Quran Universe
18:84

إِنَّا مَكَّنَّا لَهُۥ فِي ٱلۡأَرۡضِ وَءَاتَيۡنَٰهُ مِن كُلِّ شَيۡءٖ سَبَبٗا

Inna makkanna lahu fee alardi waataynahu min kulli shayin sababan

Indeed We established him upon the earth, and We gave him to everything a way.

Word by word
  1. إِنَّاIndeed,We
  2. مَكَّنَّا[We] established
  3. لَهُۥ[for] him
  4. فِيin
  5. ٱلۡأَرۡضِthe earth
  6. وَءَاتَيۡنَٰهُand We gave him
  7. مِنof
  8. كُلِّevery
  9. شَيۡءٖthing
  10. سَبَبٗاa means
Al-Kahf · 18:84Makkah

Allah gave him power and the means to everything.

Strength handed to a king

What he was given
establishedgreat power on earth
the meansknowledge of everything
from
WeAllah gave it
Whose power it was
he earned itself-made king
We gave ita trust from Allah

Ibn Kathir says Allah gave him great power, armies and equipment, with dominion over east and west. Ibn Abbas, Mujahid and others said the means of everything meant knowledge. Notice the verbs: We established, We gave.

You got the promotion, the team, the budget. You have more say over people than ever before. It was handed to you, and it will be asked about.

My position is mine because I earned it.

Any power I hold was given to me by Allah, as a trust.

Try this

Use whatever authority you have today, at home or work, to make one person's day easier.

Related27:23
Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir (shared passage from 18:83)

And they ask you about Dhul-Qarnayn. Say: "I shall recite to you something of his story. (83)Verily, We established him in the earth, and We gave him the means of everything (84)

The Story of Dhul-Qarnayn

Allah says to His Prophet ﷺ,

وَيَسْأَلُونَكَ 

(And they ask you) O Muhammad ﷺ,

عَن ذِي الْقَرْنَيْنِ

(about Dhul-Qarnayn.) i.e., about his story. We have already mentioned how the disbelievers of Makkah sent word to the People of the Book and asked them for some information with which they could test the Prophet ﷺ. They (the People of the Book) said, 'Ask him about a man who traveled extensively throughout the earth, and about some young men who nobody knows what they did, and about the Ruh (the soul),' then Surat Al-Kahf was revealed.

Dhul-Qarnayn had great Power

إِنَّا مَكَّنَّا لَهُ فِي الْأَرْضِ

(Verily, We established him in the earth,) means, 'We have given him great power, so that he had all that kings could have of might, armies, war equipment and siege machinery.' So he had dominion over the east and the west, all countries and their kings submitted to him, and all the nations, Arab and non-Arab, served him. Some of them said he was called Dhul-Qarnayn (the one with two horns) because he reached the two "Horns" of the sun, east and west, where it rises and where it sets.

وَآتَيْنَاهُ مِن كُلِّ شَيْءٍ سَبَبًا

(and We gave him the means of everything.) Ibn 'Abbas, Mujahid, Sa'id bin Jubayr, 'Ikrimah, As-Suddi, Qatadah, Ad-Dahhak and others said, "This means knowledge." Qatadah also said,

وَآتَيْنَاهُ مِن كُلِّ شَيْءٍ سَبَبًا

(and We gave him the means of everything.) "The different parts and features of the earth." Concerning Bilqis, Allah said,

وَأُوتِيَتْ مِن كُلِّ شَيْءٍ

(she has been given all things)[27:23], meaning all things that monarchs like her are given. Thus too was Dhul-Qarnayn: Allah gave him the means of all things, meaning the means and power to conquer all areas, regions and countries, to defeat enemies, suppress the kings of the earth and humiliate the people of Shirk. He was given all that a man like him would need. And Allah knows best.