سُوْرَةُ الإِسۡرَاءِ
Surah Al-Israa (17) — Ayah 101
وَلَقَدْ ءَاتَيْنَا مُوسَىٰ تِسْعَ ءَايَـٰتٍۭ بَيِّنَـٰتٍ ۖ فَسْـَٔلْ بَنِىٓ إِسْرَٰٓءِيلَ إِذْ جَآءَهُمْ فَقَالَ لَهُۥ فِرْعَوْنُ إِنِّى لَأَظُنُّكَ يَـٰمُوسَىٰ مَسْحُورًا ﴿101﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
And indeed We gave Mûsâ (Moses) nine clear signs. Ask then the Children of Israel, when he came to them, then Fir‘aun (Pharaoh) said to him: "O Mûsâ (Moses)! I think you are indeed bewitched."
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
وَلَقَدْ
walaqad
And certainly
ءَاتَيْنَا
ātaynā
We had given
مُوسَىٰ
mūsā
Musa
تِسْعَ
tis'ʿa
nine
ءَايَـٰتٍۭ
āyātin
Signs
بَيِّنَـٰتٍۢ ۖ
bayyinātin
clear
فَسْـَٔلْ
fasal
so ask
بَنِىٓ
banī
(the) Children of Israel
إِسْرَٰٓءِيلَ
is'rāīla
(the) Children of Israel
إِذْ
idh
when
جَآءَهُمْ
jāahum
he came to them
فَقَالَ
faqāla
then said
لَهُۥ
lahu
to him
فِرْعَوْنُ
fir'ʿawnu
Firaun
إِنِّى
innī
Indeed, I
لَأَظُنُّكَ
la-aẓunnuka
[I] think you
يَـٰمُوسَىٰ
yāmūsā
O Musa
مَسْحُورًۭا
masḥūran
(you are) bewitched
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran — Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran (Facilitation of the Quran) is a comprehensive Quran commentary by Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar from Pakistan. Known for his eloquent and accessible writing style, Kilani authored this tafsir with a focus on clarity — making Quranic meanings understandable to the common reader. The tafsir provides detailed historical context for verses related to battles and expeditions, and firmly refutes modernist ideologies using strong scriptural evidence. It is widely regarded as an invaluable resource for understanding the Quran and countering deviant interpretations. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
And We certainly gave Moses [119] clear signs, so ask the Children of Israel when he came to them, and Pharaoh said to him, "O Moses! I think you are bewitched [120]."
[119]
The Nine Miracles of Sayyiduna Musa (Moses) ؑ:
These nine clear signs or miracles are mentioned in Surah Al-A'raf in the Noble Quran, and they are: the staff of Musa, the shining hand, the public defeat of the magicians in a full assembly, the occurrence of famine throughout the land, and, one after another, the plagues of the flood, locusts, lice, frogs, and blood. These were such clear miracles that they were evident proofs of the prophethood of Sayyiduna Musa ؑ and were also sufficient for their inner conviction, but still they did not believe. The reason for this is the same as mentioned in the above footnote. The reason for this is the same as mentioned in the above footnote. The condition of the Quraysh was also the same. They had already seen some miracles but did not believe. The point being made here is that even if the miracles they demand are shown to them, they too will never turn towards faith, just like the people of Pharaoh. In addition, regarding these nine clear signs, there is a hadith in Tirmidhi which is as follows: It is narrated from Safwan bin Assal Muradi that a Jew said to another, "Come, let us go to this Prophet and ask him something." The other said, "Do not call him a Prophet; if he hears this, his eyes will shine." So both of them came to the Prophet ﷺ and asked, "Which nine clear signs were given to Musa ؑ?" The Prophet ﷺ replied: "That you do not associate anyone with Allah, do not commit adultery, do not kill a soul whom Allah has forbidden to be killed except by right, do not steal, do not practice magic, do not bring an innocent person before the ruler so that he kills him, do not slander a chaste woman, do not flee from the battlefield." The narrator Shu'bah is in doubt whether the ninth thing the Prophet ﷺ said was: "O Jews! The ninth thing is specifically for you, that you do not transgress on the Sabbath." They said, "We bear witness that you ﷺ are Allah's Prophet." The Prophet ﷺ asked, "Then what prevents you from accepting Islam?" They said, "Dawud ؑ prayed that the Prophet should be from his descendants. Also, we fear that if we become Muslims, the Jews will kill us." [ترمذي ابواب التفسير]
Hafiz Ibn Kathir has declared this narration weak due to the narrator Abdullah bin Muslima and has suggested that perhaps the Jews had asked about those ten commandments which are written at the beginning of the Torah as instructions.
