Surah 43. Az-Zukhruf

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Verses [Section]: 1-15[1], 16-25 [2], 26-35 [3], 36-45 [4], 46-56 [5], 57-67 [6], 68-89 [7]

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Quran Text of Verse 46-56وَ لَقَدْAnd certainlyاَرْسَلْنَاWe sentمُوْسٰیMusaبِاٰیٰتِنَاۤwith Our SignsاِلٰیtoفِرْعَوْنَFiraunوَ مَلَاۡىِٕهٖand his chiefsفَقَالَand he saidاِنِّیْIndeed I amرَسُوْلُa Messengerرَبِّ(of the) Lordالْعٰلَمِیْنَ (of) the worlds فَلَمَّاBut whenجَآءَهُمْhe came to themبِاٰیٰتِنَاۤwith Our Signsاِذَاbehold!هُمْTheyمِّنْهَاat themیَضْحَكُوْنَ laughed 43. Az-Zukhruf Page 493وَ مَاAnd notنُرِیْهِمْWe showed themمِّنْofاٰیَةٍa Signاِلَّاbutهِیَitاَكْبَرُ(was) greaterمِنْthanاُخْتِهَا ؗits sisterوَ اَخَذْنٰهُمْand We seized themبِالْعَذَابِwith the punishmentلَعَلَّهُمْso that they mayیَرْجِعُوْنَ return وَ قَالُوْاAnd they saidیٰۤاَیُّهَOالسّٰحِرُ[the] magician!ادْعُInvokeلَنَاfor usرَبَّكَyour Lordبِمَاby whatعَهِدَHe has made covenantعِنْدَكَ ۚwith youاِنَّنَاIndeed weلَمُهْتَدُوْنَ (will) surely be guided فَلَمَّاBut whenكَشَفْنَاWe removedعَنْهُمُfrom themالْعَذَابَthe punishmentاِذَاbehold!هُمْTheyیَنْكُثُوْنَ broke (their word) وَ نَادٰیAnd called outفِرْعَوْنُFiraunفِیْamongقَوْمِهٖhis peopleقَالَhe saidیٰقَوْمِO my peopleاَلَیْسَIs notلِیْfor meمُلْكُ(the) kingdomمِصْرَ(of) Egyptوَ هٰذِهِand theseالْاَنْهٰرُ[the] riversتَجْرِیْflowingمِنْunderneath meتَحْتِیْ ۚunderneath meاَفَلَاThen do notتُبْصِرُوْنَؕyou see اَمْOrاَنَاam Iخَیْرٌbetterمِّنْthanهٰذَاthisالَّذِیْone whoهُوَheمَهِیْنٌ ۙ۬(is) insignificantوَّ لَاand hardlyیَكَادُand hardlyیُبِیْنُ clear فَلَوْ لَاۤThen why notاُلْقِیَare placedعَلَیْهِon himاَسْوِرَةٌbraceletsمِّنْofذَهَبٍgoldاَوْorجَآءَcomeمَعَهُwith himالْمَلٰٓىِٕكَةُthe Angelsمُقْتَرِنِیْنَ accompanying (him) فَاسْتَخَفَّSo he bluffedقَوْمَهٗhis peopleفَاَطَاعُوْهُ ؕand they obeyed himاِنَّهُمْIndeed theyكَانُوْاwereقَوْمًاa peopleفٰسِقِیْنَ defiantly disobedient فَلَمَّاۤSo whenاٰسَفُوْنَاthey angered UsانْتَقَمْنَاWe took retributionمِنْهُمْfrom themفَاَغْرَقْنٰهُمْand We drowned themاَجْمَعِیْنَۙall فَجَعَلْنٰهُمْAnd We made themسَلَفًاa precedentوَّ مَثَلًاand an exampleلِّلْاٰخِرِیْنَ۠for the later (generations)

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Translation of Verse 46-56

(43:46) Indeed We⁴¹ sent Moses with Our Signs⁴² to Pharaoh and his nobles. He told them: “I am a Messenger of the Lord of the Universe.”

(43:47) Yet when he brought forth Clear Signs from Us, then lo, they burst into laughter.

