28:1. Ta\ Seen. Meem.

28:2. These are verses of the clear Book.

28:3. We recount to you some of the story of Moosa and Pharaoh in truth, for people who believe.

﴾These﴿ verses that deserve to be venerated and respected ﴾are verses of the clear Book﴿ which explain everything that people need to know about their Lord, His rights. His close friends, and His

Groups of letters (al-huroof al-muqattakah) appear at the beginning of several soorahs. The most correct scholarly view states that we are required to believe in them as they appear to be, without delving into their meaning, knowledge of which we should leave to Allah. We believe that they were not revealed in vain, and that there is wisdom behind them of which we are not aware.enemies, and the punishment that He sent against the disbelievers, the reward for deeds and the requital of the doers. This Qur’an explains all that in a very clear manner.

Among the things that it explains is the story of Moosa and Pharaoh, which is repeated in several places, including this soorah.

﴾fWe recount to you some of the story of Moosa and Pharaoh in truth﴿ for their story is indeed amazing and wonderful ﴾for people who believe﴿. It is addressed to them, for they have the faith to focus and reflect on it, which would prompt them to accept it and learn from it, so that they will learn from it and be guided, and it will increase them in faith and certainty, adding goodness to their goodness.

As for others, they will not benefit from it except in the sense that proof will be established against them. Allah has protected the Qur’an from them and created a barrier between them and it, so that they will not understand it.

28:4. Verily Pharaoh behaved arrogantly in the land; he divided its people into factions and oppressed one group among them, slaughtering their sons and letting their womenfolk live. Verily he was one of the mischief-makers.

The beginning of the story is that ﴾Pharaoh behaved arrogantly in the land﴿ because of what he possessed of dominion, authority, troops and might. So he became one of the arrogant, not one of the people of virtue in the land.﴾he divided its people into factions﴿ that is, he divided them into various groups, controlling them on the basis of his whims and desires, subjugating them as he wanted by means of his power.

tfand oppressed one group among them﴿ namely the Children of Israel, whom Allah had favoured over all others; he should have honoured them and respected them, but he regarded them as insignificant, because he saw that they had no power to protect themselves from what he wanted to do to them. Therefore he did not care about them, and he went so far as to slaughter their sons and let their womenfolk live, for fear that they might increase in numbers and overwhelm him in his own country, and thus gain power.

﴾Verily he was one of the mischief-makers)﴿ those who have no intention of taking care of religious or worldly interests; this was part of his mischief-making in the land.

28:5. But it was Our will to bestow favour upon those who were oppressed in the land, to make them leaders and cause them to inherit [the land],

28:6. And to establish them in the land, and through them to show Pharaoh, Haman and their troops, the very thing they feared.

﴾But it was Our will to bestow favour upon those who were oppressed in the land﴿ by taking away from them the factors that made them weak, and destroying those who were resisting them, causing to fail anyone who opposed them.﴾(to make them leaders﴿ in religion, which could not happen when they were oppressed and weak; rather it was essential to first give them power in the land.

﴾and cause them to inherit [the land]﴿ and thus grant them victory and a good end in this world, before the hereafter ﴾And to establish them in the land﴿. It was Allah’s will that all of these things should happen.

Likewise He also wanted ﴾through them﴿, namely this oppressed group, ﴾fto show Pharaoh, Hainan﴿, his adviser, ﴾fand their troops﴿, by means of whom they had gained power and control, and they behaved arrogantly and transgressed all bounds ﴾the very thing they feared﴿ which was their expulsion from their land. Hence they strove hard to suppress the Israelites, break their will and kill their children who had the potential to achieve that. Allah willed that all of this should happen, and when He wills a thing. He makes the means thereof available and paves the way for it. This matter was like that: He decreed it and created the means that would lead to it - of which neither His close friends nor His enemies were aware.

28:7. We inspired the mother of Moosa, saying: Breastfeed him, but when you fear for him, throw him into the river, and do not be afraid or grieve, for We will surely bring him back to you, and We will make him one of Our Messengers.

28:8. The family of Pharaoh picked him up only for him to become an enemy to them and a source of grief. Verily Pharaoh and Haman and their troops were wrongdoers.

The beginning of this process was when Allah safeguarded His Messenger Moosa so that the Israelites would be delivered at his hands and because of him. At that time of great fear, when the Egyptians were slaughtering their sons, Allah inspired his mother to breastfeed him and keep him with her.

﴾but when you fear for him)﴿ that is, when you sense that there is someone who may take him to them,

﴾throw him into the river﴿ namely the Nile, in a closed box. t﴾fand do not be afraid or grieve, for We will surely bring him back to you, and We will make him one of Our Messengers﴿. Thus Allah gave her the glad tidings that He would return him to her, and he would grow up and be safe from their plot, and Allah would make him a Messenger.

This was the greatest of glad tidings, which were given to the mother of Moosa so as to reassure her and calm her fears, for she was afraid for him. She did as she was instructed; she threw him into the river, and Allah caused him to drift until the family of Pharaoh picked him up and were the ones who found him, ﴾only for him to become an enemy to them and a source of grief﴿ that is, so that ultimately, and as a result of them picking him up, he would become an enemy to them and a source of grief, because precautions cannot ward off the divine decree. What they feared from the Israelites was their becoming united and undermining their authority, and Allah ensured that the leader of the Israelites would be raised by them, under their supervision and sponsorship.

Upon reflection, you will find that what happened as a result of that was in the interests of the Children of Israel, and it warded off many serious troubles from them and prevented many transgressionsbefore Moosa’s mission began, because he rose to a senior position in the kingdom.

Naturally he would inevitably stand up for the rights of his own people, because of what he was, namely a man of high ambition who was protective towards his own people. Hence some of these oppressed people, who had reached such a low point of humiliation - some of which Allah has told us about - developed the courage to challenge the oppressors who were acting arrogantly in the land, as we shall see below, because Moosa was shielding them.

This was the starting point. Allah’s way dictates that things should develop gradually, little by little, and not happen all at once.

﴾Verily Pharaoh and Haman and their troops were wrongdoers﴿ that is, it was Our will to punish them for their wrongdoing and to plan against them in requital for their plotting and scheming.

28:9. Pharaoh’s wife said: He may bring joy to you and me. Do not kill him, for perhaps he will be of benefit to us, or we may adopt him as a son. They had no inkling [of what was to happen].

When the family of Pharaoh picked him up, Allah caused Pharaoh’s wife to feel compassion towards him. She was the great and virtuous believing woman, Asiyah bint Muzahim.

﴾She saidp: This child ﴾may bring joy to you and me. Do not kill him﴿ that is, let him live, so that he may bring joy to us and be a source of happiness for us.﴾for perhaps he will be of benefit to us, or we may adopt him as a son﴿ that is, either he will be a servant who will strive to benefit us, or we will give him a higher status than that, by taking him as a son and loving and honouring him.

Allah Ojc) decreed that he should be a source of benefit to the wife of Pharaoh who said these words, for when he became a source of joy to her and she loved him dearly, he continued to be like a loving son towards her, until he grew up and Allah appointed him as a Prophet and Messenger. Then she hastened to submit and believe in him. May Allah be pleased with her and make her pleased.

Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) tells us that in this discussion about Moosa, ﴾They had no inkling [of what was to happen]﴿ that is, they were unaware of what had been decreed and decided of how events would unfold. This was by the kindness of Allah (سبحانه وتعالى), for if they had been aware of that, they would have treated him differently.

28:10. Moosa’s mother felt an aching void in her heart. She would have disclosed who he was, had We not strengthened her heart so that she might maintain her faith [in the promise of Allah].

28:11. She said to [Moosa’s] sister: Go and find him. And she caught sight of him from a distance, while they did not notice.

28:12. We had already ordained that he would refuse all wet-nurses. Then she [his sister] said: Shall I direct you to a household who will bring him up for you and take good care of him?

28:13. Thus We restored him to his mother, so that she might be comforted and not grieve, and so that she might know that the promise of Allah is true. Yet most of them do not know.

When Moosa’s mother began to miss him and was very sad, she felt an aching void in her heart because of the anxiety she experienced - as is human nature - even though Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) had told her not to grieve or be afraid, and He had promised to return him to her.

She would have disclosed who he was, had We not strengthened her heart﴿ and made her steadfast so that she would not disclose who he was.

﴾so that﴿ by means of this patience and steadfastness ﴾she might maintain her faith [in the promise of Allah]﴿. If, when calamity befalls a person, he remains patient and steadfast, his faith increases thereby. This indicates that continuing to panic is a sign of weakness of faith.

﴾﴾She﴿﴿ namely the mother of Moosa *fsaid to [Moosa’s] sister: Go and find him﴿ that is, go and look for your brother, without letting anyone see you and realise what you are up to. So she went and looked for him,

﴾And she caught sight of him from a distance, while they did not notice﴿ that is, she spotted him from a distance, as if she was simply passing by without wanting anything to do with him.

This was due to her resolve and caution. If she had seen him and come to them deliberately, they would think that it was she who had thrown him into the river, in which case they might have decided to slaughter him, as a punishment to his family.

By Allah’s kindness towards Moosa and his mother, He prevented him from accepting the breast of any woman. They took him out to the marketplace, out of compassion towards him, because perhapssomeone was looking for him. His sister came at that point, and said: ('(Shall I direct you to a household who will bring him up for you and take good care of him?﴿

That was all they wanted, for they loved him dearly, but Allah had caused him to refuse all wet-nurses, and they were afraid that he would die. When his sister said those words to them, highlighting how this household would take good care of him, they hastened to accept and she directed them to that household.

﴾Thus We restored him to his mother﴿ as We had promised her ﴾so that she might be comforted and not grieve﴿, and so that he would grow up with her and she would be reassured and would rejoice in him, and would be paid handsomely for that. ﴾and so that she might know that the promise of Allah is true﴿ for We showed her some of what We had promised her and she saw it with her own eyes, so that she might be reassured and increase in faith, and so that she might know that Allah’s promise to protect him and appoint him as a Messenger would be fulfilled. ﴾Yet most of them do not know﴿, so if they go through some difficulties, that undermines their faith, because they do not have complete knowledge that Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) sends trials and difficulties and creates obstacles on the way to high aims and goals.

So Moosa stayed with the family of Pharaoh and was raised as one of the ruling family, using the same means of transportation and wearing the same clothes as them, and his mother was reassured thereby, for it was established that she was his mother through breastfeeding, so there would be no objection to her being close to him or showing compassion towards him.

Think about this divine kindness and how Allah protected His Prophet Moosa from telling lies in his daily speech (for he could still call her his mother), and how He made things easy for him so that the bond between him and her, which to other people appeared to be based on breastfeeding, was the reason why he could call herhis mother. Thus any talk about them as being mother and son was entirely true and appropriate.

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28:14. When he reached his prime and became fully mature. We gave him wisdom and knowledge. Thus do We reward those who do good.

