Surah 7. Al-A'raf

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Verses [Section]: 1-10[1], 11-25 [2], 26-31 [3], 32-39 [4], 40-47 [5], 48-53 [6], 54-58 [7], 59-64 [8], 65-72 [9], 73-84 [10], 85-93 [11], 94-99 [12], 100-108 [13], 109-126 [14], 127-129 [15], 130-141 [16], 142-147 [17], 148-151 [18], 152-157 [19], 158-162 [20], 163-171 [21], 172-181 [22], 182-188 [23], 189-206 [24]

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Quran Text of Verse 127-129وَ قَالَAnd saidالْمَلَاُthe chiefsمِنْofقَوْمِ(the) peopleفِرْعَوْنَ(of) FiraunاَتَذَرُWill you leaveمُوْسٰیMusaوَ قَوْمَهٗand his peopleلِیُفْسِدُوْاso that they cause corruptionفِیinالْاَرْضِthe earthوَ یَذَرَكَand forsake youوَ اٰلِهَتَكَ ؕand your godsقَالَHe saidسَنُقَتِّلُWe will killاَبْنَآءَهُمْtheir sonsوَ نَسْتَحْیٖand we will let liveنِسَآءَهُمْ ۚtheir womenوَ اِنَّاand indeed weفَوْقَهُمْover themقٰهِرُوْنَ (are) subjugators قَالَSaidمُوْسٰیMusaلِقَوْمِهِto his peopleاسْتَعِیْنُوْاSeek helpبِاللّٰهِfrom Allahوَ اصْبِرُوْا ۚand be patientاِنَّIndeedالْاَرْضَthe earthلِلّٰهِ ۙ۫(belongs) to AllahیُوْرِثُهَاHe causes to inherit itمَنْwhomیَّشَآءُHe willsمِنْofعِبَادِهٖ ؕHis servantsوَ الْعَاقِبَةُAnd the endلِلْمُتَّقِیْنَ (is) for the righteous قَالُوْۤاThey saidاُوْذِیْنَاWe have been harmedمِنْfromقَبْلِbeforeاَنْ[that]تَاْتِیَنَاyou came to usوَ مِنْۢfromبَعْدِand afterمَا[what]جِئْتَنَا ؕyou have come to usقَالَHe saidعَسٰیPerhapsرَبُّكُمْyour Lordاَنْ[that]یُّهْلِكَwill destroyعَدُوَّكُمْyour enemyوَ یَسْتَخْلِفَكُمْand make you successorsفِیinالْاَرْضِthe earthفَیَنْظُرَthen seeكَیْفَhowتَعْمَلُوْنَ۠you will do

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Translation of Verse 127-129

(7:127) Said the chiefs of the people of Fir`awn, ‘Will you let Musa and his people spread mischief in the land and abandon you and your deities?'¹⁷⁶ He replied, ‘We shall slaughter their sons and let live their women. Surely, we have irresistible power over them.'

(7:128) Musa consoled his people, ‘Seek Allah's help and be patient. The land belongs to Allah. He bestows it as heritage on whom He will of His slaves. But the ultimate end belongs to the righteous.'

(7:129) They said, ‘We have been persecuted both before and after you came to us!' He replied, ‘Maybe your Lord will destroy your enemy and grant you succession in the land to see how you will conduct yourselves.'¹⁷⁷

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Commentary

176. Of the textual word "aalihatak," another reading, as reported of Ibn `Abbas and Mujahid, has been "ilahatak" meaning "your divinity." But others have said that the original word is, as it is now in the text meaning "your deities," since Fir`awn had his own deity whom he worshipped apart from a few he had ordered his subjects to worship such as, e.g., the cow, the heifer, and a pearl that hung by his neck to which they had to bow down (Ibn Jarir, Ibn Kathir). Hence, add Zamakhshari, Razi and Qurtubi, Fir`awn's words elsewhere: "I am your highest Lord," implying that lesser gods received his sanction.

It is not imaginable too, adds Razi, that an intelligent person like Fir`awn should have said the words, "I am your highest Lord" in the sense of "I am your Lord God." Rather, he would have meant to claim that he was the sustainer of the world of his subjects, and, consequently, sanctioned the worship of a few other deities besides himself.

177. As understood by Ibn `Abbas, Mujahid and `Ikrimah, this verse takes us right to the end of the episode involving Fir`awn and the Israelites: that is, at the shores where the Israelites had the sea before them and Fir`awn and his army at the horizon. They cried out, "Musa, we have been tortured both before and after you came to us." Musa re assured them that Allah will find a way out of the situation, destroy Fir`awn and his army, and give them the land in inheritance to see how they would behave in their turn. So that, with the next verse another phase of the episode is being narrated, although not in the order a common reader might expect (based on Ibn Jarir).

Yusuf Ali adds: "There is a slight note of quarrelsomeness in the people's answer. But Moses allays it by his own example and courage, and his vision of the future."

Zamakhshari writes that once `Amr b. `Ubayd happened to visit Mansur. He was having dinner with a bread or two in front of him. He invited ibn `Ubayd to join in and asked for some more bread to be brought. But they could not find any in the house. It so happened later that ibn `Ubayd once again visited Mansur when he had become an (Abbasi) Caliph. Ibn `Ubayd recited this verse: "... to see how you will act."