Tafheem ul Quran

Surah 7 Al-A'raf, Ayat 103-137

ثُمَّ بَعَثۡنَا مِنۡۢ بَعۡدِهِمۡ مُّوۡسٰى بِاٰيٰتِنَاۤ اِلٰى فِرۡعَوۡنَ وَمَلَا۟ـئِهٖ فَظَلَمُوۡا بِهَا​ ۚ فَانْظُرۡ كَيۡفَ كَانَ عَاقِبَةُ الۡمُفۡسِدِيۡنَ‏ ﴿7:103﴾ وَ قَالَ مُوۡسٰى يٰفِرۡعَوۡنُ اِنِّىۡ رَسُوۡلٌ مِّنۡ رَّبِّ الۡعٰلَمِيۡنَۙ‏  ﴿7:104﴾ حَقِيۡقٌ عَلٰٓى اَنۡ لَّاۤ اَقُوۡلَ عَلَى اللّٰهِ اِلَّا الۡحَـقَّ​ ؕ قَدۡ جِئۡـتُكُمۡ بِبَيِّنَةٍ مِّنۡ رَّبِّكُمۡ فَاَرۡسِلۡ مَعِىَ بَنِىۡۤ اِسۡرَآءِيۡلَ ؕ‏ ﴿7:105﴾ قَالَ اِنۡ كُنۡتَ جِئۡتَ بِاٰيَةٍ فَاۡتِ بِهَاۤ اِنۡ كُنۡتَ مِنَ الصّٰدِقِيۡنَ‏  ﴿7:106﴾ فَاَلۡقٰى عَصَاهُ فَاِذَا هِىَ ثُعۡبَانٌ مُّبِيۡنٌ​ ​ ۖ ​ۚ‏ ﴿7:107﴾ وَّنَزَعَ يَدَهٗ فَاِذَا هِىَ بَيۡضَآءُ لِلنّٰظِرِيۡنَ‏ ﴿7:108﴾ قَالَ الۡمَلَاُ مِنۡ قَوۡمِ فِرۡعَوۡنَ اِنَّ هٰذَا لَسٰحِرٌ عَلِيۡمٌ ۙ‏ ﴿7:109﴾ يُّرِيۡدُ اَنۡ يُّخۡرِجَكُمۡ مِّنۡ اَرۡضِكُمۡ​ ۚ فَمَاذَا تَاۡمُرُوۡنَ‏ ﴿7:110﴾ قَالُوْۤا اَرْجِهْ وَاخَاہُ وَاَرْسِلْ فِی الْمَدَآئِنِ حٰشِرِیْنَ ۙ‏ ﴿7:111﴾ يَاۡتُوۡكَ بِكُلِّ سٰحِرٍ عَلِيۡمٍ‏ ﴿7:112﴾ وَجَآءَ السَّحَرَةُ فِرۡعَوۡنَ قَالُوۡۤا اِنَّ لَـنَا لَاَجۡرًا اِنۡ كُنَّا نَحۡنُ الۡغٰلِبِيۡنَ‏ ﴿7:113﴾ قَالَ نَـعَمۡ وَاِنَّكُمۡ لَمِنَ الۡمُقَرَّبِيۡنَ‏ ﴿7:114﴾ قَالُوۡا يٰمُوۡسٰٓى اِمَّاۤ اَنۡ تُلۡقِىَ وَاِمَّاۤ اَنۡ نَّكُوۡنَ نَحۡنُ الۡمُلۡقِيۡنَ‏ ﴿7:115﴾ قَالَ اَلۡقُوۡا​ ۚ فَلَمَّاۤ اَلۡقَوۡا سَحَرُوۡۤا اَعۡيُنَ النَّاسِ وَاسۡتَرۡهَبُوۡهُمۡ وَجَآءُوۡ بِسِحۡرٍ عَظِيۡمٍ‏ ﴿7:116﴾ وَاَوۡحَيۡنَاۤ اِلٰى مُوۡسٰٓى اَنۡ اَلۡقِ عَصَاكَ​ ۚ فَاِذَا هِىَ تَلۡقَفُ مَا يَاۡفِكُوۡنَ ​ۚ‏ ﴿7:117﴾ فَوَقَعَ الۡحَـقُّ وَبَطَلَ مَا كَانُوۡا يَعۡمَلُوۡنَ​ۚ‏ ﴿7:118﴾ فَغُلِبُوۡا هُنَالِكَ وَانْقَلَبُوۡا صٰغِرِيۡنَ​ۚ‏ ﴿7:119﴾ وَ اُلۡقِىَ السَّحَرَةُ سٰجِدِيۡنَ ۙ‏ ﴿7:120﴾ قَالُوۡۤا اٰمَنَّا بِرَبِّ الۡعٰلَمِيۡنَ ۙ‏ ﴿7:121﴾ رَبِّ مُوۡسٰى وَهٰرُوۡنَ‏ ﴿7:122﴾ قَالَ فِرۡعَوۡنُ اٰمَنۡتُمۡ بِهٖ قَبۡلَ اَنۡ اٰذَنَ لَـكُمۡ​ۚ اِنَّ هٰذَا لَمَكۡرٌ مَّكَرۡتُمُوۡهُ فِى الۡمَدِيۡنَةِ لِتُخۡرِجُوۡا مِنۡهَاۤ اَهۡلَهَا​ ۚ فَسَوۡفَ تَعۡلَمُوۡنَ‏ ﴿7:123﴾ لَاُقَطِّعَنَّ اَيۡدِيَكُمۡ وَاَرۡجُلَكُمۡ مِّنۡ خِلَافٍ ثُمَّ لَاُصَلِّبَنَّكُمۡ اَجۡمَعِيۡنَ‏ ﴿7:124﴾ قَالُـوۡۤا اِنَّاۤ اِلٰى رَبِّنَا مُنۡقَلِبُوۡنَ​ۚ‏ ﴿7:125﴾ وَمَا تَـنۡقِمُ مِنَّاۤ اِلَّاۤ اَنۡ اٰمَنَّا بِاٰيٰتِ رَبِّنَا لَمَّا جَآءَتۡنَا​ ؕ رَبَّنَاۤ اَفۡرِغۡ عَلَيۡنَا صَبۡرًا وَّتَوَفَّنَا مُسۡلِمِيۡنَ‏ ﴿7:126﴾ وَقَالَ الۡمَلَاُ مِنۡ قَوۡمِ فِرۡعَوۡنَ اَتَذَرُ مُوۡسٰى وَقَوۡمَهٗ لِيُفۡسِدُوۡا فِى الۡاَرۡضِ وَيَذَرَكَ وَاٰلِهَتَكَ​ ؕ قَالَ سَنُقَتِّلُ اَبۡنَآءَهُمۡ وَنَسۡتَحۡىٖ نِسَآءَهُمۡ​ ۚ وَاِنَّا فَوۡقَهُمۡ قَاهِرُوۡنَ‏ ﴿7:127﴾ قَالَ مُوۡسٰى لِقَوۡمِهِ اسۡتَعِيۡنُوۡا بِاللّٰهِ وَاصۡبِرُوۡا​ ۚ اِنَّ الۡاَرۡضَ لِلّٰهِ ۙ يُوۡرِثُهَا مَنۡ يَّشَآءُ مِنۡ عِبَادِهٖ​ ؕ وَالۡعَاقِبَةُ لِلۡمُتَّقِيۡنَ‏  ﴿7:128﴾ قَالُـوۡۤا اُوۡذِيۡنَا مِنۡ قَبۡلِ اَنۡ تَاۡتِيَنَا وَمِنۡۢ بَعۡدِ مَا جِئۡتَنَا​ ؕ قَالَ عَسٰى رَبُّكُمۡ اَنۡ يُّهۡلِكَ عَدُوَّكُمۡ وَيَسۡتَخۡلِفَكُمۡ فِى الۡاَرۡضِ فَيَنۡظُرَ كَيۡفَ تَعۡمَلُوۡنَ‏ ﴿7:129﴾ وَلَقَدۡ اَخَذۡنَاۤ اٰلَ فِرۡعَوۡنَ بِالسِّنِيۡنَ وَنَقۡصٍ مِّنَ الثَّمَرٰتِ لَعَلَّهُمۡ يَذَّكَّرُوۡنَ‏ ﴿7:130﴾ فَاِذَا جَآءَتۡهُمُ الۡحَسَنَةُ قَالُوۡا لَـنَا هٰذِهٖ​ ۚ وَاِنۡ تُصِبۡهُمۡ سَيِّئَةٌ يَّطَّيَّرُوۡا بِمُوۡسٰى وَمَنۡ مَّعَهٗ​ ؕ اَلَاۤ اِنَّمَا طٰٓـئِرُهُمۡ عِنۡدَ اللّٰهِ وَلٰـكِنَّ اَكۡثَرَهُمۡ لَا يَعۡلَمُوۡنَ‏ ﴿7:131﴾ وَقَالُوۡا مَهۡمَا تَاۡتِنَا بِهٖ مِنۡ اٰيَةٍ لِّـتَسۡحَرَنَا بِهَا ۙ فَمَا نَحۡنُ لَكَ بِمُؤۡمِنِيۡنَ‏ ﴿7:132﴾ فَاَرۡسَلۡنَا عَلَيۡهِمُ الطُّوۡفَانَ وَالۡجَـرَادَ وَالۡقُمَّلَ وَالضَّفَادِعَ وَالدَّمَ اٰيٰتٍ مُّفَصَّلٰتٍ فَاسۡتَكۡبَرُوۡا وَكَانُوۡا قَوۡمًا مُّجۡرِمِيۡنَ‏  ﴿7:133﴾ وَلَـمَّا وَقَعَ عَلَيۡهِمُ الرِّجۡزُ قَالُوۡا يٰمُوۡسَى ادۡعُ لَـنَا رَبَّكَ بِمَا عَهِدَ عِنۡدَكَ​ۚ لَـئِنۡ كَشَفۡتَ عَنَّا الرِّجۡزَ لَـنُؤۡمِنَنَّ لَكَ وَلَـنُرۡسِلَنَّ مَعَكَ بَنِىۡۤ اِسۡرَآءِيۡلَ​ۚ‏ ﴿7:134﴾ فَلَمَّا كَشَفۡنَا عَنۡهُمُ الرِّجۡزَ اِلٰٓى اَجَلٍ هُمۡ بٰلِغُوۡهُ اِذَا هُمۡ يَنۡكُثُوۡنَ‏ ﴿7:135﴾ فَانْتَقَمۡنَا مِنۡهُمۡ فَاَغۡرَقۡنٰهُمۡ فِى الۡيَمِّ بِاَنَّهُمۡ كَذَّبُوۡا بِاٰيٰتِنَا وَكَانُوۡا عَنۡهَا غٰفِلِيۡنَ‏ ﴿7:136﴾ وَاَوۡرَثۡنَا الۡـقَوۡمَ الَّذِيۡنَ كَانُوۡا يُسۡتَضۡعَفُوۡنَ مَشَارِقَ الۡاَرۡضِ وَمَغَارِبَهَا الَّتِىۡ بٰرَكۡنَا فِيۡهَا​ ؕ وَتَمَّتۡ كَلِمَتُ رَبِّكَ الۡحُسۡنٰى عَلٰى بَنِىۡۤ اِسۡرَاۤءِيۡلَۙ بِمَا صَبَرُوۡا​ ؕ وَدَمَّرۡنَا مَا كَانَ يَصۡنَعُ فِرۡعَوۡنُ وَقَوۡمُهٗ وَمَا كَانُوۡا يَعۡرِشُوۡنَ‏ ﴿7:137﴾

