Surah Yunus 10:83-92 - Quran Translation Commentary

83. But none believed in Moosa except a few youths of his people,¹²² for fear of Firaun and their nobles¹²³ that they would persecute them,¹²⁴ and surely Firaun was rebellious in the land, and verily he was a transgressor.¹²⁵

84. And Moosa said: “O my people, if you have believed in Allah, then put your trust in Him, if you are Muslims. “¹²⁶

85. They said: “In Allah we put trust. Our Lord! Do not make us a target of the tyranny of the wrong-doing people.¹²⁷

86. “And deliver us by your mercy, from the disbelieving people.”

87. And We revealed to Moosa and his brother¹²⁸ (saying): Provide a few houses¹²⁹ in Egypt for your people, and make your houses Qiblah ¹³⁰, and establish prayers¹³¹ and give glad tidings to the believers.¹³²

88. And Moosa prayed: “Our Lord! You have given Firaun and his nobles splendour and riches in the life of the world, Our Lord! so that they may lead people astray from your way.¹³³ Our Lord! Destroy their riches and harden their hearts so that they may not believe till they see the painful punishment.¹³⁴

89. (Allah) said: The prayer of you two is answered;¹³⁵ you two remain steadfast, and do not follow the path of those who do not know.¹³⁶

90. And We led Bani Israil to cross the sea,¹³⁷ Then Firaun and his army pursued¹³⁸ them with transgression and enmity till, when he was overtaken by drowning, he exclaimed: I believe that there is no God except Him in whom the Bani Israil believe, and I am of the Muslims.¹³⁹

91. Now (you believe )¹⁴⁰! Whereas before this you have been disobeying and were of evildoers.

92. So today We will save your (dead) body so that you may be a sign (Lesson) for those who come after you.¹⁴¹ And most of mankind are heedless of Our signs.

Commentary

122. His people means Firaun’s community, because the description about Firaun, his nobles and his magicians is continued.

123. That is: The truth that Prophet Moosa presented was accepted by a few courageous youths only. These youths belonged to the Copt nationality of Egypt, for so far as the Bani Israil were concerned, they were already Muslims and they had believed in the prophethood of Prophet Moosa and had accepted him as their leader. If it were not so, then how could Prophets Moosa and Haroon demand for the deliverance or freedom of Bani Israil. “Therefore the opinion of some commentators who have taken it to mean the youths of the Bani Israil community cannot be accepted.

124. It gives an idea as to what an oppressive and tyrannical policy was adopted by Firaun and his nobles against those who had embraced Islam. Firaun was not prepared to give freedom of belief and conscience to his people. Because of this his people were reluctant to accept the truth even after it was clearly manifested to them, except for a group of few youths. Who embraced Islam despite all the dangers.

125. Firaun was rebellious and a tyrant. Because of his rebellion against God, he had become so arrogant that he had crossed all the ethical limits and indulged in barbarous and brutal behaviour.

126. That is: The demand” of your being a Momin and surrendering yourself to Allah is that you must have complete trust in Him. Without caring for Firaun’s tyrannical activities you should be firm on truth and you must have faith that ultimately people of faith are bound to he blessed with success. When a man’s mind really decides to put trust in God without reservations. he feels reassured and his heart takes courage, which is a great weapon for true faithful in his defence.

127. Prophet Moosa’s community expressed their feeling of trust in God and they prayed to Him that He may not make these tyrants so powerful as to subject the Muslims to their tyrannies.

128. That is: Prophet Haroon ( Aron).

129. That is: Reserve some houses to be used as mosques. Probably at that time there were no mosques in Egypt. which must have been due to Firaun’s not allowing them in his country. And since Bani Israil were to migrate from Egypt after the attaining of prophethood by Moosa, it was not necessary to construct mosques in Egypt on a permanent basis. Therefore, the command was given to reserve some houses as mosques to enable Muslims to offer prayers in congregation.

It provides the guiding point that at a place where a mosque may not be available, a house or a school can be used as a mosque temporarily for offering prayer.

130. The address is to the community of Moosa and by Qiblah is meant the center of worship. This is the sense-and Allah knows best the meaning of His own words-that make these houses as center of worship and use them as temporary mosques.

131. It is clear that establishment of prayer was all important item of Prophet Moosa’s Shariah, and despite the’ fact that Bani Israil were the slaves of Firaun, they were commanded to say the prayer regularly. But in the existing Torah it is not clearly stated, however there is a mention of Bani Israil prostrating themselves before God:

“And the people bowed their heads and worshipped” (Exodus: 12:27)

132. The addressee is Prophet Moosa, who has been directed to give glad tidings to the people of faith. Who have put their trust in Allah and have stood up to firaun and who are establishing prayer, so that they may be reassured.

133. This statement is similar to the one in which it is said that a teacher has been teaching his pupils with a view to letting them fail in the examination. It is obvious that such a statement is made looking to the result of an act and not to indicate its purpose. The meaning of Prophet Moosa’s statement is also the same, that is, O God! You had not granted these material resources to the Pharaoh and his nobles in order that they might use them to lead the people astray, but they are making such wrong and undue use of these favours and blessings from You as if these things were granted them for this very purpose.

