Ornaments of Gold, Luxury, The Embellishment — Verse 54

Fir`awn's Address to His People and how Allah punished Him Allah tells us how Fir`awn stubbornly persisted in his rebellion and disbelief. He assembled his people and addressed them in a vainglorious fashion, boasting of his dominion over Egypt. أَلَيْسَ لِى مُلْكُ مِصْرَ وَهَـذِهِ الاٌّنْهَـرُ تَجْرِى مِن تَحْتِى (Is not mine the dominion of Egypt, and these rivers flowing underneath me) Qatadah said, "They had gardens and rivers of flowing water." أَفلاَ تُبْصِرُونَ (See you not then) means, `do you not see my position of might and power' -- implying that Musa and his followers were poor and weak. This is like the Ayah: فَحَشَرَ فَنَادَى - فَقَالَ أَنَاْ رَبُّكُمُ الاٌّعْلَى - فَأَخَذَهُ اللَّهُ نَكَالَ الاٌّخِرَةِ وَالاٍّوْلَى (Then he gathered (his people) and cried aloud, saying: "I am your lord, most high." So Allah seized him with punishment for his last and first transgression.) (79:23-25) أَمْ أَنَآ خَيْرٌ مِّنْ هَـذَا الَّذِى هُوَ مَهِينٌ (Am I not better than this one who is despicable) As-Suddi said, "He was saying, `indeed I am better than this one, who is despicable'." Some of the grammarians of Basrah said that Fir`awn -- may the curse of Allah be upon him -- was saying that he was better than Musa, peace be upon him. But this is an obvious lie, may continued curses be upon him until the Day of Resurrection. By describing Musa as despicable he meant -- as Sufyan said -- insignificant. Qatadah and As-Suddi said, "He meant, weak." Ibn Jarir said, "He meant, he had no power, authority or wealth." وَلاَ يَكَادُ يُبِينُ (and can scarcely express himself clearly) means, he cannot speak clearly, he stammers and cannot speak well. Fir`awn's description of Musa as "despicable" is a lie; rather it is he who was despicable and insignificant, lacking in physical, moral and religious terms, and it is Musa who was noble, truthful, righteous and upright. وَلاَ يَكَادُ يُبِينُ (and can scarcely express himself clearly). This was also a lie. Although something happened to Musa's tongue when he was a child, when it was burnt by a coal. He asked Allah to loosen the knot from his tongue (i.e., to correct his speech defect) so that they could understand what he said, and Allah had answered his prayer and said: قَدْ أُوتِيتَ سُؤْلَكَ يمُوسَى (You are granted your request, O Musa) (20:36). It may be the case that some problem remained which he had not asked to be relieved of, as Al-Hasan Al-Basri suggested, and that he had asked only to be relieved of that which stood in the way of his conveying the Message. A person cannot be blamed for physical matters over which he has no control. Even though Fir`awn had the intelligence to understand that, he wanted to confuse and mislead his people, who were ignorant and stupid. So he said: فَلَوْلاَ أُلْقِىَ عَلَيْهِ أَسْوِرَةٌ مِّن ذَهَبٍ (Why then are not golden bracelets bestowed on him...) meaning, adornments which are placed on the arms. This was the view of Ibn `Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, Qatadah and others. أَوْ جَآءَ مَعَهُ الْمَلَـئِكَةُ مُقْتَرِنِينَ (or angels sent along with him) meaning, to serve him and to testify that he is telling the truth. He looked only at outward appearances and did not understand the true inner matters that are clearer than what he focused on, if only he had understood that. Allah says: فَاسْتَخَفَّ قَوْمَهُ فَأَطَاعُوهُ (Thus he fooled his people, and they obeyed him.) meaning, he confused them and invited them to misguidance, and they responded to him. إِنَّهُمْ كَانُواْ قَوْماً فَـسِقِينَ (Verily, they were ever a people who were rebellious.) Then Allah says: فَلَمَّآ ءَاسَفُونَا انتَقَمْنَا مِنْهُمْ فَأَغْرَقْنَـهُمْ أَجْمَعِينَ (So when they angered Us, We punished them, and drowned them all.) `Ali bin Abi Talhah reported that Ibn `Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, said it means: "When they angered Us means, they provoked Our wrath." Ad-Dahhak said, it means "They made Us angry." This was also the view of Ibn `Abbas, Mujahid, `Ikrimah, Sa`id bin Jubayr, Muhammad bin Ka`b Al-Qurazi, Qatadah, As-Suddi and other scholars of Tafsir. Ibn Abi Hatim recorded that `Uqbah bin `Amir, may Allah be pleased with him, said that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: «إِذَا رَأَيْتَ اللهَ تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى يُعْطِي الْعَبْدَ مَا يَشَاءُ، وَهُوَ مُقِيمٌ عَلى مَعَاصِيهِ، فَإِنَّمَا ذَلِكَ اسْتِدْرَاجٌ مِنْهُ لَه» (When you see that Allah gives a person what he wants even though he is persisting in sin, that means that Allah is enticing him into destruction.) Then he recited: فَلَمَّآ ءَاسَفُونَا انتَقَمْنَا مِنْهُمْ فَأَغْرَقْنَـهُمْ أَجْمَعِينَ (So when they angered Us, We punished them, and drowned them all.) It was reported that Tariq bin Shihab said, "I was with `Abdullah, may Allah be pleased with him, and the issue of sudden death was mentioned. He said, `It is a relief for the believer and a source of regret for the disbeliever.' Then he recited the Ayah: فَلَمَّآ ءَاسَفُونَا انتَقَمْنَا مِنْهُمْ فَأَغْرَقْنَـهُمْ أَجْمَعِينَ (So when they angered Us, We punished them, and drowned them all). " `Umar bin `Abdul-`Aziz, may Allah be pleased with him, said, "I found that punishment comes with negligence, meaning the Ayah: فَلَمَّآ ءَاسَفُونَا انتَقَمْنَا مِنْهُمْ فَأَغْرَقْنَـهُمْ أَجْمَعِينَ (So when they angered Us, We punished them, and drowned them all)." فَجَعَلْنَـهُمْ سَلَفاً وَمَثَلاً لِّلاٌّخِرِينَ (And We made them a precedent, and an example to later generations.) Abu Mijlaz said, "Precedent for others who do the same as they did." He and Mujahid said, "An example, i.e., a lesson to those who come after them." Allah is the One Who guides to the straight path, and unto Him is the final return.

