بِسۡمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ
Ash-Shu'ara 26:13
The Poets · Juz 19 · Page 367
وَيَضِيقُ صَدۡرِي وَلَا يَنطَلِقُ لِسَانِي فَأَرۡسِلۡ إِلَىٰ هَٰرُونَ ١٣
And that my breast will tighten and my tongue will not be fluent, so send for Aaron.
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Ma'arif al-Qur'an
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Commentary on 26:12–16
Commentary
Request for favourable conditions for obedience is not tantamount to making excuses
قَالَ رَبِّ إِنِّي أَخَافُ أَن يُكَذِّبُونِ ﴿12﴾ وَيَضِيقُ صَدْرِي وَلَا يَنطَلِقُ لِسَانِي فَأَرْسِلْ إِلَىٰ هَارُونَ ﴿13﴾ وَلَهُمْ عَلَيَّ ذَنبٌ فَأَخَافُ أَن يَقْتُلُونِ ﴿14﴾
He (Musa) said, "My Lord, I fear they will belie me. [ 12] And my heart gets straitened and my tongue is not fluent; so send for Harun. [ 13] And they have a charge of offence against me and I fear they will kill me;" [ 14]
This verse indicates that Sayyidna Musa (علیہ السلام) requested Allah to provide him with some resources to help them in carrying out his mission. It leads to the principle that so far as the objective is to obey Allah's command, praying for some helping resources cannot be regarded as seeking ruses and excuses to escape from the required act. The request of Sayyidna Musa علیہ السلام was only to facilitate the implementation of Allah's command which is quite lawful.
The meaning of the word dalal used for Sayyidna Musa (علیہ السلام)
قَالَ فَعَلْتُهَا إِذًا وَأَنَا مِنَ الضَّالِّينَ
He said, "I did that at that time when I was one of the unaware people. (26:20)
This was the answer of Musa (علیہ السلام) to the objection of the Pharaoh that Musa (علیہ السلام) had killed an Egyptian. The gist of the answer is that it was not a deliberate murder; in fact the Egyptian was killed by mistake, because Musa (علیہ السلام) had only struck him with a blow which, by accident, caused his death. The word used, by the present verse, for this mistake is derived from ضَلَال (dalal) which is commonly used for intentional error. But the word is also used for 'unawareness' (which includes unintentional mistakes) It is this meaning that is intended here. This interpretation is supported by Qatdah and Ibn Zaid رحمۃ اللہ علیہم .
It is impossible for man to comprehend fully the entity and reality of the magnificence of Allah Ta’ ala
قَالَ فِرْعَوْنُ وَمَا رَبُّ الْعَالَمِينَ
Pharaoh said, "And what is the Lord of the worlds?" (26:23)
This verse proves that it is not possible to know the exact reality of Allah's Being. Since the Pharaoh had asked a question regarding Allah Ta’ ala's intrinsic-self and reality, Sayyidna Musa (علیہ السلام) instead of giving a direct answer to his query, described the attributes of Allah Ta’ ala in reply. He hinted in his reply that it is not possible for a man to perceive the essence and reality of Allah Ta’ ala. Hence, it was a futile question. (Ruh)
Page 367
سورة الشعراء
Ash-Shu'ara
The Poets · Meccan · 227 ayahs
بِسۡمِ ٱللَّهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ
26:1
طسٓمٓ ١
Ṭā, Seen, Meem.1
1 translator’s note
- See footnote to 2:1. ↩
26:2
تِلۡكَ ءَايَٰتُ ٱلۡكِتَٰبِ ٱلۡمُبِينِ ٢
These are the verses of the clear Book.
26:3
لَعَلَّكَ بَٰخِعٞ نَّفۡسَكَ أَلَّا يَكُونُواْ مُؤۡمِنِينَ ٣
Perhaps, [O Muḥammad], you would kill yourself with grief that they will not be believers.
