Ma'arif al-Qur'an · Tafsir · in English
Az-Zukhruf 43:52–54
43:52–53Page 493
أَمۡ أَنَا۠ خَيۡرٞ مِّنۡ هَٰذَا ٱلَّذِي هُوَ مَهِينٞ وَلَا يَكَادُ يُبِينُ ٥٢
Or am I [not] better than this one [i.e., Moses] who is insignificant and hardly makes himself clear?1
فَلَوۡلَآ أُلۡقِيَ عَلَيۡهِ أَسۡوِرَةٞ مِّن ذَهَبٍ أَوۡ جَآءَ مَعَهُ ٱلۡمَلَٰٓئِكَةُ مُقۡتَرِنِينَ ٥٣
Then why have there not been placed upon him bracelets of gold or come with him the angels in conjunction?"
وَلَا يَكَادُ يُبِينُ (and can hardly express himself - 43:52). Although as a result of his own supplication, the stammering of Sayyidna Musa (علیہ السلام) had been removed by Allah Ta` ala, Fir'aun remembered his previous state only, and hence this aspersion. And it is possible also that by saying this, Fir'aun did not mean stammering in speech, but he meant that Sayyidna Musa (علیہ السلام) could not put forward adequate logical arguments to satisfy him, although this was nothing but a false accusation, because Sayyidna Musa (علیہ السلام) had completely overwhelmed Fir'aun through his arguments and proofs against which he had no answer. (Tafsir Kabir and Ruh-ul-Ma’ ani).
43:54Page 493
فَٱسۡتَخَفَّ قَوۡمَهُۥ فَأَطَاعُوهُۚ إِنَّهُمۡ كَانُواْ قَوۡمٗا فَٰسِقِينَ ٥٤
So he bluffed his people, and they obeyed him. Indeed, they were [themselves] a people defiantly disobedient [of Allāh].
فَاسْتَخَفَّ قَوْمَهُ (Thus he made fool of his people - 43:54). According to the Arabic expression, this sentence may be translated in two ways; the translation adopted in the text above is based on one of them. The second one may be: "He (Fir'aun) easily made his people to follow him". (Ruh-u1-Ma’ ani)
Text: through the Quran Foundation. The ayahs: Quran Foundation. Sources and licences