Abd al-Wahid al-Mulayhi informed us; Ahmad ibn Abdullah al-Nuaymi informed us; Muhammad ibn Yusuf informed us; Muhammad ibn Ismail related to us; Ali ibn Abdullah related to us; al-Walid ibn Muslim related to us; al-Awzai related to me; Yahya ibn Abi Kathir related to me; Muhammad ibn Ibrahim al-Taymi related to me; and Urwah ibn al-Zubayr related: I said to Abdullah ibn Amr ibn al-As, “Tell me of the worst thing the polytheists did to the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace.” He said: “While the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was praying in the courtyard of the Kabah, Uqbah ibn Abi Muayt came forward, seized the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, by the shoulder, twisted his garment around his neck, and choked him severely with it. Then Abu Bakr came forward, seized him by the shoulder, pushed him away from the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and said, ‘Would you kill a man merely because he says, “My Lord is Allah,” although he has brought you clear proofs from your Lord?’” (1)

“My people, today sovereignty is yours, holding sway in the land; but who will protect us from Allah’s punishment if it comes upon us?” Pharaoh said, “I show you only what I myself see, and I guide you only to the way of right conduct.” (29)

The one who believed said, “My people, I fear for you a day like that of the confederate factions—like the fate of the people of Noah, Aad, Thamud, and those after them. And Allah does not intend injustice for His servants. (30–31)

“My people, I fear for you the Day of Calling.” (32)

“My people, today sovereignty is yours, holding sway in the land”: that is, you are dominant in the land of Egypt. “But who will protect us from Allah’s punishment”: who will prevent Allah’s punishment from reaching us, “if it comes upon us?” The meaning is: Today sovereignty is yours, so do not expose yourselves to Allah’s punishment by denying the truth and killing the prophet; for none can prevent Allah’s punishment if it descends upon you. Pharaoh said, “I show you”—in the way of opinion and counsel—“only what I myself see.” Al-Dahhak said: “I tell you only what I know.” “And I guide you only to the way of right conduct”: I call you only to the path of guidance.

“The one who believed said, ‘My people, I fear for you a day like that of the confederate factions—like the fate of the people of Noah, Aad, Thamud, and those after them’”: that is, like their practice of persisting in denial until the punishment came upon them. “And Allah does not intend injustice for His servants”: that is, He does not destroy them before the proof has been established against them.

“My people, I fear for you the Day of Calling”: the Day of Resurrection, when every people will be called together with their leader, and they will call out to one another. The people of Paradise will call to the people of the Fire, and the people of the Fire to the people of Paradise. The people of the Heights will also be called out, and a proclamation will be made concerning felicity and wretchedness: “Indeed, so-and-so, the son of so-and-so, has attained a felicity after which he will never suffer misery; and so-and-so, the son of so-and-so, has suffered a wretchedness after which he will never attain felicity.” And when death is slaughtered, it will be proclaimed: “People of Paradise, everlasting abode with no death! People of the Fire, everlasting abode with no death!”