That is, when he reached full strength and became mature and wise, which is typically around the age of forty years, ﴾and became fully mature﴿ that is, when he reached the level of perfection in physical strength, maturity and wisdom ﴾We gave him wisdom and knowledge﴿ that is, wisdom by means of which he could know the rulings of Sharia and judge between people, and a great deal of knowledge.

(﴾Thus do We reward those who do good﴿ by worshipping Allah, and treating Allah s creation with kindness. We give them knowledge and wisdom according to their good deeds, and this is indicative of Moosa s high level of perfection in doing good.

28:15. He entered the city at a time when he would not be noticed by its people, and found two men fighting, one from among his own people and the other from among his enemies. The man from among his own people called him to help him against his enemy, so Moosa struck him with his fist and killed him. Moosa said: This is of Shaytan’s doing; verily he is an avowed enemy who seeks to lead man astray.

28:16. He said: My Lord, I have wronged myself, so forgive me. Then He forgave Him, for He is indeed the Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.

﴾He entered the city at a time when he would not be noticed by its people﴿ either because it was the time of the siesta or some other time when people do not go out and about.

﴾and found two men fighting﴿ that is, disputing and exchanging blows ﴾one from among his own people﴿ namely an Israelite ﴾and the other from among his enemies﴿, the Egyptians.

﴾The man from among his own people called him to help him against his enemy﴿ because he was well known, and the people were aware that he was an Israelite. The fact that he asked Moosa for help indicates that Moosa (ilU had reached a high level of influence in the royal family and was someone who could be feared or in whom hope could be placed.

﴾so Moosa struck him with his fist﴿ that is, he punched his enemy in response to the Israelite’s request for help

﴾and killed him﴿ with that blow, because he was so strong and powerful.

Moosa (عليه السلام) regretted what he had done, and said: ﴾This is of Shaytan’s doing﴿ that is, it is the result of his making it fair-seeming and of his whispers

(fverily he is an avowed enemy who seeks to lead man astray﴿. And this is why this happened, because of his clear enmity and his eagerness to lead people astray.

Then he prayed to his Lord for forgiveness, and said: ﴾My Lord, I have wronged myself, so forgive me. Then He forgave Him, for He is indeed the Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful﴿ especially towards those who are humble and hasten to turn to Him and repent, as Moosa

28:17. He said: My Lord, because of the blessings that You have bestowed upon me, I shall never lend support to the evildoers.

28:18. Morning found him in the city, apprehensive and vigilant, when suddenly the man who had sought his help the previous day called out again to him for help. Moosa said to him: You are clearly a troublemaker.

28:19. Then when he was about to strike the one who was an enemy to them both, he said: O Moosa, do you intend to kill me as you killed a man yesterday? Your aim is only to become a tyrant in the land; you do not intend to be one of those who put things right!

28:20. A man came rushing from the farthest part of the city, and said: O Moosa, the chiefs are talking about killing you, so leave [immediately]. I am giving you sincere advice.

28:21. So he left [the city], apprehensive and vigilant. He said: O my Lord, save me from the people who are given to wrongdoing.

(﴾He﴿﴿ namely Moosa (عليه السلام) ﴾said: My Lord, because of the blessings that You have bestowed upon me﴿ by enabling me to repent and forgiving me, and many other blessings ﴾I shall never lend support﴿ or help or aid ﴾to the evildoers﴿ that is, I shall never help anyone in sin.

This was a promise from Moosa (عليه السلام) because of the blessings that Allah had bestowed upon him, never to help any evildoer, as he had done when he killed the Egyptian. This indicates that blessings require a person to do good and refrain from doing evil.

After he had killed the man who was his enemy, ﴾Morning found him in the city, apprehensive and vigilant﴿: were the family of Pharaoh aware of him or not? He was only afraid because it was known that no Israelite would dare to do such a thing except Moosa.

Whilst he was in that state, ﴾suddenly the man who had sought his help﴿ against his enemy ﴾the previous day called out again to him for help﴿ against another Egyptian.

﴾Moosa said to him﴿, rebuking him for his behaviour,

﴾You are clearly a troublemaker﴿.

﴾Then when he﴿ namely Moosa ﴾was about to strike the one who was an enemy to them both﴿ that is, an enemy to him and to the one who was arguing and shouting for help. The argument between the Egyptian and the Israelite, who called Moosa to help him, continued until Moosa wanted to strike the Egyptian. Then the Egyptian said to him, seeking to prevent him killing him: ﴾0 Moosa, do you intend to kill me as you killed a man yesterday? Your aim is only to become a tyrant in the land﴿, because one of the main attributes of those who become tyrants in the land is that they kill people unlawfully.

﴾you do not intend to be one of those who put things right!﴿ Otherwise, if you wanted to put things right, you would have stood between meand him, without killing anyone. So Moosa refrained from killing him and he restrained himself because of the admonition and rebuke of the Egyptian.

News of what Moosa had done in these two incidents spread until it led to Pharaoh and his chiefs discussing the idea of killing Moosa. So Allah inspired that sincere man who hastened to tell Moosa of what the chiefs had agreed to do before it was too late.

﴾A man came rushing from the farthest part of the city﴿ that is, he came running, out of sincerity towards Moosa and out of fear that they might attack him before he realised.

﴾and said: O Moosa, the chiefs are talking about killing you, so leave﴿ the city ﴾[immediately]. I am giving you sincere advice﴿.

So Moosa followed his advice and ﴾left [the city], apprehensive and vigilant﴿ lest he be killed. He called upon Allah and said: ﴾0 my Lord, save me from the people who are given to wrongdoing﴿ for he had repented from his sin and what he had done in anger, without intending to kill. Therefore their threat to kill him was wrongdoing on their part and overstepping the bounds.

28:22. As he headed towards Madyan, he said: I hope my Lord will show me the right way [on my journey].

28:23. When he arrived at the well of Madyan, he found there a group of men watering [their flocks], and, further away, he found twowomen who were holding back [their flock]. He said: What is the matter with you? They said: We cannot water [our flock] until the shepherds move on. And our father is a very old man.

28:24. So he watered [their flock] for them, then he withdrew into the shade and said: O my Lord, I am in need of whatever good You may bestow upon me.

c*(As he headed towards Madyan﴿ which was south of Palestine, where Pharaoh had no authority

﴾fhe said: I hope my Lord will show me the right way [on my journey]﴿ that is, the straightforward way to reach it, with ease and with no trouble or difficulty. So Allah showed him the right way, and he arrived in Madyan.

t°fWhen he arrived at the well of Madyan, he found there a group of men watering [their flocks]﴿ - they were people who had a lot of livestock c﴾and, further away﴿ that is, further than that group of men ﴾he found two women who were holding back [their flock]﴿ from the water troughs, because they could not reach it due to the crowd of men, and the men were too mean and ill-mannered to water their flocks for them.

Moosa said to them: ﴾What is the matter with you?﴿ that is, why are you in this situation?

﴾]They said: We cannot water [our flock] until the shepherds move on﴿ that is, usually we cannot water our flocks until the shepherds move on with their flocks, then when there is no one there, we water our flocks

And our father is a very old man﴿ that is, he has no strength to water the flocks, and we have no physical strength ourselves to do it, and we have no menfolk who could push past the shepherds.

Moosa (عليه السلام) felt sorry for them and felt compassion towards them, ﴾So he watered [their flock] for them﴿ without asking for anypayment in return; he had no intention except seeking the pleasure of Allah (سبحانه وتعالى). After he had watered the flocks for them, at a time of intense heat in the middle of the day, as is indicated by the phrase ﴾then he withdrew into the shade﴿, he sat down to rest in the shade after having exerted himself.

﴾fand said﴿) in that situation, seeking provision from his Lord: ﴾0 my Lord, I am in need of whatever good You may bestow upon me﴿ that is, I am in need of whatever good You may send to me and make easy for me. Making this implicit request is more eloquent than asking explicitly. And in this situation he continued to call upon his Lord and beseech Him.

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28:25. Then one of the two women came to him, walking modestly, and said: My father is asking you to come so that he may reward you for watering [our flock] for us. When he came to him and told him his story, he said: Fear not, for [now] you are safe from the wicked people.

28:26. One of the two women said: O father, hire him, for the best person whom you can hire is one who is strong and trustworthy.

28:27. He said [to Moosa]: I intend to give you one of these two daughters of mine in marriage, on condition that you work for me for eight years, and if you make it ten, that will be of your own accord. I do not intend to make things difficult for you. You will find me, if Allah so wills, an upright man.

28:28. Moosa said: Let that be the agreement between me and you. Whichever term I fulfil, I will be free from further obligation. And Allah is witness to what we say.

The two women went to their father and told him what had happened, then their father sent one of them to Moosa. She came, (-﴾walking modestly﴿, which is indicative of her noble character and good attitude, for modesty is a virtuous characteristic, especially in women.

This indicates that Moosa in what he did for them, was not like a hired worker or servant, in front of whom one would not usually feel shy or behave modestly. Rather he was a man of dignity, and from his good manners and sublime attitude, she saw that which made her behave modestly towards him. She said to him:

﴾My father is asking you to come so that he may reward you for watering [our flock] for usty not by way of trying to show generosity, for it was you who took the initiative in showing kindness to us; rather he wants to return the favour. So Moosa accepted the invitation.

﴾When he came to him and told him his story﴿ and the reason why he had fled, until he reached this land, the older man said to him, so as to reassure him and comfort him, ﴾Fear not, for [now] you are safe from the wicked people﴿ that is, let your fear be gone, for Allah has saved you from them and enabled you to reach this place where they have no authority.

﴾One of the two women﴿ that is, one of his two daughters ﴾said: O father, hire him﴿ that is, make him your employee so that he may take care of the sheep and water them.﴾for the best person whom you can hire is one who is strong and trustworthy﴿ that is, Moosa is the best one you could hire because he combines physical strength and honesty, and the best one to hire is the one who combines physical strength and the ability to do what he was hired to do, with honesty so that he will not betray his master. These two characteristics should be taken into account when hiring anyone to do work, because problems only arise when one or both of these characteristics is lacking. But if they are combined, then the work will be done properly. She only said that because she had seen Moosa’s physical strength and energy when he watered the flocks for them and she had seen his trustworthiness and religious commitment, and how he had shown compassion towards them in a situation in which there was no hope of him benefitting from that; rather his only aim in helping them had been to seek the pleasure of Allah (سبحانه وتعالى).

﴾He﴿ namely the man of Madyan

﴾said [to Moosa]: I intend to give you one of these two daughters of mine in marriage, on condition that you work for me for eight years, and if you make it ten, that will be of your own accord﴿ that is, a voluntary action on your part, but it is not obligatory for you ﴾fl do not intend to make things difficult for you﴿ by imposing ten years on you, and by hiring you I do not wish to impose hard labour on you; rather I am hiring you for easy work in which there is no hardship.

﴾You will find me, if Allah so wills, an upright man﴿. He encouraged him by stating that the work would be easy and that he would treat him well. This indicates that the righteous man should have a good attitude as much as he can, and that what is expected of him with regard to having a good attitude is greater than what is expected of others.

