35 Preface قالَ رَبِّ اغفِر لي وَهَب لي مُلكًا لا يَنبَغي لِأَحَدٍ مِن بَعدي ۖ إِنَّكَ أَنتَ الوَهّابُYusuf AliHe said, “O my Lord! Forgive me,1 and grant me2 a kingdom which, (it may be), suits not another after me: for Thou art the Grantor3 of Bounties (without measure).The seeking of worldly Power, even if intended to be used for God’s service, has a little of Self in it. It may be quite legitimate and even meritorious in ordinary men, but even the thought of it in a Prophet is to be apologised for. See a similar idea in the case of David explained in n. 4176 to 38:24 above.He asked for a Power that he would not misuse, though others might not be able to refrain from misusing it-such as power over forces of nature or forces of violence (see the next three verses).Cf. 38:9, above