سُوْرَةُ يُوْنُسَ
Surah Yunus (10) — Ayah 88
وَقَالَ مُوسَىٰ رَبَّنَآ إِنَّكَ ءَاتَيْتَ فِرْعَوْنَ وَمَلَأَهُۥ زِينَةً وَأَمْوَٰلًا فِى ٱلْحَيَوٰةِ ٱلدُّنْيَا رَبَّنَا لِيُضِلُّوا۟ عَن سَبِيلِكَ ۖ رَبَّنَا ٱطْمِسْ عَلَىٰٓ أَمْوَٰلِهِمْ وَٱشْدُدْ عَلَىٰ قُلُوبِهِمْ فَلَا يُؤْمِنُوا۟ حَتَّىٰ يَرَوُا۟ ٱلْعَذَابَ ٱلْأَلِيمَ ﴿88﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
And Mûsâ (Moses) said: "Our Lord! You have indeed bestowed on Fir‘aun (Pharaoh) and his chiefs splendour and wealth in the life of this world, our Lord! that they may lead men astray from Your Path. Our Lord! Destroy their wealth, and harden their hearts, so that they will not believe until they see the painful torment."
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
وَقَالَ
waqāla
And Musa said
مُوسَىٰ
mūsā
And Musa said
رَبَّنَآ
rabbanā
Our Lord
إِنَّكَ
innaka
Indeed, You
ءَاتَيْتَ
ātayta
have given
فِرْعَوْنَ
fir'ʿawna
Firaun
وَمَلَأَهُۥ
wamala-ahu
and his chiefs
زِينَةًۭ
zīnatan
splendor
وَأَمْوَٰلًۭا
wa-amwālan
and wealth
فِى
fī
in
ٱلْحَيَوٰةِ
l-ḥayati
the life
ٱلدُّنْيَا
l-dun'yā
(of) the world
رَبَّنَا
rabbanā
Our Lord
لِيُضِلُّوا۟
liyuḍillū
That they may lead astray
عَن
ʿan
from
سَبِيلِكَ ۖ
sabīlika
Your way
رَبَّنَا
rabbanā
Our Lord
ٱطْمِسْ
iṭ'mis
Destroy
عَلَىٰٓ
ʿalā
[on]
أَمْوَٰلِهِمْ
amwālihim
their wealth
وَٱشْدُدْ
wa-ush'dud
and harden
عَلَىٰ
ʿalā
[on]
قُلُوبِهِمْ
qulūbihim
their hearts
فَلَا
falā
so (that) not
يُؤْمِنُوا۟
yu'minū
they believe
حَتَّىٰ
ḥattā
until
يَرَوُا۟
yarawū
they see
ٱلْعَذَابَ
l-ʿadhāba
the punishment
ٱلْأَلِيمَ
l-alīma
the painful
Tafsir al-Quran al-Karim — Hafiz Abdus Salam Bin Muhammad Bhutvi
Tafsir al-Quran al-Karim is a 4-volume Quran commentary by Hafiz Abdus Salam bin Muhammad Bhutvi, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar and Sheikh ul-Hadith from Pakistan. Based on over 45 years of teaching and research, this tafsir follows the methodology of Tafsir bil-Ma'thur — interpreting the Quran through authentic Hadith, statements of the Companions, and the understanding of the early generations (Salaf). It is distinguished by its complete avoidance of Israeliyyat (Judeo-Christian narratives) and unverified reports. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
(Ayah 88) ➊ Despite witnessing successive miracles and the descent of various punishments, and despite promises to believe and to grant freedom, when Pharaoh and his companions did not desist from disbelief and oppression in any way, Moses (peace be upon him) became distressed and supplicated against them.