[120] In the eyes of Pharaoh, the bewitchment or madness of Sayyiduna Musa ؑ was that he openly demanded the freedom of the Children of Israel and asked to take them with him. Because Pharaoh considered himself such a sovereign who had become the master of all the affairs of his subjects, and out of arrogance, he regarded the claim of prophethood and this demand of Sayyiduna Musa ؑ as madness. Some people have taken "bewitched" here to mean "magician," as Pharaoh wanted to convince his subjects of this very thing.
[119]
The Nine Miracles of Sayyiduna Musa (Moses) ؑ:
These nine clear signs or miracles are mentioned in Surah Al-A'raf in the Noble Quran, and they are: the staff of Musa, the shining hand, the public defeat of the magicians in a full assembly, the occurrence of famine throughout the land, and, one after another, the plagues of the flood, locusts, lice, frogs, and blood. These were such clear miracles that they were evident proofs of the prophethood of Sayyiduna Musa ؑ and were also sufficient for their inner conviction, but still they did not believe. The reason for this is the same as mentioned in the above footnote. The reason for this is the same as mentioned in the above footnote. The condition of the Quraysh was also the same. They had already seen some miracles but did not believe. The point being made here is that even if the miracles they demand are shown to them, they too will never turn towards faith, just like the people of Pharaoh. In addition, regarding these nine clear signs, there is a hadith in Tirmidhi which is as follows: It is narrated from Safwan bin Assal Muradi that a Jew said to another, "Come, let us go to this Prophet and ask him something." The other said, "Do not call him a Prophet; if he hears this, his eyes will shine." So both of them came to the Prophet ﷺ and asked, "Which nine clear signs were given to Musa ؑ?" The Prophet ﷺ replied: "That you do not associate anyone with Allah, do not commit adultery, do not kill a soul whom Allah has forbidden to be killed except by right, do not steal, do not practice magic, do not bring an innocent person before the ruler so that he kills him, do not slander a chaste woman, do not flee from the battlefield." The narrator Shu'bah is in doubt whether the ninth thing the Prophet ﷺ said was: "O Jews! The ninth thing is specifically for you, that you do not transgress on the Sabbath." They said, "We bear witness that you ﷺ are Allah's Prophet." The Prophet ﷺ asked, "Then what prevents you from accepting Islam?" They said, "Dawud ؑ prayed that the Prophet should be from his descendants. Also, we fear that if we become Muslims, the Jews will kill us." [ترمذي ابواب التفسير]
Hafiz Ibn Kathir has declared this narration weak due to the narrator Abdullah bin Muslima and has suggested that perhaps the Jews had asked about those ten commandments which are written at the beginning of the Torah as instructions.
[120] In the eyes of Pharaoh, the bewitchment or madness of Sayyiduna Musa ؑ was that he openly demanded the freedom of the Children of Israel and asked to take them with him. Because Pharaoh considered himself such a sovereign who had become the master of all the affairs of his subjects, and out of arrogance, he regarded the claim of prophethood and this demand of Sayyiduna Musa ؑ as madness. Some people have taken "bewitched" here to mean "magician," as Pharaoh wanted to convince his subjects of this very thing.
