28:38 Al-Qasas (The Stories)

{ وَقَالَ فِرْعَوْنُ } متجرئا على ربه، ومموها على قومه السفهاء، أخفاء العقول: { يَا أَيُّهَا الْمَلَأُ مَا عَلِمْتُ لَكُمْ مِنْ إِلَهٍ غَيْرِي } أي: أنا وحدي، إلهكم ومعبودكم، ولو كان ثَمَّ إله غيري، لعلمته، فانظر إلى هذا الورع التام من فرعون!، حيث لم يقل \" ما لكم من إله غيري \" بل تورع وقال: { مَا عَلِمْتُ لَكُمْ مِنْ إِلَهٍ غَيْرِي } وهذا، لأنه عندهم، العالم الفاضل، الذي مهما قال فهو الحق، ومهما أمر أطاعوه.فلما قال هذه المقالة، التي قد تحتمل أن ثَمَّ إلها غيره، أراد أن يحقق النفي، الذي جعل فيه ذلك الاحتمال، فقال لـ \" هامان \" { فَأَوْقِدْ لِي يَاهَامَانُ عَلَى الطِّينِ } ليجعل له لبنا من فخار. { فَاجْعَلْ لِي صَرْحًا } أي: بناء { لَعَلِّي أَطَّلِعُ إِلَى إِلَهِ مُوسَى وَإِنِّي لَأَظُنُّهُ مِنَ الْكَاذِبِينَ } ولكن سنحقق هذا الظن، ونريكم كذب موسى. فانظر هذه الجراءة العظيمة على اللّه، التي ما بلغها آدمي، كذب موسى، وادَّعى أنه إله، ونفى أن يكون له علم بالإله الحق، وفعل الأسباب، ليتوصل إلى إله موسى، وكل هذا ترويج، ولكن العجب من هؤلاء الملأ، الذين يزعمون أنهم كبار المملكة، المدبرون لشئونها، كيف لعب هذا الرجل بعقولهم، واستخف أحلامهم، وهذا لفسقهم الذي صار صفة راسخة فيهم.فسد دينهم، ثم تبع ذلك فساد عقولهم، فنسألك اللهم الثبات على الإيمان، وأن لا تزيغ قلوبنا بعد إذ هديتنا، وتهب لنا من لدنك رحمة إنك أنت الوهاب.

يخبر تعالى عن كفر فرعون وطغيانه وافترائه في دعواه الإلهية لنفسه القبيحة لعنه الله كما قال الله تعالى: "فاستخف قومه فأطاعوه" الآية وذلك لأنه دعاهم إلى الاعتراف له بالإلهية فأجابوه إلى ذلك بقلة عقولهم وسخافة أذهانهم ولهذا قال: "يا أيها الملأ ما علمت لكم من إله غيري" وقال تعالى إخبارا عنه "فحشر فنادى فقال أنا ربكم الأعلى فأخذه الله نكال الآخرة والأولى إن في ذلك لعبرة لمن يخشى" يعني أنه جمع قومه ونادى فيهم بصوته العالي مصرحا لهم بذلك فأجابوه سامعين مطيعين ولهذا انتقم الله تعالى منه فجعله عبرة لغيره في الدنيا والآخرة وحتى أنه واجه موسى الكليم بذلك فقال: "لئن اتخذت إلها غيري لأجعلنك من المسجونين" وقوله: "فأوقد لي يا هامان على الطين فاجعل صرحا لعلي أطلع إلى إله موسى" يعني أمر وزيره هامان ومدبر رعيته ومشير دولته أن يوقد له على الطين يعني يتخذ له آجرا لبناء الصرح وهو القصر المنيف الرفيع العالي كما قال في الآية الأخرى "وقال فرعون يا هامان ابن لي صرحا لعلي أبلغ الأسباب أسباب السماوات فأطلع إلى إله موسى وإني لأظنه كاذبا وكذلك زين لفرعون سوء عمله وصد عن السبيل وما كيد فرعون إلا في تباب" وذلك لأن فرعون بنى هذا الصرح الذي لم ير في الدنيا بناء أعلى منه إنما أراد بهذا أن يظهر لرعيته تكذيب موسى فيما زعمه من دعوى إله غير فرعون ولهذا قال: "وإني لأظنه من الكاذبين" أي في قوله إن ثم ربا غيري لا أنه كذبه في أن الله تعالى أرسله لأنه لم يكن يعترف بوجود الصانع جل وعلا فإنه قال: "وما رب العالمين" وقال: "لئن اتخذت إلها غيري لأجعلنك من المسجونين" وقال: "يا أيها الملأ ما علمت لكم من إله غيري" وهذا قول ابن جرير.

