Tafsir al-Sadi - Abd al-Rahman al-Sadi’ - (422)

Tafsir al-SadiAbd al-Rahman al-Sadi’

“And when Moses said to his people, ‘Remember Allah’s blessing upon you when He saved you from Pharaoh’s people, who subjected you to dreadful torment, slaughtering your sons and sparing your women. In that was a tremendous trial from your Lord. And when your Lord proclaimed, “If you are grateful, I will surely give you more; but if you are ungrateful, My punishment is indeed severe.” Moses also said, “If you and everyone on earth were all to disbelieve, Allah is truly Self-Sufficient and Praiseworthy.”’”

For the Days of Allah demonstrate His perfect power, His all-encompassing kindness, and the fullness of His justice and wisdom. Moses (peace be upon him) therefore obeyed his Lord’s command and reminded them of Allah’s blessings, saying, “Remember Allah’s blessing upon you”—with your hearts and your tongues—“when He saved you from Pharaoh’s people, who subjected you,” meaning imposed upon you, “to dreadful torment,” meaning the most severe torment. He then explained this by saying, “slaughtering your sons and sparing your women”; that is, leaving them alive and not killing them. “In that”—in your deliverance—“was a tremendous trial from your Lord”; that is, a tremendous blessing. Alternatively, the meaning is that the torment with which Pharaoh and his chiefs afflicted you was a tremendous test from Allah, to see whether you would remain patient or not.

Urging them to show gratitude for Allah’s blessings, he said to them, “And when your Lord proclaimed,” meaning that He announced and promised, “If you are grateful, I will surely give you more” of My blessings; “but if you are ungrateful, My punishment is indeed severe.” Part of that punishment is that He removes from them the blessing He had bestowed upon them.

Gratitude means that the heart acknowledges Allah’s blessings, that one praises Allah for them, and that one uses them in ways pleasing to Allah Most High. Ingratitude for blessings is the opposite of this.

“Moses also said, ‘If you and everyone on earth were all to disbelieve,’” you would not harm Allah in the least, for “Allah is truly Self-Sufficient and Praiseworthy.” Acts of obedience do not increase His dominion, nor do acts of disobedience diminish it. He is perfectly self-sufficient and praiseworthy in His essence, His names, His attributes, and His actions. All His attributes are attributes of praise and perfection, all His names are beautiful, and all His actions are excellent.

﴿وَإِذْ قَالَ مُوسَى لِقَوْمِهِ اذْكُرُوا نِعْمَةَ اللَّهِ عَلَيْكُمْ إِذْ أَنْجَاكُمْ مِنْ آلِ فِرْعَوْنَ يَسُومُونَكُمْ سُوءَ الْعَذَابِ وَيُذَبِّحُونَ أَبْنَاءَكُمْ وَيَسْتَحْيُونَ نِسَاءَكُمْ وَفِي ذَلِكُمْ بَلاءٌ مِنْ رَبِّكُمْ عَظِيمٌ * وَإِذْ تَأَذَّنَ رَبُّكُمْ لَئِنْ شَكَرْتُمْ لأزِيدَنَّكُمْ وَلَئِنْ كَفَرْتُمْ إِنَّ عَذَابِي لَشَدِيدٌ * وَقَالَ مُوسَى إِنْ تَكْفُرُوا أَنْتُمْ وَمَنْ فِي الأرْضِ جَمِيعًا فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ لَغَنِيٌّ حَمِيدٌ﴾ . فإنه يستدل بأيامه على كمال قدرته وعميم إحسانه، وتمام عدله وحكمته، ولهذا امتثل موسى ﵇ أمر ربه، فذكرهم نعم الله فقال: ﴿اذْكُرُوا نِعْمَةَ اللَّهِ عَلَيْكُمْ﴾ أي: بقلوبكم وألسنتكم. ﴿إِذْ أَنْجَاكُمْ مِنْ آلِ فِرْعَوْنَ يَسُومُونَكُمْ﴾ أي: يولونكم ﴿سُوءَ الْعَذَابِ﴾ أي: أشده وفسر ذلك بقوله: ﴿وَيُذَبِّحُونَ أَبْنَاءَكُمْ وَيَسْتَحْيُونَ نِسَاءَكُمْ﴾ أي: يبقونهن فلا يقتلونهن، ﴿وَفِي ذَلِكُمْ﴾ الإنجاء ﴿بَلاءٌ مِنْ رَبِّكُمْ عَظِيمٌ﴾ أي: نعمة عظيمة، أو وفي ذلكم العذاب الذي ابتليتم به من فرعون وملئه ابتلاء من الله عظيم لكم، لينظر هل تصبرون أم لا؟ وقال لهم حاثا على شكر نعم الله: ﴿وَإِذْ تَأَذَّنَ رَبُّكُمْ﴾ أي: أعلم ووعد، ﴿لَئِنْ شَكَرْتُمْ لأزِيدَنَّكُمْ﴾ من نعمي ﴿وَلَئِنْ كَفَرْتُمْ إِنَّ عَذَابِي لَشَدِيدٌ﴾ ومن ذلك أن يزيل عنهم النعمة التي أنعم بها عليهم. والشكر: هو اعتراف القلب بنعم الله والثناء على الله بها وصرفها في مرضاة الله تعالى. وكفر النعمة ضد ذلك. ﴿وَقَالَ مُوسَى إِنْ تَكْفُرُوا أَنْتُمْ وَمَنْ فِي الأرْضِ جَمِيعًا﴾ فلن تضروا الله شيئا، ﴿فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ لَغَنِيٌّ حَمِيدٌ﴾ فالطاعات لا تزيد في ملكه والمعاصي لا تنقصه، وهو كامل الغنى حميد في ذاته وأسمائه وصفاته وأفعاله، ليس له من الصفات إلا كل صفة حمد وكمال، ولا من الأسماء إلا كل اسم حسن، ولا من الأفعال إلا كل فعل جميل.