Tazkirul Quran · Tafsir · in English
Al-Qasas 28:33–61
28:33–35Page 389
قَالَ رَبِّ إِنِّي قَتَلۡتُ مِنۡهُمۡ نَفۡسٗا فَأَخَافُ أَن يَقۡتُلُونِ ٣٣
He said, "My Lord, indeed I killed from among them someone, and I fear they will kill me.
وَأَخِي هَٰرُونُ هُوَ أَفۡصَحُ مِنِّي لِسَانٗا فَأَرۡسِلۡهُ مَعِيَ رِدۡءٗا يُصَدِّقُنِيٓۖ إِنِّيٓ أَخَافُ أَن يُكَذِّبُونِ ٣٤
And my brother Aaron is more fluent than me in tongue, so send him with me as support, verifying me. Indeed, I fear that they will deny me."
قَالَ سَنَشُدُّ عَضُدَكَ بِأَخِيكَ وَنَجۡعَلُ لَكُمَا سُلۡطَٰنٗا فَلَا يَصِلُونَ إِلَيۡكُمَا بِـَٔايَٰتِنَآۚ أَنتُمَا وَمَنِ ٱتَّبَعَكُمَا ٱلۡغَٰلِبُونَ ٣٥
[Allāh] said, "We will strengthen your arm through your brother and grant you both supremacy so they will not reach you. [It will be] through Our signs; you and those who follow you will be the predominant."
When God appoints somebody as His missionary, He provides him with all that is essential for the performance of the task. Similarly, provision was made for Moses according to his special circumstances. By way of authority for his appointment, he was blessed with the ability to perform certain miracles and he was to be aided by his brother. Moses was endowed with an impressive personality so that Pharaoh’s community may not dare to mishandle him. And it was ordained by God that Moses and his companions should finally be supreme.
28:36Page 390
فَلَمَّا جَآءَهُم مُّوسَىٰ بِـَٔايَٰتِنَا بَيِّنَٰتٖ قَالُواْ مَا هَٰذَآ إِلَّا سِحۡرٞ مُّفۡتَرٗى وَمَا سَمِعۡنَا بِهَٰذَا فِيٓ ءَابَآئِنَا ٱلۡأَوَّلِينَ ٣٦
But when Moses came to them with Our signs as clear evidences, they said, "This is not except invented magic, and we have not heard of this [religion] among our forefathers."
If an individual thinks highly of himself, and if someone of apparently ordinary status comes before him and voices outright criticism of him, he immediately flares up. He ridicules his critic and makes different types of derogatory statements with a view to undermining him. This is what Pharaoh did in the case of Moses.
28:37–38Page 390
وَقَالَ مُوسَىٰ رَبِّيٓ أَعۡلَمُ بِمَن جَآءَ بِٱلۡهُدَىٰ مِنۡ عِندِهِۦ وَمَن تَكُونُ لَهُۥ عَٰقِبَةُ ٱلدَّارِۚ إِنَّهُۥ لَا يُفۡلِحُ ٱلظَّٰلِمُونَ ٣٧
And Moses said, "My Lord is more knowing [than we or you] of who has come with guidance from Him and to whom will be succession in the home.1 Indeed, wrongdoers do not succeed."
وَقَالَ فِرۡعَوۡنُ يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلۡمَلَأُ مَا عَلِمۡتُ لَكُم مِّنۡ إِلَٰهٍ غَيۡرِي فَأَوۡقِدۡ لِي يَٰهَٰمَٰنُ عَلَى ٱلطِّينِ فَٱجۡعَل لِّي صَرۡحٗا لَّعَلِّيٓ أَطَّلِعُ إِلَىٰٓ إِلَٰهِ مُوسَىٰ وَإِنِّي لَأَظُنُّهُۥ مِنَ ٱلۡكَٰذِبِينَ ٣٨
And Pharaoh said, "O eminent ones, I have not known you to have a god other than me. Then ignite for me, O Hāmān, [a fire] upon the clay1 and make for me a tower that I may look at the God of Moses. And indeed, I do think he is among the liars."
Literally, ‘I do not know any being other than myself who is worth worshipping.’ This was not a serious statement. In uttering these words Pharaoh did not intend to state any fact. He only wanted to denigrate Moses. Similarly, when Pharaoh ordered his minister Haman to prepare fired bricks and construct a high tower so that he could peep into the sky and see Moses’s God, this was not a genuine order. Its sole purpose was to make a mockery of Moses.
