sura nazi`at
(the who tear out)
no. 79 (verses 15-26)

79_15-26.gif (15642 bytes)

15. "has the story of moses reached you?"
16. "when his lord called to him in the holy valley of tuwa:"
17. "go to pharaoh, surely he has transgressed all bounds:"
18. "and say to him: `wouldst thou that thou shouldst be purified (from
sin)?'"
19. `and that i guide thee to thy lord, so thou shouldst fear (him)?'
20. "then did (moses) show him the great sign."
21. "but (pharaoh) rejected it and disobeyed (guidance);"
22. "further, he turned his back, striving hard (against allah)."
23. "then he collected (his men) and made a proclamation,"
24. "and said: i am your lord, most high."
25. "so allah seized him for an exemplary punishment in the hereafter and
in this life."
26. "surely in that is a lesson for him who fears (allah)."

commentary:
pharaoh used to say: i am your lord, most high.
after a considerable description in the former verses about
resurrection and the rejection of the disbelievers, in the following verses
the painful end of pharaoh, one of the great arrogant blasphemers and
rebels of history, is pointed out, to show pagan arabs that those who
were stronger than them could not stand against allah's wrath and
punishment, and encourages the believers not to be afraid of the
apparent strength of their enemies, because it is easy for him to destroy
them all.

* * * *
"has the story of moses reached you?"

* * * *

it is interesting that it addresses the prophet (p.b.u.h.) and begins
with a question to attract the attention of the listener in order to make
him ready to hear this wonderful story.

"when his lord called to him in the holy valley of tuwa!."

`tuwa' may be the name of a sacred valley just below mount
sinai, which was located in sham (damascus) between madyan and
egypt, and where moses, subsequently, received, in his heart, the first
light of inspiration. the term is also mentioned in sura ta-ha no
20, verse 12 where moses hears a voice say: " verily jam thy lord!
therefore (in my presence) put off thy shoes: thou art in the sacred valley
tuwa."

or, it has a descriptive meaning derived from the term 'tay' which
means `the act of rolling up', as if the land is rolled up in holiness and
sanctity, or as raqib cites: moses should cover a long distance to be
prepared to receive the inspiration, but allah rolled up the way and
made it near for moses to reach the goal.

* * * *

then, in three short, but meaningful sentences, it refers to the
message that allah sent to moses in that valley where he commanded:

* * * *
"go to pharaoh, surely he has transgressed all bounds."

* * * *
"and say to him: `wouldst thou that thou shouldst be purified (from sin)?'"

* * * *
"and that i guide thee to thy lord, so thou shouldst fear (him)?"

* * * *

and, since invitations should be accompanied by reasons, in the
next verse it says: "then did (moses) show him the great sign."

the great sign, whether being the `white shining hand' or the rod
that became a `snake active in motion' or both of them, has been one of
the great signs that moses relied on in the prime of his prophetic
mission.

there are some interesting points in these four verses that should
be noted:

1. it says that moses is told to go to pharaoh, because he has
transgressed, and this shows that one of the great missions that the
prophets had was to guide the rebels or to oppose them decisively.

2. this invitation to purity, by moses, with those conciliatory words
and in the most benevolent terms, to pharaoh, where allah tells moses
to go: "and say (to him) `wouldst thou that thou shouldst be purified (from
sin)? `" is similar to the sense found in sura ta-ha no.20, verse 44
which says: "but speak to him mildly...".

3. this meaning has a delicate hint to the fact that the goal of the
prophecy of the prophets is to purify men and lead them to their real
purified nature. by the way, it does not say `i purify you', it says:
"...wouldst thou that thou shouldst be purified?...", which indicates that
purification should come about from inside and by one's own intention;
not from an imposition from an outside source.

4. the statement of `guidance' after mentioning the sense `to purify'
is a reason for showing that `purification' is a preliminary step to
`guidance'.

5. the term 'rabbika' `your lord', indeed, is an emphasis on this fact
that `i take you to him who is your master and your cherisher. why do you
flee from the path of happiness? `.

6. `fear of allah' is the fruit of guidance. truly, those who are
guided to monotheism feel responsible before allah, the almighty,
because fear of allah never appears without knowing him. that is
why in sura fatir, no.35, verse 25 it says: "..those truly fear allah
among his servants, who hove knowledge...".

7. first, moses appeals to pharaoh's emotional guidance and then,
he evokes his rational and logical guidance by showing him his great
sign, his great miracle. the most effective way of preaching is by
influencing emotions and, then, presenting the reasons and evidences.

