Al-A'raf 7:129
The Heights · Juz 9 · Page 165
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."
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Commentary on 7:127–129
Fir`awn vows to kill the Children of Israel, Who complain to Musa; Allah promises Them Victory
Allah mentions the conspiracy of Fir`awn and his people, their ill intentions and their hatred for Musa and his people.
وَقَالَ الْمَلأ مِن قَوْمِ فِرْعَونَ
(The chiefs of Fir`awn's people said), to Fir`awn,
أَتَذَرُ مُوسَى وَقَوْمَهُ
("Will you leave Musa and his people"), will you let them be free,
لِيُفْسِدُواْ فِى الاٌّرْضِ
("to spread mischief in the land"), spreading unrest among your subjects and calling them to worship their Lord instead of you Amazingly, these people were worried that Musa and his people would cause mischief! Rather, Fir`awn and his people are the mischief-makers, but they did not realize it. They said,
وَيَذَرَكَ وَءالِهَتَكَ
("and to abandon you and your gods") `Your gods', according to Ibn `Abbas, as As-Suddi narrated from him, "Were cows. Whenever they saw a beautiful cow, Fir`awn would command them to worship it. This is why As-Samiri, made the statue of a calf that seemed to moo for the Children of Israel." Fir`awn accepted his people's recommendation, saying,
سَنُقَتِّلُ أَبْنَآءَهُمْ وَنَسْتَحْيِى نِسَآءَهُمْ
("We will kill their sons, and let their women live") thus reiterating his previous order concerning the Children of Israel. He had tormented them killing every newly born male before Musa was born, so that Musa would not live. However, the opposite of what Fir`awn sought and intended occurred. The same end struck Fir`awn that he intended to subjugate and humiliate the Children of Israel with. Allah gave victory to the Children of Israel, humiliated and disgraced Fir`awn, and caused him to drown along with his soldiers. When Fir`awn insisted on his evil plot against the Children of Israel,
قَالَ مُوسَى لِقَوْمِهِ اسْتَعِينُواْ بِاللَّهِ وَاصْبِرُواْ
(Musa said to his people: "Seek help in Allah and be patient") and promised them that the good end will be theirs and that they will prevail, saying,
إِنَّ الأَرْضَ للَّهِ يُورِثُهَا مَن يَشَآءُ مِنْ عِبَادِهِ وَالْعَقِبَةُ لِلْمُتَّقِينَ
قَالُواْ أُوذِينَا مِن قَبْلِ أَن تَأْتِيَنَا وَمِن بَعْدِ مَا جِئْتَنَا
("Verily, the earth is Allah's. He gives it as a heritage to whom He wills of His servants; and the (blessed) end is for the pious and righteous persons." They said: "We suffered troubles before you came to us, and since you have come to us.") The Children of Israel replied to Musa, `they (Fir`awn and his people) inflicted humiliation and disgrace on us, some you witnessed, both before and after you came to us, O Musa'! Musa replied, reminding them of their present situation and how it will change in the future,
عَسَى رَبُّكُمْ أَن يُهْلِكَ عَدُوَّكُمْ
("It may be that your Lord will destroy your enemy. ..") encouraging them to appreciate Allah when the afflictions are removed and replaced by a bounty.
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. ↩
Translation: Saheeh International · Text and layout: Quran Foundation · Mushaf fonts: King Fahd Complex, provided by Quran Foundation · Privacy