28:39–43Page 390
وَٱسۡتَكۡبَرَ هُوَ وَجُنُودُهُۥ فِي ٱلۡأَرۡضِ بِغَيۡرِ ٱلۡحَقِّ وَظَنُّوٓاْ أَنَّهُمۡ إِلَيۡنَا لَا يُرۡجَعُونَ ٣٩
And he was arrogant, he and his soldiers, in the land, without right, and they thought that they would not be returned to Us.
فَأَخَذۡنَٰهُ وَجُنُودَهُۥ فَنَبَذۡنَٰهُمۡ فِي ٱلۡيَمِّۖ فَٱنظُرۡ كَيۡفَ كَانَ عَٰقِبَةُ ٱلظَّٰلِمِينَ ٤٠
So We took him and his soldiers and threw them into the sea.1 So see how was the end of the wrongdoers.
وَجَعَلۡنَٰهُمۡ أَئِمَّةٗ يَدۡعُونَ إِلَى ٱلنَّارِۖ وَيَوۡمَ ٱلۡقِيَٰمَةِ لَا يُنصَرُونَ ٤١
And We made them leaders1 inviting to the Fire, and on the Day of Resurrection they will not be helped.
وَأَتۡبَعۡنَٰهُمۡ فِي هَٰذِهِ ٱلدُّنۡيَا لَعۡنَةٗۖ وَيَوۡمَ ٱلۡقِيَٰمَةِ هُم مِّنَ ٱلۡمَقۡبُوحِينَ ٤٢
And We caused to overtake them in this world a curse, and on the Day of Resurrection they will be of the despised.1
وَلَقَدۡ ءَاتَيۡنَا مُوسَى ٱلۡكِتَٰبَ مِنۢ بَعۡدِ مَآ أَهۡلَكۡنَا ٱلۡقُرُونَ ٱلۡأُولَىٰ بَصَآئِرَ لِلنَّاسِ وَهُدٗى وَرَحۡمَةٗ لَّعَلَّهُمۡ يَتَذَكَّرُونَ ٤٣
And We gave Moses the Scripture, after We had destroyed the former generations, as enlightenment for the people and guidance and mercy that they might be reminded.
Moses’ mission was to bring about a godly revolution in the human individual. His aim was that man should develop fear of God. This was aimed at all individuals, including the individual who occupied the throne of the country. It is common for one who attains to power and authority to develop a false sense of pride. This was equally true of Pharaoh. Moses warned Pharaoh that if he conducted himself arrogantly, he would be seized upon by God. But Pharaoh refused to accept his advice. The result was that he was drowned.
28:44–46Page 391
وَمَا كُنتَ بِجَانِبِ ٱلۡغَرۡبِيِّ إِذۡ قَضَيۡنَآ إِلَىٰ مُوسَى ٱلۡأَمۡرَ وَمَا كُنتَ مِنَ ٱلشَّٰهِدِينَ ٤٤
And you, [O Muḥammad], were not on the western side [of the mount] when We revealed to Moses the command, and you were not among the witnesses [to that].
وَلَٰكِنَّآ أَنشَأۡنَا قُرُونٗا فَتَطَاوَلَ عَلَيۡهِمُ ٱلۡعُمُرُۚ وَمَا كُنتَ ثَاوِيٗا فِيٓ أَهۡلِ مَدۡيَنَ تَتۡلُواْ عَلَيۡهِمۡ ءَايَٰتِنَا وَلَٰكِنَّا كُنَّا مُرۡسِلِينَ ٤٥
But We produced [many] generations [after Moses], and prolonged was their duration.1 And you were not a resident among the people of Madyan, reciting to them Our verses, but We were senders [of this message].2
وَمَا كُنتَ بِجَانِبِ ٱلطُّورِ إِذۡ نَادَيۡنَا وَلَٰكِن رَّحۡمَةٗ مِّن رَّبِّكَ لِتُنذِرَ قَوۡمٗا مَّآ أَتَىٰهُم مِّن نَّذِيرٖ مِّن قَبۡلِكَ لَعَلَّهُمۡ يَتَذَكَّرُونَ ٤٦
And you were not at the side of the mount when We called [Moses] but [were sent] as a mercy from your Lord to warn a people to whom no warner had come before you that they might be reminded.
