رَبُّكُمْ أَعْلَمُ بِكُمْ إِنْ يَشَأْ يَرْحَمْكُمْ أَوْ إِنْ يَشَأْ يُعَذِّبْكُمْ وَمَا أَرْسَلْنَاكَ عَلَيْهِمْ وَكِيلًا ﴿۵۴﴾ وَرَبُّكَ أَعْلَمُ بِمَنْ فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَلَقَدْ فَضَّلْنَا بَعْضَ النَّبِيِّينَ عَلَى بَعْضٍ وَآتَيْنَا دَاوُودَ زَبُورًا ﴿۵۵﴾ قُلِ ادْعُوا الَّذِينَ زَعَمْتُمْ مِنْ دُونِهِ فَلَا يَمْلِكُونَ كَشْفَ الضُّرِّ عَنْكُمْ وَلَا تَحْوِيلًا ﴿۵۶﴾

﴾54﴿ Rabbukum a'lamu bikum iny yasha' yarhamkum aw iny yasha' yu'azzibkum; wa maaa arsalnaaka 'alaihim wakeelaa
﴾55﴿ Wa Rabbuka a'lamu biman fis samaawaati wal ard; wa laqad faddalnaa ba'dan Nabiyyeena 'alaa ba'dinw wa aatainaaa Daawooda Zabooraa
﴾56﴿ Qulid 'ul lazeena za'amtum min doonihee falaa yamlikoona kashfad durri'ankum wa laa tahweelaa

﴾54﴿ Your Lord knows best about your condition. If He wills, He will have mercy on you, and if He wills, He will punish you. And We have not sent you as a guardian over them
﴾55﴿ And your Lord is most knowing of everyone in the heavens and the earth. And indeed, We have favored some of the prophets over others, and We gave David the Psalms
﴾56﴿ Say, "Call upon those whom you claim [to be gods] besides Allah." They have no power to remove harm from you or to change it [to something easier]

[54] In this verse, the address is to the polytheists after they have been called to tawḥīd, presenting a rational and intellectual argument for the Oneness of Allah.
It means that guidance is entirely in the control of Allah, the Exalted—He may show mercy to you by granting you the tawfīq (ability) to believe, or He may punish you if you die upon shirk.
The Messenger is not accountable for their choices, so no blame can be placed upon him.
Alternatively, the address could be directed at the believers, following the guidance on how to invite others.
In that case, it would mean: If you continue the mission of da‘wah, Allah will have mercy on you and save you from the disbelievers. But if you abandon this duty, then Allah may punish you—and the Messenger cannot save you.
[55] Since guidance and misguidance were previously discussed, this verse now points to the difference in ranks—that Allah, the Exalted, knows your levels in obedience and disobedience.
This too is a rational and intellectual proof for tawḥīd.
Then it is mentioned that such differences in rank also exist among the Prophets (peace be upon them), as found in verse 253 of Surah Al-Baqarah.
The mention of the Zabūr of Dāwūd (peace be upon him) signifies that true virtue in Allah’s sight lies in revelation and scripture, not in worldly kingship.
Note: The word Zabūran comes from zabar, which refers to advice and admonition.
The reason it was named Zabūr is that it did not contain laws of ḥalāl and ḥarām, but instead consisted of adhkār (remembrances), tasbīḥāt (glorifications), mau‘iẓah (admonitions), and similar content.
[56] This verse is connected to verse 53, meaning: Accept tawḥīd because shirk is false.
It also outlines a method of da‘wah (invitation to faith).
The verse contains a refutation of shirk fī al-du‘ā’ (associating partners with Allah in supplication), as well as shirk fī al-taṣarruf (believing others have control over worldly affairs).
The latter is given as a reason for the former.
This verse also rejects the polytheists’ practice of worshipping jinn and righteous servants.
According to a hadith in Bukhārī, it was revealed about people who were firmly devoted to worshipping the jinn.
Ibn Kathīr and many other commentators have also included in this verse those who worship the angels, ʿUzayr (peace be upon him), ʿĪsā (peace be upon him), and the righteous—whether they are alive or have passed away. All of them fall under this ruling.
As for the difference between kashf and taḥwīl:
– Kashf means to completely remove harm from its root.
– Taḥwīl means to shift a condition from one state to another—i.e., reducing a difficulty rather than fully removing it.