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 16 (Verses 7:130–7:141): Moses Shows more Signs
Translation:
وَ لَقَدۡ اَخَذۡنَاۤ اٰلَ فِرۡعَوۡنَ بِالسِّنِیۡنَ وَ نَقۡصٍ مِّنَ الثَّمَرٰتِ لَعَلَّہُمۡ یَذَّکَّرُوۡنَ ﴿۱۳۰﴾
7:130 And certainly We overtook Pharaoh’s people with droughts and shortage of fruits that they might be mindful.
فَاِذَا جَآءَتۡہُمُ الۡحَسَنَۃُ قَالُوۡا لَنَا ہٰذِہٖ ۚ وَ اِنۡ تُصِبۡہُمۡ سَیِّئَۃٌ یَّطَّیَّرُوۡا بِمُوۡسٰی وَ مَنۡ مَّعَہٗ ؕ اَلَاۤ اِنَّمَا طٰٓئِرُہُمۡ عِنۡدَ اللّٰہِ وَ لٰکِنَّ اَکۡثَرَہُمۡ لَا یَعۡلَمُوۡنَ ﴿۱۳۱﴾
7:131 But when good befell them they said: This is due to us. And when evil afflicted them, they attributed it to the ill-luck of Moses and those with him. Surely their evil fortune is only from Allah, but most of them do not know.1
وَ قَالُوۡا مَہۡمَا تَاۡتِنَا بِہٖ مِنۡ اٰیَۃٍ لِّتَسۡحَرَنَا بِہَا ۙ فَمَا نَحۡنُ لَکَ بِمُؤۡمِنِیۡنَ ﴿۱۳۲﴾
7:132 And they said: Whatever sign you may bring us to charm us with it — we shall not believe in you.
فَاَرۡسَلۡنَا عَلَیۡہِمُ الطُّوۡفَانَ وَ الۡجَرَادَ وَ الۡقُمَّلَ وَ الضَّفَادِعَ وَ الدَّمَ اٰیٰتٍ مُّفَصَّلٰتٍ ۟ فَاسۡتَکۡبَرُوۡا وَ کَانُوۡا قَوۡمًا مُّجۡرِمِیۡنَ ﴿۱۳۳﴾
7:133 So We sent upon them widespread death, and the locusts and the lice and the frogs and the blood — clear signs. But they behaved haughtily and they were a guilty people.
وَ لَمَّا وَقَعَ عَلَیۡہِمُ الرِّجۡزُ قَالُوۡا یٰمُوۡسَی ادۡعُ لَنَا رَبَّکَ بِمَا عَہِدَ عِنۡدَکَ ۚ لَئِنۡ کَشَفۡتَ عَنَّا الرِّجۡزَ لَنُؤۡمِنَنَّ لَکَ وَ لَنُرۡسِلَنَّ مَعَکَ بَنِیۡۤ اِسۡرَآءِیۡلَ ﴿۱۳۴﴾ۚ
7:134 And when the plague fell upon them, they said: Moses, pray for us to your Lord as He has made promise with you. If you remove the plague from us, we will certainly believe in you and will let the Children of Israel go with you.
فَلَمَّا کَشَفۡنَا عَنۡہُمُ الرِّجۡزَ اِلٰۤی اَجَلٍ ہُمۡ بٰلِغُوۡہُ اِذَا ہُمۡ یَنۡکُثُوۡنَ ﴿۱۳۵﴾
7:135 But when We removed the plague from them till a term which they should attain, lo! they broke (their promise).2
فَانۡتَقَمۡنَا مِنۡہُمۡ فَاَغۡرَقۡنٰہُمۡ فِی الۡیَمِّ بِاَنَّہُمۡ کَذَّبُوۡا بِاٰیٰتِنَا وَ کَانُوۡا عَنۡہَا غٰفِلِیۡنَ ﴿۱۳۶﴾
7:136 So We exacted retribution from them and drowned them in the sea, because they rejected Our signs and were heedless of them.
