• The exhortation by the Believer from among the people of Moses who concealed his faith

• The open defiance of Pharaoh

Al-Ghafir (Al-Mu’min) Verses 28 – 37

وَقَالَ رَجُلٌ مُؤْمِنٌ مِنْ آلِ فِرْعَوْنَ يَكْتُمُ إِيمَانَهُ أَتَقْتُلُونَ رَجُلًا أَنْ يَقُولَ رَبِّيَ اللَّهُ وَقَدْ جَاءَكُمْ بِالْبَيِّنَاتِ مِنْ رَبِّكُمْ وَإِنْ يَكُ كَاذِبًا فَعَلَيْهِ كَذِبُهُ وَإِنْ يَكُ صَادِقًا يُصِبْكُمْ بَعْضُ الَّذِي يَعِدُكُمْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يَهْدِي مَنْ هُوَ مُسْرِفٌ كَذَّابٌ

And said a man who was a Believer, from among the people of Pharaoh: who used to conceal1his faith: “What! slay ye a man for sayeth he ‘My Lord is God,’ and indeed he hath brought unto you clear proofs (of his mission) from your Lord? While if he be a liar, on him will be his lie, and if he be truthful, then will afflict you some of what he warneth you (with); Verily, God guideth not him who is extravagant (and) a liar” (40:28)2

يَا قَوْمِ لَكُمُ الْمُلْكُ الْيَوْمَ ظَاهِرِينَ فِي الْأَرْضِ فَمَنْ يَنْصُرُنَا مِنْ بَأْسِ اللَّهِ إِنْ جَاءَنَا قَالَ فِرْعَوْنُ مَا أُرِيكُمْ إِلَّا مَا أَرَىٰ وَمَا أَهْدِيكُمْ إِلَّا سَبِيلَ الرَّشَادِ

“O’ my people! Yours is the kingdom this day, being prevailing in the land, but who will help us against the wrath of God if it cometh upon us?” Pharaoh said: “I show you not aught but what I (myself) see, and I guide you not but in a right way.” (40:29)

وَقَالَ الَّذِي آمَنَ يَا قَوْمِ إِنِّي أَخَافُ عَلَيْكُمْ مِثْلَ يَوْمِ الْأَحْزَابِ

And said he who believed: “O’ my people! verily, I fear, (that it may fall) on you the like of that3(what befell) the parties,” (40:30)

مِثْلَ دَأْبِ قَوْمِ نُوحٍ وَعَادٍ وَثَمُودَ وَالَّذِينَ مِنْ بَعْدِهِمْ وَمَا اللَّهُ يُرِيدُ ظُلْمًا لِلْعِبَادِ

“The like of that (what befell) the people of Noah and ’Ad and Thamud and those (who came) after them; and God intendeth not injustice unto (His) servants” (40:31)

وَيَا قَوْمِ إِنِّي أَخَافُ عَلَيْكُمْ يَوْمَ التَّنَادِ

“And O’ my people! I fear for you the Day of Calling out (each other)”4(40:32)

يَوْمَ تُوَلُّونَ مُدْبِرِينَ مَا لَكُمْ مِنَ اللَّهِ مِنْ عَاصِمٍ وَمَنْ يُضْلِلِ اللَّهُ فَمَا لَهُ مِنْ هَادٍ

“The Day on which ye shall be turned back (from the Judgment unto the Hell), (when) for you there shall not be any saviour from (the wrath of) God; and whomsoever God alloweth to stray, for him shall not be any guide,” (40:33)

وَلَقَدْ جَاءَكُمْ يُوسُفُ مِنْ قَبْلُ بِالْبَيِّنَاتِ فَمَا زِلْتُمْ فِي شَكٍّ مِمَّا جَاءَكُمْ بِهِ حَتَّىٰ إِذَا هَلَكَ قُلْتُمْ لَنْ يَبْعَثَ اللَّهُ مِنْ بَعْدِهِ رَسُولًا كَذَٰلِكَ يُضِلُّ اللَّهُ مَنْ هُوَ مُسْرِفٌ مُرْتَابٌ

And indeed came unto you Yusuf before, with clear proofs (of his mission), but ye ever doubted about what he brought; until when he died ye said: ‘Never will God raise any apostle after him;’ Thus doth God allow him to stray, who is an extravagant, a doubter. (40:34)5

الَّذِينَ يُجَادِلُونَ فِي آيَاتِ اللَّهِ بِغَيْرِ سُلْطَانٍ أَتَاهُمْ كَبُرَ مَقْتًا عِنْدَ اللَّهِ وَعِنْدَ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا كَذَٰلِكَ يَطْبَعُ اللَّهُ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ قَلْبِ مُتَكَبِّرٍ جَبَّارٍ

Those who dispute about the Signs of God without any authority having come unto them; are greatly hated by God and by those who believe; Thus God setteth a seal over every heart which is arrogant and haughty. (40:35)

وَقَالَ فِرْعَوْنُ يَا هَامَانُ ابْنِ لِي صَرْحًا لَعَلِّي أَبْلُغُ الْأَسْبَابَ

And said Pharaoh: “O’ Haman! Build thou for me a tower that I may reach the means of access, (40:36)

أَسْبَابَ السَّمَاوَاتِ فَأَطَّلِعَ إِلَىٰ إِلَٰهِ مُوسَىٰ وَإِنِّي لَأَظُنُّهُ كَاذِبًا وَكَذَٰلِكَ زُيِّنَ لِفِرْعَوْنَ سُوءُ عَمَلِهِ وَصُدَّ عَنِ السَّبِيلِ وَمَا كَيْدُ فِرْعَوْنَ إِلَّا فِي تَبَابٍ

The means of access unto heavens, so that I (may) mount up to reach unto God of Moses, and verily I think him6to be a liar;” and thus was made fair-seeming unto Pharaoh the evil of his deed and he was turned away from the (right) way; and the plot7of Pharaoh was not but (to end) into (his own) ruin. (40:37)8

Commentary

Verse 29

Pointing out the mastery of the earth by the people, as transitory. The same tone used by the modern despots. (A.P.)

Verse 34

It asserts that Yusuf was an apostle to the Egyptians who after assuming the administration of Egypt9 introduced many reforms in the public interest which the ruling class after him did not like and in order to stop further apostolic interference in their despotic rule, they said that no prophet shall come after him. (A.P.).

Verse 37

The same is the attitude of some of the materialists of modern days - mocking at the believers in God saying that they could not find in the experiments in their laboratories nor in their flights in the outer space any trace of such entity to be called God. And the communists on this and other similar arguments base the article of their organisation, i.e., the Denial of the Existence of God10. (A.P.).

• 1. This is ‘Taqiyah’ which is hiding the faith in heart & professing something otherwise, to save life and life-interest. Whereas hypocrisy is the reverse - i.e., to be a disbeliever or an infidel at heart & to profess faith mere verbally.
• 2. Refer to verse 28:20.
• 3. In the same manner.
• 4. May refer to verse 7:44-46 & 48:50.
• 5. Refer to note on verses 11:54-56.
• 6. Moses.
• 7. Device – scheme – plan.
• 8. Refer to verses 28:38.
• 9. See verse 11:54-56.
• 10. See verse 28:38.