Surah Ghafir 40:21-27 - Quran Translation Commentary

(40:21) Have they not journeyed through the earth to see how was the end of those before them? They were stronger than them in might and in traces (they left) in the land.³⁵ Then Allah seized them for their sins. And they had not against Allah a protector.

(40:22) That was because their Messengers were coming to them with clear evidences, but they disbelieved, so Allah seized them. He is indeed, Full of Strength, Terrible of Retribution.

(40:23) We had indeed sent Musa with Our signs³⁶ and a clear Authority.

(40:24) To Fir`awn, Haman and Qarun. But they said, ‘A sorcerer, big liar.³⁷

(40:25) Now, when he brought them the Truth from Us, they said, ‘Kill off the sons of those who have believed with him and let their women live.’³⁸ But the plot of the unbeliever is not but in error.

(40:26) And Fir`awn said, ‘Let me alone that I kill off Musa,³⁹ and let him call to His Lord. I fear he will change your religion⁴⁰ or that he may cause disorder to appear in the land.’⁴¹

(40:27) Musa said, ‘I take refuge with my Lord and your Lord, against every arrogant one who believes not in the Day of Account.’⁴²

Commentary

35. As Allah said elsewhere (46: 26),“Surely, We established them in what We did not establish you in it.” He also said (30: 9),“Aand they cultivated the land and populated it more than they themselves have populated it.”

36. Apart from the nine signs that Musa (asws) had shown to Fir`awn and his folks, the very personality of Musa was a sign to them and to others. Here was a man who had a death warrant on his head. He had fled the country from fear of being arrested, tried and put to death. The community to which he belonged was so hopelessly enslaved that their masters could slaughter them, young and old, at will. Had Musa on his second appearance been arrested and summarily put to death, no one would been surprised in the least. But what was truly surprising was that one of the slaves of the enslaved community stood in the court and challenged the head of the state – known for no other quality better than tyranny. Musa all but abused him, right in front of his courtiers. He must have been mad with anger. Yet, there he was, helpless against him, unable to restrain him, far from killing him. Was not Musa himself a great sign for the high and the low? (With the main point from Mawdudi).

37. The textual “kadhdhab”, instead of a simple “kadhib” led us to render it as “a big liar.”

38. This killing was different from the killing organized when the prediction was made that an Israelite will destroy Fir`awn‘s kingdom (Ibn Jarir, Zamakhshari, Ibn Kathir).

39. This indicates that although free to kill Musa, Fir`awn could not make up his mind either because he did not have the courage, apprehensive that it might bring the punishment Musa (asws) was promising, or, even if inclined towards doing away with Musa, he was being advised against it by the senior courtiers who could have warned him that killing Musa on the one hand will demonstrate the weakness of the governmental position, and, on the other, make an immediate hero of Musa, leading to the spread of faith (Au.).

Imam Razi suggests the possibility that his courtiers did not want Musa done away with, but rather, remain in Fir`awn’s concern and worries, in order to keep him busy, so that, they in turn may rest in peace from his evils. Courtiers often do this to divert the attention of the ruler from themselves to other, foreign enemies.

To the brilliant point above one might add that this is much too often practiced by Western nations. Whenever they fear internal disturbance and dissatisfaction over their rule, they divert the attention of the masses to a foreign supposed enemy (Au.).

40. Majid writes, “The popular religion of Egypt, at the time of Moses, was a gross form of polytheism. ‘The priests had invented, and maintained the outward polytheism and idolatry, as the only religion suitable to the mass of the people; they inculcated it, they administered its rites, they sanctioned its greatness, its licentiousness, its lowering and debasing materialism (Rawlinson, Moses: His Life and Times p. 39).”

41. A life based on devotion to Allah was, to them, a life of mischief, disorder and corruption (Ibn Jarir from the Salaf).

According to some other commentators, Fir`awn feared that if some people fell victim to Musa’s call, while the rest remained on the state religion, then, national unity would be endangered and the rulers will have a hard time directing the masses to a single goal which they had set up for them.

42. Our own Prophet sought Allah’s refuge when in fear. Abu Burdah reports that,“When the Prophet feared a people he would supplicate in words, ‘O Allah, we place You in front of their chests and seek Your refuge from their evils.’”

There is another hadith in slightly different words, as quoted by Ibn Kathir, but we gave preference to the version above, as in Abu Da’ud, since Haythami, Suyuti and `Iraqi (Fayd al-Qadir) declared it trustworthy (Au.).