7:127 Al-A'raaf (The Heights)

وقالوا لفرعون مهيجين له على الإيقاع بموسى، وزاعمين أن ما جاء باطل وفساد: أَتَذَرُ مُوسَى وَقَوْمَهُ لِيُفْسِدُوا فِي الأَرْضِ بالدعوة إلى اللّه، وإلى مكارم الأخلاق ومحاسن الأعمال، التي هي الصلاح في الأرض، وما هم عليه هو الفساد، ولكن الظالمين لا يبالون بما يقولون.

وَيَذَرَكَ وَآلِهَتَكَ أي: يدعك أنت وآلهتك، وينهى عنك، ويصد الناس عن اتباعك.

فـ قَالَ فرعون مجيبا لهم، بأنه سيدع بني إسرائيل مع موسى بحالة لا ينمون فيها، ويأمن فرعون وقومه - بزعمه - من ضررهم: سَنُقَتِّلُ أَبْنَاءَهُمْ وَنَسْتَحْيِي نِسَاءَهُمْ أي: نستبقيهن فلا نقتلهن، فإذا فعلنا ذلك أمنا من كثرتهم، وكنا مستخدمين لباقيهم، ومسخرين لهم على ما نشاء من الأعمال وَإِنَّا فَوْقَهُمْ قَاهِرُونَ لا خروج لهم عن حكمنا، ولا قدرة، وهذا نهاية الجبروت من فرعون والعتو والقسوة.

يخبر تعالي عما تمالأ عليه فرعون وملأه وما أضمروه لموسى عليه السلام وقومه من الأذى والبغضة "وقال الملأ من قوم فرعون" أي لفرعون "أتذر موسى وقومه" أي أتدعهم ليفسدوا في الأرض أي يفسدوا أهل رعيتك ويدعوهم إلى عبادة ربهم دونك. يا لله العجب صار هؤلاء يشفقون من إفساد موسى وقومه! ألا إن فرعون وقومه هم المفسدون ولكن لا يشعرون ولهذا قالوا "ويذرك وآلهتك" قال بعضهم الواو هاهنا حالية أي أتذره وقومه يفسدون في الأرض وقد ترك عبادتك؟ وقرأ ذلك أبي بن كعب وقد تركوك أن يعبدوك وآلهتك حكاه ابن جرير وقال آخرون هي عاطفة أي أتدعهم يصنعون في الفساد ما قد أقررتهم عليه وعلى ترك آلهتك وقرأ بعضهم إلاهتك أي عبادتك وروي ذلك عن ابن عباس ومجاهد وغيره وعلى القراءة الأولى قال بعضهم: كان لفرعون إله يعبده قال الحسن البصري كان لفرعون إله يعبده في السر. وقال في رواية أخرى كان له حنانة في عنقه معلقة يسجد لها. وقال السدي في قوله تعالى "ويذرك وآلهتك" وآلهته فيما زعم ابن عباس كانوا إذا رأوا بقرة حسناء أمرهم فرعون أن يعبدوها فلذلك أخرج لهم السامري عجلا جسدا له خوار. فأجابهم فرعون فيما سألوه بقوله سنقتل أبناءهم ونستحي نساءهم وهذا أمر ثان بهذا الصنيع وقد كان نكل بهم قبل ولادة موسى عليه السلام حذرا من وجوده فكان خلاف ما أراد وضد ما قصده فرعون وهكذا عومل في صنيعه أيضا لما أراد إذلال بني إسرائيل وقهرهم فجاء الأمر على خلاف ما أراد. أعزهم الله وأذله وأرغم أنفه وأغرقه وجنوده.

Fir`awn vows to kill the Children of Israel, Who complain to Musa; Allah promises Them Victory

Allah mentions the conspiracy of Fir`awn and his people, their ill intentions and their hatred for Musa and his people.

وَقَالَ الْمَلأ مِن قَوْمِ فِرْعَونَ

(The chiefs of Fir`awn's people said), to Fir`awn,

أَتَذَرُ مُوسَى وَقَوْمَهُ

("Will you leave Musa and his people"), will you let them be free,

لِيُفْسِدُواْ فِى الاٌّرْضِ

("to spread mischief in the land"), spreading unrest among your subjects and calling them to worship their Lord instead of you Amazingly, these people were worried that Musa and his people would cause mischief! Rather, Fir`awn and his people are the mischief-makers, but they did not realize it. They said,

وَيَذَرَكَ وَءالِهَتَكَ

("and to abandon you and your gods") `Your gods', according to Ibn `Abbas, as As-Suddi narrated from him, "Were cows. Whenever they saw a beautiful cow, Fir`awn would command them to worship it. This is why As-Samiri, made the statue of a calf that seemed to moo for the Children of Israel." Fir`awn accepted his people's recommendation, saying,