Thus did he Pharaoh persuade incite his people and they obeyed him in his wish that Moses be denied. They were truly an immoral folk.

فاسْتَخَفَّ فرعون عقول قومه فدعاهم إلى الضلالة، فأطاعوه وكذبوا موسى، إنهم كانوا قومًا خارجين عن طاعة الله وصراطه المستقيم.

أي استخف عقولهم فدعاهم إلى الضلالة فاستجابوا له.

وقوله - تعالى - : ( فاستخف قَوْمَهُ فَأَطَاعُوهُ إِنَّهُمْ كَانُواْ قَوْماً فَاسِقِينَ ) بيان لما كان عليه فرعون من لؤم وخداع ، ولما كان عليه قومه من جبن وخروج على طاعة الله - تعالى - .أى : وبعد أن قال فرعون لقومه ما قال من تطاول على موسى - عليه السلام - طلب منهم الخفة والسرعة والمبادرة إلى الاستجابة لما قاله لهم ، فأجابوه إلى طلبه منهم ، لأنهم كانوا قوما خارجين على طاعتنا ، مؤثرين الغى على الرشد ، والضلالة على الهداية . .

القول في تأويل قوله تعالى : فَاسْتَخَفَّ قَوْمَهُ فَأَطَاعُوهُ إِنَّهُمْ كَانُوا قَوْمًا فَاسِقِينَ (54)يقول تعالى ذكره: فاستخفّ فرعون خلقا من قومه من القبط, بقوله الذي أخبر الله تبارك وتعالى عنه أنه قال لهم, فقبلوا ذلك منه فأطاعوه, وكذّبوا موسى, قال الله: وإنما أطاعوا فاستجابوا لما دعاهم إليه عدوّ الله من تصديقه, وتكذيب موسى, لأنهم كانوا قوما عن طاعة الله خارجين بخذلانه إياهم, وطبعه على قلوبهم.

قال الله تعالى : ( فاستخف قومه ) أي استخف فرعون قومه القبط ، أي وجدهم جهالا . وقيل : حملهم على الخفة والجهل . يقال : استخفه عن رأيه ، إذا حمله على الجهل وأزاله عن الصواب ، ( فأطاعوه ) على تكذيب موسى ( إنهم كانوا قوما فاسقين ) .