(43:48) Every Sign that We showed them was greater than its predecessor; and then We seized them with Our chastisement so that they may return (to the Right Way).⁴³

(43:49) (Whenever they faced an affliction) they would say: “O magician, pray for us to your Lord according to your station with Him. We shall certainly be guided to the Right Way.”

(43:50) But lo, each time We removed Our affliction from them, they would go back on their word.⁴⁴

(43:51) And Pharaoh proclaimed among his people:⁴⁵ “My people, do I not have dominion over Egypt, and are these streams not flowing beneath me? Can't you see?⁴⁶

(43:52) Am I better or this contemptible man⁴⁷ who is scarcely able to express himself?⁴⁸

(43:53) Why were bracelets of gold not bestowed upon him? Why did a retinue of angels not accompany him as attendants?”⁴⁹

(43:54) He incited his people to levity and they obeyed him. Surely they were an iniquitous people.⁵⁰

(43:55) So when they incurred Our wrath, We exacted retribution from them, and drowned them all,

(43:56) and made them a thing of the past and an example for those who would come after them.⁵¹

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Commentary

41. The Prophet Moses’ story is related at this juncture because of the following three considerations: (i) Whenever God raises any of His Prophets in a country and among a people, He thereby makes it possible for them to benefit from that opportunity. This grace was also granted to the Arabs by raising the Prophet Muhammad (peace be on him) among them. However, if they refuse to believe in him, as Pharaoh and his people did with regard to the Prophet Moses (peace be on him), they will meet the fate of Pharaoh’s people and become an example of God’s punishment to others. (ii) Pharaoh exulted on account of his arrogance, the pride of his royal power and his grandeur and wealth. He belittled Moses, treating him as an object of contempt. In like manner, the unbelieving Quraysh now look down upon the Prophet Muhammad (peace be on him), considering him insignificant as compared to their haughty chiefs.

However, God’s judgement is different, which makes it quite clear who is truly contemptible: the Prophets or their detractors? (iii) To mock God’s signs and to demonstrate arrogance at His warnings is not a jocular matter, but rather one of grave consequence, which costs people dear. If they learn no lesson from those who committed this mistake and suffered in the past, they are then bound to face the same grievous fate of those punished by God for such misdeeds.

42. This refers to those miracles of the Prophet Moses (peace him) - the rod and the shining hand - with which he initially encountered Pharaoh’s court. (For further details, see al-A’raf 7, nn. 87-89, Towards Understanding the Qur'an, vol. II, pp. 65-7; Ta Ha 20, nn. 12-13 and 29-30 vol. V, pp. 186-7, 196-8; al-Shu‘ara’ 26, nn. 26-9, vol. VII, pp. 63-5; al-Naml 27,n. 16, vol. VIL, p. 143; al-Qasas 28, nn. 44-5, vol. VIL, p. 217.)

43. This refers to the miraculous signs which God later showed them through the Prophet Moses (peace be on him). They are as follows: (1) Pharaoh’s magicians were publicly defeated in the tournament and God’s Prophet prevailed. Once defeated, these magicians embraced the faith. (For details, al-A‘raf 7, nn. 88-92, Towards understanding the Qur'an, vol. IIL, pp. 66-71; Ta Ha 20, nn. 30- 50, vol. V, pp. 197-205; al-Shu’ara’ 26, nn. 29- 6.70) nn 40, vol. VIL, pp. 64-70.) (2) Exactly as forewarned by the Prophet Moses (peace be on him), Egypt was overtaken by a severe famine, one which ended only when Moses prayed to God for its end.

(3) Moses’ other predictions also came true. For the whole of Egypt was successively afflicted by a series of heavy downpours, hailstorms and thunder and lightning which destroyed towns and crops. Once again, these natural calamities came to an end only as a result of Moses’ prayer to God.

(4) As foretold by Moses, swarms of locusts hung over the entire country. When Moses prayed to God, this disaster ended.

(5) In accord with Moses’ prediction, lice and bugs infested the whole country, putting men and animals to enormous inconvenience. Worse, these pests destroyed food stores. The Egyptians beseeched the Prophet Moses (peace be on him) to pray to God to bring an end to these.

