Surah Al-Mu’min, Footnote No. 34

“Clear signs” (bayyinat) refers to three things: first, striking signs and proofs that testified to their being commissioned by Allah; second, luminous arguments that proved the truth of the teaching they presented; third, clear guidance regarding the problems and affairs of life, seeing which any reasonable person could recognize that no lying, self-seeking man could present such a pure teaching.

Surah Al-Mu’min, Footnote No. 35

For further details of the story of Moses, see Volume 1, pages 75–79, 425, 459; Volume 2, pages 64–88, 301–310, 330, 365–366, 370, 382–383, 471–474, 642–649; Volume 3, pages 34–40, 71–72, 85, 88–121, 279–280, 480–498, 557–560, 610, 613–639; Volume 4, Surah Al-Ahzab verse 69, Surah As-Saffat verses 114–122.

Surah Al-Mu’min, Footnote No. 36

The answer to opponents’ objections regarding Haman has already been given earlier in the footnotes to Surah Al-Qasas (Volume 3, page 615).

Surah Al-Mu’min, Footnote No. 37

That is, with such unmistakable signs that it left no room for doubt that they were sent from Allah, and that behind them stood the power of Allah, Lord of all the worlds. A careful look at the details of Moses’ story as related in the Qur’an makes it quite clear what these signs were, being presented here as open proof of his being commissioned by Allah. First, it was remarkable that a man who, a few years earlier, had fled the country after killing one of Pharaoh’s people, and against whom warrants had been issued, suddenly walked boldly, staff in hand, straight into Pharaoh’s full court, and with complete confidence addressed the king and his nobles, inviting them to acknowledge him as the representative of Allah, Lord of all the worlds, and to act upon his guidance — and no one dared lay a hand on him. Yet the people to whom Moses belonged were so thoroughly crushed under the heel of slavery that, had he simply been arrested at once on the charge of murder, there was no fear that his people could so much as raise their voices in protest, let alone rebel. This clearly shows that even before witnessing the miracles of the staff and the shining hand, Pharaoh and his courtiers had already been overawed simply by Moses’ arrival, and had sensed at first sight that this man had come backed by some extraordinary power. Then the series of tremendous miracles that followed at his hands were each sufficient in themselves to convince anyone that this was no sorcery, but a manifestation of divine power. By what sorcery, after all, could a staff actually turn into a serpent? Or could a whole country be struck by famine? Or could various calamities descend upon an area of hundreds of thousands of square miles at a single notice, and end at a single notice? This is why, according to the Qur’an’s account, Pharaoh and all the responsible people of his kingdom, whatever they may have denied with their tongues, knew full well in their hearts that Moses had indeed been commissioned by Allah. (For details, see Tafhim al-Qur’an, Volume 2, pages 65–68; Volume 3, pages 100–108, 486–494, 560.)

Surah Al-Mu’min, Footnote No. 38

That is, when, by showing miracle after miracle and sign after sign, Moses had fully established before them that he was a messenger sent by Allah, and had made his being upon the truth completely clear through strong arguments.

Surah Al-Mu’min, Footnote No. 39

It has already been mentioned in Surah Al-A’raf, verse 128, that Pharaoh’s courtiers said to him, how long will Moses be given free rein, and he had replied that he was about to order the killing of the sons of the Children of Israel while sparing their daughters (Tafhim al-Qur’an, Volume 2, pp. 71–72). This verse now tells us that this order was finally issued by Pharaoh. Its purpose was to so terrify the supporters and followers of Moses that they would abandon him out of fear.

Surah Al-Mu’min, Footnote No. 40

The original words are wa ma kaydu’l-kafirina illa fi dalal. This phrase could also mean: whatever scheming these disbelievers engaged in was itself only misguidance, oppression, and hostility to the truth — that is, despite the truth having become clear and their hearts being convinced of it, they only grew more stubborn, and did not hesitate to resort to the basest of stratagems to try to defeat the truth.

