Questions on the Sura of Al-A'raf
Question:
Salaam
1. The verse 7:113 states that the magicians that Pharaoh had gathered against Moses pbuh ask "shall we indeed have a reward if we win?" albeit when we read 20:73 it states the magicians state... and forgive us the practice of magic to which you had compelled us. Is there a contradiction here as to whether the magicians willingly participated against the challenge of Moses pbuh or were they forced.
2. Verse 7:132 states that people of Pharaoh state to Moses pbuh " Whatever Sign you might produce before us in order to enchant us we are not going to believe you. Then verse 134 states that each time a scourge struck them they said to Moses to pray to his God and if He removed the scourge they will believe in Him. My query is that if you say what is stated in 7:132 then has itmam ul hujjah not been completed at that stage on them? is there any need for further scourges ?
3. Verse 7:143 When Moses pbuh requests Allah to Reveal Himself to him, Allah replies Never can you see Me.My question is that nothing is impossible for Allah. He can make Prophet pbuh visit the heavens in the wink of an eye in Mairaj. Likewise, human eye has the limitation in not being able to see Allah, But Allah has the power to give the human eye the ability to see Him. Is it not correct that on the Day of Judgment we will face our Creator?
4. The Jewish and Christian belief is that Moses pbuh was given two tablets with 10 commandments written on Mount Sinai. Islahi questions this belief in his commentary of Quran. He states that the word used in verse 7:145 is Alwaah which according to Arabic stands for more then two, further more, the verse it self states that " We ordained for Moses (pbuh) in the tablets all manner of admonition, and instructions concerning all things". Thus his premise is that the instructions to Moses pbuh were more detailed than just 10 commandments. I would be grateful for your views on the above.
Answer:
Salam,
1. The reluctance of the magicians (7:113 vs. 20:73)
The referred part of the verse 20:73 is as follows:
إِنَّا ءَامَنَّا بِرَبِّنَا لِيَغْفِرَ لَنَا خَطَايَانَا وَ مَا أَكْرَهْتَنَا عَلَيْهِ مِنَ السِّحْر
A more accurate translation is:
“We believed our Lord so that He forgive our mistakes and what was imposed on us in (doing) magic” (20:73)
It seems like “what was imposed on us” in the above sentence refers to the fact that they were ordered to challenge Musa (pbuh) while they were not entirely happy about this as they were suspecting that what Musa (pbuh) was doing was not magic.
What supports the above view are the verses 20:61,62. After Musa (pbuh) advises his addressees (including the magicians) against rejecting God, his addressees (mainly the magicians) start to argue among each other. This indicates that they had some disagreements on what they were supposed to do. It seems like the advice of Musa (pbuh) had some effect on them. We read:
قَالَ لَهُم مُّوسىَ وَيْلَكُمْ لَا تَفْترَواْ عَلىَ الله كَذِبًا فَيُسْحِتَكمُ بِعَذَابٍ وَ قَدْ خَابَ مَنِ افْترَى
فَتَنَازَعُواْ أَمْرَهُم بَيْنَهُمْ وَ أَسَرُّواْ النَّجْوَى
"Musa said to them: Woe to you! do not forge a lie against God, lest He destroy you by a punishment And he who forges (a lie) indeed gets disappointed So they disputed with one another about their affair and kept the discourse secret" (20:61, 62)
This is not in conflict with what is narrated from magicians in 7:113 where they ask for reward from Fir’un. In fact we even learn from verse 26:44 that once they had done their magic and before seeing the miracle of Musa (pbuh), they said: “by the glory of Fir’un we are victorious”. Even this is not in conflict with verse 20:73.
What we need to appreciate is that the ruling system of Fir’un was a dictatorship. Like any other dictating system people would be forced to do things that they did not really want to do but at the same time they would also remain hopeful that by doing those things they could somehow gain some benefit. This is the extent of humiliation and subjugation that people would experience under full dictatorship.
So my understanding is that the magicians, after hearing Musa - pbuh - (and perhaps after seeing other extra ordinary things from Musa - pbuh) were reluctant to challenge him. At the same time they were hopeful to win this challenge and get some rewards from Fir’un because of it. However once they were defeated by Musa (pbuh) and they were convinced that what he did was not a mere magic, they woke up, stood against the dictator and surrendered themselves to the truth.
2. Itmam al-Hujjah on the people of Fir'un (7:132)
(For the benefit of readers, Itmam al-Hujjah in the context of Abrahamic religion means completing the communication of the truth to the extent that no one would remain with any excuse. At the era of the messengers of God, the direct addressees of these messengers who reject them after Itmam al-Hujjah will face punishment in this world.)
I think the answer to your question is in the Names of the Almighty: Rahman (Compassionate) and Hakim (Wise).
It is indeed the compassion of the Almighty to show the most tolerance in dealing with rejecters and to give them many chances to return from their arrogant attitude. Statements like in 7:132 has been said by other addressees of the messengers of God as well (look at 2:88). Itmam al-Hujjah is not just ticking a box so that the punishment could arrive. Itmam al-Hujjah does not mean to only get to the edge of the point where people have no excuses. The Sunnah of the Almighty based on his Rahmah (compassion) is to let Itmam al-Hujjah go well beyond its technical meaning in order to expire any possibilities and opportunities for the addressees (before separating the believers from the rejecters for the cause of reward and punishment). This is the Rahmah of the Almighty.
On the other hand, this persistence for guidance and repeated warnings from the Almighty against the arrogance rejecters serves for Itmam al-Hujjah for the other groups and nations. They will see clearly that the punished groups/nations were given lots of warnings and lots of opportunities before being punished. In the context of Musa (pbuh) and his addressees, consider the lesson that Bani Israel learned (or could learn) from all this. This is the Hikmah of the Almighty
3. Musa (pbuh) not being able to see God (7:143)
I think the answer to your question is within the verse:
وَ لَمَّا جَاءَ مُوسىَ لِمِيقَاتِنَا وَ كلَّمَهُ رَبُّهُ قَالَ رَبِّ أَرِنىِ أَنظُرْ إِلَيْكَ قَالَ لَن تَرَئنىِ وَ لَكِنِ انظُرْ إِلىَ الْجَبَلِ فَإِنِ اسْتَقَرَّ مَكَانَهُ فَسَوْفَ تَرَئنىِ فَلَمَّا تجَلىَ رَبُّهُ لِلْجَبَلِ جَعَلَهُ دَكًّا وَ خَرَّ مُوسىَ صَعِقًا فَلَمَّا أَفَاقَ قَالَ سُبْحَنَكَ تُبْتُ إِلَيْكَ وَ أَنَا أَوَّلُ الْمُؤْمِنِين
"And when Musa came at Our appointed time and his Lord spoke to him, he said: My Lord! Show me Yourself so that I may look upon You. He said: You certainly cannot see me but look at the mountain, if it remains firm in its place, then will you see Me. So when his Lord manifested to the mountain He made it crumble and Musa fell down in a swoon. Then when he recovered he said: Glory be to You, I repent towards You, and I am the first of the believers." (7:143)
Why do you think Musa (pbuh) asks for forgiveness and repents after seeing what happened to the mountain to which God manifested?
What it is that Musa (pbuh) considers wrong and for that asks forgiveness and why does he start his request for forgiveness by saying Glory be to you (Subhanak)?
In my understanding this indicates that Musa (pbuh) thought that God could be captured and seen by our worldly eye. Yes if God wanted, He could change the worldly body and the worldly state of Musa (pbuh) to something more advanced so that he could see Him. However this would go against the rule of nature that is the design of the Almighty and God does not like to change these rules unless there is a clear benefit in it (like in miracles). The expression لن ترانی (you definitely cannot see me) refers to the implication of this design.
It seem like what Musa (pbuh) really needed there was not to see God, but to fully understand and appreciate the glory of the Almighty (a glory that results in the incapability of our worldly senses to capture Him). The Almighty provided what Musa (pbuh) needed to understand by manifesting to a mountain and showing the result to Musa (pbuh).
In other words, Musa’s (pbuh) demand was answered perfectly. He wanted to see the glory of the Almighty, and he saw it, in the most effective and memorable way.
4. The Ten Commandments and the Tablets (7:145)
Verse 7:145 is as follows:
وَ كَتَبْنَا لَهُ فىِ الْأَلْوَاحِ مِن كُلِّ شىَْءٍ مَّوْعِظَةً وَ تَفْصِيلًا لِّكلُِّ شىَْءٍ فَخُذْهَا بِقُوَّةٍ وَ أْمُرْ قَوْمَكَ يَأْخُذُواْ بِأَحْسَنهِا سَأُوْرِيكمُْ دَارَ الْفَاسِقِين
"And We ordained for him in the tablets admonition of every kind and clear explanation of all things; so take hold of them with firmness and enjoin your people to take hold of what is best in it. I will soon show you the abode of the transgressors" (7:145)
Reading the above verse, noticing the underline parts, I find myself in agreement with Amin Ahsan Islahi.
As for what is known by Jews that there were only two tablets, I can think of three possibilities:
- The ten commandments were written on two tablets while other details were written on other tablets.
- Two tablets in fact meant two copies, that is two sets of tablets, as it was a custom at the time to make two copies of any covenant.
- A complete error in reporting.