(7:103) After those We sent forth Moses with Our signs to Pharaoh and his nobles,83 but they dealt with Our signs unjustly.84 Observe, then, what happened to the mischief-makers. (7:104) And Moses said: '0 Pharaoh!85 I am a Messenger from the Lord of the universe. (7:105) And it behoves me to say nothing about Allah except what is true. I have come to you with a clear sign of having been sent from your Lord. So let the Children of Israel go with me.'86 (7:106) Pharaoh said: if you have brought a sign, then bring it forth if you are truthful.' (7:107) Thereupon Moses threw his rod, and suddenly it was a veritable serpent. (7:108) Then he drew out his hand, and it appeared luminous to all beholders.87 (7:109) The elders of Pharaoh's people said: 'Surely this man is a skilful magician (7:110) who seeks to drive you out from your land.88 What would you have us do?' (7:111) Then they advised Pharaoh: 'Put off Moses and his brother for a while, and send forth heralds to your cities (7:112) to summon every skilful magician to your presence.'89 (7:113) And the magicians came to Pharaoh and said: 'Shall we have a reward if we win?' (7:114) Pharaoh replied: 'Certainly, and you shall be among those who are near to me.' (7:115) Then they said: '0 Moses, will you [first] throw your rod, or shall we throw?' (7:116) Moses said: 'You throw.' So when they threw [their rods], they enchanted the eyes of the people, and struck them with awe, and produced a mighty sorcery. (7:117) Then We directed Moses: 'Now you throw your rod.' And lo! it swallowed up all their false devices.90 (7:118) Thus was the truth established, and their doings proved in vain. (7:119) Pharaoh and his men were defeated and put to shame, (7:120) and the magicians flung themselves prostrate, (7:121) saying: 'We believe in the Lord of the universe, (7:122) the Lord of Moses and Aaron.'91 (7:123) Pharaoh said: 'What! Do you believe before you have my permission? Surely this is a plot you have contrived to drive out the rulers from the capital. So you shall see, (7:124) I shall cut off your hands and feet on the opposite sides, and then crucify you all.' (7:125) They replied: 'We shall surely return to our Lord. (7:126) Will you punish us just because we believed in the signs of our Lord when they came to us? Our Lord! Shower us with perseverance and cause us to die as those who have submitted [to You].'92 (7:127) The elders of Pharaoh's people said: 'Will you leave alone Moses and his people to spread mischief in the land, and forsake you and your gods?' Pharaoh replied: 'We will kill their male children and spare their female ones. 93 For indeed we hold irresistible sway over them.' (7:128) Moses said to his people: 'Seek help from Allah and be steadfast. The earth is Allah's, He bestows it on those of His servants He chooses. The end of things belongs to the God-fearing.' (7:129) The people of Moses replied: 'We were oppressed before your coming to us and after it.' Moses said: 'Your Lord will soon destroy your enemy and make you rulers in the land. Then He will see how you act.' (7:130) We afflicted the people of Pharaoh with hard times and with poor harvest that they may heed. (7:131) But whenever prosperity came their way, they said: 'This is our due.' And whatever hardship befell them, they attributed it to the misfortune of Moses and those who followed him. Surely, their misfortune had been decreed by Allah - but most of them do not know that. (7:132) And they said to Moses: 'Whatever sign you might produce before us in order to enchant us, we are not going to believe you.'94 (7:133) Then We afflicted them with a great flood 95 and locusts, and the lice96 , and the frogs, and the blood. All these were distinct signs and yet they remained haughty. They were a wicked people. (7:134) Each time a scourge struck them they, said: '0 Moses! Pray for us to your Lord on the strength of the prophethood He has bestowed upon you. Surely, if you remove this scourge from us, we will truly believe in you, and will let the Children of Israel go with you.' (7:135) But when We removed the scourge from them until a term - a term which they were bound to reach - they at once broke their promise. (7:136) So We inflicted Our retribution on them, and caused them to drown in the sea because they gave the lie to Our signs and were heedless of them. (7:137) And We made those who had been persecuted inherit the eastern and western lands which We had blessed.97 Thus your Lord's gracious promise was fulfilled to the Children of Israel, for they had endured with patience; and We destroyed all that Pharaoh and his people had wrought, and all that they had built.

