Question:
Qur’an verse 5:20 says that Prophetﷺ Musa(Alaihis Salam) says to his people, “Allahﷻ made you rulers.” When did this happen? How should it be understood?
Answer:
The verse states that Musa said to his people: “Remember Allahﷻ’s favor upon you. He appointed Prophets among you and made you rulers.”
This does not mean that the specific people standing before Musa all became rulers. The meaning is that among their community, Allahﷻ raised Prophets and rulers.
For example, when Musa says Allahﷻ appointed Prophets among them, it does not mean everyone present was a Prophet. It means that among their ancestors and lineage, many prophets came. Among the Children of Israel, many prophets appeared — from Yaqub, Yusuf, Dawud, Sulaiman, and many others. More prophets came from the Israelites than from other communities.
Similarly, many rulers also came from them. Musa was reminding them of Allahﷻ’s favor — that Allahﷻ honored their community by raising many prophets and rulers from among them. Israelites ruled different regions at different times. Musa reminded them to reflect on this blessing and be grateful to Allahﷻ.
Therefore, the verse speaks about past blessings given to their ancestors. It does not mean that all the people living during Musa’s time immediately became rulers. Later, after certain events, leadership roles did emerge among them, but this verse refers to earlier historical blessings.
The use of plural words like “rulers” shows it refers to different rulers across different periods of history. If it referred to one time period, it would not be plural. Therefore, the verse reminds them that in different times, Allahﷻ raised rulers from among their community. It is a reminder of historical blessings given to their forefathers.