Surah Ad-Dukhan, Ayah 18

The Story of Musa and Fir`awn, and how the Children of Israel were saved

Allah tells us, `before these idolators, We tested the people of Fir`awn, the copts of Egypt.'

وَجَآءَهُمْ رَسُولٌ كَرِيمٌ

(when there came to them a noble Messenger.) means, Musa, peace be upon him, the one to whom Allah spoke.

أَنْ أَدُّواْ إِلَىَّ عِبَادَ اللَّهِ

(Deliver to me the servants of Allah.) This is like the Ayah:

فَأَرْسِلْ مَعَنَا بَنِى إِسْرَءِيلَ وَلاَ تُعَذِّبْهُمْ قَدْ جِئْنَـكَ بِـَايَةٍ مِّن رَّبِّكَ وَالسَّلَـمُ عَلَى مَنِ اتَّبَعَ الْهُدَى

(So let the Children of Israel go with us, and torment them not; indeed, we have come with a sign from your Lord! And peace will be upon him who follows the guidance!") (20:47)

Commentary

دُخَانٍ مُّبِينٍ...visible smoke" in verse (10) embodies a prophecy and the Prophet ﷺ was asked to watch for the Day when the sky will bring forth a manifest smoke covering the people. There are three opinions recorded about this from the Companions and their pupils.

The first view is that the smoke is one of the portents of the Day of Judgment which will occur very close to the Day of Judgment. This view is held by Sayyidna al-Murtada, Ibn ` Abbas, Ibn ` Umar, Abu Hurairah, Zaid Ibn ` Ali ؓ ، Hasan al-Basri Ibn Abi Mulaikah and others رحمۃ اللہ علیہم . This view is recorded traceably on the authority of Sayyidna Abu Said al-Khudri and Hudhaifah Ibn ` Usaid al-Ghifari ؓ which will be set out in detail later.

The subject about which these addressees of the Quran were in doubt was not the existence of God but the oneness of God. While accepting the existence of God in a traditional manner, they continued to practise the religion of their forefathers and their leaders. The Quran proved the beliefs of their forefathers to be baseless, but they were not ready to accept this position. On the one hand, they found themselves without supporting arguments while, on the other, they found it impossible to banish from their minds the image of the greatness of their forefathers and leaders. This dual dilemma had pushed them into the realm of doubt. The preacher of God appeared to them too small a person for them to accept, or to act on his advice to abandon their so-called great men. Those who do not accept the Truth through persuasion expose themselves to the danger of having to accept it under threat of punishment. They may accept it in the latter instance, but at that time their acceptance will be of no avail.