(6) As Moses had warned, every nook and corner of Egypt was infested with frogs. This great nuisance for the Egyptians only ended after Moses’ prayer.

(7) As foretold by Moses, the Egyptians were facing a scourge of blood. Well water, springs, canals and pools all turned into blood.

As a result, fish died and water supplies came to a standstill, for a whole week drinking water becoming too foul to use. It was only after Moses prayed to God that they were delivered from this scourge and clean drinking water became available to them. (For further details, see al-A‘raf7, nn. 94-6, Towards Understanding the Qur'an, vol. IIL, pp. 72-3; al-Naml 27, nn. 16-17, vol. VIL, pp. 143-4; al-Mu'min 40, n. 37 above.) The Biblical account of these inflictions features in Exodus (Chs. 7-10 and 12.) However, this represents no more than a mixture of fact and fantasy, for it relates that the punishment of blood was matched on the same scale by the magicians. However, the magicians failed to produce lice, thereby admitting that only God could do this. Incredibly enough, the Bible relates that when frogs infested Egypt, the magicians produced frogs as well. Yet Pharaoh requested the Prophet Moses (peace be on him) to pray to God to bring that scourge to an end. Had the magicians been capable of producing frogs, then surely it is the magicians themselves who should have been asked to drive the frogs away. How could the Egyptians distinguish between the frogs brought about by God and the ones by the magicians? The same question arises about blood. How could it be established as to which water had been turned into blood by God and which by the magicians? All this proves that the Bible is not God’s unadulterated Word. Rather, later writers have interpolated many of their own fanciful notions into it. Worse, doing so, they clearly lacked even the common sense and mental maturity needed for skillful fabrication.

44. As for the obstinacy betrayed by Pharaoh and his people, this is best illustrated by their conduct. Even when they were confronted with God's scourge and asked the Prophet Moses (peace be on him) to pray that it be brought to an end and they be spared, they addressed him as a magician rather than as a Prophet. These people were aware of the true nature of magic. They also realized that a magician could not accomplish what was done by the Prophet Moses (peace be on him). What a magician can do, at most, is that on a very limited scale, he might make some people think that water has turned into blood or frogs have appeared from nowhere or that locusts are pouncing on them. - This, when in reality, nothing of the sort actually happens. Magicians’ tricks are confined to a particular place. Water does not actually change into blood. Nor do frogs or locusts or any other creatures appear. These are only imaginary and those present at a magic show understand this quite well. As for the incidence of a nationwide famine, or the turning of all water reservoirs into blood or infestations of lice, frogs and locusts stretching over a territory covering thousands of square miles, these have never been performed by any magician. Nor is it possible for them to do so. Had such magicians and their skills really existed, kings would not have needed armies nor would they have needed to wage wars. With their magicians’ expertise, they could have conquered the whole world.

Rather, had magicians been so accomplished, they would not have served kings; they would have installed themselves as kings.

Some Qur’anic scholars find it difficult to explain why Pharaoh and his courtiers addressed the Prophet Moses (peace be on him) as a magician.

As those courtiers were in distress, they should have spoken highly of him. In order to resolve this issue, some scholars have said that by calling Moses a magician they did not intend to offend him, for being a magician was considered honorable in the then Egyptian society. (Zamakhshari, al-Kashshaf, comments on Surah al-Zukhruf 43: 49.) This interpretation, however, is not correct. At other places too in the Qur’anic Account Pharaoh dismisses Moses as a magician. In so branding him, the note of contempt is too conspicuous to be missed. Pharaoh, too, regarded magic as something false and in branding Moses a magician he rejected his claim to be a Prophet.

As to why the Prophet Moses (peace be on him) acceded to Pharaoh’s and his courtiers’ request even when they addressed him disparagingly as a magician, all this was part and parcel of clinching God’s argument against them. That they requested the Prophet Moses (peace be on him) to pray to God to avert the scourge shows that they inwardly recognized what the source and reason of their afflictions was. Yet they addressed Moses as a magician and broke their promise to mend their ways once the scourges had come to an end. By doing so they did no harm to the Prophet Moses (peace be on him.) Rather, the case against them became stronger and eventually they were obliterated. They knew all too well that magic could not be behind the scourges that had afflicted them.