وَ اَوۡرَثۡنَا الۡقَوۡمَ الَّذِیۡنَ کَانُوۡا یُسۡتَضۡعَفُوۡنَ مَشَارِقَ الۡاَرۡضِ وَ مَغَارِبَہَا الَّتِیۡ بٰرَکۡنَا فِیۡہَا ؕ وَ تَمَّتۡ کَلِمَتُ رَبِّکَ الۡحُسۡنٰی عَلٰی بَنِیۡۤ اِسۡرَآءِیۡلَ ۬ۙ بِمَا صَبَرُوۡا ؕ وَ دَمَّرۡنَا مَا کَانَ یَصۡنَعُ فِرۡعَوۡنُ وَ قَوۡمُہٗ وَ مَا کَانُوۡا یَعۡرِشُوۡنَ ﴿۱۳۷﴾
7:137 And We made the people who were considered weak to inherit the eastern lands and the western ones which We had blessed. And the good word of your Lord was fulfilled in the Children of Israel — because of their patience.3 And We destroyed what Pharaoh and his people had produced and what they had built.
وَ جٰوَزۡنَا بِبَنِیۡۤ اِسۡرَآءِیۡلَ الۡبَحۡرَ فَاَتَوۡا عَلٰی قَوۡمٍ یَّعۡکُفُوۡنَ عَلٰۤی اَصۡنَامٍ لَّہُمۡ ۚ قَالُوۡا یٰمُوۡسَی اجۡعَلۡ لَّنَاۤ اِلٰـہًا کَمَا لَہُمۡ اٰلِـہَۃٌ ؕ قَالَ اِنَّکُمۡ قَوۡمٌ تَجۡہَلُوۡنَ ﴿۱۳۸﴾
7:138 And We took the Children of Israel across the sea. Then they came to a people who were devoted to their idols. They said: Moses, make for us a god as they have gods.4 He said: Surely you are an ignorant people!
اِنَّ ہٰۤؤُلَآءِ مُتَبَّرٌ مَّا ہُمۡ فِیۡہِ وَ بٰطِلٌ مَّا کَانُوۡا یَعۡمَلُوۡنَ ﴿۱۳۹﴾
7:139 (As to) these, what they are engaged in shall be destroyed and what they do is futile.
قَالَ اَغَیۡرَ اللّٰہِ اَبۡغِیۡکُمۡ اِلٰـہًا وَّ ہُوَ فَضَّلَکُمۡ عَلَی الۡعٰلَمِیۡنَ ﴿۱۴۰﴾
7:140 He said: Shall I seek for you a god other than Allah, while He has made you excel (all) created things?5
وَ اِذۡ اَنۡجَیۡنٰکُمۡ مِّنۡ اٰلِ فِرۡعَوۡنَ یَسُوۡمُوۡنَکُمۡ سُوۡٓءَ الۡعَذَابِ ۚ یُقَتِّلُوۡنَ اَبۡنَآءَکُمۡ وَ یَسۡتَحۡیُوۡنَ نِسَآءَکُمۡ ؕ وَ فِیۡ ذٰلِکُمۡ بَلَآءٌ مِّنۡ رَّبِّکُمۡ عَظِیۡمٌ ﴿۱۴۱﴾٪
7:141 And when We delivered you from Pharaoh’s people, who subjected you to severe torment, killing your sons and sparing your women. And in it there was a great trial from your Lord.
Commentary:
- Their evil fortune is from Allah means that the misfortunes which they were made to suffer were brought about by Allah as a result of their own evil deeds. ↩︎
- A reference to Exodus, ch. 8–11, will show that Pharaoh again and again broke his promise to let the Children of Israel go — promises which he made on condition that a certain affliction should be removed. ↩︎
- The land that was blessed is none other than the Holy Land, for which a Divine promise was given to Abraham. The good word referred to here is that contained in Genesis 17:8. The eastern and the western lands might signify the eastern and the western tracts of the Holy Land, or the lands on the eastern and western sides of the Jordan. ↩︎
- The Israelites undoubtedly came across idolatrous nations in their wanderings. They themselves had idolatrous leanings: “…the people gathered together to Aaron, and said to him, Come, make us gods that shall go before us” (Exodus, 32:1). Many other anecdotes show a similar tendency to idol-worship. ↩︎
- Moses’ argument against idolatry is the one to which the Quran repeatedly calls attention, namely, that man, being as it were the lord of creation under God, and excelling the whole of creation, should not take objects lower than himself as his gods. ↩︎