Surah 28. Al-Qasas

BUT AS SOON as Moses came unto them with Our clear messages [Pharaoh and his great ones] said: "All this is nothing but spellbinding eloquence devised [by man]:³⁴ and never did we hear [the like of] this, [nor has it ever been heard of] in the time of our forebears of old!"

  - Mohammad Asad

See note [12] on 74:24 , which is the earliest Qur'anic instance of the term sihr in the above connotation.

When Musa (Moses) came to them (Fir'on and his chiefs) with Our clear signs and invited them to Islam, they said: "This is nothing but baseless sorcery; we never heard such a thing in the time of our forefathers."

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

But when Moses came unto them with Our clear tokens, they said: This is naught but invented magic. We never heard of this among our fathers of old.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

And Moses replied: "My Sustainer knows best as to who comes with guidance from Him, and to whom the future belongs!³⁵ Verily, never will evil-doers attain to a happy state!"

  - Mohammad Asad

For an explanation of the above phrase, see surah {6}, note [118].

Musa stated: "My Rabb knows best who it is that comes with guidance from Him and who will gain the reward of the hereafter; surely the wrongdoers will not attain felicity."

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And Moses said: My Lord is best aware of him who bringeth guidance from His presence, and whose will be the sequel of the Home (of bliss). Lo! wrong-doers will not be successful.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Whereupon Pharaoh said: "O you nobles! I did not know that you could have any deity other than myself!³⁶ Well, then, O Haman, kindle me a fire for [baking bricks of] clay, and then build me a lofty tower, that haply I may have a look at the god of Moses³⁷ - although, behold, I am convinced that he is of those who [always] tell lies!"

  - Mohammad Asad

In view of the fact that the ancient Egyptians worshipped many gods, this observation is not to be taken literally; but since each of the Pharaohs was regarded as an incarnation of the divine principle as such, he claimed - and received - his people's adoration as their "Lord All-Highest" (cf. 79:24 ), combining within himself, as it were, all the qualities attributable to gods.

Or: "ascend to the god of Moses". Whichever of the two meanings is given to the verb ittali'u, Pharaoh's demand for a "lofty tower" is not only an allusion to the building of one of the great pyramids (see note [6] above), but also a derisory, contemptuous reference to Moses' concept of God as an all-embracing Power, inconceivably high above all that exists.

Fir'on said: "O Chiefs! You have no other god that I know of, except myself. O Haman! Bake for me bricks from clay and build me a high tower so that I may climb it to see the God of Musa; most surely I think him to be one of the liars."

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And Pharaoh said: O chiefs! I know not that ye have a god other than me, so kindle for me (a fire) , O Haman, to bake the mud; and set up for me a lofty tower in order that I may survey the god of Moses; and lo! I deem him of the liars.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Thus arrogantly, without the least good sense,³⁸ did he and his hosts behave on earth - just as if they thought that they would never have to appear before Us [for judgment]!³⁹

  - Mohammad Asad

Lit., "without [any] truth" or "justification" (bi-ghayr al-haqq).

Lit., "and they thought that they would not be brought back to Us". There is no doubt that the ancient Egyptians did believe in a life after death, and that this belief included the concept of a divine judgment as well. Since, however, the particular Pharaoh whom Moses confronted is said to have behaved with an arrogance opposed to all good sense, the Qur'an - by implication - likens his attitude to that of a person who does not believe in resurrection and in man's ultimate responsibility before God: hence my rendering of the conjunctive particle wa at the beginning of the above clause as "just as if".

He and his warriors were arrogant in the land without any right; they thought that they would never be brought back to Us.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And he and his hosts were haughty in the land without right, and deemed that they would never be brought back to Us.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

And so We seized him and his hosts and cast them into the sea: and behold what happened in the end to those evildoers:

  - Mohammad Asad

So We seized him and his warriors, and flung them into the sea. See what was the end of wrongdoers?

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Therefor We seized him and his hosts, and abandoned them unto the sea. Behold the nature of the consequence for evil-doers!