* * * *

now, we will deal with pharaoh and his reaction to so much
affection and love and the beautiful, reasonable speech and the great
sign that moses showed him.

the fact is that many signs were given, but pharaoh and his men
were steeped in arrogance.

* * * *
"but (pharaoh) rejected it and disobeyed (guidance)".

this shows that rejection is the primary step in transgression,
as well as faith, and admitting the truth is paramount to obedience.


* * * *
pharaoh was not satisfied with only rejecting the guidance.

* * * *
"further, he turned his back, striving hard (against allah)".

* * * *

since the miracle of moses threatened the whole devilish unity of
pharaoh, he sent some men to different cities to gather the sorcerers
and he also ordered to announce people to come to see the challenge
between the sorcerers and moses.

* * * *
"then he collected (his men) and made a proclamation".

* * * *

though the term 'hashara' is mentioned, here, alone, but with
reference to the term 'hasirin' in sura a'raf, no.7, verses 111-112
which say: "...and send to (he cities men to collect", "and bring up to thee all
(our) sorcerers well-versed", and also referring to the term 'nada' `made a
proclamation', though it is absolute, it points to the invitation of pharaoh
to the people to gather and watch the challenge; with the evidence from
sura shuara no.26, verse 39 which says: "and the people were told:
are you (now) assembled?"

* * * *

he did not quit with these plots and he made claims with the
worst statements.

* * * *
"and said: i am your lord, most high."

* * * *

verily, it is amazing that these arrogant transgressors, when riding
on the horse-back of pride, know no limit for their selfishness. they are
not content with their claim of being lord; they want to be `lord of
lords'.

this statement denotes that he says, "if you worship idols, it is
accepted. but i am the highest of all and i am your lord."

and, it is interesting that pharaoh, himself, was one of the
idol-worshippers as sura araf, no.79 verse 127 attests to: "...wilt thou
leave moses and his people, to spread mischief in the land, and so to
abandon thee and thy gods?", but here, he claims that he is their lord,
most high, that is, he considered himself still higher than his own god;
and this is in the vain statements of all transgressors.

and, more astonishing than this is that in sura qasas, no.25,
verse 35 he claims "...no god do i know for you but myself..",; but in the
current verse he goes further and says: "i am your lord, most high" and
this is the manner of these air-headed rebels.

he reached the ultimate point of disobedience and deserved the
most painful punishments. he and his corrupted surroundings should
perish by the order of allah that is why, in the next verse, it says:

* * * *
"so allah seized him with an exemplary punishment in the hereafter
and in this life".

* * * *

the term 'nakal' originally means `weakness' and `disability', so it is
said of a person who fails to pay his debt and since the divine
chastisement makes people weak and stops others from doing sin; it is
called 'nakal'.

the term 'nakal-al-axirah' means `the chastisement of the hereafter'
which will envelop pharaoh and his people and because of its
importance it is mentioned first and the term 'ula' `former life' which
meant `the punishment in this world', is mentioned second and is that
which destroyed pharaoh and all his followers in waters of the sea.

there is another commentary which says that 'ula' means `the first
word that pharaoh said claiming to be a deity' (sura qasas, no.25.
verse 32), and 'axirah' refers to the last word that he said in which he
claimed that he was their lord, most high. then, allah punished him
for these two blasphemous statements, even in this life.

this very idea is narrated in a tradition from imam baqir who
added that 40 years had elapsed between the occurrence of these two
statements (meaning that allah did not just punish him to complete
the argument). 1

this commentary is more fitting with the term 'akhaza' which is a
verb in the past tense, and indicates that the punishment was completely
fulfilled in the present world. and also with the next verse that considers
the event to be a lesson.

* * * *
"surely in that is a lesson for him who fears (allah)".

* * * *

this verse clearly shows that learning a lesson from these events
is possible only for those who, more or less, fear allah and possess a
feeling of responsibility in their hearts.

yes, that was the destiny of pharaoh, the blasphemer; an example
to make other pagans and chiefs of the arab disbelievers and all those
who follow on the path of pharaoh, in any age, understand the facts and
know that allah's law is always true, firm and unchangeable.

* * * *

explanation:
a small sample of the elegance of holy qur'an.

careful attention paid to the above eleven short verses is enough
to show us the fine elegance and fluency of qur'an; a summary of all the
statements and activities concerning moses and pharaoh: the motive of
prophethood. its aim, the means of purification, the manner of
invitation, kinds of actions and reactions, the description of pharaoh's
plot, some examples of his vain claims, and, finally, the painful
punishment of this arrogant blasphemer, which can, consequently, teach
a lesson to all those who have insight, are illustrated.

1. majma'-al-bayan, vol. 10, p. 432.