The Arrogance of Fir`awn and His ultimate Destiny

Allah tells us of Fir`awn's disbelief and wrongdoing, and how he falsely claimed divinity for his evil self, may Allah curse him.

فَاسْتَخَفَّ قَوْمَهُ فَأَطَاعُوهُ

(Thus he fooled his people, and they obeyed him.) 43:54 He called on his people to recognize his divinity, and they responded, because of their weak and foolish minds. So, he said:

يأَيُّهَا الْملأ مَا عَلِمْتُ لَكُمْ مِّنْ إِلَـهٍ غَيْرِى

(O chiefs! I know not that you have a god other than me.) Allah tells us about Fir`awn:

فَحَشَرَ فَنَادَى - فَقَالَ أَنَاْ رَبُّكُمُ الاٌّعْلَى - فَأَخَذَهُ اللَّهُ نَكَالَ الاٌّخِرَةِ وَالاٍّوْلَى - إِنَّ فِى ذَلِكَ لَعِبْرَةً لِّمَن يَخْشَى

(Then he gathered (his people) and cried aloud, saying: "I am your lord, most high." So Allah, seized him with punishment for his last and first transgression. Verily, in this is an instructive admonition for whosoever fears Allah.) (79:23-26) meaning: he brought his people together and called to them in a loud voice, shouting that, and they responded to him obediently. So Allah took revenge on him, and made him a lesson to others in this world and the Hereafter. He even confronted Musa with that, and said:

لَئِنِ اتَّخَذْتَ إِلَـهَاً غَيْرِى لأَجْعَلَنَّكَ مِنَ الْمَسْجُونِينَ

(If you choose a god other than me, I will certainly put you among the prisoners) (26:29).

فَأَوْقِدْ لِى يَهَـمَـنُ عَلَى الطِّينِ فَاجْعَل لِّى صَرْحاً لَّعَلِّى أَطَّلِعُ إِلَى إِلَـهِ مُوسَى

(So kindle for me (a fire), O Haman, to bake (bricks out of) clay, and set up for me a Sarh in order that I may look at the God of Musa;) He commanded his minister and adviser Haman to bake bricks for him, i.e., to make bricks in order to build a Sarh, a exalted towering palace. This is like the Ayah,

وَقَالَ فَرْعَوْنُ يهَـمَـنُ ابْنِ لِى صَرْحاً لَّعَـلِّى أَبْلُغُ الاٌّسْبَـبَ - أَسْبَـبَ السَّمَـوَتِ فَأَطَّلِعَ إِلَى إِلَـهِ مُوسَى وَإِنِّى لاّظُنُّهُ كَـذِباً وَكَـذَلِكَ زُيِّنَ لِفِرْعَوْنَ سُوءُ عَمَلِهِ وَصُدَّ عَنِ السَّبِيلِ وَمَا كَـيْدُ فِرْعَوْنَ إِلاَّ فِى تَبَابٍ

(And Fir`awn said: "O Haman! Build me a Sarh that I may arrive at the ways -- the ways of the heavens, and I may look upon the God of Musa, but verily, I think him to be a liar." Thus it was made fair seeming, in Fir`awn's eyes, the evil of his deeds, and he was hindered from the path; and the plot of Fir`awn led to nothing but loss and destruction) (40:36-37). Fir`awn built this tower, which was the highest structure ever seen on earth, because he wanted to show his people that Musa was lying when he claimed that there was a God other than Fir`awn. Fir`awn said:

وَإِنِّى لأَظُنُّهُ مِنَ الْكَـذِبِينَ

(and verily, I think that he (Musa) is one of the liars.) meaning, `when he says that there is a lord other than me.' The issue was not whether Allah had sent Musa, because he did not acknowledge the existence of the Creator in the first place. On the contrary, he said:

وَمَا رَبُّ الْعَـلَمِينَ

(And what is the Lord of Al-`Alamin) (26:23) and:

لَئِنِ اتَّخَذْتَ إِلَـهَاً غَيْرِى لأَجْعَلَنَّكَ مِنَ الْمَسْجُونِينَ

(If you choose a god other than me, I will certainly put you among the prisoners.) (26:29) and he said:

يأَيُّهَا الْملأ مَا عَلِمْتُ لَكُمْ مِّنْ إِلَـهٍ غَيْرِى

(O chiefs! I know not that you have a god other than me.) This was the view of Ibn Jarir.

