Exegesis of the saying of Allah the Exalted: “And Pharaoh said, ‘O Haman, build for me a tower that I may reach the ways’”
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The Shaykh : I seek refuge in Allah from the accursed Shaytan: Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He, said in the story of Musa with Pharaoh: [Ghafir 40:36] Pharaoh is the king of Egypt. It was said that it is the name of a person, or that it is a proper noun for a person, and it was said that it is a generic term. If we say it is a proper noun for a person, it becomes the name of a specific individual, and if we say it is a generic term, it becomes the name of every disbeliever who ruled Egypt. This is the view of the majority, but Pharaoh of Musa was both a proper noun for a person and a generic term.
[Ghafir 40:36] Haman was his minister. And His saying: [Ghafir 40:36] means “command someone to build that for me,” because it is known that the minister will not personally build the tower. The exegete said: “a high structure” meaning a tall one.
[Ghafir 40:36] Here, “perhaps” (la‘alla) is for the purpose of stating a cause. It is used sometimes for stating a cause, sometimes for expressing fear, and sometimes for expressing hope.
An example of its use for stating a cause is this verse and His saying, the Exalted:[Yusuf 12:2] This is for stating a cause. Whenever “perhaps” (la‘alla) is used in reference to Allah, Mighty and Majestic, it is for stating a cause, because the Lord, Mighty and Majestic, is not one to be hoped for in the sense of uncertainty, since everything is easy for Him.
It is used for expressing fear, for example, when you say: “Perhaps the beloved is dying,” meaning I fear that he is dying.
It is used for expressing hope, for example: “I attended the lesson, so perhaps I will understand.” If you say “perhaps I will understand,” it could be for stating a cause, but if you say “so I will understand,” it becomes for expressing hope.
It is also used for expectation, as if you say to a person you are addressing: “Perhaps you understand.” These are the meanings that apply to particles, and also to nouns and verbs when they have multiple meanings; the context and the circumstances determine which meaning is intended.
And Pharaoh said, "O Haman, construct for me a tower that I might reach the ways -
وقال فرعون يا هامان ابن لي صرحا لعلي أبلغ الأسبابAnd Pharaoh said, "O Haman, construct for me a tower
وقال فرعون يا هامان ابن لي صرحاconstruct for me a tower
ابن لي صرحاa tower
صرحاthat I might reach the ways -
لعلي أبلغ الأسبابAn example of its use for stating a cause is this verse and His saying, the Exalted:
Indeed, We have sent it down as an Arabic Qur'an that you might understand.
إنا أنزلناه قرآنا عربيا لعلكم تعقلونIt is used for expressing fear, for example, when you say: “Perhaps the beloved is dying,” meaning I fear that he is dying.
It is used for expressing hope, for example: “I attended the lesson, so perhaps I will understand.” If you say “perhaps I will understand,” it could be for stating a cause, but if you say “so I will understand,” it becomes for expressing hope.
It is also used for expectation, as if you say to a person you are addressing: “Perhaps you understand.” These are the meanings that apply to particles, and also to nouns and verbs when they have multiple meanings; the context and the circumstances determine which meaning is intended.