With the help of the Quran, the Prophet Muhammad described the events of Moses’ life in full detail, as if he were standing there on the spot at that very time and seeing and hearing everything, though the fact is that he was born in Makkah two thousand years after Moses. This is clear proof that the contents of the Quran are the words of God, because no human being can have the ability to make such statements on his own. In the times of the Prophet Muhammad there were no books such as we have today. At that time an account of Moses’ achievements were to be found in some non-Arabic books of the Jews, a few copies of which were preserved in Jewish temples, these were definitely beyond the reach of the Prophet Muhammad. Moreover, there are significant differences in many statements contained in the Quran and the Jewish books and academic assessment shows that the Quranic version is the more accurate. For example, according to the Quran, the Egyptian’s death at the hands of Moses had occurred accidentally, whereas the Bible says of Moses: ‘And he looked this way and that way and when he saw that there was no man, he slew the Egyptian and hid him in the sand.’ (Exodus: 2:12.) It is very obvious that it is the Quranic statement, and not the statement of the Torah, which is in consonance with the holy and righteous personality of Moses. Then, how is it that the Prophet Muhammad was able to present in the Quran the incidents of Moses’ life so correctly without any apparent help? There could be no reply to this question except that the All Knowing God (He, who knows the past and the unseen future) had revealed these facts to him through His divine revelation.
28:47–48Page 391
وَلَوۡلَآ أَن تُصِيبَهُم مُّصِيبَةُۢ بِمَا قَدَّمَتۡ أَيۡدِيهِمۡ فَيَقُولُواْ رَبَّنَا لَوۡلَآ أَرۡسَلۡتَ إِلَيۡنَا رَسُولٗا فَنَتَّبِعَ ءَايَٰتِكَ وَنَكُونَ مِنَ ٱلۡمُؤۡمِنِينَ ٤٧
And if not that a disaster should strike them for what their hands put forth [of sins] and they would say, "Our Lord, why did You not send us a messenger so we could have followed Your verses and been among the believers?"...1
فَلَمَّا جَآءَهُمُ ٱلۡحَقُّ مِنۡ عِندِنَا قَالُواْ لَوۡلَآ أُوتِيَ مِثۡلَ مَآ أُوتِيَ مُوسَىٰٓۚ أَوَلَمۡ يَكۡفُرُواْ بِمَآ أُوتِيَ مُوسَىٰ مِن قَبۡلُۖ قَالُواْ سِحۡرَانِ تَظَٰهَرَا وَقَالُوٓاْ إِنَّا بِكُلّٖ كَٰفِرُونَ ٤٨
But when the truth came to them from Us, they said, "Why was he not given like that which was given to Moses?" Did they not disbelieve in that which was given to Moses before? They said, "[They are but] two works of magic supporting each other,1 and indeed we are, in both, disbelievers."
At the time when Moses conveyed his message as a prophet to the ancient Egyptians, he also performed miracles. But, they did not accept the miracles as such and said that it was magic. When the Prophet Muhammad gave the call for the Truth in ancient Arabia on the basis of arguments, people said that if he was a prophet, why did he not perform miracles like Moses? All these objections are the products of non-serious minds. In the present world the most important condition necessary for someone to accept the Truth is that he should be earnest and serious. One who is not serious in matters of Truth and Untruth, nothing can force him to admit the Truth. On each occasion, he will seek fresh excuses for not doing so and will find new words to refute all arguments.
28:49–51Page 391
قُلۡ فَأۡتُواْ بِكِتَٰبٖ مِّنۡ عِندِ ٱللَّهِ هُوَ أَهۡدَىٰ مِنۡهُمَآ أَتَّبِعۡهُ إِن كُنتُمۡ صَٰدِقِينَ ٤٩
Say, "Then bring a scripture from Allāh which is more guiding than either of them that I may follow it, if you should be truthful."
فَإِن لَّمۡ يَسۡتَجِيبُواْ لَكَ فَٱعۡلَمۡ أَنَّمَا يَتَّبِعُونَ أَهۡوَآءَهُمۡۚ وَمَنۡ أَضَلُّ مِمَّنِ ٱتَّبَعَ هَوَىٰهُ بِغَيۡرِ هُدٗى مِّنَ ٱللَّهِۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَا يَهۡدِي ٱلۡقَوۡمَ ٱلظَّٰلِمِينَ ٥٠
But if they do not respond to you - then know that they only follow their [own] desires. And who is more astray than one who follows his desire without guidance from Allāh? Indeed, Allāh does not guide the wrongdoing people.
۞ وَلَقَدۡ وَصَّلۡنَا لَهُمُ ٱلۡقَوۡلَ لَعَلَّهُمۡ يَتَذَكَّرُونَ ٥١
And We have [repeatedly] conveyed to them the word [i.e., the Qur’ān] that they might be reminded.