Rather, they perceived them as signs from the Lord of the universe. Yet, as the Qur’an states, they lied about this: ‘They denied those signs out of iniquity and arrogance, although their hearts were convinced of their truth’ (al-Naml 27: 14).

45. Pharaoh made this proclamation through his chiefs and heralds who announced it throughout all parts of his kingdom. These were the only means of mass communication available to him for he had no access to a state-controlled press, to sycophantic news agencies or to official information media and government controlled radio like those of today which specialize in ‘manufacturing’ news.

46. Pharaoh’s response betrays his panic. The series of miracles presented by the Prophet Moses (peace be on him) had shaken the Egyptians. They were becoming skeptical about their gods. It is worth reminding ourselves that Pharaoh ruled over them in his capacity as the incarnation of gods. Even after realizing the gravity of the situation, Pharaoh insisted on his claim to both kingship and godhead. He boasted that there was prosperity in his realm precisely because of his rule.

Likewise, he claimed that all works of development had been carried out by the royal family, his family. In view of this, people should pay no heed to Moses (peace be on him).

47. That is, the Prophet Moses (peace be on him) who possessed neither wealth, nor power nor authority. The same point was raised by the unbelieving Quraysh about the Prophet Muhammad (peace be on him).

48. Some Qur’anic commentators are of the view that what Pharaoh refers to is the Prophet Moses’ stammering. (Qurtabi, al-Jami’ li Ahkam al-Qur’an, comments on Surah al-Zukhruf 43: 52.) We have noted in Surah Ta Ha that when Moses (peace be on him) was designated a Prophet, he requested that God loosen the knot of his tongue so that people might more easily comprehend his message. This, along with his other requests, was granted. (See Ta Ha 20: 27-36.) Some of Moses’ speeches, as recorded in the Qur’an, fully demonstrate his eloquence and fluency. So Pharaoh’s objection did not refer, contrary to some Qur’anic exegetes’ view, to Moses’ stammering. Rather, Pharaoh complained that Moses’ message was incoherent; in other words, he was simply unable to grasp it.

49. At that time, when anyone was elevated to high public office, he received from the king a robe and gold bracelets, and also a posse of guards and pageboys. This was designed to evoke awe and reverence both for the holder of the public office and for the king who had appointed him. Pharaoh argued that had Moses (peace be on him) been a genuine Prophet, he should have been dressed exquisitely and accompanied by a retinue of angels. He could not accept an ordinary person as Moses, with only a rod in his hand, as the Messenger of the Lord of the universe.

50. A significant truth is stated here: when a person seeks to assert his authority, he resorts to all conceivable means from bribery to oppressing those who refuse to be cowed down, and to openly buying people’s loyalty. Whether he verbally says so or not, his conduct is based on the assumption that the intellectual and moral caliber of the people concerned is very low and that he can drive them in whichever direction he wants.

Once he is installed in power, his misdeeds come out into the open.

Iniquitous people are prone to surrender themselves to him for they are not concerned with the fine distinctions between truth and falsehood.

Their only concern is their own selfish interest. Accordingly, they reconcile themselves with any tyrant and put up with the disgrace to which he subjects them. These people prove by their very conduct that the wicked tyrant’s low estimate of them was pretty correct: they are indeed as he had thought them to be.

The main cause of these people’s succumbing to humiliation is that they are iniquitous. Given this propensity, they are least concerned to find out what is right as distinct from what is wrong, what is just as distinct from unjust, what is honest as distinct from dishonest, and whether truthfulness and honesty and magnanimity are to be valued or falsehood, dishonesty and pettiness. As a result, what really counts are one’s own personal interests and for their sake such people are always ready to cooperate with anyone, no matter how evil he might be. They thus yield to any tyrant, accept all possible falsehood and are prepared to suppress every voice that rises in support of the truth.

51. Those who fail to learn any lesson from the tragic end met by Pharaoh’s people and who follow in their footsteps will meet the same grievous end. Moreover, they will also serve as an example of those who are able to take heed.