Surah Ghafir (40) — Ayah 28

28. And a believing man from the family of Pharaoh, who was concealing his faith [38], said, "Will you kill a man because he says, 'My Lord is Allah,' while he has come to you with clear proofs [39] from your Lord? If he is lying, his lie will be upon him; but if he is truthful, then some of what he threatens you with will surely befall you [40]. Surely, Allah does not guide one who is a transgressor [41] and a liar."

[38]
The Believing Man Who Concealed His Faith:

It is said that this man was Pharaoh’s cousin. Or, even if he was someone else, at the very least he was among Pharaoh’s courtiers and close associates. And he had already believed in Sayyiduna Musa (Moses) ؑ. Some commentators say that when a Copt was killed by Musa ؑ, it was this very man who informed Sayyiduna Musa ؑ that plans were being made to kill him, so he should flee from there as soon as possible. At that time, although Musa ؑ was not yet a prophet and the question of believing in him did not arise, nevertheless, he was impressed by Sayyiduna Musa’s ؑ character and habits, and for this reason, he was also sympathetic towards him. From this statement, two things become clear: firstly, that despite Pharaoh’s harshness, the message of Sayyiduna Musa ؑ had spread secretly, even reaching the palaces of Pharaoh. Secondly, it shows that if a believer, due to the pressure of a disbelieving society, does not openly declare his faith, there is nothing wrong in that.

[39]
The Dialogue Between Pharaoh and the Believing Man:

When Pharaoh said this in the full court, the believing man could not restrain himself and immediately spoke up: What is the crime of the person whom you are intent on killing? On what basis do you want to kill him? Is his only crime not that he calls you to your Lord? Then he has clear proofs with him, which you also know, that he is truthful in his claim. Is this such a crime that it should make him deserving of death?

[40] This believing man continued his speech, saying that regarding his message, there are only two possibilities. One is that he is lying in his claim. In that case, why are you so concerned? Lies have no legs to stand on; sooner or later, they die their own death. And if he is truthful and you kill him, then know that you will not be safe. Then the punishment with which he threatens you will certainly descend upon you. Therefore, my advice is that you leave him alone. That is what is best for you.

[41] This statement made by the believing man fit Sayyiduna Musa ؑ just as it fit Pharaoh. That is, if Musa ؑ—God forbid—was lying to such an extent that you consider killing him to be your only safety, remember that Allah never guides such a person to the right path. And if he is truthful, then it means you are the liars, and despite being liars, you are going so far as to want to kill him—then your destruction is inevitable.

‘Uqbah bin Abi Mu‘ayt Attempting to Strangle the Prophet ﷺ:

A very similar incident occurred in the time of the Prophet ﷺ. A wretched polytheist, ‘Uqbah bin Abi Mu‘ayt, tried to kill the Prophet ﷺ. Coincidentally, Sayyiduna Abu Bakr al-Siddiq ؓ arrived at the scene, and on that occasion, he recited this very verse, as is clear from the following hadith: ‘Urwah bin Zubayr ؓ says: I asked ‘Abdullah bin ‘Amr bin al-‘As ؓ: “Tell me, what was the greatest harm the polytheists of Mecca inflicted on the Prophet ﷺ?” He replied: “Once, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was praying in the courtyard of the Ka‘bah. ‘Uqbah bin Abi Mu‘ayt came forward, grabbed the Prophet's ﷺ shoulder, then wrapped a cloth around the Prophet's ﷺ neck and twisted it so hard (as if to kill him). At that moment, Abu Bakr al-Siddiq ؓ arrived, grabbed ‘Uqbah’s shoulder, pushed him away from the Prophet ﷺ, and said: ‘Do you want to kill a man just because he says, ‘My Lord is Allah,’ even though he has brought you clear signs from your Lord?’” [بخاري۔ كتاب التفسير]