SfMoosa said﴿ responding to this request:

﴾Let that be the agreement between me and you﴿ that is, I agree to this condition that you have mentioned, and so it is agreed between me and you.﴾Whichever term I fulfil, I will be free from further obligation﴿, whether I fulfil the eight obligatory years or I voluntarily do more than that.

﴾And Allah is witness to what we say﴿, for He is watching over us and He knows what we have agreed to.

This man, the father of the two women, who dwelt in Madyan, was not Shu‘ayb, the well-known Prophet, as is widely believed. There is no evidence for that view. At most it may be said that Shu‘ayb (عليه السلام) lived in Madyan and this story also took place in Madyan, but what is the connection between the two matters?

Moreover, it is not established that Moosa lived at the time of Shu‘ayb, so how could he have met him personally? If that man was Shufcayb, then Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) would have said so and the two women would have mentioned him by name. Furthermore, Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) destroyed the people of Shu‘ayb (عليه السلام) for their rejection of him, and there was no one left except those who believed in him. Allah had protected the believers from having that ignorant attitude towards the daughters of their Prophet and keeping them away from the well, barring the way to their flocks, until a stranger came along and showed kindness towards them by watering their flocks. Shu‘ayb would not have accepted for Moosa to tend his sheep and be a servant to him when he was superior to him and of higher status (unless one says that that was before Moosa’s prophethood began, in which case that may be a valid argument. Whatever the case, we cannot accept that this man was Shu‘ayb the Prophet, without a sound report from our Prophet [^] to that effect, and Allah knows best.)

28:29. When Moosa had fulfilled the term and was travelling with his family, he saw a fire in the direction of the mountain. He said to his family: Wait here, for I can see a fire. Perhaps I can bring you some news from there, or I will bring you a burning ember so that you may warm yourselves.

﴾When Moosa had fulfilled the term﴿. It may be that he fulfilled the obligatory term, or that he voluntarily completed the longer term, as would be expected of Moosa, because of his sincerity. At that point, he longed to go and see his family, his mother, his tribe and his homeland. Since such a long time had passed, he thought that the Egyptians would have forgotten what he had done.

﴾and was travelling with his family﴿, heading towards Egypt ﴾he saw a fire in the direction of the mountain. He said to his family: Wait here, for I can see a fire. Perhaps I can bring you some news from there, or I will bring you a burning ember so that you may warm yourselves﴿ for it was very cold, and they had lost their way.

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28:30. But when he came to it. he was called from the right-hand side of the valley, from the bush in the blessed spot, saying: O Moosa, verily I am Allah, the Lord of the worlds.

28:31. Throw down your staff. But when he saw it moving as if it was a snake, he turned and fled without a backward glance. [It was said:] O Moosa, come back, and do not be afraid, for you are quite safe.

28:32. Insert your hand into your garment; it will come forth shining white, without harm. And put your hand under your arm when you feel afraid [so as to still your fear and compose yourself]. These are two proofs from your Lord to Pharaoh and his chiefs, for they are indeed a rebellious and wicked people.

When he came to it, he was called: ﴾fO Moosa, verily I am Allah, the Lord of the worlds﴿. Thus He informed him of His divinity and Lordship, which must have been followed by the command to worship Him alone and devote himself to Him alone, as is clearly mentioned elsewhere:

Verily, I am Allah; there is no God but Me. So worship Me [alone] and establish prayer to remember Me.﴿ (To Ha 20:14)

﴾Throw down your staff﴿ so he threw it down ﴾But when he saw it moving﴿ rapidly, presenting a terrifying image Sfas if it was a snake﴿ the word translated here as t﴾snake﴿ refers to a large male snake

﴾fhe turned and fled without a backward glance﴿ that is, he was overwhelmed with fear. But Allah said to him:

40 Moosa, come back, and do not be afraid, for you are quite safe﴿. This wording is the most eloquent and most effective in offering reassurance and dispelling fear.

6(come back﴿ - this phrase is an order to come back, so he had no choice but to comply. But the terrifying thing could still be there, so Allah said: ﴾fand do not be afraid﴿. Thus He instructed him to do two things: to come back, and not to be afraid. But there was another possibility, which was that he could come back and not be afraid, but then he might not be protected or safe from harm. Hence Allahsaid: ﴾for you are quite safe﴿. Thus he was completely protected in all ways. So Moosa (عليه السلام) came back, without fear; rather he was reassured and trusted what his Lord had told him, having increased in faith and certainty. This was a sign that Allah showed him before he went to Pharaoh, so that he might have complete certainty and more courage, and so that he might be stronger and more resilient.

Then He showed him another sign, as He said:

﴾Insert your hand into your garment; it will come forth shining white, without harm﴿. So he inserted his hand into his garment and then brought it forth, as Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) had instructed him.

And put your hand under your arm when you feel afraid﴿ and press your upper arm to your side, in order to dispel your fear. fcfTheseb namely the staff turning into a snake and the hand coming forth shining white, without harm, were two definitive signs from Allah

﴾to Pharaoh and his chiefs, for they are indeed a rebellious and wicked people﴿ for it is not sufficient for the Messenger merely to warn them and give them instructions; rather there should be some clear signs, in the hope that this might benefit them.

p//

28:33. Moosa said: My Lord, I killed one of their men, and I fear that they will kill me.

28:34. My brother Haroon is clearer in speech than 1, so send him with me as a helper, to reiterate my words, for I fear that they will reject me.

28:35. Allah said: We will strengthen you through your brother, and give you both power, so that they will not be able to harm you. By virtue of Our signs, you two and those who follow you will be triumphant.

﴾Moosa said)°), apologising to his Lord and asking Him for help with the task that He had given him, and mentioning the impediment that hindered him, so that his Lord might help him to overcome what he feared:

﴾My Lord, I killed one of their men, and I fear that they will kill me. My brother Haroon is clearer in speech than 1, so send him with me as a helper, to reiterate my words﴿ for that will help to make the truth clearer

﴾for I fear that they will reject me﴿.

Allah answered his request and said: tt﴾We will strengthen you through your brother﴿ that is. We will help you by means of him.

Then Allah dispelled his fear of being killed, as He said: tfand give you both power﴿ that is. We will give you authority and power, so that your call will be based on proof and divine support, and you will be protected from your enemies c﴾so that they will not be able to harm you﴿. That is because of Our signs and what they point to of truth and the way in which they impact anyone who sees them and examines them. By means of them, you will attain authority and be protected from the harm of your enemies; that will be more effective for you than troops who are great in number and well equipped.

﴾By virtue of Our signs, you two and those who follow you will be triumphant﴿. This was a promise to Moosa at that time, when he was alone and had returned to his homeland after having been expelled. Matters continued to develop and unfold until Allah fulfilled his promise and gave him power over the people and the land, and he and his followers prevailed.

28:36. When Moosa came to them with Our clear signs, they said: This is nothing but invented magic; we have never heard of such a thing from our forefathers.

28:37. Moosa said: My Lord knows best who comes with guidance from Him, and whose end will be [best] in the hereafter. Verily the wrongdoers will never prosper.

So Moosa went with the message of his Lord.

﴾When Moosa came to them with Our clear signs﴿ which clearly supported what he said to them, with no shortcomings or ambiguity, c﴾they said﴿, wrongfully, arrogantly and stubbornly: ﴾This is nothing but invented magic﴿, as Pharaoh said in that situation in which truth became apparent and prevailed over falsehood, and falsehood diminished, and the leaders who understood the reality of things, submitted to Moosa:

﴾...He must be your master, who taught you magic!...﴿ (ash-Shu'ara’ 26: 49)

Pharaoh, who was intelligent but was not good at heart, sank to such a level of cunning and treachery, as Allah tells us. This man knew

﴾.. .that none but the Lord of the heavens and the earth has sent down these [signs] as clear evidence...﴿ (al-Isra' 17: 102)

- but he was overtaken by his fate.

﴾we have never heard of such a thing from our forefathers﴿. But they were lying when they said that, because Yoosuf was sent before Moosa (عليه السلام), as Allah C^) says elsewhere:﴾Yoosuf came to you before with clear signs, but you never ceased to doubt the message he brought you. Then when he died, you said: Allah will never send [another] Messenger after him. Thus Allah leaves to stray those who transgress and are given to much doubting.﴿

﴾Moosa said﴿ when they claimed that what he brought was magic and misguidance, and that what they were following was true guidance: ﴾My Lord knows best who comes with guidance from Him, and whose end will be [best] in the hereafter]﴿ that is, if my meeting with you and my presenting clear signs is of no benefit, and you insist on getting carried away in your misguidance and in your disbelief, then Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) knows best who is guided and who is not, and whose end will be best in the hereafter, us or you.

﴾Verily the wrongdoers will never prosper﴿ for the best end in the hereafter is for Moosa and his followers, and these people (the wrongdoers) will be faced with loss, a bad end and doom.

«#Vf

28:38. Pharaoh said. O chiefs, I do not know of any god for you except myself. So, O Haman, light me a fire [to bake bricks] of clay.

and build me a tower, so that I may climb up and have a look at the God of Moosa, for verily I think he is a liar.

28:39. He and his troops behaved arrogantly in the land without justification, and thought that they would not be brought back to Us.

28:40. So We seized him and his troops and flung them into the sea. So see what was the fate of the wrongdoers.

28:41. We made them leaders who call people to the fire, and on the Day of Resurrection they will not be helped.

28:42. We caused a curse to overtake them in this world, and on the Day of Resurrection they will be among those who are spumed.

﴾Pharaoh said﴿, audaciously challenging his Lord and deceiving his foolish people who were lacking in reason:

﴾0 chiefs, I do not know of any god for you except myself﴿ that is, I alone am your god and deserving of your worship; if there was any god other than me, I would have known him. Look at how Pharaoh presented his claim in a very cautious way: he did not say “you have no other god but me”; rather he spoke in a cautious manner and said: ﴾I do not know of any god for you except myself﴿. That is because in their eyes he was the virtuous one who possessed great knowledge; whatever he said was true and whatever he commanded them to do they would obey.

When he said these words, which could be interpreted as meaning that there could possibly be another god besides him, what he wanted was to rule out that possibility. So he said to Haman: flight me a fire [to bake bricks] of clay, and build me a tower﴿ that is, a structure, ﴾fso that I may climb up and have a look at the God of Moosa, for verily I think he is a liar﴿, but we will examine this matter and prove what I think, and we will show you that Moosa is a liar. Look at this great audacity towards Allah, such as no other human ever reached. He disbelieved in Moosa and claimed to be divine, he denied anyknowledge of the true God, and he took measures to reach the God of Moosa, and all of that was aimed at deceiving the people. But what is amazing about these chiefs who claimed to be senior figures in the kingdom and running its affairs is the way in which this man toyed with their minds and belittled their intelligence. This was because of their evildoing that was deeply entrenched in their character.

Hence their religious concepts became corrupt, which was followed by corruption of their way of thinking. We ask You, O Allah, to make us steadfast in faith and not to let our hearts deviate now after You have guided us, and bestow upon us mercy from Yourself; for You are the Bestower (cf 3: 8).