سَنُقَتِّلُ أَبْنَآءَهُمْ وَنَسْتَحْيِـى نِسَآءَهُمْ

("We will kill their sons, and let their women live") thus reiterating his previous order concerning the Children of Israel. He had tormented them killing every newly born male before Musa was born, so that Musa would not live. However, the opposite of what Fir`awn sought and intended occurred. The same end struck Fir`awn that he intended to subjugate and humiliate the Children of Israel with. Allah gave victory to the Children of Israel, humiliated and disgraced Fir`awn, and caused him to drown along with his soldiers. When Fir`awn insisted on his evil plot against the Children of Israel,

قَالَ مُوسَى لِقَوْمِهِ اسْتَعِينُواْ بِاللَّهِ وَاصْبِرُواْ

(Musa said to his people: "Seek help in Allah and be patient") and promised them that the good end will be theirs and that they will prevail, saying,

إِنَّ الأَرْضَ للَّهِ يُورِثُهَا مَن يَشَآءُ مِنْ عِبَادِهِ وَالْعَـقِبَةُ لِلْمُتَّقِينَ

قَالُواْ أُوذِينَا مِن قَبْلِ أَن تَأْتِيَنَا وَمِن بَعْدِ مَا جِئْتَنَا

("Verily, the earth is Allah's. He gives it as a heritage to whom He wills of His servants; and the (blessed) end is for the pious and righteous persons." They said: "We suffered troubles before you came to us, and since you have come to us.") The Children of Israel replied to Musa, `they (Fir`awn and his people) inflicted humiliation and disgrace on us, some you witnessed, both before and after you came to us, O Musa'! Musa replied, reminding them of their present situation and how it will change in the future,

عَسَى رَبُّكُمْ أَن يُهْلِكَ عَدُوَّكُمْ

("It may be that your Lord will destroy your enemy. ..") encouraging them to appreciate Allah when the afflictions are removed and replaced by a bounty.

Then the council of Pharaoh’s folk said to him to Pharaoh ‘Will you leave Moses and his people to work corruption in the land by calling to disobedience against you and flout you and your gods?’ — he had fashioned small idols for them to worship and had said to them ‘I am your lord and their lord’ which is why he says I am your lord the highest Q. 7924. He said ‘We shall slaughter read nuqattilu or naqtulu their new-born sons and spare their women keeping them alive for us as we did with them before. For surely we have irresistible power over them!’ and they did this to them and so the Children of Israel grieved.

Pharaoh was frightened

It is to be noted that the Pharaoh was in some degree successful in keeping his ignorant people in their former ignorance through his clever and false statements, but at the same time, they strangely noted that all the fury and rage of Pharaoh was limited to the sorcerers only. He did not dare say a word against the prophets Musa (علیہ السلام) and Harun who were his real opponents. This is obvious from the following statement of his people: أَتَذَرُ‌ مُوسَىٰ وَقَوْمَهُ لِيُفْسِدُوا فِي الْأَرْ‌ضِ وَيَذَرَ‌كَ وَآلِهَتَكَ ۚ"Do you leave Musa (علیہ السلام) and his people alone to spread disorder in the land, even when he abandons you and your gods?"

Pharaoh had no convincing answer to this question. He only said, سَنُقَتِّلُ أَبْنَاءَهُمْ وَنَسْتَحْيِي نِسَاءَهُمْ وَإِنَّا فَوْقَهُمْ قَاهِرُ‌ونَ "We shall slaughter their sons and let their women live, and we have full power over them."

According to the commentators of the Holy Qur'an, Pharaoh tried to satisfy his people saying that by killing their males and leaving their women alive, he shall totally eliminate them within a period of time. Their women shall be spared to serve his people as maid servants. In fact, Pharaoh was so frightened by the miracle of the prophet Musa (علیہ السلام) that even at this occasion when he was threatening to kill all the men of Israelites, he could not utter a single word of threat against Musa and Harun (علیہ السلام) Maulana Rumi said:

ھر کہ ترسید از حق وتقوی گزید

ترسید ازوی جن و انس و ھر کہ دید

"Whoever adopts 'Taqwa' and fears Allah is feared by all human beings and spirits" .

The above statement of Pharaoh's people, 'Even when he abandons you and your gods' makes us understand that Pharaoh himself used to worship other gods, even though he claimed to be the god of his people. The law about killing of the males of the Israelites and leaving their women alive was now promulgated the second time. The first time it was put into force prior to the birth of the prophet Musa (علیہ السلام) . He was witnessing the failure of this law up to this day which was evident from the huge crowd of the Israelites present at this occasion. When Allah intends to bring disgrace to a people, all they contrive leads to nothing but disaster. We shall soon see that this tyranny and oppression, at last, led him and his people to an ignominious end.