وَاسْتَكْبَرَ هُوَ وَجُنُودُهُ فِى الاٌّرْضِ بِغَيْرِ الْحَقِّ وَظَنُّواْ أَنَّهُمْ إِلَيْنَا لاَ يُرْجَعُونَ

(And he and his armies were arrogant in the land, without right, and they thought that they would never return to Us.) means, they were arrogant oppressors who spread much mischief in the land, and they believed that there would be no Resurrection.

فَصَبَّ عَلَيْهِمْ رَبُّكَ سَوْطَ عَذَابٍ - إِنَّ رَبَّكَ لَبِالْمِرْصَادِ

(So, your Lord poured on them different kinds of severe torment. Verily, your Lord is Ever Watchful (over them).) (89:13-14). Allah says here:

فَأَخَذْنَـهُ وَجُنُودَهُ فَنَبَذْنَـهُمْ فِى الْيَمِّ

(So, We seized him and his armies, and We threw them all into the sea.) meaning, `We drowned them in the sea in a single morning, and not one of them was left.'

فَانظُرْ كَيْفَ كَانَ عَـقِبَةُ الظَّـلِمِينَوَجَعَلْنَـهُمْ أَئِمَّةً يَدْعُونَ إِلَى النَّارِ

(So, behold what was the end of the wrongdoers. And We made them leaders inviting to the Fire) for those who followed them and took the same path as they did, rejecting the Messengers and denying the Creator.

وَيَوْمَ الْقِيـمَةِ لاَ يُنصَرُونَ

(and on the Day of Resurrection, they will not be helped.) their humiliation in this world is combined with and connected to their humiliation in the Hereafter, as Allah says:

أَهْلَكْنَـهُمْ فَلاَ نَـصِرَ لَهُمْ

(We have destroyed them. And there was none to help them) (47:13).

وَأَتْبَعْنَـهُم فِى هَذِهِ الدُّنْيَا لَعْنَةً

(And We made a curse to follow them in this world,) Allah decreed that they and their king Fir`awn should be cursed by the believers among His servants who follow His Messengers, just as in this world they were cursed by the Prophets and their followers.

وَيَوْمَ القِيَـمَةِ هُمْ مِّنَ الْمَقْبُوحِينَ

(and on the Day of Resurrection, they will be among disgraced.) Qatadah said, "This Ayah is like the Ayah,

وَأُتْبِعُواْ فِى هَـذِهِ لَعْنَةً وَيَوْمَ الْقِيَـمَةِ بِئْسَ الرِّفْدُ الْمَرْفُودُ

(They were pursued by a curse in this (life) and on the Day of Resurrection. Evil indeed is the gift given.) (11:99)."

And Pharaoh said ‘O members of the council I do not know of any god for you other than me. So kindle for me O Hāmān a fire over the clay and bake for me bricks of clay and make me a tower a lofty palace that I may take a look at the god of Moses to observe him and inspect him; for truly I consider him to be a liar’ in his claim of the existence of some other god and that he is his messenger.

Commentary

فَأَوْقِدْ لِي يَا هَامَانُ عَلَى الطِّينِ (So kindle for me, 0 Haman, a fire on the clay (to bake bricks) - 28:38). When the Pharaoh planned to build a very tall palace for himself, he asked his minister Haman to get the bricks baked properly first, because half baked bricks could not take the load of a tall building. Some people have observed that the Pharaoh was the first one to have tough bricks baked for the buildings, as no one had used them before. Historical narrations have recorded that Haman had collected fifty thousand masons for building this palace. Skilled labour, such as carpenters and blacksmith, were additional. This palace was built so tall that there was no parallel to it in the world. When it was completed, Allah Ta` ala commanded Jibra'il (علیہ السلام) to knock it down. He struck only one blow to it and it tumbled down in three pieces, killing thousands of soldiers of the Pharaoh's army. (Qurtubi)