Notes

83. The stories narrated in the Qur'an bring home unmistakenly the point that people who reject God's Message are not spared; rather they are destroyed. In narrating at length the story of Moses, Pharaoh and the Israelites, the Qur'an provides some important lessons for the unbelieving Quraysh, the Jews, and also the believers.

The Quraysh are advised that the apparently large differences in the numerical strength of the forces of truth and falsehood in the early phase of the Islamic movement should not lead them to entertain any, kind of illusion. History, provides ample testimony that the Message of truth has always had a very humble beginning. That its proponent, initially, is in the hopelessly small minority of one; in fact, one in the whole world. He then proceeds, despite his resource lessness, to challenge the hegemony of falsehood, to declare war against it, despite the fact that falsehood is backed by powerful states and empires. And ultimately the truth triumphs. The Quraysh are also reminded that all conspiracies hatched against the Prophets and all the means employed to suppress the Message of truth are ultimately foiled. They are further told that God grants long terms of respite to the evil-doing nations so that they might mend their ways and reform themselves. But when they persistently disregard all warnings and learn no lesson from instructive events, He smites them with an exemplary punishment.

Some further lessons are meant to be conveyed to those who believed in the Prophet (peace be on him). First, that they should not feel disheartened by the paucity of resources, nor be overawed by the impressive numerical strength, pomp and grandeur of their enemies. Nor should they lose heart if they find that God's help does not come at the expected hour. Second, that those who follow in the footsteps of the Jews are bound, ultimately, to be seized by the same curse which afflicted the Jews.

As for the Israelites, they are warned against the evil effects of clinging to falsehood. Illustrations of this were provided by important events in their own history. They are also asked to purge the Message of the earlier Prophets of all accretions and distortions and to restore it to its original purity.

84. 'They dealt with Our signs unjustly' refers to their rejection of God's signs and to the fact that they dismissed them as sheer sorcery. If a person scoffs at a beautiful couplet, and dubs it as amateurish rhyming, this amounts to committing an offence against poetry itself. Likewise, to brand those extraordinary acts of God as sorcery and magic - even though magicians declared that those acts were beyond their ability - constitutes a serious offence not only against God's signs but also against common sense and truth.

85. 'Pharaoh' literally means 'the offspring of the sun-god'. The ancient Egyptians called the sun 'Ra', worshipped it as their supreme deity', and Pharaoh - Ra's physical manifestation and representative - was named after it. It was for this reason that all Egyptian rulers claimed their authority on the basis of their association with Ra, and every ruler who mounted the Egyptian throne called himself Pharaoh, trying thereby to assure his people that he was their supreme deity.

It may be noted that the Qur'anic narrative regarding Moses refers to two Pharaohs. The first of these was one during whose reign Moses was born and in whose palace he was brought up. The second Pharaoh to Whorn reference is made is the one whom Moses invited to Islam and who was asked to liberate the Israelites. It is this latter Pharaoh who was finally drowned. Modern scholarship is inclined to the view that the first Pharaoh was Rameses 11 who ruled over Egypt from 1292 B.C. to 1225 B.C. while the second Pharaoh was Minpetah, his son, who had become a co-sharer in his father's authority during the latter's lifetime and who, after his death, became the fully-fledged ruler of Egypt. This, however, is not fully established since Moses, according to the Egyptian calendar, died in 1272 B.C. In any case these are merely historical conjectures. It is quite difficult to establish a clear chronological framework owing to discrepancies in the Egyptian, Israeli and Christian calendars.

86. Moses was sent to Pharaoh to invite him to two things; first, to surrender himself to God (i.e. Islam); and second, to release the Israelites - who were already Muslims - from his oppressive bondage. The Qur'an refers occasionally to both these objectives, and occasionally confines itself to mentioning either of the two.

87. Moses was granted these two miraculous signs in order to provide testimony to his being a Messenger of God, the creator and sovereign of the universe. As we have mentioned earlier, whenever the Prophets introduced themselves as God's Message-bearers, people asked them to produce some miraculous sign, to perform something supernatural. In response to those demands the Prophets produced what the Qur'an terms as 'signs', and which are called 'miracles' by theologians.

Those who tend to play down the supernatural character of such signs or miracles, and who try to explain them in terms of natural laws of causation, in fact attempt to build a mid-way house between believing and disbelieving in the statements of the Qur'an. Such an approach can hardly be considered reasonable. What it does demonstrate, however, is how such people can be pulled in two opposite directions. On the one hand, they are not inclined to believe in a Book which abounds in narrations of a supernatural kind. On the other hand, being born followers of their ancestral religion, they are not inclined to reject the Book which carries supernatural narrations.

With regard to miracles, there are two basic questions that people should ask themselves. Did God, after creating the universe and establishing a system of natural causations therein, suspend Himself such that it is no longer possible for Him to interfere in the workings of the universe? Or does He still hold the reins to His realm in His owns Hands so that His command is enforced every moment, and He does retain the power to alter the shape of things and the normal course of events - either partially or fully, - as and when He wills?

