سُوْرَةُ الزُّخْرُفِ
Surah Az-Zukhruf (43) — Ayah 54
فَٱسْتَخَفَّ قَوْمَهُۥ فَأَطَاعُوهُ ۚ إِنَّهُمْ كَانُوا۟ قَوْمًا فَـٰسِقِينَ ﴿54﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
Thus he [Fir‘aun (Pharaoh)] befooled (and misled) his people, and they obeyed him. Verily, they were ever a people who were Fâsiqûn (rebellious, disobedient to Allâh).
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
فَٱسْتَخَفَّ
fa-is'takhaffa
So he bluffed
قَوْمَهُۥ
qawmahu
his people
فَأَطَاعُوهُ ۚ
fa-aṭāʿūhu
and they obeyed him
إِنَّهُمْ
innahum
Indeed, they
كَانُوا۟
kānū
were
قَوْمًۭا
qawman
a people
فَـٰسِقِينَ
fāsiqīna
defiantly disobedient
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 54) ➊ { فَاسْتَخَفَّ قَوْمَهٗ فَاَطَاعُوْهُ:} The literal meaning is "He made his people light (weightless)." That is, he gave no weight to the opinions of his people and did not give them the opportunity to think and understand with their own intellect, but rather forced them to agree with him. (See: Al-Mu’min: 29) Thus, he succeeded in deceiving and fooling them, and they all followed him.
➋ {اِنَّهُمْ كَانُوْا قَوْمًا فٰسِقِيْنَ:’’إِنَّ‘‘} is used for reasoning, meaning they obeyed him because sin and immorality had become their nature. They could only walk on the path of misguidance; walking on the straight path was not within their capacity, as He said: « سَاَصْرِفُ عَنْ اٰيٰتِيَ الَّذِيْنَ يَتَكَبَّرُوْنَ فِي الْاَرْضِ بِغَيْرِ الْحَقِّ وَ اِنْ يَّرَوْا كُلَّ اٰيَةٍ لَّا يُؤْمِنُوْا بِهَا وَ اِنْ يَّرَوْا سَبِيْلَ الرُّشْدِ لَا يَتَّخِذُوْهُ سَبِيْلًا وَ اِنْ يَّرَوْا سَبِيْلَ الْغَيِّ يَتَّخِذُوْهُ سَبِيْلًا ذٰلِكَ بِاَنَّهُمْ كَذَّبُوْا بِاٰيٰتِنَا وَ كَانُوْا عَنْهَا غٰفِلِيْنَ » [ الأعراف : ۱۴۶ ] "Soon I will turn away from My signs those who are arrogant in the land without right, and if they see every sign, they will not believe in it, and if they see the way of righteousness, they will not take it as a way, and if they see the way of error, they will take it as a way. This is because they denied Our signs and were heedless of them."
➋ {اِنَّهُمْ كَانُوْا قَوْمًا فٰسِقِيْنَ:’’إِنَّ‘‘} is used for reasoning, meaning they obeyed him because sin and immorality had become their nature. They could only walk on the path of misguidance; walking on the straight path was not within their capacity, as He said: « سَاَصْرِفُ عَنْ اٰيٰتِيَ الَّذِيْنَ يَتَكَبَّرُوْنَ فِي الْاَرْضِ بِغَيْرِ الْحَقِّ وَ اِنْ يَّرَوْا كُلَّ اٰيَةٍ لَّا يُؤْمِنُوْا بِهَا وَ اِنْ يَّرَوْا سَبِيْلَ الرُّشْدِ لَا يَتَّخِذُوْهُ سَبِيْلًا وَ اِنْ يَّرَوْا سَبِيْلَ الْغَيِّ يَتَّخِذُوْهُ سَبِيْلًا ذٰلِكَ بِاَنَّهُمْ كَذَّبُوْا بِاٰيٰتِنَا وَ كَانُوْا عَنْهَا غٰفِلِيْنَ » [ الأعراف : ۱۴۶ ] "Soon I will turn away from My signs those who are arrogant in the land without right, and if they see every sign, they will not believe in it, and if they see the way of righteousness, they will not take it as a way, and if they see the way of error, they will take it as a way. This is because they denied Our signs and were heedless of them."