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March 2013
Salaam
1. The verse 7:113 states that the magicians that Pharaoh had gathered against Moses pbuh ask "shall we indeed have a reward if we win?" albeit when we read 20:73 it states the magicians state... and forgive us the practice of magic to which you had compelled us. Is there a contradiction here as to whether the magicians willingly participated against the challenge of Moses pbuh or were they forced.
2. Verse 7:132 states that people of Pharaoh state to Moses pbuh " Whatever Sign you might produce before us in order to enchant us we are not going to believe you. Then verse 134 states that each time a scourge struck them they said to Moses to pray to his God and if He removed the scourge they will believe in Him. My query is that if you say what is stated in 7:132 then has itmam ul hujjah not been completed at that stage on them? is there any need for further scourges ?
3. Verse 7:143 When Moses pbuh requests Allah to Reveal Himself to him, Allah replies Never can you see Me.My question is that nothing is impossible for Allah. He can make Prophet pbuh visit the heavens in the wink of an eye in Mairaj. Likewise, human eye has the limitation in not being able to see Allah, But Allah has the power to give the human eye the ability to see Him. Is it not correct that on the Day of Judgment we will face our Creator?
4. The Jewish and Christian belief is that Moses pbuh was given two tablets with 10 commandments written on Mount Sinai. Islahi questions this belief in his commentary of Quran. He states that the word used in verse 7:145 is Alwaah which according to Arabic stands for more then two, further more, the verse it self states that " We ordained for Moses (pbuh) in the tablets all manner of admonition, and instructions concerning all things". Thus his premise is that the instructions to Moses pbuh were more detailed than just 10 commandments. I would be grateful for your views on the above.
Answer:
Salam,
1. The reluctance of the magicians (7:113 vs. 20:73)
The referred part of the verse 20:73 is as follows:
إِنَّا ءَامَنَّا بِرَبِّنَا لِيَغْفِرَ لَنَا خَطَايَانَا وَ مَا أَكْرَهْتَنَا عَلَيْهِ مِنَ السِّحْر
A more accurate translation is:
“We believed our Lord so that He forgive our mistakes and what was imposed on us in (doing) magic” (20:73)
It seems like “what was imposed on us” in the above sentence refers to the fact that they were ordered to challenge Musa (pbuh) while they were not entirely happy about this as they were suspecting that what Musa (pbuh) was doing was not magic.
What supports the above view are the verses 20:61,62. After Musa (pbuh) advises his addressees (including the magicians) against rejecting God, his addressees (mainly the magicians) start to argue among each other. This indicates that they had some disagreements on what they were supposed to do. It seems like the advice of Musa (pbuh) had some effect on them. We read:
قَالَ لَهُم مُّوسىَ وَيْلَكُمْ لَا تَفْترَواْ عَلىَ الله كَذِبًا فَيُسْحِتَكمُ بِعَذَابٍ وَ قَدْ خَابَ مَنِ افْترَى
فَتَنَازَعُواْ أَمْرَهُم بَيْنَهُمْ وَ أَسَرُّواْ النَّجْوَى
"Musa said to them: Woe to you! do not forge a lie against God, lest He destroy you by a punishment And he who forges (a lie) indeed gets disappointed So they disputed with one another about their affair and kept the discourse secret" (20:61, 62)
This is not in conflict with what is narrated from magicians in 7:113 where they ask for reward from Fir’un. In fact we even learn from verse 26:44 that once they had done their magic and before seeing the miracle of Musa (pbuh), they said: “by the glory of Fir’un we are victorious”. Even this is not in conflict with verse 20:73.
What we need to appreciate is that the ruling system of Fir’un was a dictatorship. Like any other dictating system people would be forced to do things that they did not really want to do but at the same time they would also remain hopeful that by doing those things they could somehow gain some benefit. This is the extent of humiliation and subjugation that people would experience under full dictatorship.
So my understanding is that the magicians, after hearing Musa - pbuh - (and perhaps after seeing other extra ordinary things from Musa - pbuh) were reluctant to challenge him. At the same time they were hopeful to win this challenge and get some rewards from Fir’un because of it. However once they were defeated by Musa (pbuh) and they were convinced that what he did was not a mere magic, they woke up, stood against the dictator and surrendered themselves to the truth.
2. Itmam al-Hujjah on the people of Fir'un (7:132)
(For the benefit of readers, Itmam al-Hujjah in the context of Abrahamic religion means completing the communication of the truth to the extent that no one would remain with any excuse. At the era of the messengers of God, the direct addressees of these messengers who reject them after Itmam al-Hujjah will face punishment in this world.)
I think the answer to your question is in the Names of the Almighty: Rahman (Compassionate) and Hakim (Wise).