➋ In {رَبَّنَا لِيُضِلُّوْا عَنْ سَبِيْلِكَ: ’’ لِيُضِلُّوْا ‘‘ }, the "lam" is to indicate consequence and outcome. In this regard, the meaning of the verse would be: "O our Lord! You have granted Pharaoh and his chiefs the adornment and wealth of worldly life, the result of which is that instead of being grateful to You, they began to mislead people from Your path by means of this wealth." This meaning has been stated by Sibawayh and Khalil. Some commentators have also described the "lam" in {’’ لِيُضِلُّوْا ‘‘} as being for causation, meaning "so that," i.e., You have given them the wealth and adornment of this world so that through it You may put them to trial and test, and You have given them this wealth and adornment precisely so that, by falling into trial, they themselves go astray and, like Satan, continue to mislead others from Your path. This meaning has been given by Ibn Jarir Tabari, and as evidence, he has presented this verse from Surah Jinn: «{لَاَسْقَيْنٰهُمْ۠ مَّآءً غَدَقًا (16) لِّنَفْتِنَهُمْ فِيْهِ }» [ الجن : ۱۶، ۱۷ ] "So We would surely have given them abundant water to drink, so that We might test them thereby."
➌ {رَبَّنَا اطْمِسْ عَلٰۤى اَمْوَالِهِمْ …:} O our Lord! Their oppression has now exceeded all bounds, so we request before You that You obliterate their wealth, by which they mislead others from Your path, and they have violated their promises to believe so many times that their punishment should be that You deprive them of the ability to believe, and place such a seal upon their hearts that they cannot believe until they see the painful punishment, after seeing which, believing is of no benefit. Allah knows best that a resolute prophet like Moses (peace be upon him) made this supplication only after some indication from Allah, that faith was not destined for Pharaoh and his companions, just as when Allah clearly told Noah (peace be upon him) that after those who have already believed, no one else from your people will believe (see Hud: 36), he made that powerful supplication against them which is mentioned in Surah Nuh. Or, when the people of Pharaoh, after seeing all the miracles, said, "No matter what sign you bring us, we will never believe in you both" (see Al-A'raf: 132), then Moses and Aaron (peace be upon them) despaired of their faith and made this supplication.
➋ In {رَبَّنَا لِيُضِلُّوْا عَنْ سَبِيْلِكَ: ’’ لِيُضِلُّوْا ‘‘ }, the "lam" is to indicate consequence and outcome. In this regard, the meaning of the verse would be: "O our Lord! You have granted Pharaoh and his chiefs the adornment and wealth of worldly life, the result of which is that instead of being grateful to You, they began to mislead people from Your path by means of this wealth." This meaning has been stated by Sibawayh and Khalil. Some commentators have also described the "lam" in {’’ لِيُضِلُّوْا ‘‘} as being for causation, meaning "so that," i.e., You have given them the wealth and adornment of this world so that through it You may put them to trial and test, and You have given them this wealth and adornment precisely so that, by falling into trial, they themselves go astray and, like Satan, continue to mislead others from Your path. This meaning has been given by Ibn Jarir Tabari, and as evidence, he has presented this verse from Surah Jinn: «{لَاَسْقَيْنٰهُمْ۠ مَّآءً غَدَقًا (16) لِّنَفْتِنَهُمْ فِيْهِ }» [ الجن : ۱۶، ۱۷ ] "So We would surely have given them abundant water to drink, so that We might test them thereby."
➌ {رَبَّنَا اطْمِسْ عَلٰۤى اَمْوَالِهِمْ …:} O our Lord! Their oppression has now exceeded all bounds, so we request before You that You obliterate their wealth, by which they mislead others from Your path, and they have violated their promises to believe so many times that their punishment should be that You deprive them of the ability to believe, and place such a seal upon their hearts that they cannot believe until they see the painful punishment, after seeing which, believing is of no benefit. Allah knows best that a resolute prophet like Moses (peace be upon him) made this supplication only after some indication from Allah, that faith was not destined for Pharaoh and his companions, just as when Allah clearly told Noah (peace be upon him) that after those who have already believed, no one else from your people will believe (see Hud: 36), he made that powerful supplication against them which is mentioned in Surah Nuh. Or, when the people of Pharaoh, after seeing all the miracles, said, "No matter what sign you bring us, we will never believe in you both" (see Al-A'raf: 132), then Moses and Aaron (peace be upon them) despaired of their faith and made this supplication.
