Ghafir 40:38

"And he who believed said, "O my people, follow me; I will guide you to the way of right conduct."

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This believer said to his people who persisted in their rebellion and transgression, and preferred the life of this world:

يقَوْمِ اتَّبِعُونِ أَهْدِكُـمْ سَبِيـلَ الرَّشَـادِ

(O my people! Follow me, I will guide you to the way of right conduct.) This is in contrast to the false claim of Fir`awn:

وَمَآ أَهْدِيكُمْ إِلاَّ سَبِيلَ الرَّشَادِ

(and I guide you only to the path of right policy.) Then he sought to make them shun this world which they preferred to the Hereafter, and which had prevented them from believing in the Messenger of Allah, Musa, peace be upon him. He said:

يقَوْمِ إِنَّمَا هَـذِهِ الْحَيَوةُ الدُّنْيَا مَتَـعٌ

(O my people! Truly, this life of the world is nothing but an enjoyment,) meaning, it is insignificant and fleeting, and soon it will diminish and pass away.

وَإِنَّ الاٌّخِرَةَ هِىَ دَارُ الْقَـرَارِ

(and verily, the Hereafter that is the home that will remain forever.) means, the abode which will never end and from which there will be no departure, which will be either Paradise or Hell. Allah says:

مَنْ عَمِـلَ سَـيِّئَةً فَلاَ يُجْزَى إِلاَّ مِثْلَهَا

(Whosoever does an evil deed, will not be requited except the like thereof;) means, one like it.

وَمَنْ عَمِـلَ صَـلِحاً مِّن ذَكَـرٍ أَوْ أُنْثَى وَهُوَ مُؤْمِنٌ فَأُوْلَـئِكَ يَدْخُلُونَ الْجَنَّةَ يُرْزَقُونَ فِيهَا بِغَيْرِ حِسَابٍ

(and whosoever does a righteous deed, whether male or female and is a true believer, such will enter Paradise, where they will be provided therein without limit.) means, the reward cannot be enumerated, but Allah will give an immense reward without end. And Allah is the Guide to the straight path.

Фараон продолжал отчаянно сопротивляться проповедям Мусы и отказывался признать Аллаха Единственным Господом миров. Он слышал о том, как Муса утверждал, что Аллах вознесся на Трон и возвысился над всеми творениями, и поэтому приказал своему визирю Хаману воздвигнуть башню, чтобы он мог подняться до путей небесных и взглянуть на Бога Мусы. Он отказывался уверовать в Единого Господа, Который находится над небесами и хотел лично удостовериться в этом. Однако истинная причина такого поведения деспотичного правителя состояла в другом, и поэтому Всевышний Аллах возвестил о том, как отвратительны были деяния Фараона. Сатана непрестанно нашептывал ему о том, что его мерзкие деяния в действительности являются прекрасными. Он призывал египетского владыку ослушаться Аллаха и представлял ему грехи и злодеяния в прекрасном свете до тех пор, пока Фараон не поверил в это. А когда сатана добился своей цели, Фараон сам стал проповедовать неверие и сеять на земле смуту, полагая, что поступает правильно. Ложь показалась ему прекрасной, и он оказался в глубоком заблуждении. Однако его старания оболгать истину, изобличить Мусу во лжи и убедить людей в собственной правоте нанесли ему великий ущерб и обрекли его на вечное несчастье как при жизни на земле, так и после смерти.

The word: صرح (sarh) in verse 36: وَقَالَ فِرْ‌عَوْنُ يَا هَامَانُ ابْنِ لِي صَرْ‌حًا (And the Pharaoh said, "0 Haman, make a tower for me,) means a structure that rises high. An outward look at this statement suggests that the Pharaoh ordered his minister, Haman to build a structure that rises high into the sky close enough for him to go up, peek in and have a glimpse of God. If this wild thought, not imaginable even in the case of a man of very ordinary commonsense, really comes from Pharaoh, the sole master of the kingdom of Egypt, then, it is an evidence of his unbelievable folly - and if the minister carried out his orders, then, the apple did not fall far from the tree, as the king, so the courtier! Since no one expects any head of the state to go that wild in his imagination, therefore, some commentators have said that this much he too knew that, no matter how high a structure is made for him, he still cannot reach the skies (by that mode of ascent). But, he did that only to impress or confuse his people. Then, we have no sound and strong report to prove whether or not such a palatial high structure was ever raised. However, al-Qurtubi reports that this building was constructed, but once it reached its higher levels, it collapsed.

My respected father, Maulana Muhammad Yasin, a dear disciple of Maulana Muhammad Ya` qub, the first principal of the famous Darul-` Uloom of Deoband in India has reported his learned teacher saying, 'For this lofty palace to collapse, it is not necessary that it be hit by some Divine punishment. The fact is that the height of every building depends on the capability of its foundation to bear weight. No matter how deep the foundation is laid, it cannot go deeper than a certain limit. Now, when levels after levels were added to this building, it was inevitable that, once it exceeded the capability of its foundation to bear additional weight, it must collapse.' This provides another proof of the folly of Pharaoh and Haman. Allah knows best.

Other English translations

Tafsīr · classical commentary

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