سُوْرَةُ الْمُؤْمِنِ
Surah Ghafir (40) — Ayah 23
وَلَقَدْ أَرْسَلْنَا مُوسَىٰ بِـَٔايَـٰتِنَا وَسُلْطَـٰنٍ مُّبِينٍ ﴿23﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
And indeed We sent Mûsâ (Moses) with Our Ayât (proofs, evidence, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.), and a manifest authority,
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
وَلَقَدْ
walaqad
And certainly
أَرْسَلْنَا
arsalnā
We sent
مُوسَىٰ
mūsā
Musa
بِـَٔايَـٰتِنَا
biāyātinā
with Our Signs
وَسُلْطَـٰنٍۢ
wasul'ṭānin
and an authority
مُّبِينٍ
mubīnin
clear
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.
23. And indeed, We sent Moses with Our signs and a clear authority [31] to Pharaoh, Haman, and Qarun.
[31]
The Meaning of "Sultan":
The meaning of "Sultan" is such a proof that holds the status of an authority or document, and from which it becomes clearly evident that whatever this person is doing, he is not doing it solely by his own power, but rather by the support of some other force. Such situations and events occurred repeatedly in the life of Musa ؑ. The first thing was that Musa ؑ was a fugitive criminal in the government of Pharaoh. Despite this, he himself went straight to his court, conveyed to him the message of Allah, invited him to obey him, and also said that he should set the Children of Israel free and send them along with him. Both of these things were such that they infuriated him. Yet, despite this, he could not dare to lay a hand on him or cause him any harm, and all he said was that if you are truly a messenger of Allah, then present a miracle if you have one. Then, whenever any punishment descended upon Egypt, Pharaoh would plead with Sayyiduna Musa ؑ that if this calamity is removed, I will believe. Then, when Sayyiduna Musa ؑ would pray, the calamity would indeed be removed. All such matters clearly showed that there was some unseen power supporting Sayyiduna Musa ؑ, which Pharaoh and all his courtiers feared, and this is the meaning of "Sultan Mubeen" (clear authority).
[31]
The Meaning of "Sultan":
The meaning of "Sultan" is such a proof that holds the status of an authority or document, and from which it becomes clearly evident that whatever this person is doing, he is not doing it solely by his own power, but rather by the support of some other force. Such situations and events occurred repeatedly in the life of Musa ؑ. The first thing was that Musa ؑ was a fugitive criminal in the government of Pharaoh. Despite this, he himself went straight to his court, conveyed to him the message of Allah, invited him to obey him, and also said that he should set the Children of Israel free and send them along with him. Both of these things were such that they infuriated him. Yet, despite this, he could not dare to lay a hand on him or cause him any harm, and all he said was that if you are truly a messenger of Allah, then present a miracle if you have one. Then, whenever any punishment descended upon Egypt, Pharaoh would plead with Sayyiduna Musa ؑ that if this calamity is removed, I will believe. Then, when Sayyiduna Musa ؑ would pray, the calamity would indeed be removed. All such matters clearly showed that there was some unseen power supporting Sayyiduna Musa ؑ, which Pharaoh and all his courtiers feared, and this is the meaning of "Sultan Mubeen" (clear authority).