The real criterion for the acceptance or rejection of the message of Truth is its assessment on the basis of its inherent worth. If the message itself establishes that it is inherently a greater Truth, then that is sufficient to warrant its acceptance. Only Truth can answer Truth. If a man denies a truth and is unable to produce any other superior truth in its place, it indicates that he is denying the Truth as a result of following the dictates of his base desires. Those who behave in this way, have gone astray and are the worst of people. Such people will be treated as transgressors by God.
28:52–56Page 392
ٱلَّذِينَ ءَاتَيۡنَٰهُمُ ٱلۡكِتَٰبَ مِن قَبۡلِهِۦ هُم بِهِۦ يُؤۡمِنُونَ ٥٢
Those to whom We gave the Scripture before it - they1 are believers in it.
وَإِذَا يُتۡلَىٰ عَلَيۡهِمۡ قَالُوٓاْ ءَامَنَّا بِهِۦٓ إِنَّهُ ٱلۡحَقُّ مِن رَّبِّنَآ إِنَّا كُنَّا مِن قَبۡلِهِۦ مُسۡلِمِينَ ٥٣
And when it is recited to them, they say, "We have believed in it; indeed, it is the truth from our Lord. Indeed we were, [even] before it, Muslims [i.e., submitting to Allāh]."
أُوْلَٰٓئِكَ يُؤۡتَوۡنَ أَجۡرَهُم مَّرَّتَيۡنِ بِمَا صَبَرُواْ وَيَدۡرَءُونَ بِٱلۡحَسَنَةِ ٱلسَّيِّئَةَ وَمِمَّا رَزَقۡنَٰهُمۡ يُنفِقُونَ ٥٤
Those will be given their reward twice for what they patiently endured and [because] they avert evil through good, and from what We have provided them they spend.
وَإِذَا سَمِعُواْ ٱللَّغۡوَ أَعۡرَضُواْ عَنۡهُ وَقَالُواْ لَنَآ أَعۡمَٰلُنَا وَلَكُمۡ أَعۡمَٰلُكُمۡ سَلَٰمٌ عَلَيۡكُمۡ لَا نَبۡتَغِي ٱلۡجَٰهِلِينَ ٥٥
And when they hear ill speech, they turn away from it and say, "For us are our deeds, and for you are your deeds. Peace will be upon you;1 we seek not the ignorant."
إِنَّكَ لَا تَهۡدِي مَنۡ أَحۡبَبۡتَ وَلَٰكِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يَهۡدِي مَن يَشَآءُۚ وَهُوَ أَعۡلَمُ بِٱلۡمُهۡتَدِينَ ٥٦
Indeed, [O Muḥammad], you do not guide whom you like, but Allāh guides whom He wills. And He is most knowing of the [rightly] guided.
There are two types of acceptance of any proposition. One is by virtue of it being the Truth. The other by reason of it being current in one’s own circle. It is those who accept the Truth for the sake of Truth who are guided by God: it was people of this kind who placed their faith in the Quran and the Prophet in the earlier period of Islam. A number of Christians and Jews embraced the faith as soon as they heard the Quran. These were such as had been steadfast in their acceptance of the true teachings of previous prophets. They had, therefore, quickly recognised the last of the Prophets, just as they had recognised the previous prophets. But, in order to maintain their ability to do so, they had to go through various stages of ‘patience.’ They kept their minds free of those influences which render a man incapable of recognising the Truth, these being historical and social factors which create that frame of mind which causes a man to change the religion of God into the religion of a group. Man reaches the stage when he is able to recognise only the religion which he inherits from his group. He fails to recognise the religion which comes to him from outside. To keep oneself free of these influences, one has to make great psychological sacrifices. That is why this process has been called ‘patience’. Those who exercise patience will be given a double reward: one because of their sacrifice in not allowing their erstwhile faith to become a group faith, and the other because of their capacity to recognise truth on merit, in the sense that when the new prophet came before them, they recognised him and rallied to his support. It is in those who have the ability to recognise the Truth that high moral qualities develop. They are good even to those who harm them. They help others so that God may help them. They pursue a course of turning away from useless discussions, so that they may not become involved in futile debates.
28:57Page 392
وَقَالُوٓاْ إِن نَّتَّبِعِ ٱلۡهُدَىٰ مَعَكَ نُتَخَطَّفۡ مِنۡ أَرۡضِنَآۚ أَوَلَمۡ نُمَكِّن لَّهُمۡ حَرَمًا ءَامِنٗا يُجۡبَىٰٓ إِلَيۡهِ ثَمَرَٰتُ كُلِّ شَيۡءٖ رِّزۡقٗا مِّن لَّدُنَّا وَلَٰكِنَّ أَكۡثَرَهُمۡ لَا يَعۡلَمُونَ ٥٧
And they [i.e., the Quraysh] say, "If we were to follow the guidance with you, we would be swept1 from our land." Have We not established for them a safe sanctuary to which are brought the fruits of all things as provision from Us? But most of them do not know.
