English Translation and Commentary of the Holy Quran (2010)
by Maulana Muhammad Ali
Chapter 7: Al-Araf — The Elevated Places (Revealed at Makkah: 24 sections, 206 verses)
Section 13 (Verses 7:100–7:108): Moses sent to Pharaoh with Signs
Translation:
اَوَ لَمۡ یَہۡدِ لِلَّذِیۡنَ یَرِثُوۡنَ الۡاَرۡضَ مِنۡۢ بَعۡدِ اَہۡلِہَاۤ اَنۡ لَّوۡ نَشَآءُ اَصَبۡنٰہُمۡ بِذُنُوۡبِہِمۡ ۚ وَ نَطۡبَعُ عَلٰی قُلُوۡبِہِمۡ فَہُمۡ لَا یَسۡمَعُوۡنَ ﴿۱۰۰﴾
7:100 Is it not clear to those who inherit the earth after its (former) residents that, if We please, We would afflict them for their sins, and seal their hearts so they would not hear?
تِلۡکَ الۡقُرٰی نَقُصُّ عَلَیۡکَ مِنۡ اَنۡۢبَآئِہَا ۚ وَ لَقَدۡ جَآءَتۡہُمۡ رُسُلُہُمۡ بِالۡبَیِّنٰتِ ۚ فَمَا کَانُوۡا لِیُؤۡمِنُوۡا بِمَا کَذَّبُوۡا مِنۡ قَبۡلُ ؕ کَذٰلِکَ یَطۡبَعُ اللّٰہُ عَلٰی قُلُوۡبِ الۡکٰفِرِیۡنَ ﴿۱۰۱﴾
7:101 Such were the towns some of whose news We have related to you. And certainly their messengers came to them with clear arguments, but they would not believe what they had rejected before. Thus does Allah seal the hearts of the disbelievers.
وَ مَا وَجَدۡنَا لِاَکۡثَرِہِمۡ مِّنۡ عَہۡدٍ ۚ وَ اِنۡ وَّجَدۡنَاۤ اَکۡثَرَہُمۡ لَفٰسِقِیۡنَ ﴿۱۰۲﴾
7:102 And We did not find in most of them (faithfulness to) covenant; and We found most of them to be transgressors.
ثُمَّ بَعَثۡنَا مِنۡۢ بَعۡدِہِمۡ مُّوۡسٰی بِاٰیٰتِنَاۤ اِلٰی فِرۡعَوۡنَ وَ مَلَا۠ئِہٖ فَظَلَمُوۡا بِہَا ۚ فَانۡظُرۡ کَیۡفَ کَانَ عَاقِبَۃُ الۡمُفۡسِدِیۡنَ ﴿۱۰۳﴾
7:103 Then, after them, We sent Moses1 with Our messages to Pharaoh and his chiefs, but they disbelieved them. See, then, what was the end of the mischief-makers!
وَ قَالَ مُوۡسٰی یٰفِرۡعَوۡنُ اِنِّیۡ رَسُوۡلٌ مِّنۡ رَّبِّ الۡعٰلَمِیۡنَ ﴿۱۰۴﴾ۙ
7:104 And Moses said: O Pharaoh, surely I am a messenger from the Lord of the worlds,
حَقِیۡقٌ عَلٰۤی اَنۡ لَّاۤ اَقُوۡلَ عَلَی اللّٰہِ اِلَّا الۡحَقَّ ؕ قَدۡ جِئۡتُکُمۡ بِبَیِّنَۃٍ مِّنۡ رَّبِّکُمۡ فَاَرۡسِلۡ مَعِیَ بَنِیۡۤ اِسۡرَآءِیۡلَ ﴿۱۰۵﴾ؕ
7:105 worthy of not saying anything about Allah except the truth. I have come to you indeed with clear proof from your Lord, so let the Children of Israel go with me.
قَالَ اِنۡ کُنۡتَ جِئۡتَ بِاٰیَۃٍ فَاۡتِ بِہَاۤ اِنۡ کُنۡتَ مِنَ الصّٰدِقِیۡنَ ﴿۱۰۶﴾
7:106 He said: If you have come with a sign, produce it, if you are truthful.
فَاَلۡقٰی عَصَاہُ فَاِذَا ہِیَ ثُعۡبَانٌ مُّبِیۡنٌ ﴿۱۰۷﴾ۚۖ
7:107 So he threw down his staff, then lo! it was an obvious snake.
وَّ نَزَعَ یَدَہٗ فَاِذَا ہِیَ بَیۡضَآءُ لِلنّٰظِرِیۡنَ ﴿۱۰۸﴾٪
7:108 And he drew forth his hand, and lo! it was white to the onlookers.2
Commentary:
- The history of Moses is here taken up in detail. The Holy Prophet Muhammad had more in common with Moses than with any other prophet, and he is called the like of Moses in the Mosaic prophecies. ↩︎
- It is nowhere stated that whenever Moses threw down his rod it turned into a snake. Only on two occasions the rod is stated to have turned into a snake: (1) when Moses held communion with God before going to Pharaoh; (2) when he first came before Pharaoh, or when Pharaoh summoned the enchanters to his help. On the first of these occasions the rod was seen turning into a snake by Moses alone, when he was in a state of vision — the state in which a prophet is temporarily transported to a spiritual sphere. On the latter occasion others besides Moses witnessed the change, but it is a fact that the effect of inspired vision is sometimes so strong that others besides the seer partake in it.
Whatever their real nature, these miracles of Moses were not mere play. The great truth underlying the rod or staff turning into a snake was that the followers of Moses, as represented by his rod, would prevail over their enemies; and the significance underlying the whitening of Moses’ hand was that his arguments would shine forth with clearness. ↩︎