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

[We destroyed them,] and We set them up as archetypes [of evil] that show the way to the fire [of hell];⁴⁰ and [whereas] no succour will come to them on Resurrection Day,

  - Mohammad Asad

Lit., "archetypes (a'immah) inviting to the fire". This is the pivotal sentence of the above fragment of the story of Moses. Just as verses {15-16} are meant to draw our attention to the sin of tribal or racial prejudice (see note [15]), the present reference to Pharaoh as an "archetype [of evil]" points to the fact that false pride (takabbur) and arrogance (istikbar) are truly "satanic" attitudes of mind, repeatedly exemplified in the Qur'an by Iblis's symbolic "revolt" against God (for the meaning of which see note [26] on 2:34 and note [31] on 15:41 ). Inasmuch as they are intrinsically evil these "satanic" impulses lead to evil actions and, consequently, to a weakening or even a total destruction of man's spiritual potential: which, in its turn, is bound to cause suffering in the hereafter.

We made them leaders who started calling people to hellfire, but on the Day of Resurrection they will not get any help.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And We made them patterns that invite unto the Fire, and on the Day of Resurrection they will not be helped.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

We have caused a curse to follow them in this world as well;⁴¹ and on Resurrection Day they will find themselves among those who are bereft of all good.⁴²

  - Mohammad Asad

I.e., in the pejorative connotation universally given to the adjective "pharaonic". It is to be noted that the term la'nah, here rendered as "curse", primarily denotes "estrangement" (ib'ad), i.e., from all that is good and, hence, really desirable.

I.e., among those who by their own actions will have removed themselves from God's grace: a meaning given to the term maqbuh, in this context, by most of the classical commentators and philologists (cf. Lisan al-'Arab, Taj al-'Arus, etc.).

We laid a curse on them in this world, and on the Day of Resurrection they will be of the despised.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And We made a curse to follow them in this world, and on the Day of Resurrection they will be among the hateful.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

And [then,] indeed, after We had destroyed those earlier generations [of sinners], We vouchsafed unto Moses [Our] revelation as a means of insight for men,⁴³ and as a guidance and grace, so that they might bethink themselves [of Us].

  - Mohammad Asad

By virtue of its being the first instance of a divinely-inspired Law, the Torah inaugurated a new phase in mankind's religious history (cf. the reference to the children of Israel as "forerunners in faith" in verse {5} of this surah).

We gave Musa (Moses) the Book (Torah), after We had destroyed the former generations, an eye opener, a guide, and a blessing so that they may be reminded.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And We verily gave the Scripture unto Moses after We had destroyed the generations of old; clear testimonies for mankind, and a guidance and a mercy, that haply they might reflect.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

NOW [as for thee, O Muhammad,] thou wert not present on the sunset slope [of Mount Sinai] when We imposed the Law upon Moses, nor wert thou among those who witnessed [his times]:⁴⁴

  - Mohammad Asad

Implying that the story of Moses as narrated in the Qur'an could not have come to Muhammad's knowledge otherwise than through revelation: consequently, the Qur'an as such must obviously be a result of divine revelation. - The term al-amr, rendered above as "the Law", is the Arabic equivalent of the Hebrew word torah ("law" or "precept"), the commonly-accepted title of the revelation granted to Moses.

O Muhammad, you were not present on the western side of the mountain when We gave Musa the Law, nor did you witness that event.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And thou (Muhammad) wast not on the western side (of the Mount) when We expounded unto Moses the commandment, and thou wast not among those present;

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

nay, but [between them and thee] We brought into being [many] generations, and long was their sup of life. And neither didst thou dwell among the people of Madyan, conveying Our messages unto them:⁴⁵ nay, but We have [always] been sending [Our message-bearers unto man].

  - Mohammad Asad

I.e., "thou art not the first of Our apostles, O Muhammad: We have sent thee to the people of thy time just as We sent Shu'ayb to the people of Madyan" (Ad-Dahhak, as quoted by Razi).

We raised many generations and a long time has passed over them; you were not living among the people of Madyan, reciting to them Our revelations; but it is We Who are sending to you the news of that time.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

But We brought forth generations, and their lives dragged on for them. And thou wast not a dweller in Midian, reciting unto them Our revelations, but We kept sending (messengers to men).

