164. The powers relegated to the Messengers of Allah.

In verses (3:79, 6:89, 19:12, 21:74, 28:14, 45:16) of the Quran, Allah while talking about his messengers says He is the One who revealed the scriptures and powers to them.The word ‘Hukum’ means ‘Power’.When we look into the life of the messengers, majority of them were not given powers to rule. 

If that is the case we need to understand what Allah means by the messengers being bestowed with scriptures and power in the above cited verses. 

.Allah says in verse 19:12 of the Quran He bestowed Yahya with power in his childhood.

Messengers bestowed with scriptures are well known. But how to understand Allah saying He has given powers to messengers without doing so? This is to be understood as powers not to rule nations but instead the power to explain the scriptures as spiritual heads to formulate laws and order people to obey the same.

If it is not understood this way,the verses become meaningless. 

On the other hand if it is understood in terms of power to rule nations, they (messengers) would have been given the said powers. 

The Quran says many messengers were murdered by their enemies, and all the messengers who were victorious did not form governments to rule.

In verse (2:87) Allah says “ You denied a section of the messengers and killed most of them. 

The powers mentioned in these verses denote the power to formulate laws to rule, that reach the messengers in some way or the other. 

This is the reason we find the verses saying the messengers were bestowed with scriptures and powers.

In verse 6:89 of the Quran Allah says “We bestowed in them (the messengers) scriptures, power, and eligibility to be prophets, and if they refuse to accept we will entrust the same to a people (a community) who are not disbelievers.

If nothing more than scriptures were revealed to the messengers, Allah would not have said in the Quran, about power and eligibility as messengers being granted to them.

These messengers if they refuse to accept the three responsibilities, we will assign these to a community who will not refuse. And Allah warns that if the messengers were of the opinion to refuse hukum (power),and (eligibility as a messenger) and accept only the scriptures, then all the three would be entrusted to a community who are not disbelievers.

And those who refuse these three responsibilities are declared as disbelievers as per this verse .

These verses confirm explanations of scriptures by messengers are a must..

To know more about the necessity of explanations by prophets to scriptures please refer point nos 18, 36, 39, 50, 55, 56, 57, 60, 67, 72, 105, 125, 127, 128, 132, 154, 184, 244, 255, 256, 258, 286, 318, 350, 352, 358, 430.