﴾He and his troops behaved arrogantly in the land without justification﴿. They were arrogant towards the slaves of Allah and mistreated them harshly, and they were arrogant towards the Messengers of Allah and what they brought of signs. So they rejected the signs and claimed that what they were following was more sublime and better.

﴾and thought that they would not be brought back to Us﴿. Hence they were audacious. Otherwise, if they had known or thought that they would be brought back to Allah, they would not have done what they did.

﴾fSo We seized him and his troops﴿ when they persisted in stubbornness and transgression sfand flung them into the sea. So see what was the fate of the wrongdoers﴿. This was the worst of punishments and they were the greatest losers, for it was a worldly punishment that was ongoing and was connected to the punishment of the hereafter.

﴾We made them leaders who call people to the fire﴿ that is, We made Pharaoh and his chiefs leaders who may be followed to the abode of loss and doom.

sfand on the Day of Resurrection they will not be helped﴿ against the punishment of Allah, for they will be too weak to ward it offfrom themselves, and they will have no protector or helper against Allah.

﴾We caused a curse to overtake them in this world﴿ that is, in addition to their punishment and disgrace in this world. We have also caused a curse to overtake them, so they are spoken ill of, resented and criticised. This is something that is obvious, for they are the leaders of those who are cursed in this world, and foremost among them. ﴾and on the Day of Resurrection they will be among those who are spurned﴿, cast far away, for their deeds are abhorrent. Thus there is combined against them the resentment of Allah, the resentment of His creation and the resentment of their own selves.

28:43. We gave Moosa the Book after We had destroyed the previous nations, as enlightenment for humankind, and as guidance and mercy, so that they might pay heed.

28:44. You were not there on the western side [of the mountain] when We decreed for Moosa the commission, nor did you witness that event.

﴾We gave Moosa the Book﴿ namely the Torah Rafter We had destroyed the previous nations'﴿ - the last of those nations who were destroyed en masse were Pharaoh and his troops. This indicates that after the revelation of the Torah, wholesale destruction of nations ceased, and jihad against the disbelievers with the sword was prescribed.﴾as enlightenment for humankind﴿ that is, the Book of Allah, that He sent down to Moosa, contains enlightenment for humankind. In other words it contains matters through which they may see what benefits them and what harms them. Thus proof is established against the sinner, but the believer benefits from it, because in his case it is mercy and guidance for him to the straight path. Hence Allah says: ﴾and as guidance and mercy, so that they might pay heed﴿.

When Allah told His Messenger (jig) the story of the unseen past, He pointed out that this news came from a purely divine source; the Messenger (ﷺ) had no way of knowing about it except through revelation. Hence He said:

﴾You were not there on the western side [of the mountain]﴿ at the time when We decreed for Moosa the commission, ﴾nor did you witness that event﴿, so that it might be said that you came to know this information in that manner.

28:45. But We brought forth many nations [after Moosa], and a long time has gone by since then. And you [O Muhammad] did not dwell among the people of Madyan, learning from them [the story mentioned in] Our revelation; rather it is We Who have sent you as a Messenger [and revealed to you their stories].

28:46. You were not on the side of the mountain when We called [to Moosa]. But [the revelation is sent to you] as a mercy from your Lord, so that you may warn people to whom no warner was sent before you, in order that they may pay heed.

4But We brought forth many nations [after Moosa], and a long time has gone by since then﴿; knowledge vanished, and Allah’s revelations were forgotten. Then We sent you at a time when there was a great need for you and for that which We have taught you and revealed to you.

﴾And you [O Muhammad] did not dwell among the people of Madyan, learning from them [the story mentioned in] Our revelation﴿ teaching them and learning from them, so that you came to know the story of Moosa in Madyan.

﴾rather it is We Who have sent you as a Messenger [and revealed to you their stories]﴿ that is, the story of Moosa that you brought is one of the results of Our sending you, and it is revelation that you had no way of knowing without Us sending you and revealing it to you.

﴾You were not on the side of the mountain when We called [to Moosa]﴿ and commanded him to go to the wrongdoing people and convey to them Our message, showing them Our signs and wonders that We have related to you. The point is that with regard to the events that happened to Moosa (عليه السلام) in these places and that you have narrated as they happened, without adding or subtracting anything, one of two things must be the case:

The first explanation is that you (O Muhammad [«||]) were present and witnessed them, or you went to the places where they happened, and learned about them from the people there, which does not prove that you are the Messenger of Allah, because matters that one may narrate to others after witnessing them or finding out about them, are commonplace and that is not something that is exclusively for the Prophets. But it is known with certainty that this did not happen, for your friends and enemies alike know that this is not the case.

So the other explanation must be correct, which is that this has come to you from Allah, and is His revelation and message. Thus the truth of your message is proven by means of definitive evidence, and it is known that Allah has sent you as a mercy to His slaves. HenceAllah says: ﴾But [the revelation is sent to you] as a mercy from your Lord, so that you may warn people to whom no warner was sent before you﴿ namely the Arabs and Quraysh. For the divine message was unknown to them, both at the time when the Messenger (ﷺ) was sent and for a long time before that.

﴾in order that they may pay heed'p by learning what is good and doing it, and learning what is bad and refraining from it. If this is what you are, then what they must do is hasten to believe in you and be grateful for this blessing, the worth of which cannot be rightly estimated and for which sufficient thanks can never be given.

The fact that he warned the Arabs does not contradict the fact that he was also sent to others. For he was an Arab, the Qur’an that was sent down to him was Arabic, and the first people he called were the Arabs. So the message was addressed first of all to them, and to others after that. This is like the verses in which Allah says:

﴾Does it seem strange to people that We have sent revelation to a man from among themselves [saying]: Warn the people...?b (Yoonus 10:2) ~ and:

﴾Say [O Muhammad]: O people, verily I am the Messenger of Allah

28:47. [We have sent you as a Messenger] lest they say, when a calamity befalls them because of the deeds which their own hands have wrought: Our Lord, why did You not send to us a Messenger so that we might follow Your revelations and be among those who believe?

28:48. But when the truth came to them from Us, they said: Why has he not been given the like of that which was given to Moosa? Did they not reject that which was given to Moosa before? They say: [These - the Torah and the Qur’an - are] two types of magic, each supporting the other! And they say: We reject both of them.

28:49. Say: Then bring a book from Allah that is a better guide than these two so that I may follow it, if you are telling the truth.

28:50. But if they do not respond to you, then know that they only follow their own desires, and who is more astray than one who follows his own desires, without any guidance from Allah? Verily Allah does not guide people who are given to wrongdoing.

(([We have sent you as a Messenger] lest they say, when a calamity befalls them because of the deeds which their own hands have wrought﴿ of disbelief and sins

﴾Our Lord, why did You not send to us a Messenger so that we might follow Your revelations and be among those who believe?﴿ That is, so We have sent you, O Muhammad (ﷺ), so as to leave them with no excuse.

﴾But when the truth came to them from Us﴿ concerning which there is no doubt, namely the Qur’an which We revealed to you, ﴾they said﴿, rejecting it and objecting to it on the basis of their flawed argument:﴾Why has he not been given the like of that which was given to Moosa?﴿ A Book was sent down to him from heaven in one go. In other words, so long as it comes down piecemeal, it cannot be from Allah. What kind of specious argument is this? How can this prove that it is not from Allah because it was sent down piecemeal?

Rather it is indicative of the perfect nature of this Qur'an, and the perfect care of Allah for the one to whom He sent it down, that it was sent down piecemeal, so that Allah might strengthen the heart of His Messenger (ﷺ) thereby, and increase the believers in faith.

(’(Whenever they come to you [O Muhammad] with an argument. We reveal to you the truth and the best explanation.﴿ (al-Fwydn 25: 33)

Moreover, their comparison of the Qur’an with the Book of Moosa was a comparison with something that they did not believe in, so how could they compare it to a book that they rejected and did not believe in? Hence Allah says:

﴾Did they not reject that which was given to Moosa before? They say: [These - the Torah and the Qur’an - are] two types of magic, each supporting the other! ﴿ That is, each supporting the other in their magic and misleading the people ﴾And they say: We reject both of them)﴿. Thus it is proven that the people wanted to refute the truth without any proof, they tried to undermine it with a flawed argument and made contradictory statements. This is how every disbeliever is. Hence Allah clearly tells us that they disbelieved in both Books and both Messengers. But did they disbelieve by way of seeking the truth and following something that they had that was better than these two Books, or were they merely following whims and desires?

Then Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) says, highlighting their flawed argument and challenging them to produce a third book that was more guided: ﴾Say: Then bring a book from Allah that is a better guide than these two)﴿ namely the Torah and the Qur’an,t﴾so that I may follow it, if you are telling the truth﴿. But there was no way that they or anyone else could produce something like these two Books, for the world had never received, since the time Allah created it, any book like these two in terms of knowledge, guidance, clarity and mercy for humankind.

It would be perfectly fair for the caller to say: My aim is truth and guidance, and I have brought you this Book which contains that and is in harmony with the Book of Moosa, so we must all submit to these Books and follow them, because they are guidance and truth, but if you bring me a book from Allah that is more guided than them, I will follow it, otherwise I will not give up guidance and truth of which I am certain for something other than guidance and truth.

﴾But if they do not respond to you﴿ and do not bring a book that is a better guide than these two,

﴾then know that they only follow their own desires﴿ that is, then know that their refusal to follow you is not because they are going to follow some truth that they know or choose some other guidance; rather it is because of merely following their whims and desires, ﴾and who is more astray than one who follows his own desires, without any guidance from Allah?l﴿ Such a one is the most misguided of people, because he was offered guidance and the straight path that leads to Allah and to His paradise, but he did not pay any attention to it or accept it; his desire pushed him to follow the paths that lead to doom and misery, so he followed those paths and ignored true guidance.

Can there be anyone who is more misguided than one who is like this? But his wrongdoing, enmity and lack of love for the truth is what dictated that he should persist in his misguidance and not be guided by Allah. Hence Allah says:

Verily Allah does not guide people who are given to wrongdoing﴿ that is, those for whom wrongdoing and stubbornness have become second nature. Guidance came to them but they rejected it, but when whims and desires were offered to them, they followed them, thusclosing the gates of guidance to themselves, and opening the gates of misguidance. Hence they are wandering blindly in their misguidance and wrongdoing, and in their misery and doom.

The words ﴾But if they do not respond to you, then know that they only follow their own desires﴿ indicate that anyone who does not respond to the Messenger (ﷺ) and who follows a view contrary to that of the Messenger (ﷺ) is not following true guidance; rather he is following whims and desires.

28:51. Now We have caused Our word to reach them in stages, so that they may pay heed.

﴾Now We have caused Our word to reach them in stages﴿ that is, We have caused it to reach them piecemeal and We have sent it down little by little, out of mercy and kindness towards them ﴾so that they may pay heed'p when the revelations come to them repeatedly, and explanations are sent down when they are needed. Thus it is revealed in stages, as a mercy towards them, so why are they objecting to what is in their best interests?

