowledge and in physical/body structure.' And Allah grants His kingdom to whom He wills. And Allah is all-encompassing [in favour], and He is Knowing. And their Prophet said to them, 'Indeed, the sign of his kingship is that there will come to you the ark, wherein is assurance from your Lord and a remnant of what the family of Moses and the family of Haron had left, carried by the angels. Indeed that is a sign for you, if you are believers.

After a short while, four angels brought the Ark and placed it before Prophet Samuel, peace be upon him. Upon seeing this, all the Children of Israel accepted the kingship of Saul, and he, after becoming king, not only managed the affairs of the state but also recruited the army of the Children of Israel and waged jihad against the disbelievers of the nation of Amaalkaa.

Lesson of Guidance:

From this incident, where many lessons can be drawn, one very clear lesson is that there is no limit to the grace and favor of Allah. He can turn even the most insignificant person into the greatest within moments, even seconds. Look at Prophet Saul, he was a person of very low status and so destitute that he either worked as a tanner, earning his livelihood by tanning hides, or herded goats to make ends meet. But in an instant, Allah elevated him to the status of king with a crown and throne.

From this incident and the expressions in the Quran, it is evident that physical strength and knowledge are more important for kingship than wealth. Because without physical strength and knowledge, it is almost impossible and impractical to govern a country and manage a kingdom. This shows that the status of knowledge is much higher than wealth.