Translation of the meanings Ayah 251 Surah Al-Baqarah - English Translation - Dr. Waleed Bleyhesh Omary - The Noble Qur'an Encyclopedia

Ayah: 251

فَهَزَمُوهُم بِإِذۡنِ ٱللَّهِ وَقَتَلَ دَاوُۥدُ جَالُوتَ وَءَاتَىٰهُ ٱللَّهُ ٱلۡمُلۡكَ وَٱلۡحِكۡمَةَ وَعَلَّمَهُۥ مِمَّا يَشَآءُۗ وَلَوۡلَا دَفۡعُ ٱللَّهِ ٱلنَّاسَ بَعۡضَهُم بِبَعۡضٖ لَّفَسَدَتِ ٱلۡأَرۡضُ وَلَٰكِنَّ ٱللَّهَ ذُو فَضۡلٍ عَلَى ٱلۡعَٰلَمِينَ

(251) They defeated them with Allah’s permission; Dāwūd ˹David˺ killed Jālūt and Allah gave him kingship and Wisdom^[431] and taught him of whatever He willed^[432]. Had it not been for people pushing each other ˹back and forth˺^[433], the land would have gone to ruins. But Allah is Favourable to all beings.

[431] Prophethood. (al-Ṭabarī, Ibn Kathīr, al-Saʿdī)
[432] All sorts of knowledge and how to make body armour (cf. 21: 80). (al-Ṭabarī, Ibn Kathīr, al-Saʿdī)
[433] That people are engaged in an eternal struggle between right and wrong, good and evil, is known as sunnat al-mudāfaʿah, lit. the canon of scuffle. God would not let evil prevail entirely without it being constantly challenged, otherwise Earth would become a ruinous, non-habitable planet (cf. al-Wāḥidī, al-Wajīz, Ibn ʿAṭiyyah, al-Saʿdī, Ibn ʿĀshūr).