When a man’s interests are linked with a system, he starts thinking that whatever benefits he receives are derived solely from that system. Man generally looks to his immediate gains of the present and is unmindful of potential gains in the future. This was the time of the ancient polytheists of Makkah. They had installed in the Ka‘bah deities worshipped by all the tribes of Arabia. In this way, they had captured the religious leadership of the whole country. Moreover, the offerings to these deities constituted their main source of income. But it was a system marked by narrow-mindedness. Now the Prophet Muhammad was inviting them to accept a religion which was to bestow upon them the leadership of the whole world, yet these polytheists ignored it in favour of a religion which had nothing to offer except mere tribal leadership of the country.
28:58–59Page 392
وَكَمۡ أَهۡلَكۡنَا مِن قَرۡيَةِۭ بَطِرَتۡ مَعِيشَتَهَاۖ فَتِلۡكَ مَسَٰكِنُهُمۡ لَمۡ تُسۡكَن مِّنۢ بَعۡدِهِمۡ إِلَّا قَلِيلٗاۖ وَكُنَّا نَحۡنُ ٱلۡوَٰرِثِينَ ٥٨
And how many a city have We destroyed that was insolent in its [way of] living, and those are their dwellings which have not been inhabited after them except briefly.1 And it is We who were the inheritors.
وَمَا كَانَ رَبُّكَ مُهۡلِكَ ٱلۡقُرَىٰ حَتَّىٰ يَبۡعَثَ فِيٓ أُمِّهَا رَسُولٗا يَتۡلُواْ عَلَيۡهِمۡ ءَايَٰتِنَاۚ وَمَا كُنَّا مُهۡلِكِي ٱلۡقُرَىٰٓ إِلَّا وَأَهۡلُهَا ظَٰلِمُونَ ٥٩
And never would your Lord have destroyed the cities until He had sent to their mother [i.e., principal city] a messenger reciting to them Our verses. And We would not destroy the cities except while their people were wrongdoers.
In the world, if anyone achieves material stability, he develops a superiority complex, though history has repeatedly taught that the material stability of any person or any community (nation) is not permanent. Whenever a community (nation) ignored the Truth, it was destroyed, despite all its pomp and glory. In the peninsula of Arabia, various communities or nations had come into prominence before Islam, for example, the ‘Ad, Thamud, Saba’, Madyan, and Lot’s people, etc. Everyone of them indulged in ill-founded pride, but their pride was nullified by the times, and finally they became nothing but stories of the past. The ruins of these communities spreading far and wide diminished the glory of human beings. In spite of this, in the times of the Prophet Muhammad, the great ones among his contemporaries rejected him, as if the events of the past had no lesson of interest to them.
28:60–61Page 393
وَمَآ أُوتِيتُم مِّن شَيۡءٖ فَمَتَٰعُ ٱلۡحَيَوٰةِ ٱلدُّنۡيَا وَزِينَتُهَاۚ وَمَا عِندَ ٱللَّهِ خَيۡرٞ وَأَبۡقَىٰٓۚ أَفَلَا تَعۡقِلُونَ ٦٠
And whatever thing you [people] have been given - it is [only for] the enjoyment of worldly life and its adornment. And what is with Allāh is better and more lasting; so will you not use reason?
أَفَمَن وَعَدۡنَٰهُ وَعۡدًا حَسَنٗا فَهُوَ لَٰقِيهِ كَمَن مَّتَّعۡنَٰهُ مَتَٰعَ ٱلۡحَيَوٰةِ ٱلدُّنۡيَا ثُمَّ هُوَ يَوۡمَ ٱلۡقِيَٰمَةِ مِنَ ٱلۡمُحۡضَرِينَ ٦١
Then is he whom We have promised a good promise which he will meet [i.e., obtain] like he for whom We provided enjoyment of worldly life [but] then he is, on the Day of Resurrection, among those presented [for punishment in Hell]?
At the time of death, a man, however great, finally parts with his possessions. After death, the things which go along with him are his righteous deeds and not his worldly honours or his material possessions. In these circumstances, wise counsel demands that a man give preference to eternal success over temporary worldly success—he should take care to build up his Hereafter rather than build up his worldly position.
Text: through the Quran Foundation. The ayahs: Quran Foundation. Sources and licences