Overview (Verses 36 - 43)

The Arrogant are Punished

This awesome scene is closed; time passes and the location changes; Moses and Aaron are now facing Pharaoh, producing God’s clear signs, refuting the arguments of falsehood and explaining God’s guidance. The end is shown: drowning in this present life, and a curse in the life to come. All is expressed in a series of short, concise verses: When Moses came to them with Our clear signs, they said: ‘This is nothing but forged sorcery. Never did we hear of the like of this among our forefathers of old. ‘Moses replied: My Lord knows best who comes with guidance from Him, and to whom the future belongs. Never will the evildoers be successful.’ ‘Nobles!’ said Pharaoh. ‘I know of no deity that you could have other than myself. Well, Hāmān, kindle for me a fire [to bake bricks] of clay, and then build me a lofty tower, so that I may have a look at the god of Moses; even though I am convinced that he is one who tells lies.’ Thus arrogantly did he and his hosts behave on earth, against all right, thinking that they would never return to Us. And so We seized him and his hosts and cast them in the sea. Look what happened in the end to those wrongdoers. And We made them leaders who called others to the fire. No help will they ever receive on the Day of Resurrection. We caused a curse to follow them in this world, and on Resurrection Day they will be among those who are spurned. (Verses 36-42) The sūrah delivers its final strike very quickly, making no mention of the confrontation between Moses and Pharaoh’s sorcerers: such details can be found in brief or in detail in other sūrahs. Here the sūrah moves from the denial of the truth by Pharaoh and his people directly to their destruction. It also includes what will happen to them in the hereafter. This quick movement is deliberate, so as to fit with the general drift of the sūrah emphasizing God’s direct intervention, through no human agent. Once Pharaoh is seen to be adamant in his rejection of God’s message, his end is directly shown. No further details are needed.

“When Moses came to them with Our clear signs, they said: This is nothing but forged sorcery. Never did we hear of the like of this among our forefathers of old.” (Verse 36) Pharaoh’s words are exactly the same as those employed by the Quraysh idolaters in Makkah when the Prophet Muhammad called on them to believe in God: “This is nothing but forged sorcery. Never did we hear of the like of this among our forefathers of old.” (Verse 36) It is nothing more than futile argument when faced with the overpowering truth. It is the same argument whenever falsehood confronts the truth: an accusation of sorcery, and a rejection based on nothing other than that the whole thing was new, unknown to their forefathers. Indeed, they have no argument, and no basis for their stand. Hence, their vague statement that proves nothing.

Moses (peace be upon him) refers the matter to God, because in such a situation where no proof is being requested, it is better to be brief and let God judge between the two parties: “Moses replied.. My Lord knows best who comes with guidance from Him, and to whom the future belongs. Never will the evildoers be successful.” (Verse 37)

This is a very polite answer, which makes an implicit, yet very clear statement about the outcome of all confrontations between truth and falsehood. His Lord knows well that he is truthful, following divine guidance. The future certainly belongs to the one who comes with guidance, while the evildoers will never gain the ultimate success. This is God’s law that will never change, even though things may appear at times to move in some other way. Moses, like every prophet, puts this very clearly to people.

Pharaoh’s response is evasive, boastful and sarcastic: “Nobles! I know of no deity that you could have other than myself Well, Hāmān, kindle for me a fire [to bake bricks] of clay, and then build me a lofty tower, so that I may have a look at the god of Moses even though I am convinced that he is one who tells lies.” (Verse 38) What a blatant lie Pharaoh utters: “I know of no deity that you could have other than myself” And his nobles receive such falsehood with humble acceptance. Pharaoh relies on the legends that circulated in Egypt at the time claiming that kings descended from deities. He also relied on brute force that did not allow anyone to think or speak out against him. Whilst others saw him as mortal like themselves, they nevertheless accepted his arrogance without question.

He then affects seriousness about wanting to find out the truth and making sure of Moses’ God. Yet, in truth, he is only making fun of the whole issue: “Well, Hāmān, kindle for me a fire [to bake bricks] of clay, and then build me a lofty tower, so that I may have a look at the god of Moses.” Moses says his god is in heaven, so I will go up into the sky to look at him. In the same tone of sarcasm he pretends that he has doubts about Moses and his statements, but nevertheless he wants to look and find out for himself: “even though I am convinced that he is one who tells lies.” (Verse 38)

It is at this point in the exchange that the match with the sorcerers takes place, though it is not mentioned here. The sūrah instead proceeds straight to how Pharaoh met his end: “Thus arrogantly did he and his hosts behave on earth, against all right, thinking that they would never return to Us.” (Verse 39) Given they thought they would never return, they behaved arrogantly, against all right, denying God’s signs and warnings. Hence, God’s punishment was quick: “And so We seized him and his hosts and cast them in the sea.” (Verse 40) Pharaoh was seized with force and cast into the sea as though he was a little stone. We note the contrast between Moses being cast into the river when he was a newborn baby and he finds in it a safe shelter, and Pharaoh, the tyrant king, being cast into the sea, only to be destroyed. Safety and security are ensured when one is on God’s side, while fear and destruction are attendant with the other side. We note that in the Arabic text, the same word, yamm, is used for both river and sea as this signifies a great body of water.

“Look what happened in the end to those wrongdoers.” (Verse 40) It is an end that is met in full view, so as to serve as a lesson and a warning for all who deny God’s messages. It shows how God’s power overwhelms tyrants and despots in no time at all, so as to make their end easy to describe in just half a line or even less.

Another glance and this whole world is passed by so as to present a picture of Pharaoh and his hosts on the Day of Judgement calling on people and leading them into hell: “And We made them leaders who called others to the fire.” (Verse 41) Evil is the leadership, and evil is the call. “No help will they ever receive on the Day of Resurrection.” (Verse 41) It is a defeat in this life and a defeat in the life to come, in fair requital for their aggression and transgression. But they will not only be defeated; they are cursed in this world and spurned in the next: “We caused a curse to follow them in this world, and on Resurrection Day they will be among those who are spurned.” (Verse 42)

The Other End

The sūrah leaves out the entire history of the Children of Israel’s departure from Egypt, and the events that followed, in order to mention Moses’ lot after having shown us Pharaoh’s: And so after We had destroyed those earlier generations, We gave Moses the book providing insight for mankind, as a guidance and grace, so that they may reflect. (Verse 43) This is certainly a great favour given to Moses. His is an honourable bequest: a book revealed to him by God in order to give mankind new insight and guidance into what is right. Believers must, however, remember how God’s power intervened to save the weak and overcome the powerful. They must reflect on how oppressors are destroyed and the oppressed avenged and given power.

Thus ends the story of Moses and Pharaoh as related in this sūrah. It makes clear that safety and security can only be achieved by being on God’s side, while fear is always associated with moving away from Him. It also shows how God’s hand intervenes to challenge tyranny and overcome it, when its power seems irresistible. The fledgling Muslim community in Makkah needed to understand this concept and be sure of it, while the arrogant idolaters also needed to reflect on it. Moreover, this concept is needed whenever and wherever believers advocate the truth and tyranny stands in its way.

This is yet another example, then, of how the Qur’ān uses historical accounts as educative material, and also to establish certain facts and principles which need to be reflected upon.