سُوْرَةُ الْقَصَصِ
Surah Al-Qasas (28) — Ayah 4
إِنَّ فِرْعَوْنَ عَلَا فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ وَجَعَلَ أَهْلَهَا شِيَعًا يَسْتَضْعِفُ طَآئِفَةً مِّنْهُمْ يُذَبِّحُ أَبْنَآءَهُمْ وَيَسْتَحْىِۦ نِسَآءَهُمْ ۚ إِنَّهُۥ كَانَ مِنَ ٱلْمُفْسِدِينَ ﴿4﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
Verily, Fir‘aun (Pharaoh) exalted himself in the land and made its people sects, weakening (oppressing) a group (i.e. Children of Israel) among them: killing their sons, and letting their females live. Verily, he was of the Mufsidûn(i.e. those who commit great sins and crimes, oppressors, tyrants).
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
إِنَّ
inna
Indeed
فِرْعَوْنَ
fir'ʿawna
Firaun
عَلَا
ʿalā
exalted himself
فِى
fī
in
ٱلْأَرْضِ
l-arḍi
the land
وَجَعَلَ
wajaʿala
and made
أَهْلَهَا
ahlahā
its people
شِيَعًۭا
shiyaʿan
(into) sects
يَسْتَضْعِفُ
yastaḍʿifu
oppressing
طَآئِفَةًۭ
ṭāifatan
a group
مِّنْهُمْ
min'hum
among them
يُذَبِّحُ
yudhabbiḥu
slaughtering
أَبْنَآءَهُمْ
abnāahum
their sons
وَيَسْتَحْىِۦ
wayastaḥyī
and letting live
نِسَآءَهُمْ ۚ
nisāahum
their women
إِنَّهُۥ
innahu
Indeed, he
كَانَ
kāna
was
مِنَ
mina
of
ٱلْمُفْسِدِينَ
l-muf'sidīna
the corrupters
Tafsir Ahsan al-Bayan — Hafiz Salahuddin Yusuf
Tafsir Ahsan al-Bayan is a well-known Quran commentary by Hafiz Salahuddin Yusuf, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar from Pakistan. This tafsir explains the meanings of the Quran in accordance with the methodology of the Salaf (early righteous generations), relying on authentic sources and straightforward language. Due to its reliability and adherence to sound Islamic scholarship, the Saudi government publishes and distributes this tafsir among the Hujjaj (pilgrims) visiting the Haramain. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
4-1. That is, he had created an atmosphere of oppression and tyranny and called himself the greatest deity.
4-2. They had separate tasks and duties assigned to them.
4-3. By this is meant the Children of Israel, who were the most excellent nation of that time, but as a trial, they had become slaves of Pharaoh and a target of his cruelties.
4-4. The reason for this was the prediction of some astrologers that a child born among the Children of Israel would cause the destruction of Pharaoh and the end of his kingdom. To solve this, he decided that every newborn Israelite boy should be killed. However, this fool did not consider that if the soothsayer was truthful, then this would certainly happen, no matter how many children he had killed, and if he was lying, then there was no need to have them killed at all (Fath al-Qadeer). Some say that this glad tiding had been passed down from Prophet Ibrahim ؑ that from his progeny there would be a child by whose hands the kingdom of Egypt would be destroyed. The tribes heard this prophecy from the Children of Israel and informed Pharaoh, upon which he began to have the children of the Children of Israel killed. (Ibn Kathir)
4-2. They had separate tasks and duties assigned to them.
4-3. By this is meant the Children of Israel, who were the most excellent nation of that time, but as a trial, they had become slaves of Pharaoh and a target of his cruelties.
4-4. The reason for this was the prediction of some astrologers that a child born among the Children of Israel would cause the destruction of Pharaoh and the end of his kingdom. To solve this, he decided that every newborn Israelite boy should be killed. However, this fool did not consider that if the soothsayer was truthful, then this would certainly happen, no matter how many children he had killed, and if he was lying, then there was no need to have them killed at all (Fath al-Qadeer). Some say that this glad tiding had been passed down from Prophet Ibrahim ؑ that from his progeny there would be a child by whose hands the kingdom of Egypt would be destroyed. The tribes heard this prophecy from the Children of Israel and informed Pharaoh, upon which he began to have the children of the Children of Israel killed. (Ibn Kathir)
