سُوْرَةُ اِبْرَاهِيْمَ
Surah Ibrahim (14) — Ayah 6
وَإِذْ قَالَ مُوسَىٰ لِقَوْمِهِ ٱذْكُرُوا۟ نِعْمَةَ ٱللَّهِ عَلَيْكُمْ إِذْ أَنجَىٰكُم مِّنْ ءَالِ فِرْعَوْنَ يَسُومُونَكُمْ سُوٓءَ ٱلْعَذَابِ وَيُذَبِّحُونَ أَبْنَآءَكُمْ وَيَسْتَحْيُونَ نِسَآءَكُمْ ۚ وَفِى ذَٰلِكُم بَلَآءٌ مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ عَظِيمٌ ﴿6﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
And (remember) when Mûsâ (Moses) said to his people: "Call to mind Allâh’s Favour to you, when He delivered you from Fir‘aun’s (Pharaoh) people who were afflicting you with horrible torment, and were slaughtering your sons and letting your women alive; and in it was a tremendous trial from your Lord."
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
وَإِذْ
wa-idh
And when
قَالَ
qāla
said
مُوسَىٰ
mūsā
Musa
لِقَوْمِهِ
liqawmihi
to his people
ٱذْكُرُوا۟
udh'kurū
Remember
نِعْمَةَ
niʿ'mata
(the) Favor of Allah
ٱللَّهِ
l-lahi
(the) Favor of Allah
عَلَيْكُمْ
ʿalaykum
upon you
إِذْ
idh
when
أَنجَىٰكُم
anjākum
He saved you
مِّنْ
min
from
ءَالِ
āli
(the) people
فِرْعَوْنَ
fir'ʿawna
(of) Firaun
يَسُومُونَكُمْ
yasūmūnakum
they were afflicting you
سُوٓءَ
sūa
(with) evil
ٱلْعَذَابِ
l-ʿadhābi
torment
وَيُذَبِّحُونَ
wayudhabbiḥūna
and were slaughtering
أَبْنَآءَكُمْ
abnāakum
your sons
وَيَسْتَحْيُونَ
wayastaḥyūna
and letting live
نِسَآءَكُمْ ۚ
nisāakum
your women
وَفِى
wafī
And in
ذَٰلِكُم
dhālikum
that
بَلَآءٌۭ
balāon
(was) a trial
مِّن
min
from
رَّبِّكُمْ
rabbikum
your Lord
عَظِيمٌۭ
ʿaẓīmun
great
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.
(Ayah6) ➊ {وَ اِذْ قَالَ مُوْسٰى لِقَوْمِهِ اذْكُرُوْا …:} Here, Musa (peace be upon him) is enumerating several blessings. After {’’ يَسُوْمُوْنَكُمْ۠ ‘‘}, in {’’ وَ يُذَبِّحُوْنَ اَبْنَآءَكُمْ وَ يَسْتَحْيُوْنَ نِسَآءَكُمْ ‘‘}, the conjunction "wa" indicates that, in addition to slaughtering the sons and sparing the women, they inflicted many other worst torments, such as forced labor, humiliation, and beatings, etc.
➋ The word {وَ فِيْ ذٰلِكُمْ بَلَآءٌ مِّنْ رَّبِّكُمْ عَظِيْمٌ : ’’ بَلَآءٌ ‘‘} applies to both calamity and blessing. Allah said: «{ وَ نَبْلُوْكُمْ بِالشَّرِّ وَ الْخَيْرِ فِتْنَةً }» [ الأنبیاء : ۳۵ ] "And We test you with evil and with good as a trial." The punishments of the people of Pharaoh were calamities, and deliverance from them was a blessing; both the punishment was a trial and the reward of deliverance from it was also a trial. If {’’ ذٰلِكُمْ ‘‘} refers to {’’ سُوْٓءَ الْعَذَابِ ‘‘}, then the trial is meant with calamity, and if it refers to {’’ اِذْ اَنْجٰىكُمْ ‘‘}, i.e., deliverance, then the trial is meant with blessing. And it is the miracle of the Qur'an that both aspects are encompassed in a single word of the verse.
➋ The word {وَ فِيْ ذٰلِكُمْ بَلَآءٌ مِّنْ رَّبِّكُمْ عَظِيْمٌ : ’’ بَلَآءٌ ‘‘} applies to both calamity and blessing. Allah said: «{ وَ نَبْلُوْكُمْ بِالشَّرِّ وَ الْخَيْرِ فِتْنَةً }» [ الأنبیاء : ۳۵ ] "And We test you with evil and with good as a trial." The punishments of the people of Pharaoh were calamities, and deliverance from them was a blessing; both the punishment was a trial and the reward of deliverance from it was also a trial. If {’’ ذٰلِكُمْ ‘‘} refers to {’’ سُوْٓءَ الْعَذَابِ ‘‘}, then the trial is meant with calamity, and if it refers to {’’ اِذْ اَنْجٰىكُمْ ‘‘}, i.e., deliverance, then the trial is meant with blessing. And it is the miracle of the Qur'an that both aspects are encompassed in a single word of the verse.
