Surah 40. Ghafir

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Verses [Section]: 1-9[1], 10-20 [2], 21-27 [3], 28-37 [4], 38-50 [5], 51-60 [6], 61-68 [7], 69-78 [8], 79-85 [9]

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Quran Text of Verse 21-27اَوَ لَمْDo notیَسِیْرُوْاthey travelفِیinالْاَرْضِthe earthفَیَنْظُرُوْاand seeكَیْفَhowكَانَwasعَاقِبَةُ(the) endالَّذِیْنَ(of) those whoكَانُوْاwereمِنْbefore themقَبْلِهِمْ ؕbefore themكَانُوْاThey wereهُمْ[they]اَشَدَّsuperiorمِنْهُمْto themقُوَّةً(in) strengthوَّ اٰثَارًاand (in) impressionsفِیinالْاَرْضِthe landفَاَخَذَهُمُbut Allah seized themاللّٰهُbut Allah seized themبِذُنُوْبِهِمْ ؕfor their sinsوَ مَاand notكَانَwasلَهُمْfor themمِّنَagainstاللّٰهِAllahمِنْanyوَّاقٍ protector ذٰلِكَThatبِاَنَّهُمْ(was) because [they]كَانَتْused to come to themتَّاْتِیْهِمْused to come to themرُسُلُهُمْtheir Messengersبِالْبَیِّنٰتِwith clear proofsفَكَفَرُوْاbut they disbelievedفَاَخَذَهُمُSo Allah seized themاللّٰهُ ؕSo Allah seized themاِنَّهٗIndeed, Heقَوِیٌّ(is) All-Strongشَدِیْدُsevereالْعِقَابِ (in) punishment وَ لَقَدْAnd certainlyاَرْسَلْنَاWe sentمُوْسٰیMusaبِاٰیٰتِنَاwith Our Signsوَ سُلْطٰنٍand an authorityمُّبِیْنٍۙclear اِلٰیToفِرْعَوْنَFiraunوَ هَامٰنَHamanوَ قَارُوْنَand Qarunفَقَالُوْاbut they saidسٰحِرٌA magicianكَذَّابٌ a liar فَلَمَّاThen whenجَآءَهُمْhe brought to themبِالْحَقِّthe truthمِنْfromعِنْدِنَاUsقَالُواthey saidاقْتُلُوْۤاKillاَبْنَآءَ(the) sonsالَّذِیْنَ(of) those whoاٰمَنُوْاbelieveمَعَهٗwith himوَ اسْتَحْیُوْاand let liveنِسَآءَهُمْ ؕtheir womenوَ مَاAnd notكَیْدُ(is the) plotالْكٰفِرِیْنَ(of) the disbelieversاِلَّاbutفِیْinضَلٰلٍ error 40. Ghafir Page 470وَ قَالَAnd saidفِرْعَوْنُFiraunذَرُوْنِیْۤLeave meاَقْتُلْ(so that) I killمُوْسٰیMusaوَ لْیَدْعُand let him callرَبَّهٗ ۚhis LordاِنِّیْۤIndeed Iاَخَافُ[I] fearاَنْthatیُّبَدِّلَhe will changeدِیْنَكُمْyour religionاَوْorاَنْthatیُّظْهِرَhe may cause to appearفِیinالْاَرْضِthe landالْفَسَادَ the corruption وَ قَالَAnd saidمُوْسٰۤیMusaاِنِّیْIndeed Iعُذْتُ[I] seek refugeبِرَبِّیْin my Lordوَ رَبِّكُمْand your Lordمِّنْfromكُلِّeveryمُتَكَبِّرٍarrogant oneلَّاnotیُؤْمِنُwho believesبِیَوْمِ(in the) Dayالْحِسَابِ۠(of) the Account

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Translation of Verse 21-27

(40:21) Have they not journeyed in the land that they might observe the end of those who came before them? They were even greater in strength than they and left behind more splendid traces in the land. Then Allah seized them because of their sins and they had none who could protect them from Allah.

(40:22) They came to this end because their Messengers would come to them with Clear Signs³⁴ and yet they would refuse to believe. So Allah seized them. He is indeed Strong, Terrible in Retribution.

(40:23) Verily We sent Moses³⁵ with Our Signs and a clear authority³⁷

(40:24) to Pharaoh and Haman³⁶ and Korah. They said: “(He is) a sorcerer, an utter liar.”³⁸

(40:25) When Moses brought them the Truth from Us they said: “Kill the sons of all the believers who have joined him, but spare the women.”³⁹ The guile of the unbelievers always ends in vain.⁴⁰

(40:26) One day⁴¹ Pharaoh said: “Let me go and kill Moses;⁴² then let him invoke his Lord. I fear that he will change your religion or cause disruption in the land.”⁴³

(40:27) Moses said: “I have taken refuge with my Lord and your Lord from everyone who waxes arrogant and does not believe in the Day of Reckoning.”⁴⁴

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Commentary

34. Bayyinat signifies the following: (i) the clear, distinct signs which attest that the Messenger had been raised by God, (ii) the weighty arguments which prove that the teachings of those Messengers were utterly true; and (iii) the valuable guidance about various aspects of life that would convince every sensible person that a liar or selfish person could not have imparted such teachings as are so utterly true, morally so unblemished and superb.