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

And neither wert thou present on the slope of Mount Sinai when We called out [to Moses]:⁴⁶ but [thou, too, art sent] as an act of thy Sustainer's grace, to warn people to whom no warner has come before thee, so that they might bethink themselves [of Us];

  - Mohammad Asad

According to some of the classical commentators, this second reference to "the slope of Mount Sinai" contains an allusion to the divine assurance mentioned in 7:156 : "My grace overspreads everything ..." (Tabari, Razi). This interpretation is most plausible in view of the subsequent reference to Muhammad's mission as "an act of thy Sustainer's grace (rahmah)".

Nor were you at the side of the mountain of Tur when We called out to Musa, but it is your Rabb's mercy that you are being given this information so that you may forewarn a nation to whom no Warner had come before you. Maybe they will take heed,

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And thou wast not beside the Mount when We did call; but (the knowledge of it is) a mercy from thy Lord that thou mayest warn a folk unto whom no warner came before thee, that haply they may give heed.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

and [We have sent thee] lest they say [on Judgment Day], when disaster befalls them as an outcome of what their own hands have wrought, "O our Sustainer, if only Thou hadst sent an apostle unto us, we would have followed Thy messages, and would have been among those who believe!"

  - Mohammad Asad

so that they may not be able to say, when a disaster befalls them on account of their misdeeds: "Our Rabb, had You sent us a Rasool, we should have followed Your revelations and became the believers."

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Otherwise, if disaster should afflict them because of that which their own hands have sent before (them), they might say: Our Lord! Why sentest Thou no messenger unto us, that we might have followed Thy revelations and been of the believers?

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

And yet, now that the truth has come unto them from Us, they say, "Why has he not been vouch-safed the like of what Moses was vouchsafed?"⁴⁷ But did they not also, before this, deny the truth of what Moses was vouchsafed? For] they do say, "Two examples of delusion, [seemingly] supporting each other!"⁴⁸ And they add, "Behold, we refuse to accept either of them as true!"

  - Mohammad Asad

As the Qur'an frequently points out, the basic ethical truths enunciated in it are the same as those of earlier revelations. It is this very statement which induced the opponents of Muhammad - in his own time as well as in later times - to question the authenticity of the Qur'an: "If it had really been revealed by God," they argue, "would so many of its propositions, especially its social laws, differ so radically from the laws promulgated in that earlier divine writ, the Torah?" By advancing this argument (and quite apart from the question of whether the text of the Bible as we know it today has or has not been corrupted in the course of time), the opponents of Muhammad's message deliberately overlook the fact, repeatedly stressed in the Qur'an, that the earlier systems of law were conditioned by the spiritual level of a particular people and the exigencies of a particular chapter of human history, and therefore had to be superseded by new laws at a higher stage of human development (see in this connection the second paragraph of 5:48 and the corresponding note [66]). However, as is evident from the immediate sequence - and especially from the last sentence of this verse - the above specious argument is not meant to uphold the authenticity of the Bible as against that of the Qur'an, but, rather, aims at discrediting both - and through them, the basic religious priciple against which the irreligious mind always revolts: namely, the idea of divine revelation and of man's absolute dependence on and responsibilty to God, the Ultimate Cause of all that exists.

A contemptuous allusion, on the one hand, to Old-Testament predictions of the coming of the Prophet Muhammad 9cf. surah {2}, note [33]), and, on the other, to the oft-repeated Qur'anic statement that this divine writ had been revealed to "confirm the truth of earlier revelations". As regards my rendering of the term sihr (lit., "magic" or "sorcery") as "delusion" - and occasionally as "spellbinding eloquence" - see note [12] on 74:24 .

Now that the Truth has come to them from Us, they are saying: "Why is he (Muhammad) not given the like of what was given to Musa?" Have they not rejected that which was given to Musa before? They claim: "These (Torah and Qur'an) are the two works of sorcery complementing each other!" And they say: "We believe in neither."

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

But when there came unto them the Truth from Our presence, they said: Why is he not given the like of what was given unto Moses? Did they not disbelieve in that which was given unto Moses of old? They say: Two magics that support each other; and they say: Lo! in both we are disbelievers.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

Say: "Produce, then, [another] revelation from God which would offer better guidance than either of these two⁴⁹ - [and] I shall follow it, if you speak the truth! "

  - Mohammad Asad

I.e., the Torah and the Qur'an. The Gospel is not mentioned in this context because, as Jesus himself had stressed, his message was based on the Law of Moses, and was not meant to displace the latter.

