Tafsir al-Sadi - Abd al-Rahman al-Sadi’ - (736)

Tafsir al-SadiAbd al-Rahman al-Sadi’

(23–46) “Indeed, We sent Moses with Our signs and clear authority”—to the end of the account.

That is, “Indeed, We sent” to people of the same kind as these deniers “Moses,” son of Imrān, “with Our signs”—the great signs that conclusively demonstrated the truth of the message with which he was sent and the falsity of the polytheism and its attendant practices followed by those to whom he was sent—“and clear authority,” meaning manifest proof that prevails over hearts and compels them to submit. This included the serpent, the staff, and other clear signs with which Allah supported Moses and enabled him to establish the truth to which he called.

Those to whom he was sent were “Pharaoh, Haman,” his minister, “and Qarun,” who belonged to the people of Moses but oppressed them through his wealth. All of them rejected him vehemently and said, “A sorcerer, an utter liar!”

“When he came to them with the truth from Us,” and Allah supported him with astounding miracles that called for complete submission, they did not respond accordingly. Nor were they content merely to abandon and turn away from it, or even to deny it and counter it with their falsehood. Their appalling conduct went so far that they said, “Kill the sons of those who believe with him and leave their women alive. But the schemes of the disbelievers…” They devised this scheme believing that, if they killed their sons, the believers would be unable to gain strength and would remain in bondage and enslaved beneath them.

Thus, their scheme was doomed to fail: they did not achieve what they intended but instead suffered the very opposite. Allah destroyed them and annihilated every last one of them.

(1) Reflect upon this principle, which frequently occurs in the Book of Allah, the Exalted: when the context concerns a particular account or matter and Allah wills to pronounce a judgment upon that specific case, He does not express the judgment in terms exclusive to it. Rather, He attaches it to the general description so that its application will be broader, the particular case for which the discourse was given will fall under it, and any impression that the judgment is confined to that specific case will be dispelled.

For this reason, He did not say, “Their scheme was doomed to fail.” Rather, He said, “The schemes of the disbelievers are only doomed to fail.”

(1) In the margin of the original manuscript: “Principle.”

﴿٢٣ - ٤٦﴾ ﴿وَلَقَدْ أَرْسَلْنَا مُوسَى بِآيَاتِنَا وَسُلْطَانٍ مُبِينٍ﴾ إلى آخر القصة. أي: ﴿وَلَقَدْ أَرْسَلْنَا﴾ إلى جنس هؤلاء المكذبين ﴿مُوسَى﴾ ابن عمران، ﴿بِآيَاتِنَا﴾ العظيمة، الدالة دلالة قطعية، على حقية ما أرسل به، وبطلان ما عليه من أرسل إليهم من الشرك وما يتبعه. ﴿وَسُلْطَانٍ مُبِينٍ﴾ أي: حجة بينة، تتسلط على القلوب فتذعن لها، كالحية والعصا ونحوهما من الآيات البينات، التي أيد الله بها موسى، ومكنه مما دعا إليه من الحق. والمبعوث إليهم ﴿فِرْعَوْنَ وَهَامَانَ﴾ وزيره ﴿وَقَارُونَ﴾ الذي كان من قوم موسى، فبغى عليهم بماله، وكلهم ردوا عليه أشد الرد ﴿فَقَالُوا سَاحِرٌ كَذَّابٌ﴾ ﴿فَلَمَّا جَاءَهُمْ بِالْحَقِّ مِنْ عِنْدِنَا﴾ وأيده الله بالمعجزات الباهرة، الموجبة لتمام الإذعان، لم يقابلوها بذلك، ولم يكفهم مجرد الترك والإعراض، بل ولا إنكارها ومعارضتها بباطلهم، بل وصلت بهم الحال الشنيعة إلى أن ﴿قَالُوا اقْتُلُوا أَبْنَاءَ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا مَعَهُ وَاسْتَحْيُوا نِسَاءَهُمْ وَمَا كَيْدُ الْكَافِرِينَ﴾ حيث كادوا هذه المكيدة، وزعموا أنهم إذا قتلوا أبناءهم، لم يقووا، وبقوا في رقهم وتحت عبوديتهم. فما كيدهم إلا في ضلال، حيث لم يتم لهم ما قصدوا، بل أصابهم ضد ما قصدوا، أهلكهم الله وأبادهم عن آخرهم. (١) وتدبر هذه النكتة التي يكثر مرورها بكتاب الله تعالى: إذا كان السياق في قصة معينة أو على شيء معين، وأراد الله أن يحكم على ذلك المعين بحكم، لا يختص به ذكر الحكم، وعلقه على الوصف العام ليكون أعم، وتندرج فيه الصورة التي سيق الكلام لأجلها، وليندفع الإيهام باختصاص الحكم بذلك المعين. فلهذا لم يقل ﴿وما كيدهم إلا في ضلال﴾ . بل قال: ﴿وَمَا كَيْدُ الْكَافِرِينَ إِلا فِي ضَلالٍ﴾ .

(١) في هامش الأصل (قاعدة) .