Exegesis of the saying of Allah the Exalted: (Pharaoh and Thamud)
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Exegesis of the saying of Allah the Exalted: (Pharaoh and Thamud)]
Allah the Exalted mentioned the story of Pharaoh in many verses of the Noble Qur'an and in multiple surahs. This is because the story of Pharaoh is a preamble to the message of Moses (peace be upon him). As is well known, Moses was sent to the Children of Israel. Allah, Glorified and Exalted, related to His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) from the news of Moses what He did not relate from the news of any other prophet. This is because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) was to migrate to Madinah, and in Madinah there were three tribes of Jews residing there. So the Prophet (peace be upon him) knew a great deal from their news, in order to be prepared to debate and argue with them using the truth, so that nothing of their matter would be hidden from him.
So Pharaoh: The king of Egypt, and is it a proper name for a person or a title for a description?Meaning: Is Pharaoh the name of the tyrant and stubborn one to whom Moses was sent? Or is it a description for every one who ruled Egypt while being a disbeliever?Some of the scholars say: It is a proper name for a person;Meaning: It is the one to whom Moses was sent, who was a tyrant and stubborn, and he is called Pharaoh.
And some of them said: It is a descriptive title for every one who ruled Egypt as a disbeliever,Just as it is said: Like Kisra for every one who ruled the land of the Persians, and Caesar for every one who ruled the land of the Romans, and the Najashi for every one who ruled Abyssinia, and the like of that.
The disagreement on this is not of much importance; but what is important is that the story of Pharaoh is well known; he was a tyrant, stubborn, and arrogant. He claimed to be the Lord, he mocked Moses and what he brought of signs, and he challenged him,And he said to him explicitly, face to face: [Al-Isra: 101] ,And he boasted and said to his people: [Al-Zukhruf: 51-53] .
And what was the result? The result was that the people most involved in his plot disbelieved in him, and they were the magicians. When the magicians gathered all the magic they had and came to meet Moses (peace be upon him), since Moses brought a sign that resembled magic; but it was not magic; rather, it was a sign from the signs of Allah. It was that he would place the staff in his hand—a staff made of wood—and when he placed it on the ground, it would become a living thing moving about,So the people said: This is magic, so all the magicians were gathered; the greatest of the magicians and the most skilled in magic were gathered at a time set by Moses,Where Pharaoh said to him: [Ta-Ha: 58] meaning: a level, open place so that the people could see what they see of magic and the works of the magicians,So he said to them: [Ta-Ha: 59] , and the Day of Adornment is their festival day. The day of the festival—as you know—is when the gathering of people increases, and they congratulate one another on the festival. So they gathered—as Moses promised them—on the Day of Adornment, and the people were assembled. When were they assembled? They were not assembled at night, or at the end of the day, or at the beginning of the day? Rather, they were assembled at midday, in the fourth hour of the day.
And when they were assembled, the magicians threw whatever plot and magic they had, [Ta-Ha: 66-67] ; because he saw something great, so Allah inspired him to throw the staff. He threw the staff, and behold, it swallowed up what they fabricated. At that time, the magicians knew that Moses was truthful and that he was not a magician; because if he had been a magician, he would not have overcome them with his magic. So they believed in Allah and disbelieved in Pharaoh, and [Al-A'raf: 121-122] , and they challenged Pharaoh.
And in the end, the end of Pharaoh was that Allah, Mighty and Majestic, drowned him with the water that he had boasted about yesterday,In His saying: [Al-Zukhruf: 51] ,And the rivers: the waters, so Allah destroyed him with the very thing he had boasted about.
As for Thamud: For Allah the Exalted had given them power and strength, and He enriched them, until they were carving houses out of the mountains in luxury, and making palaces out of the plains. They had power and severity. So they were destroyed when they denied their prophet Salih (peace be upon him). They were destroyed by a tremor and a shout. A shout was directed at them, and the earth trembled with them, so they perished to the last of them, [Hud: 67]—seeking refuge in Allah.
Allah the Mighty and Majestic says: [Al-Buruj: 17-18] , and what was of their news?And in this reminder, there are two benefits: The first benefit: the consolation of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) and his strengthening, and that the One who supported the messengers before him will support him. There is no doubt that this strengthens the resolve and necessitates that a person proceed in what he is tasked with of conveying the message.
And the second benefit: The warning of the Quraysh who denied the Messenger (peace be upon him), and that they are not stronger in power than Pharaoh and Thamud, and yet Allah, Glorified and Exalted, destroyed them.
Allah the Exalted mentioned the story of Pharaoh in many verses of the Noble Qur'an and in multiple surahs. This is because the story of Pharaoh is a preamble to the message of Moses (peace be upon him). As is well known, Moses was sent to the Children of Israel. Allah, Glorified and Exalted, related to His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) from the news of Moses what He did not relate from the news of any other prophet. This is because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) was to migrate to Madinah, and in Madinah there were three tribes of Jews residing there. So the Prophet (peace be upon him) knew a great deal from their news, in order to be prepared to debate and argue with them using the truth, so that nothing of their matter would be hidden from him.
