Al-A'raf 7:123
The Heights · Juz 9 · Page 165
قَالَ فِرۡعَوۡنُ ءَامَنتُم بِهِۦ قَبۡلَ أَنۡ ءَاذَنَ لَكُمۡۖ إِنَّ هَٰذَا لَمَكۡرٞ مَّكَرۡتُمُوهُ فِي ٱلۡمَدِينَةِ لِتُخۡرِجُواْ مِنۡهَآ أَهۡلَهَاۖ فَسَوۡفَ تَعۡلَمُونَ ١٢٣
Said Pharaoh, "You believed in him1 before I gave you permission. Indeed, this is a conspiracy which you conspired in the city to expel therefrom its people. But you are going to know.
1 translator’s note
- i.e., in Moses, avoiding the mention of Allāh (subḥānahu wa taʿālā). ↩
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Ma'arif al-Qur'an
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Commentary on 7:123
The foregoing verses had a detailed account of the contest between the prophet Musa (علیہ السلام) and the sorcerers and that after their defeat the sorcerers declared their faith in Allah. Some historical reports say that subsequent to their declaration of faith in Allah, six hundred thousand more people followed suit and declared their belief in Allah. Before this open contest there were only two individuals believing in Allah. Now a great army of people became Muslims. It was, obviously an embarrassing situation for the Pharaoh. Like a clever politician he managed to conceal his state of mind before the people, and changed the situation by putting the blame of conspiracy and rebellion on the sorcerers. He claimed that they had joined hands with Musa (علیہ السلام) and Harun in order to create disorder in the country. Then he said to the sorcerers, “ You have believed in him before I permitted you." This was a threat to the sorcerers on the one hand, and on the other, he tried to convince his people that the sorcerers made a hasty decision in accepting their faith and fell prey to the trap of Musa (علیہ السلام) and Harun. Otherwise, he would have also believed in him in case Musa (علیہ السلام) and Harun proved truthful in their claim.
It was a clever design of Pharaoh. He tried to keep his people stay in their former ignorance and make people believe that the contest was pre-plotted between the prophet Musa (علیہ السلام) and the sorcerers. He cleverly twisted the fact that the miracle of Musa (علیہ السلام) and the open conversion of the sorcerers to the true Faith was purely to expose the ignorance and falsehood of the Pharaoh. He turned it into a political issue by saying, "So that you may expel its people from there." He wanted to make his people believe that they planned the whole matter to gain power over the country and expel the people from there.
Page 165
7:121
قَالُوٓاْ ءَامَنَّا بِرَبِّ ٱلۡعَٰلَمِينَ ١٢١
They said, "We have believed in the Lord of the worlds,
7:122
رَبِّ مُوسَىٰ وَهَٰرُونَ ١٢٢
The Lord of Moses and Aaron."
7:123
قَالَ فِرۡعَوۡنُ ءَامَنتُم بِهِۦ قَبۡلَ أَنۡ ءَاذَنَ لَكُمۡۖ إِنَّ هَٰذَا لَمَكۡرٞ مَّكَرۡتُمُوهُ فِي ٱلۡمَدِينَةِ لِتُخۡرِجُواْ مِنۡهَآ أَهۡلَهَاۖ فَسَوۡفَ تَعۡلَمُونَ ١٢٣
Said Pharaoh, "You believed in him1 before I gave you permission. Indeed, this is a conspiracy which you conspired in the city to expel therefrom its people. But you are going to know.
1 translator’s note
- i.e., in Moses, avoiding the mention of Allāh (subḥānahu wa taʿālā). ↩
7:124
لَأُقَطِّعَنَّ أَيۡدِيَكُمۡ وَأَرۡجُلَكُم مِّنۡ خِلَٰفٖ ثُمَّ لَأُصَلِّبَنَّكُمۡ أَجۡمَعِينَ ١٢٤
I will surely cut off your hands and your feet on opposite sides; then I will surely crucify you all."
7:125
قَالُوٓاْ إِنَّآ إِلَىٰ رَبِّنَا مُنقَلِبُونَ ١٢٥
They said, "Indeed, to our Lord we will return.
7:126
وَمَا تَنقِمُ مِنَّآ إِلَّآ أَنۡ ءَامَنَّا بِـَٔايَٰتِ رَبِّنَا لَمَّا جَآءَتۡنَاۚ رَبَّنَآ أَفۡرِغۡ عَلَيۡنَا صَبۡرٗا وَتَوَفَّنَا مُسۡلِمِينَ ١٢٦
And you do not resent us except because we believed in the signs of our Lord when they came to us. Our Lord, pour upon us patience1 and let us die as Muslims [in submission to You]."
1 translator’s note
- To endure the torture to which we will be subjected. ↩
7:127
وَقَالَ ٱلۡمَلَأُ مِن قَوۡمِ فِرۡعَوۡنَ أَتَذَرُ مُوسَىٰ وَقَوۡمَهُۥ لِيُفۡسِدُواْ فِي ٱلۡأَرۡضِ وَيَذَرَكَ وَءَالِهَتَكَۚ قَالَ سَنُقَتِّلُ أَبۡنَآءَهُمۡ وَنَسۡتَحۡيِۦ نِسَآءَهُمۡ وَإِنَّا فَوۡقَهُمۡ قَٰهِرُونَ ١٢٧
And the eminent among the people of Pharaoh said, "Will you leave Moses and his people to cause corruption in the land and abandon you and your gods?" [Pharaoh] said, "We will kill their sons and keep their women alive; and indeed, we are subjugators over them."
7:128
قَالَ مُوسَىٰ لِقَوۡمِهِ ٱسۡتَعِينُواْ بِٱللَّهِ وَٱصۡبِرُوٓاْۖ إِنَّ ٱلۡأَرۡضَ لِلَّهِ يُورِثُهَا مَن يَشَآءُ مِنۡ عِبَادِهِۦۖ وَٱلۡعَٰقِبَةُ لِلۡمُتَّقِينَ ١٢٨
Said Moses to his people, "Seek help through Allāh and be patient. Indeed, the earth belongs to Allāh. He causes to inherit it whom He wills of His servants. And the [best] outcome is for the righteous."
7:129
قَالُوٓاْ أُوذِينَا مِن قَبۡلِ أَن تَأۡتِيَنَا وَمِنۢ بَعۡدِ مَا جِئۡتَنَاۚ قَالَ عَسَىٰ رَبُّكُمۡ أَن يُهۡلِكَ عَدُوَّكُمۡ وَيَسۡتَخۡلِفَكُمۡ فِي ٱلۡأَرۡضِ فَيَنظُرَ كَيۡفَ تَعۡمَلُونَ ١٢٩
They said, "We have been harmed before you came to us and after you have come to us." He said, "Perhaps your Lord will destroy your enemy and grant you succession in the land and see how you will do."
7:130
وَلَقَدۡ أَخَذۡنَآ ءَالَ فِرۡعَوۡنَ بِٱلسِّنِينَ وَنَقۡصٖ مِّنَ ٱلثَّمَرَٰتِ لَعَلَّهُمۡ يَذَّكَّرُونَ ١٣٠
And We certainly seized1 the people of Pharaoh with years of famine and a deficiency in fruits that perhaps they would be reminded.
1 translator’s note
- Imposed on them by way of trial and warning. ↩