Tafheem ul Quran
Surah 7 Al-A'raf, Ayat 130-141
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 عِنۡدَكَۚ لَـئِنۡ كَشَفۡتَ عَنَّا الرِّجۡزَ لَـنُؤۡمِنَنَّ لَكَ وَلَـنُرۡسِلَنَّ مَعَكَ بَنِىۡۤ اِسۡرَآءِيۡلَۚ
﴿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﴾
وَجَاوَزۡنَا بِبَنِىۡۤ اِسۡرَاۤءِيۡلَ الۡبَحۡرَ فَاَ تَوۡا عَلٰى قَوۡمٍ يَّعۡكُفُوۡنَ عَلٰٓى اَصۡنَامٍ لَّهُمۡ ۚ قَالُوۡا يٰمُوۡسَى اجۡعَلْ لَّـنَاۤ اِلٰهًا كَمَا لَهُمۡ اٰلِهَةٌ ؕ قَالَ اِنَّكُمۡ قَوۡمٌ تَجۡهَلُوۡنَ
﴿7:138﴾
اِنَّ هٰٓؤُلَۤاءِ مُتَبَّرٌ مَّا هُمۡ فِيۡهِ وَبٰطِلٌ مَّا كَانُوۡا يَعۡمَلُوۡنَ
﴿7:139﴾
قَالَ اَغَيۡرَ اللّٰهِ اَبۡغِيۡكُمۡ اِلٰهًا وَّهُوَ فَضَّلَـكُمۡ عَلَى الۡعٰلَمِيۡنَ
﴿7:140﴾
وَاِذۡ اَنۡجَيۡنٰكُمۡ مِّنۡ اٰلِ فِرۡعَوۡنَ يَسُوۡمُوۡنَـكُمۡ سُوۡٓءَ الۡعَذَابِ ۚ يُقَتِّلُوۡنَ اَبۡنَآءَكُمۡ وَ يَسۡتَحۡيُوۡنَ نِسَآءَكُمۡ ؕ وَفِىۡ ذٰ لِكُمۡ بَلَاۤ ءٌ مِّنۡ رَّبِّكُمۡ عَظِيۡمٌ
﴿7:141﴾
(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. (7:138) And We led the Children of Israel across the sea; and then they came
upon a people who were devoted to the worship of their idols. They said: '0
Moses, make for us a god even as they have gods.'98 Moses said: 'You
are indeed an ignorant people.' (7:139) The way these people follow is bound to lead to destruction; and
all their works are vain. (7:140) Moses said: 'Should I seek any god for you other than Allah although
it is He who has exalted you above all?' (7:141) And call to mind when We delivered you from Pharaoh's people who
perpetrated on you a terrible torment, putting your males to death and sparing
your females. Surely in it there was an awesome trial for you from your Lord.
Notes
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)
98. The point at which the Israelites probably crossed the Red Sea lies somewhere
between the present Suez and Ismailia. After that they headed towards the south
of the Sinai peninsula along the coastal route. The western and northern regions
of the Sinai peninsula were then included in the Egyptian empire. In the southern
part of the peninsula, in the area lying between the present towns of Tur and
Abu Zanimah, there were copper and turquoise mines. Since these were of immense
value to the Egyptians, a number of garrisons had been set up to ensure their
security'. One such garrison was located at a place known as Mafqah, which also
housed a big temple. The ruins of this temple can still be found in the south-western
part of the peninsula. In its vicinity there was an ancient temple, dedicated
to the moon-god of the Semites. Passing by these places the people of Israel,
who had been subservient to the Egyptians for a long time and were thus considerably
Egyptianized in their outlook, felt the desire to indulge in idol-worship.
The extent to which the Israelites had become degenerated as a result of their
slavery may be gauged by Joshua's last address to the Israelites delivered seventy
years after their exodus from Epypt:
Now therefore fear the Lord, and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness;
put away the gods which your fathers served beyond the River, and in Egypt,
and serve the Lord. And if you are unwilling to serve the Lord, choose this
day whom you will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served in the region
beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell; but as
for me and my house, we will serve the Lord (Joshua 24: 14-15).
This shows that even though the Israelites had been taught and trained by Moses
for forty Years and by Joshua for twenty-eight years, they had still been unable
to purge their minds of those influences which had warped their outlook and
mentality during their period of bondage under Pharaoh. These Muslims had begun
to look upon idol-worship as natural. Even after their exodus, the sight of
a temple would incline them to indulge in the idolatrous practices which they
had observed among their former masters.