Surah Ash-Shu'ara: (20–22)

Commentary

Know that when Pharaoh mentioned the upbringing (of Moses) and mentioned the killing, and since his upbringing of Moses was well-known and apparent, it is no wonder that Moses (peace be upon him) did not deny it, nor did he engage in answering it. This is because it is established in the intellect that when a messenger is sent to someone, and he possesses a miracle and a proof, his situation is not altered by whether the recipient of the message has favored him or not. Thus, Pharaoh's statement had absolutely no effect. It was better to ignore such talk.

However, Moses answered the accusation of killing with a statement that could not be more eloquent in its response: {Did you do that when you were one of the misguided?}

What is meant by "the misguided" (الضالين) here is those who were heedless of the consequence of the killing. This is because the striking was done as a form of discipline, and such an act might sometimes be deemed acceptable even if it led to death. He clarified that he did it in a manner that should not warrant him being held accountable, or being counted as an unbeliever or ungrateful for Pharaoh's favor.

As for His statement: {So I fled from you when I feared you}, the meaning is that I committed that act while being oblivious to the fact that it would be fatal, and it was done by me as if by mistake (في حكم السهو). Therefore, I did not deserve the fear that necessitates flight. Nevertheless, I fled from you when you said: {Indeed, the chiefs are plotting to kill you} (Al-Qasas: 20). By this, he indicated that Pharaoh had no favor upon him regarding that action; rather, Pharaoh was closer to being an evildoer toward him by instilling a fear that caused him to flee.

Then, he clarified the favor of Allah Almighty upon him after the flight, as if he were saying: "You acted wrongly, but Allah did good to me by granting me wisdom (حكما) and making me one of the Messengers."

They differed regarding the meaning of wisdom (حكما). The closest interpretation is that it is something other than Prophethood, because the conjoined term is different from the term it is conjoined with. Prophethood is already understood from {and made me one of the Messengers}. Therefore, what is meant by wisdom is knowledge (العلم), which includes intellect (العقل), sound judgment (الرأي), and knowledge of the religion, which is Monotheism (التوحيد). This is the closest meaning because it is not permissible for Allah to send him except when he is complete in intellect, sound judgment, and knowledge of Monotheism.

His statement: {So my Lord granted me wisdom} (Page V24 P109) is like an explicit declaration that this wisdom is a creation of Allah Almighty.

The Mu'tazilites said that what is meant is the subtle favors (الألطاف), which is very weak, because subtle favors are bestowed upon everyone without deficiency or shortcoming. Therefore, specification (التخصيص) requires a purpose.

As for His statement: {And that is a favor you count against me—that you enslaved the Children of Israel}, this is the response to Pharaoh's statement: {Did I not raise you among us as a child?}

It is said, "You enslaved a man" (عبدت الرجل) and "You made him a slave" (أعبدته) if you took him as a slave.

If one asks: How can this be the answer, as there is no connection between the two matters? We reply that the connection can be explained in several ways:

1. It only came into his hands and under his upbringing because he intended to enslave the Children of Israel and slaughter their sons. So, it is as if Moses (peace be upon him) said to him: "I would have been independent of your upbringing had you not committed that prior injustice against us and our ancestors."
2. This later favor became balanced against that great injustice done to our ancestors. When two things conflict, they cancel each other out.
3. As Al-Hasan said: "You enslaved them and took their wealth, and from it, you spent on me. So, you have no favor upon me regarding the upbringing."
4. The meaning is that those who undertook my upbringing were those whom you enslaved. Thus, you have no favor upon me, because the upbringing was from my mother and others of my people. You only did not kill me, and such an act is not counted as a favor.
5. You claimed that the Children of Israel were your slaves, and there is no obligation upon a master to feed and provide for a slave what he needs.

Know that in the verse is evidence that the disbelief (kufr) of an unbeliever does not nullify the favor he bestowed upon someone who treated him well, nor does it nullify his beneficence, because Moses (peace be upon him) nullified it through another means, as we have explained.

The scholars differed on this:

• Some said that if someone is a disbeliever, he does not deserve thanks for his favors to people; rather, he deserves humiliation because of his disbelief. If he deserved thanks for his favor, and thanks only exists with veneration (تعظيم), then it necessitates that he deserves both humiliation and veneration simultaneously. Deserving the combination of two opposites is impossible.
• Others said that disbelief does not nullify thanks; rather, disbelief nullifies the reward and praise that he deserves for his faith. The verse indicates this second opinion.

Second Issue

The author of Al-Kashshaf said that the plural pronoun was used in {from you} (منكم) and {I feared you} (خفتكم) while the singular was used in {a favor} (ثمنها) and {that you enslaved} (أن عبدت) because the fear and flight were not solely due to him, but due to him and his councilors who were plotting to kill him, as evidenced by His statement: {Indeed, the chiefs are plotting to kill you} (Al-Qasas: 20). As for the expression of favor, it is solely from him, as is the enslavement.

If you ask: What is {that} (تلك) referring to, and what is the grammatical status of {that you enslaved} (أن عبدت)?

We reply: {That} (تلك) is a reference to an ambiguous, reprehensible matter whose nature is not known except through its explanation, which is {that you enslaved} (أن عبدت). Thus, {that you enslaved} is an appositive (عطف بيان). A similar example is His statement: {And We had informed him of that matter: that the roots of those people would be cut off by morning} (Al-Hijr: 66). The meaning is: "Your enslavement of the Children of Israel is a favor you count against me."

Al-Zajjaj said that 'an' (أن) could be in the accusative case (نصب), meaning: "It only became a favor upon me because you enslaved the Children of Israel," i.e., "If you had not done that, my own people would have sufficed me."

{7} {Pharaoh said, "And what is the Lord of the worlds?"}