It is indeed the compassion of the Almighty to show the most tolerance in dealing with rejecters and to give them many chances to return from their arrogant attitude. Statements like in 7:132 has been said by other addressees of the messengers of God as well (look at 2:88). Itmam al-Hujjah is not just ticking a box so that the punishment could arrive. Itmam al-Hujjah does not mean to only get to the edge of the point where people have no excuses. The Sunnah of the Almighty based on his Rahmah (compassion) is to let Itmam al-Hujjah go well beyond its technical meaning in order to expire any possibilities and opportunities for the addressees (before separating the believers from the rejecters for the cause of reward and punishment). This is the Rahmah of the Almighty.
On the other hand, this persistence for guidance and repeated warnings from the Almighty against the arrogance rejecters serves for Itmam al-Hujjah for the other groups and nations. They will see clearly that the punished groups/nations were given lots of warnings and lots of opportunities before being punished. In the context of Musa (pbuh) and his addressees, consider the lesson that Bani Israel learned (or could learn) from all this. This is the Hikmah of the Almighty
3. Musa (pbuh) not being able to see God (7:143)
I think the answer to your question is within the verse:
وَ لَمَّا جَاءَ مُوسىَ لِمِيقَاتِنَا وَ كلَّمَهُ رَبُّهُ قَالَ رَبِّ أَرِنىِ أَنظُرْ إِلَيْكَ قَالَ لَن تَرَئنىِ وَ لَكِنِ انظُرْ إِلىَ الْجَبَلِ فَإِنِ اسْتَقَرَّ مَكَانَهُ فَسَوْفَ تَرَئنىِ فَلَمَّا تجَلىَ رَبُّهُ لِلْجَبَلِ جَعَلَهُ دَكًّا وَ خَرَّ مُوسىَ صَعِقًا فَلَمَّا أَفَاقَ قَالَ سُبْحَنَكَ تُبْتُ إِلَيْكَ وَ أَنَا أَوَّلُ الْمُؤْمِنِين
"And when Musa came at Our appointed time and his Lord spoke to him, he said: My Lord! Show me Yourself so that I may look upon You. He said: You certainly cannot see me but look at the mountain, if it remains firm in its place, then will you see Me. So when his Lord manifested to the mountain He made it crumble and Musa fell down in a swoon. Then when he recovered he said: Glory be to You, I repent towards You, and I am the first of the believers." (7:143)
Why do you think Musa (pbuh) asks for forgiveness and repents after seeing what happened to the mountain to which God manifested?
What it is that Musa (pbuh) considers wrong and for that asks forgiveness and why does he start his request for forgiveness by saying Glory be to you (Subhanak)?
In my understanding this indicates that Musa (pbuh) thought that God could be captured and seen by our worldly eye. Yes if God wanted, He could change the worldly body and the worldly state of Musa (pbuh) to something more advanced so that he could see Him. However this would go against the rule of nature that is the design of the Almighty and God does not like to change these rules unless there is a clear benefit in it (like in miracles). The expression لن ترانی (you definitely cannot see me) refers to the implication of this design.
It seem like what Musa (pbuh) really needed there was not to see God, but to fully understand and appreciate the glory of the Almighty (a glory that results in the incapability of our worldly senses to capture Him). The Almighty provided what Musa (pbuh) needed to understand by manifesting to a mountain and showing the result to Musa (pbuh).
In other words, Musa’s (pbuh) demand was answered perfectly. He wanted to see the glory of the Almighty, and he saw it, in the most effective and memorable way.
4. The Ten Commandments and the Tablets (7:145)
Verse 7:145 is as follows:
وَ كَتَبْنَا لَهُ فىِ الْأَلْوَاحِ مِن كُلِّ شىَْءٍ مَّوْعِظَةً وَ تَفْصِيلًا لِّكلُِّ شىَْءٍ فَخُذْهَا بِقُوَّةٍ وَ أْمُرْ قَوْمَكَ يَأْخُذُواْ بِأَحْسَنهِا سَأُوْرِيكمُْ دَارَ الْفَاسِقِين
"And We ordained for him in the tablets admonition of every kind and clear explanation of all things; so take hold of them with firmness and enjoin your people to take hold of what is best in it. I will soon show you the abode of the transgressors" (7:145)
Reading the above verse, noticing the underline parts, I find myself in agreement with Amin Ahsan Islahi.
As for what is known by Jews that there were only two tablets, I can think of three possibilities:
- The ten commandments were written on two tablets while other details were written on other tablets.
- Two tablets in fact meant two copies, that is two sets of tablets, as it was a custom at the time to make two copies of any covenant.
- A complete error in reporting.
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March 2013