Some lessons that we learn from this wondrous story

• The signs and lessons of Allah (سبحانه وتعالى), and the stories He tells us of the previous nations, only benefit and enlighten the believers. What the individual learns from these stories will be commensurate with his level of faith. Allah Ofe) only tells the stories for the believers’ sake; as for others, Allah does not care about them and they will receive no light or guidance from these stories.• When Allah Ote) wills something, he prepares the means that lead to it and brings it about stage by stage, gradually, not all in one go.

• No matter how weak an oppressed nation becomes, it should not give in to laziness and give up pursuing its rights, or despair of regaining power and reaching a high level, especially if it is oppressed. Allah saved the Children of Israel, who were a weak nation, from the captivity of Pharaoh and his chiefs, and He gave them power and control over their land.

• So long as a nation is subjugated and humiliated, and cannot stand up for its rights or speak for itself, it will not be able to take care of its religious or worldly affairs, and will not be able to play a leading role.

• Allah showed kindness to the mother of Moosa, and alleviated the calamity for her by giving her glad tidings that Allah would return her son to her and make him one of the Messengers.

• Allah may decree some hardship for His slave, so as to make him attain greater happiness, or to ward off some greater harm, as He decreed that intense grief and worry for the mother of Moosa, that were the means of bringing her son back to her, reassuring her, comforting her and increasing her joy and happiness.

• Natural fear of people is not contrary to faith and does not diminish it, as we see in the case of the mother of Moosa and Moosa himself.

• Faith may increase and decrease, but one of the greatest means of increasing faith and perfecting certainty is having patience in the face of trouble and feeling confident of the help of Allah when calamity strikes, as Allah tells us about the mother of Moosa: ﴾She would have disclosed who he was, had We not strengthened her heart so that she might maintain her faith [in the promise of Allah]p (28: 10) that is, so that her faith would increase and she would be reassured.• One of the greatest of Allah’s blessings to His slave and one of the greatest ways in which He helps His slave in his affairs is His making him steadfast and strengthening his resolve at the time of fear and overwhelming calamity, thus enabling him to say and do the right thing. This is in contrast to the one who is overwhelmed by worries, fear and panic; he does not think straight and he loses his focus, so he is not able to help himself in that situation.

• Even if a person knows that the divine will and decree and the promise of Allah will inevitably come to pass, he should not neglect to take proper measures as Allah has instructed, and that is not contrary to faith in the promise of Allah. Allah promised the mother of Moosa that He would return her son to her, yet she took measures to bring him back, and she sent his sister to track him down and find out where he was.

• It is permissible for a woman to go out and attend to her own needs, and to speak to men provided that there is no reason for caution, as the sister of Moosa and the two daughters of the man of Madyan did.

• It is permissible to receive payment for raising and breastfeeding a child, and to help someone to find a woman who will do that.

• By His mercy towards His weak slave whom He wants to honour, Allah may show him some of His signs and proof, so as to increase him in faith, as Allah returned Moosa to his mother, so that she would know that the promise of Allah is true.

• Killing a disbeliever who has a covenant with the Muslims or who is regarded as being under a covenant with them on the basis of custom is not permissible. Moosa regarded his killing of the Egyptian disbeliever as a sin, and he asked Allah to forgive him for it.

• The one who kills people unlawfully is regarded as one of the tyrants who spread mischief in the land.• The one who kills people unlawfully and claims that he only wants to put things right in the land and deter evildoers is a liar and is spreading mischief, as Allah tells us that the Egyptian said: ef.. .do you intend to kill me as you killed a man yesterday? Your aim is only to become a tyrant in the land; you do not intend to be one of those who put things right! ﴿ (28:19). Allah said this by way of approving of these words, not saying that they were incorrect.

• Telling someone what is being said about him, by way of warning him of some evil that may befall him, is not regarded as spreading malicious gossip. In fact it may be obligatory, as that man came and told Moosa by way of offering sincere advice and warning him (28: 20).

• If a person fears that he may be killed or harmed if he stays where he is, he should not allow himself to be destroyed or surrender to that. Rather he should leave, as Moosa did.

• If there are two choices that will lead to harm, but an individual has no alternative but to choose one of them, he should choose the one that leads to lesser harm, as Moosa did when he had the choice of either remaining in Egypt, but he would be killed, or going to some distant land to which he did not know the route and he had no guide to show him the way except his Lord, but this was more likely to lead to safety than the first option, so Moosa chose it.

• With regard to one who is researching an issue of knowledge and needs to give a verdict, if he cannot be certain that one of the two views is correct, he should seek the guidance of his Lord and ask Him to guide him to the correct view, after sincerely searching for the truth, for Allah will not disappoint one who is like that. This is what Moosa did when he set out for Madyan: ﴾As he headed towards Madyan, he said: I hope my Lord will show me the right way [on my journey]﴿ (28: 22).• Showing mercy to people and being kind to them, whether you know them or not, is one of the characteristics of the Prophets. That kindness includes watering livestock and helping those who are unable to help themselves.

• It is recommended to offer supplication, explaining one’s situation and what one needs, even though Allah knows it well, because He loves for His slave to beseech Him and express his humility and need for Him, as Moosa said: ﴾fO my Lord, I am in need of whatever good You may bestow upon me﴿ (28: 24).

• Modesty and shyness, especially in people of dignity and noble character, are praiseworthy characteristics.

• Offering recompense for favours and kindness is an attitude that has existed since the time of the earlier generations.

• If a person does something for the sake of Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) then receives recompense without having had that in mind from the outset, he is not to be blamed for that. Moosa accepted recompense for his act of kindness from the man of Madyan, although he had not sought it and had never thought of receiving any recompense.

• It is permissible to hire someone to tend sheep and do similar tasks that may not be well defined and may be worked out on the basis of custom. It is permissible to hire someone in return for benefit, even if that benefit is in the form of marriage.

• A man may offer his daughter in marriage to another man whom he has chosen for her, and there is nothing wrong with that.

• The best worker whom a man may employ is the one who is strong and honest.

• One of the best of good attitudes and manners is to show kindness towards workers and servants, and not impose too much work on them, because Allah tells us that the man of Madyan said: c:I do not intend to make things difficult for you. You will find me, if Allah so wills, an upright man﴿ (28: 27).

• It is permissible to make contracts for work and other matters without witnesses, because Moosa said: ﴾And Allah is witness to what we say﴿ (28: 28).

• Allah caused clear signs and miracles to occur at the hand of Moosa, such as the snake, his hand turning white without harm, and the protection that Allah granted to Moosa and Haroon against Pharaoh and against drowning.

• One of the greatest punishments that may befall a man is to become a leader in evil, and that will be commensurate with the level of his opposition to the revelations and signs of Allah. By the same token, one of the greatest blessings that Allah may bestow upon His slave is to make him a leader in good, so that he is guided and guides others.

• This story offers proof for the message of Muhammad (ﷺ), as this story is narrated in detail, in accordance with what really happened, and in a way that confirms the message of the Messengers and supports the clear truth, without him having been present at any of these events or having visited any of these places. He never read or studied anything about any of these matters, or discussed them with any of the people of knowledge. It is nothing but the message of the Most Gracious, Most Merciful, and revelation that was sent down to him by the Most Generous, the Bestower of blessings, so that he might warn thereby people who were ignorant and who had never been warned before or received any message.

Blessings and peace of Allah be upon the one whose very words indicated that he was the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), and whose instructions and prohibitions signalled to wise people that this message was from Allah. How could it be otherwise, when there was so much evidence to prove the soundness of the message he brought, namely: the earlier and later scriptures; the law he brought; the character of the Prophet (ﷺ) which was based on the best attitude and manners,such as can only be suited to one who is the best of people; and the clear victory granted to his religion and nation, to the extent that his religion reached as far as night and day, and his nation conquered most of the world with the sword and spear, and hearts were won over with knowledge and faith?

But stubborn nations and disbelieving rulers who are standing together against the Ummah are uniting against Islam and plotting against it, scheming to extinguish its light, destroy it and erase it from the face of the earth. But Islam has defeated them and prevailed over them, and is still growing; its signs and proofs become ever more manifest in every age, and new signs emerge which offer lessons to all people, guidance to those who have knowledge, and enlightenment to those who pay heed. Praise be to Allah alone.

28:52. Those to whom We gave the scripture before are the ones who believe in it [the Qur’an].

28:53. When it is recited to them, they say: We believe in it, for it is indeed the truth from our Lord. Verily we had already submitted [to Allah, in Islam] before that.

28:54. Such people will be given a twofold reward for their patience and steadfastness; they repel evil with good, and spend out of that which We have provided for them.

28:55. When they hear idle [or offensive] talk, they turn away from it and say: To us our deeds, and to you yours. We wish you peace. We have no desire [to be involved] with the ignorant.

Here Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) mentions the greatness and truth of the Qur’an and tells us that people who have knowledge of the truth recognise it, believe in it and affirm that it is true.

﴾Those to whom We gave the scripture before﴿ namely the people of the Torah and the Gospel, whose hearts are open to the truth ﴾are the ones who believe in it [the Qur’an]﴿ that is, they believe in the Qur’an and in the one who brought it.

﴾When it is recited to them﴿ they listen and submit, and ﴾they say: We believe in it, for it is indeed the truth from our Lord﴿ because it is in accordance with what the Messengers brought, and is in harmony with what is mentioned in the previous scriptures; it includes true stories (of previous nations), and commands and prohibitions that are in accordance with the utmost wisdom.

These are the people whose testimony is of significance and whose words may be of benefit, for they only say these words on the basis of knowledge and understanding, as they are people of books and scriptures. The rejection and opposition of others to the truth is flawed and they have no sound argument, because they are ignorant or they are acting ignorantly and stubbornly rejecting the truth.

Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) says elsewhere:

﴾Say: Believe in it, or do not believe. Verily, those who were given knowledge before it,^{1Namely the People of the Book (Jews and Christians).} when it is recited to them, fall down on their faces in prostration.﴿ (al-Isrd' 17: 107)

﴾Verily we had already submitted [to Allah, in Islam] before that﴿ - that is why Allah kept us steadfast in that with which He had blessedus of faith, so we believed in this Qur’an; we believed in the first Book and the last Book, whereas others contradicted their belief in the previous Book by rejecting this Book.

﴾Such people﴿ who believe in both Books ﴾will be given a twofold reward﴿ - a reward for believing the first time and a reward for believing the second time ﴾for their patience and steadfastness﴿ in faith, and their steadfastness in deeds, for their faith was not shaken by doubt and no love of leadership or desire turned them away from faith. Moreover, because of their noble characteristics which result from their sound faith, they ﴾repel evil with good﴿. In other words, their way is to treat everyone kindly, even those who mistreat them in word and deed; they respond with gentle words and kind treatment, because they are aware of the virtue of this noble attitude and they know that no one is guided to that except one who has great good fortune.