26:4
إِن نَّشَأۡ نُنَزِّلۡ عَلَيۡهِم مِّنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ ءَايَةٗ فَظَلَّتۡ أَعۡنَٰقُهُمۡ لَهَا خَٰضِعِينَ ٤
If We willed, We could send down to them from the sky a sign for which their necks would remain humbled.1
1 translator’s note
- i.e., they would be compelled to believe. ↩
26:5
وَمَا يَأۡتِيهِم مِّن ذِكۡرٖ مِّنَ ٱلرَّحۡمَٰنِ مُحۡدَثٍ إِلَّا كَانُواْ عَنۡهُ مُعۡرِضِينَ ٥
And no mention [i.e., revelation] comes to them anew from the Most Merciful except that they turn away from it.
26:6
فَقَدۡ كَذَّبُواْ فَسَيَأۡتِيهِمۡ أَنۢبَٰٓؤُاْ مَا كَانُواْ بِهِۦ يَسۡتَهۡزِءُونَ ٦
For they have already denied, but there will come to them the news of that which they used to ridicule.
26:7
أَوَلَمۡ يَرَوۡاْ إِلَى ٱلۡأَرۡضِ كَمۡ أَنۢبَتۡنَا فِيهَا مِن كُلِّ زَوۡجٖ كَرِيمٍ ٧
Did they not look at the earth - how much We have produced therein from every noble kind?
26:8
إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لَأٓيَةٗۖ وَمَا كَانَ أَكۡثَرُهُم مُّؤۡمِنِينَ ٨
Indeed in that is a sign, but most of them were not to be believers.
26:9
وَإِنَّ رَبَّكَ لَهُوَ ٱلۡعَزِيزُ ٱلرَّحِيمُ ٩
And indeed, your Lord - He is the Exalted in Might, the Merciful.
26:10
وَإِذۡ نَادَىٰ رَبُّكَ مُوسَىٰٓ أَنِ ٱئۡتِ ٱلۡقَوۡمَ ٱلظَّٰلِمِينَ ١٠
And [mention] when your Lord called Moses, [saying], "Go to the wrongdoing people -
26:11
قَوۡمَ فِرۡعَوۡنَۚ أَلَا يَتَّقُونَ ١١
The people of Pharaoh. Will they not fear Allāh?"
26:12
قَالَ رَبِّ إِنِّيٓ أَخَافُ أَن يُكَذِّبُونِ ١٢
He said, "My Lord, indeed I fear that they will deny me
26:13
وَيَضِيقُ صَدۡرِي وَلَا يَنطَلِقُ لِسَانِي فَأَرۡسِلۡ إِلَىٰ هَٰرُونَ ١٣
And that my breast will tighten and my tongue will not be fluent, so send for Aaron.
26:14
وَلَهُمۡ عَلَيَّ ذَنۢبٞ فَأَخَافُ أَن يَقۡتُلُونِ ١٤
And they have upon me a [claim due to] sin, so I fear that they will kill me."
26:15
قَالَ كـَلَّاۖ فَٱذۡهَبَا بِـَٔايَٰتِنَآۖ إِنَّا مَعَكُم مُّسۡتَمِعُونَ ١٥
[Allāh] said, "No. Go both of you with Our signs; indeed, We are with you, listening.
26:16
فَأۡتِيَا فِرۡعَوۡنَ فَقُولَآ إِنَّا رَسُولُ رَبِّ ٱلۡعَٰلَمِينَ ١٦
Go to Pharaoh and say, 'We are the messengers1 of the Lord of the worlds,
1 translator’s note
- The singular form in Arabic indicates that both were sent with a single message. ↩
26:17
أَنۡ أَرۡسِلۡ مَعَنَا بَنِيٓ إِسۡرَٰٓءِيلَ ١٧
[Commanded to say], "Send with us the Children of Israel."'"
26:18
قَالَ أَلَمۡ نُرَبِّكَ فِينَا وَلِيدٗا وَلَبِثۡتَ فِينَا مِنۡ عُمُرِكَ سِنِينَ ١٨
[Pharaoh] said, "Did we not raise you among us as a child, and you remained among us for years of your life?
26:19
وَفَعَلۡتَ فَعۡلَتَكَ ٱلَّتِي فَعَلۡتَ وَأَنتَ مِنَ ٱلۡكَٰفِرِينَ ١٩
And [then] you did your deed which you did,1 and you were of the ungrateful."
1 translator’s note
- i.e., striking the Copt, who died as a result. ↩