Surah Al-Mu’min, Footnote No. 41

The event whose account begins here is a highly significant episode in the history of the Children of Israel, one which the Israelites themselves have entirely forgotten. Both the Bible and the Talmud are silent about it, nor is any trace of it found in other Israelite traditions. Anyone who reads this story, provided he is not blinded by prejudice against Islam and the Qur’an, cannot help but feel that from the standpoint of the call to truth, this story carries great value, and it is by no means implausible in itself that, moved by the personality of Moses, his preaching, and the astonishing miracles manifested through him, some individual among Pharaoh’s own nobles may secretly have come to believe, and, seeing Pharaoh determined to kill him, could not restrain himself. But despite their sweeping claims of scholarship and research, Western orientalists, blinded by prejudice, try in various ways to cast doubt on the Qur’an’s truths — as can be judged from the fact that the author of the article “Musa” in the Encyclopaedia of Islam writes regarding this story that the Qur’an’s account of a believer in Pharaoh’s court attempting to save Moses is not entirely clear (Surah 40, verse 28), and asks whether it should be compared with the story related in the Haggadah, whose gist is that Jethro advised clemency in Pharaoh’s court.

In other words, for these claimants of scholarship, it is a settled matter that fault must be found with everything in the Qur’an. Now if no real basis is found for objecting to a particular statement, then at the very least this much of an insinuation is thrown out — that the story is “not entirely clear” — and, in passing, the suspicion is also planted in readers’ minds that Muhammad (peace be upon him) may somehow have heard the Haggadah’s story of Jethro, set before the birth of Moses, and brought it in here in this form. This is the manner of “scholarly research” that these people have adopted with regard to Islam, the Qur’an, and Muhammad (peace be upon him).

Surah Al-Mu’min, Footnote No. 42

In this statement Pharaoh tries to give the impression that certain people are somehow holding him back, and that this is the only reason he is not killing Moses — that were it not for them, he would have destroyed him long ago. In reality, however, no outside force was restraining him at all; it was the fear in his own heart that kept him from laying hands on Allah’s messenger.

Surah Al-Mu’min, Footnote No. 43

That is: I fear a revolution from him, and even if he does not bring about a revolution, there is at least the danger that his activities will stir up disorder in the country — therefore, even without his having committed any offense warranting the death penalty, he ought to be killed purely for the sake of maintaining public order. As for whether this man actually poses a threat to public order or not, His Majesty’s own satisfaction on the matter is sufficient. If the sovereign is satisfied that this is a dangerous man, then it must be accepted that he is indeed dangerous and deserving of execution.

Here it is also worth properly understanding what “changing the religion” means, the fear of which made Pharaoh want to kill Moses. “Religion” here refers to the system of government, and Pharaoh’s statement means, “I fear he will overturn your authority” (Ruh al-Ma’ani, vol. 24, p. 56). In other words, the system of religion, politics, culture, and economy running in Egypt, founded upon the supreme authority of Pharaoh and his dynasty, was itself the “religion” of the land, and Pharaoh feared that Moses’ call would overturn this very religion. But like every era’s crafty rulers, he did not say, “I fear losing power from my own hands, so I want to kill Moses.” Instead, he presented the matter as though the danger were not to himself but to the people: if Moses’ movement succeeded, your religion would change. I am not worried for myself — I am consumed with worry for you, over what will become of you once you are deprived of the shelter of my authority. Therefore, the oppressor at whose hands this shelter is threatened to be lifted from your heads ought to be killed, since he is an enemy of the country and the nation.

Surah Al-Mu’min, Footnote No. 44

Here there are two equally plausible possibilities, with no indication favoring one over the other. One possibility is that Moses himself was present in the court at that time, and Pharaoh expressed his intention to kill him in his very presence, and Moses, addressing him and his courtiers, gave this reply openly on the spot. The other possibility is that Pharaoh expressed this thought in the absence of Moses, in some assembly of his government officials, and news of this conversation was brought to Moses by some of the believers, upon hearing which he made this statement in an assembly of his followers. Whichever of these two it may be, Moses’ words clearly show that Pharaoh’s threat could not instill the slightest fear in his heart, and that, trusting in Allah, he threw the threat right back in Pharaoh’s face. Given the context in which this incident is related in the Qur’an, it naturally follows that this is also the very same response given, on behalf of Muhammad (peace be upon him), to all those oppressors who, having no fear of the Day of Reckoning, were plotting to kill him.