Ask them: "Bring a Book from Allah which is a better guide than these two, I will follow it, if what you say be true!"

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Say (unto them, O Muhammad): Then bring a Scripture from the presence of Allah that giveth clearer guidance than these two (that) I may follow it, if ye are truthful.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

And since they cannot respond to this thy challenge,⁵⁰ know that they are following only their own likes and dislikes: and who could be more astray than he who follows [but] his own likes and dislikes without any guidance from God? Verily, God does not grace with His guidance people who are given to evildoing!

  - Mohammad Asad

Lit., "if they do not respond to thee", implying that they are unable to accept the above challenge.

So if they do not meet this demand, you should know that they only follow their own desires. And who is more misguided than the one who follows his own desires rather than the guidance from Allah? In fact, Allah does not guide such wrongdoing people.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And if they answer thee not, then know that what they follow is their lusts. And who goeth farther astray than he who followeth his lust without guidance from Allah. Lo! Allah guideth not wrongdoing folk.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

NOW, INDEED, We have caused this word [of Ours] to reach mankind step by step,⁵¹ so that they might [learn to] keep it in mind.

  - Mohammad Asad

Lit., "We have caused this word to reach them gradually": this meaning is implied in the verbal form wassalna, which - like the grammatically identical form nazzalna - points to the gradual, step-by-step revelation of the Qur'an during the twenty-three years of Muhammad's prophetic ministry.

We have conveyed Our Word to them over and over again in order that they may take heed.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And now verily We have caused the Word to reach them, that haply they may give heed.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

As for those unto whom We have vouchsafed revelation aforetime-they [are bound to] believe in this one [as well];⁵²

  - Mohammad Asad

This is both a statement of historical fact - alluding to conversions of Jews and Christians in Muhammad's lifetime - and a prophecy. It must, however, be understood that, in the above context, God's "vouchsafing" revelation implies a conscious, sincere acceptance of its teachings by those to whom it has been conveyed: for it is this sincerity that has enabled them - or will enable them-to realize that the Qur'an preaches the same ethical truths as those forthcoming from earlier revelations. (Cf. {26:196-197} and the corresponding notes [83-85].)

Those to whom the scriptures were given before this (Jews and Christians), they do recognize the Truth and believe in this (Qur'an).

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

Those unto whom We gave the Scripture before it, they believe in it,

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

and whenever it is [clearly] conveyed unto them, they [are bound to] profess, "We have come to believe in it, for, behold, it is the truth from our Sustainer - and, verily, even before this have we surrendered ourselves unto Him!"

  - Mohammad Asad

When it is recited to them they say: "We believe in it, surely this is the Truth from our Rabb: indeed we were Muslims even before this."

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And when it is recited unto them, they say: We believe in it. Lo! it is the Truth from our Lord. Lo! even before it we were of those who surrender (unto Him).

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

These it is that shall receive a twofold reward for having been patient in adversity, and having repelled evil with good,⁵³ and having spent on others out of what We provided for them as sus-tenance,

  - Mohammad Asad

See note [44] on the identical phrase in 13:22 . In the present context, the reference to "patience in adversity" and "repelling evil with good" evidently relates to the loss of erstwhile communal links, social ostracism, and all manner of physical or moral persecution which is so often the lot of persons who accept religious tenets different from those of their own community.

They are the ones who will be given their reward twice, because they have endured with fortitude, repelling evil with good and giving in charity out of what We have given them.

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

These will be given their reward twice over, because they are steadfast and repel evil with good, and spend of that wherewith We have provided them,

  - Marmaduke Pickthall

and, whenever they heard frivolous talk,⁵⁴ having turned away from it and said: "Unto us shall be accounted our deeds, and unto you, your deeds. Peace be upon you- [but] we do not seek out such as are ignorant [of the meaning of right and wrong]."

  - Mohammad Asad

This obviously refers to attempts, based on prejudice, at deriding the spiritual reorientation of the person concerned.

When they hear vain talk, they withdraw from it saying: "Our deeds are for us and yours for you; peace be on to you: we do not desire the way of ignorant."

  - Muhammad Farooq-i-Azam Malik

And when they hear vanity they withdraw from it and say: Unto us our works and unto you your works. Peace be unto you! We desire not the ignorant.

  - Marmaduke Pickthall