﴾When they hear idle [or offensive] talk﴿ from an ignorant person who addresses them in that manner

﴾they turn away from it and say﴿, in the manner of the slaves of the Most Gracious who possess wisdom:

﴾To us our deeds, and to you yours﴿ that is, each will be requited only for the deeds he did, and he will not bear the burden of other people’s sins. This implies that they disavow and keep away from the way of the ignorant, and avoid idle talk, falsehood and any talk in which there is no benefit.

﴾We wish you peace﴿ that is, you will not hear anything from us except that which is good, for we will not address you in a manner that matches your ignorance. Even if you accept for yourselves to sink to that level, we put ourselves above that and we protect ourselves from becoming involved in it.

﴾We have no desire [to be involved] with the ignorant﴿ in any way whatsoever.

28:56. Verily, you [O Muhammad] cannot guide whomever you like, but Allah guides whomever He wills, and He knows best who is rightly guided.

Here Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) is saying: You, O Muhammad (ﷺ) - and others even more so - cannot guide anyone, even if he is among the dearest of people to you. This is something that is beyond the ability of all people, to guide in the sense of making them believe and creating faith in their hearts. Rather that is in the Hand of Allah and He guides whomever He wills, and He knows best who is fit to be guided, so He guides him, and who is not fit to be guided, so He leaves him to go astray.

With regard to the verse in which it is affirmed that the Messenger (ﷺ) guides people -

﴾... Verily, you are indeed calling people to a straight path.﴿ (ash-

- that is guidance in the sense of explaining and teaching. The Messenger (ﷺ) explains the straight path and urges people to follow it, and he does his utmost to persuade people to follow it. As for instilling faith in their hearts and enabling them to do righteous deeds, there is no way that he can do that.

Therefore if he had been able to do that, he would have guided the one who had been kind to him, supported him and protected him from his people, namely his paternal uncle Abu Talib. But he was more kind to his uncle as he called him to Islam and was very sincere towards him, which was greater than what his uncle had done for him, but guidance is in the Hand of Allah (سبحانه وتعالى).

28:57. They say: If we were to follow this guidance with you, we would be driven out of our land. Have We not established for them a secure sanctuary, to which fruits of all kinds are brought, as provision from Us? But most of them do not know.

28:58. How many a city did We destroy [for their sins] that was unappreciative of its life of ease. There lie their dwellings, which have scarcely been inhabited since their demise. It was We Who were their [sole] inheritors.

28:59. Your Lord would never destroy the cities until He had sent to their main city a Messenger who would recite Our revelations to them; nor would We destroy the cities unless their people were evildoers.

Here Allah tells us that the disbelievers among Quraysh and the people of Makkah said to the Messenger (ﷺ): ﴾flf we were to follow this guidance with you, we would be driven out of our land﴿ by means of killing, taking prisoners and plundering, for the people are opposing you and going against you, so if we follow you, we will be exposed to the enmity of all the people, and we have no ability to withstand them.

These words of theirs indicate that they thought negatively of Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) and thought that He would not support His religion ormake His words supreme; rather He would give others power over the followers of His religion, so they would persecute them harshly. They thought that falsehood would prevail over truth.

But Allah said, highlighting to them a blessing that they were enjoying to the exclusion of all others, and pointing out that He had singled them out for this blessing: ﴾Have We not established for them a secure sanctuary, to which fruits of all kinds are brought, as provision from Us?﴿ That is, have We not established that in a secure sanctuary that is frequented and visited by many people, venerated by near and far, so that its people are not disturbed and no one does anything to undermine it?

That was at a time when all the places around them were beset by fear from all directions, and the people of the surrounding areas were not safe and did not feel secure. So they should praise their Lord for this perfect security that no one else enjoyed, and for the abundant provision that came to them from all places, namely fruits, food and other goods, by means of which they were able to earn a living and enjoy a life of ease.

And they should follow this noble Messenger, so that they might enjoy a life of security and ease, and they should beware of rejecting him and becoming insolent as the result of the blessings that have been bestowed upon them, lest their security be turned to fear, and they be faced with humiliation after being in a position of honour, and become poor after having been independent of means. Hence Allah warned them by telling them of what happened to the nations who came before them:

﴾How many a city did We destroy [for their sins] that was unappreciative of its life of ease﴿ that is, those nations were too proud of that life and were distracted by it from believing in the Messengers. Therefore Allah destroyed them, took away the blessing and sent upon them the punishment.﴾There lie their dwellings, which have scarcely been inhabited since their demise﴿ because destruction and punishment came upon them many times, and their dwellings were left desolate after they were gone.

(fit was We Who were their [sole] inheritors﴿. We caused them to die, then all that they enjoyed of blessings will come back to Us, then We will bring them back to Us and will requite them for their deeds.

But by His wisdom and mercy. He did not punish those nations for their mere disbelief, before establishing proof against them by sending the Messengers to them. Hence He says:

﴾Your Lord would never destroy the cities﴿ for their disbelief and wrongdoing

(‘﴾until He had sent to their main city﴿ that is, the chief city to which they had ties and always visited and frequented, and to which all the surrounding cities were connected so that news of the main city was not hidden from them

﴾a Messenger who would recite Our revelations to them﴿ that pointed to the truth that he brought, and confirmed the message to which he called them, so that near and far would convey his words. This is unlike the situation if the Messengers were sent to distant cities and remote regions, in which case it is very likely that news of such a Prophet would remain hidden and unknown, whereas anything that happens in the main cities is likely to become well known among all people. Moreover, the people in the main cities are less hard-hearted than those who live elsewhere.

﴾nor would We destroy the cities unless their people were evildoers﴿ who disbelieved and committed sin, and therefore deserved punishment. The point is that Allah does not punish anyone unless it is because of his wrongdoing and after the establishment of proof against him.

28:60. Whatever you have been given is but the enjoyment of the life of this world and its splendour; but that which is with Allah is better and more lasting. Will you not then understand?

28:61. Is one to whom We have given a goodly promise, and he will see it fulfilled, like one to whom We have granted enjoyment of the life of this world, then on the Day of Resurrection he will be among those brought up [for punishment]?

Here Allah urges His slaves to have little interest in this world and not to be deceived by it; rather they should focus on the hereafter and make that their main aim and goal. He tells them that all that people are given of gold, silver, animals, belongings, wives, sons, food, drink and pleasure is but the enjoyment of the life of this world and its splendour. In other words, these things are enjoyed only for a short while and bring brief pleasure, but that enjoyment will be interrupted by a great deal of trouble and strife.

A person may enjoy these adornments for a short time, which gives him a reason for pride and showing off, but they will quickly disappear and all come to an end, and he will not gain anything from that except loss, regret, disappointment and deprivation.

﴾but that which is with Allah of eternal bliss and sound living ﴾is better and more lasting﴿ that is, it is better in terms of both quality and quantity, and it is eternal and everlasting. ﴾Will you not then understand?﴿ That is, do you not have minds with which to reflect and decide what should be given precedence and which of the two realms is more deserving of being striven for?This indicates that the more rational a person is, the more he will give precedence to the hereafter over this world, and no one gives precedence to this world unless there is a deficiency in his reasoning. Hence Allah points out the importance of weighing up the fate of the one who gives precedence to this world and the fate of the one who gives precedence to the hereafter:

﴾fls one to whom We have given a goodly promise, and he will see it fulfilledthat is, is the believer - who strives for the hereafter as he should, for he strives hard, hoping for the goodly reward that his Lord has promised him, namely paradise and all that it contains of immense delights, for he will undoubtedly find what he was promised, because it is a promise from One Who is most generous and is faithful to His promise and does not break His promise to the one who does that which pleases Him and avoids that which angers Him-

﴾like one to whom We have granted enjoyment of the life of this worlds so he is fully engaged in its affairs, eating, drinking and enjoying it in the manner of animals? Such a one has been distracted by his worldly pleasures from the hereafter, and he does not pay attention to the guidance of Allah or follow the Messengers; rather he carries on like that and gains nothing from this world except loss and doom.

﴾then on the Day of Resurrection he will be among those brought up [for punishment]﴿ that is, he will be brought up for the reckoning, but he will already know that he did not send ahead anything that was good for himself; rather he sent ahead all that will harm him, and now he has been brought to the realm where he will be requited for his deeds. What do you think his end will be? What do you think will happen to him? Let the wise man choose for himself that which is best and is more deserving of being given precedence.

28:62. On the day when Allah will call to them, saying: Where are My [so-called] partners, as you claimed?,

28:63. those against whom the word will be fulfilled^{1This refers to the promoters and leaders of disbelief and misguidance. The word that will be fulfilled against them is the promise of Allah (4c): *(...1 will certainly fill hell with jinn and men, all together.)* (Hood 11.} will say: Our Lord, these are the ones whom we led astray; we led them astray as we ourselves were led astray.^{2That is, they were not led astray by force; rather it was merely by means of whispers and making falsehood fair-seeming to them, and they went astray willingly.} We disavow them before You; it was not us they worshipped.

28:64. It will be said [to them]: Call on your [so-called] partners. They will call on them, but they will not respond to them. They will see the punishment [and will wish] that they had been rightly guided.

28:65. On that day, Allah will call to them, saying: What was your response to the Messengers?

28:66. They will not be able to think of any reply, and they will not even be able to ask one another.

Here Allah te) tells us what He will ask people about on the Day of Resurrection: He will ask them about the most fundamental matters, about their worship of Allah and their response to His Messengers.

s﴾On the day when Allah will call to them﴿ that is, He will call to those who ascribed partners to Him, whom they worshipped and hoped that they would benefit them and ward off harm from them. He will call them in order to show them their helplessness and misguidance, ﴾saying: Where are My [so-called] partners﴿ - for Allah has no partners; rather that was according to their claims and fabrications. Hence He says:

﴾as you claimed?﴿; Where are they themselves, and where are their benefits and protection?

It is well known that at that point it will become clear to them that that which they worshipped and on which they pinned their hopes is false and is of a diminishing nature; all their hopes will come to naught and they will acknowledge that they were misguided and wrong. Hence ﴾those against whom the word will be fulfilled﴿, namely the leaders of disbelief and evil, will admit that they were misled and they misled others. They will say: ﴾Our Lord, these﴿ followers ﴾are the ones whom we led astray; we led them astray as we ourselves were led astray﴿ that is, we are all the same in misguidance and we are all equally deserving of punishment.

﴾We disavow them before You﴿ that is, we disavow their worship and declare ourselves innocent of them and their actions.

﴾fit was not us they worshipped﴿; rather they worshipped the devils.

﴾It will be said [to them]: Call on your [so-called] partners﴿, as you hoped that they would benefit you. So they will be instructed to call upon them at that critical time, when every worshipper will call upon that which he worshipped.

﴾They will call on them﴿ and ask them to help them or ward off the punishment of Allah from them in any way﴾but they will not respond to them﴿. Then those who disbelieved will realise that they were lying and are deserving of punishment. ﴾They will see﴿ with their own eyes ﴾the punishment﴿ that will befall them after they had denied it and did not believe in it.