35. For a detailed account of the Prophet Moses’ story, see al-Baqarah ‘ 2: 49-61 and 164, Towards Understanding the Qur’an, vol. I, pp. 73-7; al- | Ma‘idah 5: 20-6, vol. II, pp. 114-15 and p. 150; al-A’raf 7: 103-60, Yunus ’ 10: 75-93, Hud 11: 17, 90, 98 and 110; and Ibrahim 14: 5-13, vol. IV, pp. ; 54-64, 90, 131-2, 136, 147-50 and 254-8; Bani Isra’il 17: 101-4, al-Kahf 18: | 60-83, Maryam 19: 51-3, Ta Ha 20: 9-98, vol. V, pp. 77-80, 116-22, 163 and 182-222; al-Muminun 23: 45-9, vol. VI, pp. 100-1; al-Shu‘ara’ 26: 10-68, al-Naml 27: 7-14, and al-Qasas 28: 3-43, vol. VIL, pp. 55-74, 138-44 ' and 195-223; and al-Ahzab 33: 69 and al-Saffat 37: 114-22, vol. IX, pp. 108 and 309.

36. In other words, these distinct signs left no doubt that the Messengers had been deputed by God and that they had God’s power at their backs. A careful reading of the Qur’anic account of the Prophet Moses’ story makes it clear as to which signs clearly establish that He had been designated by God as His Messenger.

First of all, it was simply astounding that a person, who had fled a country a few years ago because he had killed someone, reappeared all of a sudden in Pharaoh’s court and boldly summoned the king and his courtiers to believe in God, thereby asking that they recognize him as the representative of God, the Lord of the universe, and that they follow his directives. Indeed, it was astonishing that on that occasion no one dared to seize Moses (peace be on him). This becomes all the more striking since the Prophet Moses (peace be on him) belonged to a community that was oppressed and was groaning under the yoke of slavery and subjugation. Had Moses been arrested on the charge of murder, presumably his community would not have even dared to protest, let alone rise in rebellion against it. It is evident, therefore, that even before they witnessed the miracles of the rod and the shining hand, the Egyptian courtiers were overawed by the Prophet Moses (peace be on him). In their very first encounter with Moses they realized that he was sponsored by someone truly mighty.

Furthermore, Moses presented one miracle after another, each clearly _ demonstrating that he was supported by God. This because mere magic cannot transform a rod into a serpent, nor can magic cause a famine to hit a whole country, nor can a vast country, spread over thousands of square miles, be hit by myriads of storms at a moment’s notice and again subside at a moment's notice. Therefore, the Qur’an states that Pharaoh and his courtiers, notwithstanding their verbal rejection of Moses, realized that he had been sent to them by God. (For further details, see al-A’raf 7: 107- f 117, Towards Understanding the Qur’an, vol. VIL, pp. 61-70 and p. 143; Ta &. Ha 20: 56-78, vol. V, pp. 196-207; al-Shu‘ara’ 26: 30-51 and al-Naml 27: 12, FE. vol. VIL, pp. 61-70 and 143, along with the relevant notes.)

37. Fora refutation of the opponents’ objections regarding Haman, see al-Qasas 28, n. 8, Towards Understanding the Qur’an, vol. VIL, pp. 197-8.

38. By showing a series of miracles, the Prophet Moses (peace be on him) conclusively established that he was God’s Messenger and by marshalling a range of weighty arguments he proved that he was on the right path.

39. Verse 127 of Surah al-A‘raf (Surah 6) mentions that Pharaoh’s courtiers had asked him how long he would allow Moses to spread mischief in the land. In reply Pharaoh had expressed the resolve to slay all Israeli male children and spare female children so as to thwart Moses’ mission. This verse makes it clear that this command was issued at Pharaoh's behest in order to terrorize Moses’ followers and supporters into abandoning him.

40. The actual words are: ‘The guile of the unbelievers always ends in vain’. These words can also mean that since all the vain tricks of the unbelievers were intended to promote injustice, iniquity, oppression and enmity to the truth, their adamant opposition grew even after the truth had become clear to them and after they had become convinced of it in their hearts. They went so far in their opposition that they spared no means, howsoever ignoble, to oppose the truth.