134. This prayer was uttered by Prophet Moosa after the message of truth was convincingly conveyed to Firaun and his nobles, and they did not accept the truth because of their obduracy. When a nation reaches the last stage of transgression, its condition becomes that of a decomposed dead body, to smother whose stink it is necessary to bury the dead body deep into the ground as quickly as possible. And it is the tradition of Allah that He sends down His punishment on such a nation and purifies the earth by removing the existence of that nation. The prayer of Prophet Moosa was for the manifestation of such a Divine tradition.

135. Since this prayer was for the manifestation of the Divine tradition and it was said at an appropriate time, it was immediately heard and answered. This prayer was uttered by Prophet Moosa and Prophet Haroon had also joined him in this prayer.

136. That is: They do not know that the path which they have taken is going to lead them to the Hell.

137. The event of Bani Israil crossing the sea has been recorded in the Bible also. Its summary is: One night the people of Firaun had to undergo great suffering as their first-born children died and there was great mourning in Egypt. In fright, Firaun called for Prophets Moosa and Haroon, and permitted them to go out of Egypt with the Bani Israil. Prophet Moosa set out from Rameses where the Jews had their colonies, with Bani Israil and travelled on foot up to Sukkat. From Suk’kat they reached Eetam, and from Eetam turned to Fi-Haiharoot which is opposite Ba’al Safwan, and after staying in Majdal Marched in front of Fihaiharoot, and crossing the sea entered the Sinai Desert. There is also a clarification in the Bible that God did not take them from Egypt to Palestine by means of the nearest route, but took them in a roundabout way through the route of the desert of the Red sea. This roundabout route was purposely taken.

This event has been described in detail in Exodus, chapters 12, 13, 14, 15 and Numbers, chapter 33. In the English translation of the Bible the name of the sea crossed by Prophet Moosa and his followers is given as the Red Sea and in the Arabic version it is mentioned as ‘Bahre-Soof’. This is a translation of the original Hebrew name ‘Yam soof. In Hebrew Yam means Sea. In those days there was a small sea in the north of Suez Gulf known as Bitter Lakes. It was linked with the Suez Gulf. Probably Bani Israil entered the Sinai desert by crossing this very sea. The various names that have Occurred in the Bible are not now familiar, that is why the commentators of the Bible also have not been able to clearly pinpoint this place, from where the Bani Israil had crossed the sea. The editor of the Dictionary of the Bible writes:

“The general opinion, however based on Constant Scripture representation, is that the sea crossed by the Israelites was the Gulf of Suez, probably at a point immediately north or just south of the Bitter Lakes. “

(A Dictionary of the Bible, by John D. Davis, London Edition, IV. p. 647-648) Anyway the crossing of the sea by Bani Israil was a clear and open miracle caused by Allah. Further details occur is Surah Sho’ra (Poets).

138. First Firaun permitted Bani Israil to leave his country, but later on when he realized that in this way he has released them from his servitude, he pursued them with his army. This was a hostile and tyrannical step of Firaun.

139. This declaration of his belief is not mentioned in the Bible, but Qur’an has presented this important aspect of this event in such a way that the image of the helplessness of Firaun comes out very clearly before our eyes. This admission of Firaun was that voice of his nature which he had kept suppressed and thus had wronged his own self. But when he saw death staring him in the face, his nature could not keep quiet and blurted out the truth, which cannot be suppressed indefinitely. In the final run a tyrant and rebellious king like Firaun also had to admit the truth and veracity of monotheism and Islam.

140. That is: When Firaun was drowning he was told that at that time it was no use his accepting the faith, for the time for the examination was over and it was the time to face the consequences. Allah has stated this to be the Divine tradition that to accept faith on seeing the punishment does not help anyone:

“But their faith could not avail them when they saw Our punishment.” (Al-Mumin- 85.)

141. The dead body of Firaun did not dissolve or dismember in the sea, but it floated up to the bank so that people should see it and take a lesson from it, as to how Allah punishes His rebel slaves and tyrants, and what end awaits those who walk arrogantly on His earth. This event is recorded in the Bible thus:

“Then the LORD said to Moses Stretch out your hand over the sea that the water may come back upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots, and upon their horsemen. So Moses stretched forth his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to its wonted flow when the morning appeared: and the Egyptians fled into it, and the LORD routed the Egyptians in the midst of the sea. The waters returned and covered the chariots and the horsemen and all the host of Pharaoh that had followed them into the sea: not so much as one of them remained. But the people of Israel walked on dry ground through the sea. the waters being a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.

Thus the LORD saved Israel that day from the hand of the Egyptians: and Israel saw the Egyptians dead upon the seashore. And Israel saw the great work which the LORD did against the Egyptians, and the people feared the LORD: and they believed in the LORD and in his servant Moses.” (Exodus 14:26 to 31)

The commentators of the Bible opine that the exodus took place before the thirteenth century Before Christ, and they have stated that this particular Pharaoh was Rameses II.

(Peake’s Commentary on the Bible. New York. P. 115).

And the mummy of Rameses II is even today kept for exhibition in the Cairo Museum, inviting the people of the world to see it and take a lesson from it, if they have the will.

“His mummy is now in the museum at Bulak.”

(A Dictionary of the Bible. Word Pharaoh page 600).