﴾[and will wish] that they had been rightly guided﴿ that is, then they would not be suffering as they are suffering now, and they would have been guided to the path that leads to paradise. But they were not guided to the straight path in this world, so they will not be guided to the path that leads to paradise in the hereafter.

﴾On that day, Allah will call to them, saying: What was your response to the Messengers?﴿ Did you believe them and follow them, or did you reject them and go against them?

﴾They will not be able to think of any reply, and they will not even be able to ask one another﴿ that is, they will not know how to answer this question and they will not be guided to the right answer.

It is well known that the only answer that could save them is the correct answer, if it were true in their case, which would be to say that they responded to them, believed in them and followed them. But because they know that they rejected them and opposed what they called them to, they will not say anything. Moreover, it will not be possible for them to ask one another and discuss amongst themselves what answer they may give, even if it is a lie.

28:67. But as for those who repented and believed, and did righteous deeds, they may well be among the successful.

Having mentioned the questioning of people regarding their objects of worship and their response to the Messengers, Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) now mentions the way in which a person may be saved from His punishment, and that there is no salvation except for the one who repented from ascribing partners to Allah and from sin, and who believed in Allah and worshipped Him, believed in His Messengers, and did righteous deeds, following the Messengers in doing so.

﴾they﴿ namely those who combine these characteristics ﴾may well be among the successfulwho attain the goal and are saved from what they fear. There is no way of attaining success without these things.

28:68. Your Lord creates whatever He wills and chooses [whomever He wills]; they have no choice in the matter. Glorified and exalted be Allah far above the partners they ascribe to Him!

28:69. Your Lord knows what their hearts conceal and what they disclose.

28:70. And He is Allah; there is no god but He. To Him be all praise in this world and the hereafter. His is the judgement and to Him you will be brought back.

In these verses it is stated that Allah is the Creator of all creation, all creatures are subject to His will, and He alone chooses whomever and whatever He will of people, commands, times and places; no one has any control or choice in the matter; He is far above all that theyascribe to Him of partners, helpers, supporters, children, spouses and so on, that the polytheists ascribe to Him; and He knows what their hearts conceal and what they disclose.

He alone is deserving of worship and praise in this world and the hereafter, for what He possesses of the attributes of majesty and beauty, and for what He bestows upon His creation of kindness and grace. He is the One Who issues decrees in both realms, in this world by means of His universal decree, that impacts all that He creates, and by means of His religious decree which impacts all laws, commands and prohibitions.

In the hereafter. He will issue decrees of requital. Hence He says: ﴾and to Him you will be brought back﴿ and He will requite each one of you for his deeds, good or bad.

28:71. Say: What do you think, if Allah were to make the night everlasting for you until the Day of Resurrection, what god other than Allah could bring you light? Will you not then listen?

28:72. Say: What do you think, if Allah were to make the day everlasting for you until the Day of Resurrection, what god other than Allah could bring you night in which to rest? Will you not then see?

28:73. By His mercy He has made for you night and day, so that you may rest therein and seek His bounty, and so that you may give thanks.

This is a reminder from Allah to His slaves of His favour, calling upon them to give thanks to Him and be true slaves to Him, for by His mercy He has given them the day in which to seek of Allah’s bounty and go about seeking their provision and livelihood in its light; and He has given them the night in which to calm down and rest, so that their bodies and souls may recover from their toil during the day. This is by His grace and mercy towards His slaves. Can anyone else do any of that? If He were to make ﴾the night everlasting for you until the Day of Resurrection, what god other than Allah could bring you light? Will you not then listen?﴿ Why do you not listen to His exhortation and revelations in such a way that you would understand, accept and follow? And if He were to c-fmake the day everlasting for you until the Day of Resurrection, what god other than Allah could bring you night in which to rest? Will you not then see?﴿ Why do you not see and understand the lesson and understand the verses in such a way that you would become enlightened and follow the straight path?

Allah says with regard to the night, c°fWiIl you not then listen?﴿ and with regard to the day ﴾Will you not then see?﴿ because hearing is more effective at night than seeing, and it is the other way round during the day.

In these verses, Allah points out that the individual should reflect on the blessings that Allah has bestowed upon him, try to understand them and compare what he has with what his situation would be if he did not have those blessings. If he compares his situation when he has these blessings and what it would be if he did not have them, he will become more aware of the great blessings that he has, unlike the one who thinks of them as nothing out of the ordinary and thinks that he will always have them, and thus is no longer appreciative of the blessings of Allah, and does not realise his need for these blessings at all times. Such a person will never be grateful or pay heed to the blessings that he is enjoying.

28:74. On the day when Allah will call to them, saying: Where are My [so-called] partners, as you claimed?.

28:75. and We bring forth from every nation a witness, and We say [to the nations]: Bring your proof, then they will know that truth [divinity] belongs to Allah alone, and the [false gods] of their own invention will be lost from them.

That is, on the day when Allah will call to those who ascribed partners to Him, who regarded others as equal to Him, who claimed that He had partners who were deserving of worship and who could bring benefit or cause harm. That will be on the Day of Resurrection, when Allah wants to show how audacious they were and how they lied in their claim, and to prove that they were wrong. So He ﴾will call to them, saying: Where are My [so-called] partners, as you claimed?﴿ That was according to their claim, not as it really was. This is like the verse in which He says:

﴾...Those who call upon their [so-called] partners besides Allah follow nothing but conjecture and they do nothing but lie.﴿ (Yoomis 10: 66)

When they and their gods are brought, Allah will select a witness ﴾from every nation﴿) that disbelieved, to testify concerning what happened in this world of their ascription of partners to Him and other beliefs. These witnesses will be selected or chosen.

In other words: We will select from among the leaders of the liars those who will stand up and argue their case, pleading on behalfof their brothers and those who followed the same path as them. When they are brought forth to be questioned. We will say to them ﴾ Bring your proof﴿ that is, your evidence for the soundness of your ascription of partners to Allah; did We instruct you to do that? Did My Messengers command you to do that? Did you find that in any of My scriptures? Is there anyone among them who deserves to be called divine? Can they benefit you, or ward off from you the punishment of Allah, or avail you anything? Let them do that if they are qualified to do so, and let them show you if they have any power.

("﴾then﴿ at that point they will realise the falseness and wrongness of what they said, and ﴾they will know that truth [divinity] belongs to Allah alone?﴿. The argument will be proven against them and they will have no proof to offer, for the proof of Allah will have utterly refuted them.

﴾and the [false gods] of their own invention will be lost from them﴿ that is, their lies and fabrications will diminish and disappear, and they will realise that Allah has been just towards them, for He does not punish anyone except one who deserves it.

28:76. Qaroon was one of the people of Moosa, but he behaved arrogantly towards them. We had given him such treasures that their very keys would have weighed down a band of strong men. His people said to him: Do not exult, for Allah does not love those who exult [in their riches].

28:77. Seek, by means of that which Allah has bestowed on you, the final abode, without forgetting your rightful share in this world. Be good to others, as Allah has been good to you, and do not seek to spread mischief in the land, for verily Allah does not love those who spread mischief.

28:78. He said: This has been given to me only because of knowledge that I possess. Did he not know that from among the nations who came before him, Allah had destroyed men who were superior to him in terms of might and accumulation of wealth? The wicked will not be questioned about their sins.

28:79. He came out before his people in all his finery. Those who cared only for the life of this world said: Would that we had the like of what Qaroon has been given! He is indeed a man of great good fortune.

28:80. But those who were given knowledge said: Woe to you! Allah’s reward is better for those who believe and do righteous deeds, but none will attain it except those who are steadfast.

28:81. Then We caused the earth to swallow him and his house. He had none to support him against [the punishment of] Allah, nor was he able to save himself.

28:82. Those who had previously wished to be in his place began to say: Indeed it is Allah Who grants abundant provision to whomever He wills among His slaves, or gives it in scant measure. Were it not for Allah’s grace towards us, He could have caused the earth to swallow us too. Indeed the disbelievers will never prosper.

Here Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) tells us the story of Qaroon, what he did and what happened to him, and the advice and exhortation he received.

﴾Qaroon was one of the people of Moosa﴿ that is, he was one of the Children of Israel who were favoured above all other nations, and were superior to them at that time. Allah blessed them greatly and their well-being was in accordance with their adherence to the right path, but this Qaroon transgressed and went astray, because of what he was given of immense wealth that made him arrogant.

﴾We had given him such treasures﴿ that is, abundant wealth ﴾that their very keys would have weighed down a band of strong men﴿ - the word translated here as ﴾fband﴿ refers to a group of between seven and ten men, or thereabouts. Even the keys to the storehouses of his wealth would be too heavy for a strong group to carry, and if this is how the keys were, then what do you think of the treasures themselves?

His people said to him﴿, advising him and warning him against arrogance and transgression:

﴾Do not exult, for Allah does not love those who exult [in their riches]﴿ that is, do not exult in these great worldly gains or boast about them, and do not let that distract you from the hereafter, for Allah does not love those who exult in it and whose focus is only on loving it.

﴾Seek, by means of that which Allah has bestowed on you, the final abode﴿ that is, you have been granted means of helping yourself advance in the hereafter that had not been granted to other people, namely your wealth, so seek therewith that which is with Allah; givein charity and do not spend it only on fulfilling your own desires and physical pleasures.

﴾without forgetting your rightful share in this world﴿ that is. We are not telling you to give all your wealth in charity and become destitute; rather you should spend for your hereafter and enjoy your share of this world in a manner that does not undermine your religious commitment or harm your well-being in the hereafter.

﴾Be good to others, as Allah has been good to you﴿ by bestowing this wealth upon you

﴾fand do not seek to spread mischief in the land﴿ by means of arrogance, disobeying Allah and being distracted by the blessings from the Bestower of those blessings

﴾for verily Allah does not love those who spread mischief﴿; rather He will punish them severely for that.

But Qaroon said - rejecting their advice and showing ingratitude for the blessings of his Lord: ﴾This has been given to me only because of knowledge that I possess﴿ that is, I have only acquired this wealth because of my own efforts and knowledge of ways of making money, and because of my smartness; the phrase in question may also be interpreted as meaning: Allah knows my situation and He knows that I deserve this. So why are you advising me regarding that which Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) has given to me?

But Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) says, explaining that His giving is not necessarily indicative of the good condition of the recipient: ﴾Did he not know that from among the nations who came before him, Allah had destroyed men who were superior to him in terms of might and accumulation of wealth?﴿ What was there to prevent the destruction of Qaroon, when it was Our way to destroy others who were like him or greater in terms of wealth, if they did that which incurs destruction? f﴾The wicked will not be questioned about their sins﴿; rather Allah will punish them on the basis of what He knows about them. Even though they try to prove that they are in a good situation and say thatthey will be saved, their words will not be accepted and that will not ward off the punishment from them, because their sins are not hidden. Therefore their denial is pointless. But Qaroon persisted in his stubbornness and transgression, and in rejecting the advice of his people, exulting in his wealth and filled with self-admiration. He was deceived by what he had been given of wealth.

