سُوْرَةُ هُوْدٍ
Surah Hud (11) — Ayah 97
إِلَىٰ فِرْعَوْنَ وَمَلَإِي۟هِۦ فَٱتَّبَعُوٓا۟ أَمْرَ فِرْعَوْنَ ۖ وَمَآ أَمْرُ فِرْعَوْنَ بِرَشِيدٍ ﴿97﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
To Fir‘aun (Pharaoh) and his chiefs, but they followed the command of Fir‘aun (Pharaoh), and the command of Fir‘aun (Pharaoh) was no right guide.
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
إِلَىٰ
ilā
To
فِرْعَوْنَ
fir'ʿawna
Firaun
وَمَلَإِي۟هِۦ
wamala-ihi
and his chiefs
فَٱتَّبَعُوٓا۟
fa-ittabaʿū
but they followed
أَمْرَ
amra
(the) command of Firaun
فِرْعَوْنَ ۖ
fir'ʿawna
(the) command of Firaun
وَمَآ
wamā
and not
أَمْرُ
amru
(the) command of Firaun
فِرْعَوْنَ
fir'ʿawna
(the) command of Firaun
بِرَشِيدٍۢ
birashīdin
was right
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 97) ➊ { اِلٰى فِرْعَوْنَ وَ مَلَاۡىِٕهٖ …:} Here, the mention of Pharaoh’s chiefs along with him is because they were the ones who implemented his commands. According to Zamakhshari, you can gauge their ignorance from the fact that they kept following Pharaoh’s orders, even though those orders were clearly against reason—for example, accepting the claim of being the supreme lord by a human like themselves, who possessed every human weakness, and carrying out extreme oppression and injustice, such as obeying the command to kill innocent children. Yet Pharaoh had made them so insignificant and humiliated that even after witnessing the clear miracles of Musa (peace be upon him), they continued to follow Pharaoh, because believing in Musa (peace be upon him) would have required them to abandon their disobedience. Allah said: «{ فَاسْتَخَفَّ قَوْمَهٗ فَاَطَاعُوْهُ اِنَّهُمْ كَانُوْا قَوْمًا فٰسِقِيْنَ }» [ الزخرف : ۵۴ ] “So he made his people insignificant (and worthless), and they obeyed him. Indeed, they were a rebellious people.”
➋ {وَ مَاۤ اَمْرُ فِرْعَوْنَ بِرَشِيْدٍ : ’’ رَشَدَ ‘‘} (n, f) from {’’ رَشِيْدٌ ‘‘} refers to a person whose opinion is correct and whose thinking is good. Here, it is said about Pharaoh’s command that it was by no means correct, but was clearly based on misguidance. Such strong emphasis of negation is achieved by the letter emphatic letter bā’ and the tanwīn of {’’ بِرَشِيْدٍ ‘‘}.
➋ {وَ مَاۤ اَمْرُ فِرْعَوْنَ بِرَشِيْدٍ : ’’ رَشَدَ ‘‘} (n, f) from {’’ رَشِيْدٌ ‘‘} refers to a person whose opinion is correct and whose thinking is good. Here, it is said about Pharaoh’s command that it was by no means correct, but was clearly based on misguidance. Such strong emphasis of negation is achieved by the letter emphatic letter bā’ and the tanwīn of {’’ بِرَشِيْدٍ ‘‘}.