It is impossible for those who respond in the affirmative to the first question to accept the idea of miracles. For clearly miracles do not fit in with their concept of God and the universe. Honesty demands that instead of indulging in far-fetched explanations of Qur'anic statements on miracles, such people should clearly declare that they do not believe in the Qur'an. For quite obviously the Qur'an is explicit, even quite emphatic in affirming the former concept of God.

As for those who, being convinced by Qur'anic arguments, respond in the affirmative to the second question regarding God and the universe, for them there is no difficulty in accepting miracles. Let us take the instance mentioned in verse 107, namely, that the rod of Moses turned into a serpent. Now, there are those who believe that serpents can come into being only through one process - the known biological process. Such people are bound to reject the statement that Moses' rod changed into a serpent and later reverted to its original shape. On the contrary, if you are fully convinced that it is God's command alone which causes life to arise from lifeless matter, and that God has full power to confer whichever kind of life He wills, the transformation of the rod into a serpent and its subsequent reversion to its original state is no stranger than the transformation of any other lifeless matter into a living entity. The fact that the latter happens virtually every day whereas the former took place only a few times in history is not enough to declare the first as incredibly, strange and the second as 'natural'.

88. The above account raises the question as to how a destitute member of the slave Israeli nation could pose such a serious threat to an emperor as mighty as Pharaoh. This is especially so when one considers that Pharaoh was not only an absolute ruler over territory which stretched in one direction from Syria to Libya and in the other from the Mediterranean coast to Ethiopia, but was even considered a deity deserving of worship,

One might also wonder how the transformation of Moses' rod into a serpent could he considered an event of such magnitude as to give rise to the fear that Moses would overthrow the entrenched empire and unseat the royal family as well as the entire ruling class. It might further seem strange that the mere declaration of prophethood and the demand to liberate the people of Israel caused such a furore even though no other political question had been touched upon.

The answer here lies in the fact that Moses' claim to prophethood implied the call to total change, obviously, including political change. For if a person lays claim to be God's Messenger, it implies that people obey him unreservedly. For God's Messengers are not sent to the world to obey other human beings and live in subordination to them; they rather ask others to accept them as their leaders and rulers. It is this which explains why Pharaoh and his coteric felt threatened by an all-out revolution -political, economic and social - when Moses came forth with his call.

There remains the question as to why the claim to prophethood was considered such a potential threat when Moses enjoyed the support of none except his brother, Aaron, and his claim was reinforced by only two miracles - those of the shining hand and the rod which turned into a serpent. This can be explained by two things. First, that Pharaoh and his courtiers knew very well about Moses. All were aware of his extraordinary abilities and his inherent calibre as a leader of men. Also, according to the traditions of the Talmud and Josephus - provided they are authentic -Moses had also learnt the martial arts and other skills which were available only exclusively to royalty and which were required in connection with their political and military leadership. Moreover, he had proved his mettle as a good general during the expedition to Ethiopia. Furthermore, during the course of his eight years of life in Midian - rigorous years in the desert working as a shepherd - he had purged himself of all his weaknesses because of his association with the Pharaonic svstern. Hence. when the Pharaonic court was confronted by a mature, serene and pious man who came forth with the claim of prophethood, it was obviously impossible for them to give short shrift to his claim. Second, the miracles of the rod and the shining hand overawed Pharaoh and his courtiers to such an extent they were almost convinced that Moses did indeed enjoy the support of some supernatural power. That they were unnerved by the very first proof of his prophethood is borne out by the contradictions in their charges against Moses. On the one hand they dubbed Moses a sorcerer, and on the other hand they accused him of plotting to banish them from their own land. It is clear that had they taken Moses for a mere sorcerer, they would not have expressed fears of political upheaval. For sorcery has never brought about any political change in the world.

89. The plan of Pharaoh's courtiers clearly suggests that they knew the difference between mere sorcery and a miracle. They were well aware that miracles are effective and have the capacity to bring about actual transformation whereas sorcery results merely in optic illusion. Hence, they dubbed Moses a sorcerer so as to refute his claim to prophethood. They claimed instead that the transformation of the rod into a serpent was not a miracle; that it was rather a magical performance which could be undertaken by any sorcerer. Therefore, they asked all the sorcerers of the land to come together and display how rods could be magically transformed into serpents. They believed that such a magical show would remove the awesome effect created by Moses' miracles on the people, or at least sow doubts in their minds about those miracles.