One day Qaroon ﴾came out before his people in all his finery)﴿ that is, looking his best in terms of worldly adornment, as he had a great deal of wealth and he had prepared himself and beautified himself to the greatest extent, and adornment is usually tremendous in the case of such people, as it is a combination of worldly adornment and splendour. All eyes were on him at that moment and his clothing and adornment dazzled the people, who fell into two categories, each according to their aspirations and the focus of their desires.

﴾Those who cared only for the life of this world﴿ that is, those whose ambitions were focused only on this world, which represented their ultimate aim, and they had no desire for anything else ﴾said: Would that we had the like of what Qaroon has been given﴿ of worldly gains, conveniences and adornment ﴾He is indeed a man of great good fortune﴿.

These words could have been true if all that existed was what they aspired to and there was no hereafter beyond this world, for what he had been given was the ultimate in worldly joy, and he was able to get all that he wanted by means of what he had been given. So this was great good fortune, according to their aspirations. But the aspiration of one who has made that (namely great good fortune in worldly terms) his ultimate aim is indeed the lowest and most base ambition, and the one who thinks in that way has no lofty ambition or sublime goal.

﴾But those who were given knowledge﴿, who understood the reality of things and looked at the true nature of this world, whereas the first group only looked at it in a superficial manner.﴾said: Woe to you﴿, feeling sorry for the first group because of their wishing for themselves what Qaroon had been given, and finding their words odd and objectionable

﴾Allah’s reward﴿ in this world, in the pleasure of worshipping Him, loving Him and turning to Him, and in the hereafter, in paradise and what it contains of all that one could desire and all that may bring delight

﴾is better﴿ than what you wish for and desire. This is the reality of the matter, but not everyone who knows that would give precedence to what is sublime over what is base. No one will attain that or be enabled to have this attitude ﴾except those who are steadfast﴿ and devote themselves to obeying Allah, refrain from disobeying Him, and accept His decree even when it is painful, so they are patient in resisting the attractions and temptations of this world, lest they distract them from their Lord and prevent them from fulfilling the purpose for which they were created. These are the ones who give precedence to Allah’s reward over fleeting worldly gains.

When Qaroon’s parade ended, in which he had shown arrogance and pride, displayed the adornment he possessed, and made a show of his self-admiration, the punishment came upon him suddenly. ﴾Then We caused the earth to swallow him and his house﴿ as a requital that matched his deed, for he had put himself above the slaves of Allah, so Allah brought him to the lowest of the low, him and the things by which he had been deceived, namely his house, furnishings and other possessions.

﴾He had none﴿ that is, he had no group, clan, servants or troops ﴾to support him against [the punishment of] Allah, nor was he able to save himself﴿ that is, the punishment came upon him and he was not helped nor was he able to help himself.

﴾Those who had previously wished to be in his place﴿ that is, those who had wanted worldly gain and had said: ﴾Would that wehad the like of what Qaroon has been given﴿ (28: 79) now began to say, feeling sorry, having learned their lesson, and fearing that the punishment might befall them:

﴾Indeed it is Allah Who grants abundant provision to whomever He wills among His slaves, or gives it in scant measure﴿ that is. He restricts provision for whomever He wills. Now we know that the abundant provision that was granted to Qaroon was not indicative of any good in him, and we were mistaken when we said: ﴾He is indeed a man of great good fortune﴿.

﴾Were it not for Allah’s grace towards us﴿, and His not punishing us for what we said; were it not for His grace and kindness, ﴾He could have caused the earth to swallow us too﴿. So the destruction of Qaroon was a punishment for him and a lesson and admonition for others. Even those who had envied him regretted it and changed their way of thinking.

﴾Indeed the disbelievers will never prosper﴿ either in this world or in the hereafter.

28:83. That abode of the hereafter We will give to those who do not seek to exalt themselves in the land or spread mischief; and the best outcome is for those who fear Allah.

Having mentioned Qaroon and what he was given of worldly gain, and what happened to him in the end, and that the people of knowledge said: ﴾Allah’s reward is better for those who believe and do righteous deeds﴿ (28:80), Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) now urges us to seek the hereafter and tells us of the means by which we may attain it:

﴾That abode of the hereafter﴿ of which Allah told us in His scriptures and of which His Messengers spoke, which contains all delights and from which is warded off all that may spoil it of stress and trouble

﴾We will give﴿ as an abode and dwelling place

﴾to those who do not seek to exalt themselves in the land or spread mischief﴿ that is, they have no desire - let alone take any action - to exalt themselves in the land above the slaves of Allah or to act in an arrogant manner towards people or towards the truth

﴾or spread mischief﴿ - this includes all kinds of sins.

As they have no desire to exalt themselves in the land or spread mischief, this implies that all their thinking and devotion is directed towards Allah alone, and their aim is the abode of the hereafter; their attitude is one of humility towards the slaves of Allah, submission to the truth, and doing righteous deeds.

These people are the pious who fear Allah, and who will have a good end. Hence Allah says: sfand the best outcome﴿ that is, prosperity and success that will be steady and ongoing, for those who fear Allah (tfe). As for others, even if they attain some conveniences and pleasures of this world, that will not last for long and it will soon disappear. As this verse tells us that the best outcome is only for those who fear Allah, it is known that those who seek to exalt themselves in the land and spread mischief will have no share in the hereafter.

28:84. Whoever comes [on the Day of Resurrection] having done good will be rewarded with something better than it, and whoevercomes having done evil, those who did evil will be requited only according to their deeds.

Here Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) tells us about the multiplication of His bounty and the perfect nature of His justice:

﴾Whoever comes [on the Day of Resurrection] having done good﴿ - provided that what he has done is not spoiled by something that could render it invalid, in which case it will not be counted.

The word translated here as ﴾good﴿ is a general term which refers to everything that Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) and His Messenger have enjoined of words and deeds, visible and hidden, having to do with the rights of Allah and the rights of His slaves.

c﴾will be rewarded with something better than it﴿ that is, greater than it. Elsewhere Allah says:

﴾Whoever comes [on the Day of Resurrection] with a good deed will be repaid tenfold...﴿ (al-Anam 6: 160)

This multiplication of the reward for good deeds is inevitable, and there may be reasons for it to be increased, as Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) says:

(f.. .Allah gives manifold increase to whomever He wills. And Allah is All-Encompassing, All-Knowing.﴿ (al-Baqamh 2: 261)

That multiplication will be according to the status of the doer and his deed, how much benefit it brings, and the context and place in which it occurs.

﴾and whoever comes having done evil﴿ which is everything forbidden and prohibited by the Lawgiver

﴾those who did evil will be requited only according to their deeds﴿. This is like the verse in which Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) says:

﴾Whoever comes [on the Day of Resurrection] with a good deed will be repaid tenfold, but whoever comes with an evil deed will be recompensed only with the like thereof; and no one will be wronged.﴿

28:85. Verily He Who revealed the Qur'an to you [O Muhammad] will surely bring you back to the place of return. Say: My Lord knows best who has brought true guidance and who is clearly misguided.

28:86. You [O Muhammad] were not expecting this Book to be conferred on you; but [it is] a mercy from your Lord. So do not be a helper to the disbelievers.

28:87. Do not let them turn you [O Muhammad] away from the revelations of Allah after they have been sent down to you; call people to your Lord, and do not be one of those who ascribe partners to Allah.

28:88. Do not call upon any other god alongside Allah; there is no god but He. All will perish but He. His is the judgement and to Him you will be brought back.

q Verily He Who revealed the Qur’an to you﴿ that is, with regard to the One Who sent it down, enjoined rulings in it, explained in it what is lawful and what is prohibited, and instructed you to convey it to humankind, and explain all the rulings having to do with those who are accountable, it does not befit His wisdom that life should be no more than the life of this world, without any reward or punishment for people. Rather He will inevitably bring you to the place of return.where He will requite the doers of good for their good deeds and the doers of evil for their disobedience.

You (O Muhammad [5^]) have already explained guidance to them and shown them the way. If they follow you, then they are fortunate and blessed, but if they insist on disobeying you, criticising the guidance that you have brought, and giving precedence to what they have of falsehood over the truth, then there is no longer any room for argument and there is nothing left but requital for deeds by the Knower of the unseen and the seen. Who will requite the follower of truth and the follower of falsehood. Hence Allah says:

﴾Say: My Lord knows best who has brought true guidance and who is clearly misguided﴿; He knows that His Messenger (ﷺ) is the one who is guided and guides others, and that his enemies are the ones who have gone astray and are leading others astray.

﴾You [O Muhammad] were not expecting this Book to be conferred on you﴿ that is, you were not seeking or hoping for this Book to be sent down to you; you were not prepared for that and you were not looking for it

﴾but [it is] a mercy from your Lord﴿ to you and to other people. He sent you with this Book by means of which He bestowed mercy upon humankind, taught them that which they did not know, purified them and taught them the Book and wisdom, even though before that they had clearly been misguided.

If you know that He sent it down to you as a mercy from Him, you will know that everything that He enjoins and forbids is also mercy and grace from Allah. So your heart should not be troubled by it, and you should not think that what is contrary to it may be more appropriate or more beneficial.

﴾fSo do not be a helper to the disbelievers﴿ that is, do not help them in that which is part of their disbelief. One aspect of helping them is to say that any part of the book is contrary to wisdom, what is in people’s best interests or what is beneficial.

﴾Do not let them turn you [O Muhammad] away from the revelations of Allah after they have been sent down to you﴿; rather you should convey them and put them into practice, and do not pay any attention to their scheming or be diverted from its verses, and do not follow their whims and desires.

﴾call people to your Lord﴿ that is, make calling people to your Lord your ultimate goal, and whatever is contrary to that should be rejected, whether it is showing off, seeking reputation, or going along with the aims of the followers of falsehood, for that will lead to being with them and helping them in their aims. Hence Allah says: ﴾and do not be one of those who ascribe partners to Allah﴿ that is, do not be one of them either in terms of their ascription of partners to Allah or in any of the minor issues thereof, which refers to all kinds of sin.

﴾Do not call upon any other god alongside Allah﴿; rather devote your worship to Allah alone, for *(there is no god but He﴿. Therefore no one is deserving of your devotion, love and worship except Allah, the Most Perfect, the Eternal, for All will perish but He﴿. If everything except Him will perish and vanish, then worship of that which will perish and is false is itself false, because its aim is false and corrupt. ﴾His is the judgement﴿ in this world and the hereafter ﴾and to Him﴿ and no one else

﴾you will be brought back﴿. Because everything other than Allah is false and will perish, and it is Allah alone Who will remain, besides Whom there is no other god. His is the judgement in this world and the hereafter, and to Him all creatures will return, and He will requite them for their deeds. Therefore anyone who has any understanding must worship Allah alone, with no partner or associate, and must strive to do that which will bring him closer to Him, and he must beware of His wrath and punishment, lest he come to his Lord without having repented or given up his sins.

This is the end of the commentary on Soorat al-Qasas.

All praise and thanks are lor Allah, and may the blessings and peace of A Mali be upon Prophet Muhammad his family, and his Companions abundantly until the Day of Judgement.