Here Allah tells us about His servant and Messenger Musa, peace be upon him,
and how He sent him to Fir`awn and his chiefs. That is, his governors,
ministers, leaders and followers among the Egyptians and the Children of Israel.
Allah sent him to call them to worship Allah alone, with no partner or
associate, and to forbid them from worshipping anything other than Him. He sent
him with mighty signs, such as his hand and his staff, other signs such as the
flood, locusts, Qummal, frogs and blood, and the loss of their crops and lives.
Yet despite all that they remained arrogant and stubbornly refused to follow
him; they rejected his message and made fun of it, and laughed at the one who
had brought it.
[وَمَا نُرِيِهِم
مِّنْ ءَايَةٍ إِلاَّ هِىَ أَكْبَرُ مِنْ أُخْتِهَا]
(And not an Ayah We showed them but it was greater than its fellow preceding
it,) but despite that they would not give up their sin, misguidance, ignorance
and confusion. Every time one of these signs came to them, they would go and
implore Musa, saying,
[يأَيُّهَ
السَّاحِرُ]
("O you sorcerer!...'') meaning, expert or knowledgeable one -- this was the
view of Ibn Jarir. The scholars of that time were the sorcerers or magicians,
and magic was not regarded as something reprehensible by them at that time, so
this was not a slight on their part. They were in a state of need, so it would
not have been appropriate for them to insult him. This was a way of honoring
him, as they thought. On each occasion, they promised Musa that if the torment
was lifted from them, they would believe in him and let the Children of Israel
go with him, but on each occasion they went back on their word. This is like the
Ayat:
[فَأَرْسَلْنَا
عَلَيْهِمُ الطُّوفَانَ وَالْجَرَادَ وَالْقُمَّلَ وَالضَّفَادِعَ وَالدَّمَ
ءَايَـتٍ مّفَصَّلاَتٍ فَاسْتَكْبَرُواْ وَكَانُواْ قَوْماً مُّجْرِمِينَ -
وَلَمَّا وَقَعَ عَلَيْهِمُ الرِّجْزُ قَالُواْ يَمُوسَى ادْعُ لَنَا رَبَّكَ بِمَا
عَهِدَ عِندَكَ لَئِن كَشَفْتَ عَنَّا الرِّجْزَ لَنُؤْمِنَنَّ لَكَ
وَلَنُرْسِلَنَّ مَعَكَ بَنِى إِسْرَءِيلَ - فَلَمَّا كَشَفْنَا عَنْهُمُ الرِّجْزَ
إِلَى أَجَلٍ هُم بَـلِغُوهُ إِذَا هُمْ يَنكُثُونَ ]
(So We sent on them: the flood, the locusts, the Qummal, the frogs, and the
blood; manifest signs, yet they remained arrogant, and they were of those people
who were criminals. And when the punishment struck them, they said: "O Musa!
Invoke your Lord for us because of His promise to you. If you remove the
punishment from us, we indeed shall believe in you, and we shall let the
Children of Israel go with you.'' But when We removed the punishment from them
to a fixed term, which they had to reach, behold! they broke their word!)
(7:133-135)
[وَنَادَى فِرْعَوْنُ
فِى قَوْمِهِ قَالَ يقَوْمِ أَلَيْسَ لِى مُلْكُ مِصْرَ وَهَـذِهِ الاٌّنْهَـرُ
تَجْرِى مِن تَحْتِى أَفَلاَ تُبْصِرُونَ - أَمْ أَنَآ خَيْرٌ مِّنْ هَـذَا الَّذِى
هُوَ مَهِينٌ وَلاَ يَكَادُ يُبِينُ - فَلَوْلاَ أُلْقِىَ عَلَيْهِ أَسْوِرَةٌ مِّن
ذَهَبٍ أَوْ جَآءَ مَعَهُ الْمَلَـئِكَةُ مُقْتَرِنِينَ - فَاسْتَخَفَّ قَوْمَهُ
فَأَطَاعُوهُ إِنَّهُمْ كَانُواْ قَوْماً فَـسِقِينَ - فَلَمَّآ ءَاسَفُونَا
انتَقَمْنَا مِنْهُمْ فَأَغْرَقْنَـهُمْ أَجْمَعِينَ - فَجَعَلْنَـهُمْ سَلَفاً
وَمَثَلاً لِّلاٌّخِرِينَ ]
(51. And Fir`awn proclaimed among his people (saying): "O my people! Is not
mine the dominion of Egypt, and these rivers flowing underneath me. See you not
then'') (52. "Am I not better than this one (Musa) who is despicable and can
scarcely express himself clearly'') (53. Why then are not golden bracelets
bestowed on him, or angels sent along with him'') (54. Thus he fooled his
people, and they obeyed him. Verily, they were ever a people who were
rebellious.) (55. So when they angered Us, We punished them, and drowned them
all.) (56. And We made them a precedent, and an example to later
generations.)
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