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

46. And We sent Moosa ⁴⁵ with Our signs to Firaun and his nobles, and he said: “I am a messenger of the Lord of the Worlds.”

47. And when he brought to them Our signs, they laughed at them.

48. And every sign that We showed them was greater than its sister sign,⁴⁶ and We seized them with punishment so that they might turn again (to the right path).⁴⁷

49. And they said: “O Magician! pray to your Lord for us in accordance with the promise He has made you; we will surely follow the right path.”⁴⁸

50. And when We gave them relief from their punishment, they broke their pledge.

51. And Firaun proclaimed among his people: “O My people! Is the kingdom of ‘Misr’ (Egypt) not mine’? And are these rivers that flow under me not mine? Can you not see?⁴⁹

52. “Am I not better than this lowly person,⁵⁰ who can scarcely make his meaning plain.⁵¹

53. “Why then, bracelets of gold had not been sent to him, or angels sent down with him’?”⁵²

54. He fooled his people, and they obeyed him. Verily, they were evil people.⁵³

55. So when they provoked Us, We punished them and drowned every one of them. ⁵⁴

56. So We made them things of the past and an example for those who succeeded them. ⁵⁵

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Commentary

45. The chronicle of Prophet Moosa is given in a number of Surahs before this. Here a few aspects of this chronicle have been made prominent. The idea is to clarify that the one who is chosen by Allah for the honour of prophethood is not a wealthy or a prominent personality, but is a person who is great on account of his character. Moosa, who was sent to Firaun, emperor of a great kingdom, had no worldly grandeur. Therefore, if the Prophet of Islam had not worldly wealth and grandeur, it does not reflect on his quality as a prophet.

46. Means miracles.

47.Means punishments which were warnings, that is such punishments or afflictions and travails which pointed to the fact that Moosa was a prophet of Allah. And these punishments were sent to them so that they should realise their errors and waywardness, and return to the right path. For details please see Surah A’raf, Notes Nos.187 to 192.

48. It shows how casual and irresponsible were these people. They request Moosa to pray for them and at the same time they call him a magician. In their eyes, the miracles of Prophet Moosa were merely a manifestation of his magic. But the divine afflictions which were seizing them, to escape from them they thought that his prayer was effective. Thus they had collected two contradictory things. On the one hand they considered Prophet Moosa virtuous and Allah’s favourite slave, and on the other hand they thought him to be a magician.

49. This was the claim of Firaun about his greatness. He thought that when he was the king of Egypt and was the master of such a kingdom in which canal turned the land green, then who is greater than him? This pride of kingdom was so great that he forgot his Lord.

50. Firaun considered Prophet Moosa lowly, only because he had neither kingdom, nor wealth. Quraish also looked at the Arabian prophet with the same jaundiced view. When they had lost their sense, how could they know how lofty was the honour and status of prophethood.

51. This was the accusation of Firaun and not a reality, because that prayer of Prophet Moosa, which he had made on being blessed with prophethood, had been answered in connection with enabling him to talk clearly. The speeches of Prophet Moosa which the Quran has quoted are quite clear in their substance. It appears that Firaun by trying to remind others of Moosa’s old impediment in speech repeated it before others to create a defective image of the prophet.

52. In those days the kings used to wear golden bracelets and they had armies in their service. In view of this Firaun’s objection was that if Prophet Moosa had really been sent by Allah, then why did He not give him majestic splendour? He should have been given golden bracelets direct from heaven and he should have angels as armies in his service. Firaun compared the status of prophethood with that of the kings, although it is much higher than that.

53. That is: Firaun considered his community as worthless and fooled them. They were so impressed by him that they could not think properly and were deceived by him. He could fool them because they themselves were evil people. And evil people like evil leadership.

54. For explanation please see Surah Taha Note No.93.

55. Things of past (salfan) that is they were made a story of the past and for the coming generations they provided and example (maslan)so that sensible people may take lesson from them.