Tafsir of Ad-Dhariyat 51:38

Surah Adh-Dhariyat (51): Verse 38

And in [the story of] Moses, when...

The phrase {And in Moses} (وفى موسى) can be interpreted in two main ways:

A. It is connected to an implied (understood) antecedent. There are several possibilities here:

1. It refers back to Abraham: The meaning is that there is a sign in Abraham and in Moses, as the context of mentioning Abraham implies this.
2. It refers to the lessons for different peoples: There is a lesson for the people of Lot, and a lesson in Moses and Pharaoh.
3. It refers to reflection: It implies the command: "Reflect upon Abraham and his people, and upon Moses and Pharaoh," all of whom offer similar lessons.

B. It is connected to a mentioned antecedent. There are also several possibilities here:

1. Connection to {And in the earth are signs for the certain} (51:20): Connecting it to this verse is distant due to the separation in the text and the lack of clear thematic connection between signs in the earth and the story of Moses.
2. Connection to {And We left therein a sign for those who fear} (51:37): Connecting it here means: "And We made a sign in Moses." This is similar to the Arabic idiom: "I fed it hay and cool water, and I girded myself with a sword and a spear." This interpretation is closer, though it involves some forced interpretation if we hold that the pronoun in {We left therein} (فيها) refers to the town/village.
3. Connection to the narrative itself: We can say that the reference (في) returns to the account/story (الحكاية). The meaning would be: "And in their story (the story of Moses) there is a sign." This is close to the first possibility (A.1), which is connecting it to an implied antecedent.
4. Connection to {Did the news of Abraham's honored guests reach you?} (51:24): The meaning would be: "And in Moses there is news, when We sent him." This is appropriate because Allah often mentions Abraham and Moses together, as seen in: {Has he not been informed of what is in the scriptures of Moses * and Abraham who fulfilled [his covenant]} (An-Najm: 36), and {The scriptures of Abraham and Moses} (Al-A'la: 19).

The term The Authority/Strength (السلطان) means proof and evidence. The Clear/Manifest (المبين) means the differentiator.

We have previously mentioned that The Clear/Manifest could refer to:

• The decisive proofs Moses used to argue with Pharaoh.
• The miracles that distinguished between the sorcery of the magicians and the command of the Muslims.

{So he turned away with his strength and said, "A sorcerer or a madman!"}