41. This marks the beginning of the Qur’an’s account of an important event in Israelite history, one that has been ignored by the Israelites themselves. Indeed, both the Bible and the Talmud make no reference to it. It is only the Qur’an that tells us how this incident took place during the course of the conflict between Pharaoh and the Prophet Moses (peace be on him).

Anyone who studies this Qur’anic account with an open mind is bound to recognize the story’s immense significance. It is not unlikely that, impressed by the Prophet Moses’ personality, his preaching and his amazing miracles, a member of Pharaoh’s court should have embraced the true faith. Furthermore, it is not inconceivable that he should have been unable to restrain himself after noting Pharaoh’s design to assassinate the Prophet Moses. However, blinded as the Orientalists are by their hostility to Islam, they throw dirt on the self-evident truths the Qur’an embodies and do so despite all their tall claims to objectivity. Take, for instance, the article on ‘Moses’ in the Encyclopedia of Islam, especially its following passage, which is a typical illustration of their attitude:

The Kur’anic story of a believer at the court of Pharaoh who wants to save Musa is not quite clear (xl. 29). Ought we to compare Jethro in the Haggada who advocates clemency at Pharaoh’s court? (Sota, 11°; Sanhedrin, 106? Ginzberg, v. 392, 21; v. 412, 101). (Bernhard Heller, ‘Musa’, in Martijin Theodoor Houtsma et al. eds., E. J. Brill’s First Encyclopedia of Islam 1913-1936 (Leiden-New York: E. J. Brill, 1987), vol. VI, pp. 738-9; quote at p. 739.)

The presumption of these Orientalists is that every Qur’anic account is decidedly unsound. Indeed, they dismiss almost every Qur’anic narrative as incredible or dubious. In the above instance, the suggestion is that the Prophet Muhammad (peace be on him) may somehow have come to know of something about Jethro, which he passed off in this Surah as the account of a believer in Pharaoh’s court. This is the level to which Western scholarship can stop in regard to Islam, the Qur’an and the Prophet (peace be on him)!

42. Pharaoh gives the impression that some people had prevented him from executing the Prophet Moses (peace be on him). However, there was no person who could have deterred him from going ahead. Rather, it was only his own fear that prevented him from fully taking on God’s Messenger.

43. Pharaoh expresses his fear that the Prophet Moses (peace be on him) was trying to bring about a revolution. Even if Moses were unable to do so, his activities were nonetheless imperiling public order in the country. Hence, in Pharaoh’s opinion, even before Moses was able to commit any crime that carried death penalty, Moses should be executed in order to ‘maintain public order.’ Pharaoh did not, however, put forward any evidence of any criminal act committed by the Prophet Moses (peace be on him). Instead his apprehensions alone were sufficient to put into effect his desire to punish Moses. Since he considered Moses a dangerous person, his head should be chopped off! At this point it is necessary to understand what Pharaoh meant when he accused Moses that he would ‘change your religion’ (verse 26). The word used in the verse that has been used is din which, in this context, denotes ‘the system of government’ that was then in vogue in Egypt. In other words, this meant that Pharaoh feared that Moses would subvert the Pharaonic dominance in Egypt. (See, Alusi, Ruh al-Ma‘ani, comments on Surah al-Mu’min 40: 25.) In other words, the religious, political, social and economic order then operating in Egypt represented the din of the country. Pharaoh feared that the Prophet Moses’ call to monotheism would lead to the overthrowing of that order.

Like all cunning rulers, Pharaoh did not charge the Prophet Moses (peace be on him) with acting in opposition to his political authority.

Rather, he projected Moses as a grave threat to public order in so far as the latter’s success would subvert their din, meaning thereby the established system of the land. He thus invoked the support of his subjects, urging them to rise against the Prophet Moses (peace be on him) whom he depicted as their enemy, the enemy of their state and community. At the same time, Pharaoh cleverly projected himself as someone who was not worried for his own sake. Rather, he really worried that his people would suffer immensely if he were removed from the scene. He, therefore, urged that they should exterminate Moses, the enemy of their country and their nation.

44. There are two equally plausible possibilities as regards what happened and there is no reason to prefer one over the other. One possibility is that the Prophet Moses (peace be on him) was present in court when Pharaoh expressed his intention to execute him and Moses then made these remarks while addressing Pharaoh and his courtiers.

The other possibility is that Pharaoh might have suggested the same in a private council of his chiefs in Moses’ absence and that the Prophet Moses (peace be on him) was subsequently informed by some believers of what Pharaoh had said in that meeting. Upon hearing this, Moses possibly made these remarks to his followers.

Whatever the case, it is clear that Pharaoh's threat did not cause Moses the least concern. Reposing his faith in God, the Prophet Moses (peace be on him) paid no heed to Pharaoh’s threat and threw it with impunity at his face. The same should be the Prophet Muhammad’s response to the unbelieving Makkans who, much like Pharaoh and his supporters, were actively engaged in efforts to assassinate him.