Surah 40. Ghafir

35For the other details of the story of the Prophet Moses, see AIBaqarah: 49-61; An-Nisa: 164; AI-Ma'idah: 20-26; AI-A'raf: 103-162; Yunus: 7,5-92: Hud 17, 96-97, 110; Introduction to Surah Yusuf; Ibrahim: 5-8; Bani Isra'il: 101-104; AI-Kahf: 60-82; Maryam: 51-53; Ta Ha: 9-98; AI-Mu'minun: 45-49; Ash Shu'ara': 10-68; An-Naml: 7-14; Introduction to Surah AI-Qasas and AI-Qasas: 3-44; AI Ahzab; 69; As-Saff: 114-122 and the E.N.'s thereof.

36For a reply to the critics' objections about Haman, see E.N. 8 of Al Qasas above.

37"A clear authority of appointment": With such clear Signs as left no doubt that he had been sent by Allah, and he had Allah. Lord of the worlds' power at his back. Front a careful study of the details of the Prophet Moses' story, as given in the Qur'an, it becomes obvious as to what were those Signs which are being described here as 'a clear authority of his appointment" as a Prophet by .Allah. In the first place, even this was strange that a person who, a few years earlier, had fled the country after killing a man of Pharaoh's nation and whose warrants of arrest had been issued, should make a sudden appearance directly in the fill-packed coup of Pharaoh, with a staff in hand, and should boldly and fearlessly address the king and his nobles and demand that they should acknowledge him as the representative of Allah, Lord of the worlds, and should act according to what he says, and none dares to lay iris hands on him. whereas the nation to which Moses belonged, had been so suppressed under slavery that if he had been apprehended immediately on the charge of murder, no one would have voiced even a protest, not to speak of rising in rebellion. This shows that Pharaoh and his courtiers had been awe-inspired just at the appearance of the Prophet Moses, even before they witnessed the miracles of the staff and the shining hand, and they had realized in the very beginning that he had some greater power behind him, Then each of the wonderful miracles that he performed, one after the other, was enough to bring about the conviction that it was not a manifestation of magic but of Divine Power. After all, what power of magic could cause a staff to change into a serpent? or cause a whole country to suffer from famine? or cause different sorts of disasters to strike vast areas of the land on a sudden notice by Moses and be removed on a notice by him? That is why. according to the Qur'an, Pharaoh and all the responsible people of his kingdom had been convinced in their hearts, whether they might be refusing to profess with the tongue, that Moses had indeed been appointed a Prophet by Allah. (For details, see Al-A'raf: 106-117; Ta Ha: 56 78; Ash-Shu'ara': 30-51; An-Naml: 10-13 ).

38The truth": the miracles and signs by which the Prophet Moses proved that he was a Messenger sent by Allah and the strong arguments by which he showed that he was wholly in the right.

39As already mentioned in AI-A'raf: 127 above, Pharaoh's courtiers had said to him: `Will you leave Moses and his people free to spread disorder in the land?" And he himself had said: `I will have their sons slain and let their daughters live." This verse states that this order was at last issued from Pharaoh's court. It was, in fact, meant to so terrify the Prophet Moses himself and his supporters and followers that they should abandon him out of fear.

40Another meaning of this sentence can be: "Whatever the disbelievers had plotted, was aimed at deviation, tyranny and antagonism to the truth. That is, even after being convinced of the truth in their heaps, they continued to show stubbornness and did not hesitate to adopt any mean device whatever in order to defeat and frustrate the Truth.