90. It would be a mistake to believe that the rod of Moses swallowed up the rods and ropes cast by the other sorcerers and which had looked like serpents. The Qur'anic statement means that the rod of Moses swallowed up the falsehood faked by them. This clearly shows that wherever Moses' rod moved, it destroyed the magical effect which had caused the transformation of their ropes and rods. One blow of Moses' rod caused every other rod to revert to a rod, and every rope to revert to a rope. (For further elaboration see Tafhim al-Qur'an, (Ta Ha 20, n. 42)

91. Thus God turned the tables on Pharaoh and his courtiers they arranged the magic show in the hope that it would convince the people that Moses was just a sorcerer, and thus make them sceptical about his claim to prophethood. But the actual outcome was quite the opposite. The sorcerers who had been assembled were defeated. Not only that, it was also unanimously acknowledged that the signs displayed by Moses in support of his claim were not feats of magic. Rather, his signs rather manifested the might of God, the Lord of the universe, and hence could not be overcome by magic.

92. Faced with utter failure Pharaoh finally resorted to branding the whole magic tournament as a conspiracy concocted by Moses and his accomplice sorcerers. Under threat of death and physical torture he asked the sorcerers to confess that they had acted in collusion with Moses. This last move by Pharaoh was ineffectual. For the sorcerers readily agreed to endure every torture, clearly proving thereby that their decision to accept Moses' message reflected their sincere conviction and that no conspiracy was involved. Pharaoh was hardly left with any choice. He, therefore, gave up all pretence to follow truth and justice, and brazenly resorted to persecution instead.

The tremendous and instantaneous change which took place in the characters of the sorcerers is also of significance. The sorcerers had come all the way from their homes with the purpose of vindicating their ancestral faith and receiving pecuniary reward from Pharaoh for overcoming Moses. However, the moment true faith illumined their hearts, they displayed such resoluteness of will and love for the truth that they contemptuously turned down Pharaoh's offer, and demonstrated their full readiness to endure even the worst punishments for the sake of the truth that had dawned upon them.

93. There were two periods of persecution. The first was during the reign of Rameses 11 and took place before Moses' birth, whereas the second period of persecution started after Moses' assumption to the office of prophethood. Common to both periods is the killing of the male issue of Israelites while the female was spared. It was a calculated design to rob the Israelites of their identity and to bring about their forcible assimilation. An inscription discovered during the archaeological excavations of 1896 probably belongs to this period. According to this inscription, Pharaoh Minpetah rounds off the narration of his achievements and victories in these words: 'The Israel have been exterminated, and no seed of them is left.' For further explanation see (al-Mu'min 40: 25)

94. Pharaoh's courtiers obstinately persisted in branding Moses' signs as sorcery although they knew well that sorcery had nothing in common with the miraculous signs granted to Moses. Even a fool would not he ready to believe that the country-wide famine and the consistent decrease in agricultural output could have been caused by magic. It is for this reason that the Qur'an says:

But when Our signs, which should have opened their eyes, came to them they said: 'This is clear sorcery! And they rejected those signs out of iniquity and arrogance even though they were inwardly convinced of it' (al-Naml 27: 13-14).

95. This probably refers to the torrential rain accompanied by hailstorm. While we do not totally exclude the possibility of other kinds of storms, we are inclined to the view, that it probably signifies hailstorm since the Bible specifically mentions that. (See Exodus 9: 23-4 - Ed.)

96. The word used in the text - qummal - denotes lice, fleas, small locusts, mosquitoes, and weevil. This rather general term has been used in the Qur'an probably to suggest that while men were afflicted with lice and fleas, weevil destroyed the barns. (Cf. Exodus 7-12. See also Tafhim al-ur'an, (al-Zukhruf 43, n. 43.)

97. The Israelites were made the inheritors of Palestine. This has been interpreted by some commentators of the Qur'an to mean that the Israelites were made the rulers of Egypt as well. This view, however, is neither supported by, the Qur'an nor by any other historical and archaeological evidence. We have, therefore, serious reservations about the correctness of this opinion. (See Tafhim a]-Qur'an, (al-Kahf 18, n. 57), and (al-Shuara' 26, n. 45)