فَاسْتَخَفَّ قَوْمَهُ فَأَطَاعُوهُ إِنَّهُمْ كَانُوا قَوْمًا فَاسِقِينَ (54)أي فتفرع عن نداء فرعون قومَه أن أثَّر بتمويهه في نفوس ملئِه فعجَّلوا بطاعته بعد أن كانوا متهيئين لاتباع موسى لما رأوا الآيات . فالخفة مستعارة للانتقال من حالة التأمل في خلع طاعة فرعون والتثاقل في اتباعه إلى التعجيل بالامتثال له كما يخِف الشيء بعد التثاقل .والمعنى يرجع إلى أنه استخف عقولهم فأسرعوا إلى التصديق بما قاله بعد أن صدّقوا موسى في نفوسهم لمّا رأوا آياته نزولاً ورفعاً . والمراد ب { قومه } هنا بعض القوم ، وهم الذين حضروا مجلس دعوة موسى هؤلاء هم الملأ الذين كانوا في صحبة فرعون .والسين والتاء في { استخف } للمبالغة في أخَفّ مثل قوله تعالى : { إنّما استْزَلَّهُمْ الشيطان } [ آل عمران : 155 ] وقولهم : هذا فِعلُ يستفزّ غضَب الحليم .وجملة { إنهم كانوا قوماً فاسقين } في موضع العلة لِجملة { فأطاعوه } كما هو شأن ( إنَّ ) إذا جاءت في غير مقام التأكيد فإن كونهم قد كانوا فاسقين أمر بيِّنٌ ضرورةَ أن موسى جاءهم فدعاهم إلى ترك ما كانوا عليه من عبادة الأصنام فلا يقتضي في المقام تأكيد كونهم فاسقين ، أي كافرين . والمعنى : أنهم إنما خَفُّوا لطاعة رأس الكفر لقرب عهدهم بالكفر لأنهم كانوا يؤلِّهُون فرعون فلما حصل لهم تردّد في شأنه ببعثة موسى عليه السلام لم يلبثوا أن رجعوا إلى طاعة فرعون بأدنى سبب .والمراد بالفسق هنا : الكُفر ، كما قال في شأنهم في آية الأعراف ( 145 ) { سَأُوْريكم دار الفاسقين }

{ فَاسْتَخَفَّ قَوْمَهُ فَأَطَاعُوهُ } أي: استخف عقولهم بما أبدى لهم من هذه الشبه، التي لا تسمن ولا تغني من جوع، ولا حقيقة تحتها، وليست دليلا على حق ولا على باطل، ولا تروج إلا على ضعفاء العقول.فأي دليل يدل على أن فرعون محق، لكون ملك مصر له، وأنهاره تجري من تحته؟وأي دليل يدل على بطلان ما جاء به موسى لقلة أتباعه، وثقل لسانه، وعدم تحلية الله له، ولكنه لقي ملأ لا معقول عندهم، فمهما قال اتبعوه، من حق وباطل. { إِنَّهُمْ كَانُوا قَوْمًا فَاسِقِينَ } فبسبب فسقهم، قيض لهم فرعون، يزين لهم الشرك والشر.

قوله تعالى : فاستخف قومه فأطاعوه إنهم كانوا قوما فاسقين .قوله تعالى فاستخف قومه قال ابن الأعرابي : المعنى فاستجهل قومه فأطاعوه لخفة أحلامهم وقلة عقولهم ، يقال : استخفه الفرح أي : أزعجه ، واستخفه أي : حمله على [ ص: 93 ] الجهل ، ومنه : ولا يستخفنك الذين لا يوقنون . وقيل : استفزهم بالقول فأطاعوه على ، التكذيب . وقيل : استخف قومه أي : وجدهم خفاف العقول . وهذا لا يدل على أنه يجب أن يطيعوه ، فلا بد من إضمار بعيد تقديره وجدهم خفاف العقول فدعاهم إلى الغواية فأطاعوه . وقيل : استخف قومه وقهرهم حتى اتبعوه ، يقال : استخفه خلاف استثقله ، واستخف به أهانه . إنهم كانوا قوما فاسقين أي : خارجين عن طاعة الله .

The rejecters of Truth have always done so after looking at the ordinary position of the preacher of Truth. Pharaoh enjoyed a prominent position in Egypt. He was the ruler of the country. The canals flowing out of the River Nile did so at his behest. He was surrounded by all the paraphernalia of pomp and glory. As compared to this, Moses was to all appearances an ordinary person. Pharaoh so mislead his people by highlighting this difference, that they joined him in rejecting Moses. Apparently, on the basis of this reasoning, Pharaoh’s community supported him. But the real reason for this was the weakness of Pharaoh’s community rather than the strength of his arguments. At that time, supporting Moses meant the destruction of a well-settled life; and there are very few people who have the courage to take the side of Truth when it means sacrificing their well laid plans. Ultimately, the punishment of God afflicted Pharaoh as a result of his denial of Truth and his community was not spared either.

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)

(Thus he persuaded his people) the Copts (to make light (of Moses), and they obeyed him) in what he said. (Lo! they were a wanton folk) they were disbelieving folk.