So Pharaoh: The king of Egypt, and is it a proper name for a person or a title for a description?Meaning: Is Pharaoh the name of the tyrant and stubborn one to whom Moses was sent? Or is it a description for every one who ruled Egypt while being a disbeliever?Some of the scholars say: It is a proper name for a person;Meaning: It is the one to whom Moses was sent, who was a tyrant and stubborn, and he is called Pharaoh.
And some of them said: It is a descriptive title for every one who ruled Egypt as a disbeliever,Just as it is said: Like Kisra for every one who ruled the land of the Persians, and Caesar for every one who ruled the land of the Romans, and the Najashi for every one who ruled Abyssinia, and the like of that.
The disagreement on this is not of much importance; but what is important is that the story of Pharaoh is well known; he was a tyrant, stubborn, and arrogant. He claimed to be the Lord, he mocked Moses and what he brought of signs, and he challenged him,And he said to him explicitly, face to face:
Indeed I think, O Moses, that you are affected by magic."
إِنِّي لَأَظُنُّكَ يَا مُوسَى مَسْحُوراًdoes not the kingdom of Egypt belong to me, and these rivers flowing beneath me; then do you not see? (52) Or am I [not] better than this one who is insignificant and hardly makes himself clear? (53) Then why have there not been placed upon him bracelets of gold or come with him the angels in conjunction?"
أَلَيْسَ لِي مُلْكُ مِصْرَ وَهَذِهِ الأَنْهَارُ تَجْرِي مِنْ تَحْتِي أَفَلا تُبْصِرُونَ * أَمْ أَنَا خَيْرٌ مِنْ هَذَا الَّذِي هُوَ مَهِينٌ وَلا يَكَادُ يُبِينُ * فَلَوْلا أُلْقِيَ عَلَيْهِ أَسْوِرَةٌ مِنْ ذَهَبٍ أَوْ جَاءَ مَعَهُ الْمَلائِكَةُ مُقْتَرِنِينَAnd what was the result? The result was that the people most involved in his plot disbelieved in him, and they were the magicians. When the magicians gathered all the magic they had and came to meet Moses (peace be upon him), since Moses brought a sign that resembled magic; but it was not magic; rather, it was a sign from the signs of Allah. It was that he would place the staff in his hand—a staff made of wood—and when he placed it on the ground, it would become a living thing moving about,So the people said: This is magic, so all the magicians were gathered; the greatest of the magicians and the most skilled in magic were gathered at a time set by Moses,Where Pharaoh said to him:
so make between us and you an appointment, which we will not fail to keep and neither will you, in a place assigned."
فَاجْعَلْ بَيْنَنَا وَبَيْنَكَ مَوْعِداً لا نُخْلِفُهُ نَحْنُ وَلا أَنْتَ مَكَاناً سُوَىًYour appointment is on the day of the festival
مَوْعِدُكُمْ يَوْمُ الزِّينَةِAnd when they were assembled, the magicians threw whatever plot and magic they had,
And suddenly their ropes and staffs seemed to him from their magic that they were moving [like snakes]. (67) And he sensed within himself apprehension, did Moses.
فَإِذَا حِبَالُهُمْ وَعِصِيُّهُمْ يُخَيَّلُ إِلَيْهِ مِنْ سِحْرِهِمْ أَنَّهَا تَسْعَى * فَأَوْجَسَ فِي نَفْسِهِ خِيفَةً مُوسَى(121) They said, "We have believed in the Lord of the worlds, (122) The Lord of Moses and Aaron."
قَالُوا آمَنَّا بِرَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ * رَبِّ مُوسَى وَهَارُونَAnd in the end, the end of Pharaoh was that Allah, Mighty and Majestic, drowned him with the water that he had boasted about yesterday,In His saying:
and these rivers flowing beneath me
وَهَذِهِ الأَنْهَارُ تَجْرِي مِنْ تَحْتِيAs for Thamud: For Allah the Exalted had given them power and strength, and He enriched them, until they were carving houses out of the mountains in luxury, and making palaces out of the plains. They had power and severity. So they were destroyed when they denied their prophet Salih (peace be upon him). They were destroyed by a tremor and a shout. A shout was directed at them, and the earth trembled with them, so they perished to the last of them,
and they became within their homes [corpses] fallen prone
فَأَصْبَحُوا فِي دِيَارِهِمْ جَاثِمِينَAllah the Mighty and Majestic says:
(17) Has there reached you the story of the soldiers - (18) [Those of] Pharaoh and Thamud?
هَلْ أَتَاكَ حَدِيثُ الْجُنُودِ * فِرْعَوْنَ وَثَمُودَAnd the second benefit: The warning of the Quraysh who denied the Messenger (peace be upon him), and that they are not stronger in power than Pharaoh and Thamud, and yet Allah, Glorified and Exalted, destroyed them.