Surah Al-Qasas, Ayah 42

The Arrogance of Fir`awn and His ultimate Destiny

Allah tells us of Fir`awn's disbelief and wrongdoing, and how he falsely claimed divinity for his evil self, may Allah curse him.

فَاسْتَخَفَّ قَوْمَهُ فَأَطَاعُوهُ

(Thus he fooled his people, and they obeyed him.) 43:54 He called on his people to recognize his divinity, and they responded, because of their weak and foolish minds. So, he said:

يأَيُّهَا الْملأ مَا عَلِمْتُ لَكُمْ مِّنْ إِلَـهٍ غَيْرِى

(O chiefs! I know not that you have a god other than me.) Allah tells us about Fir`awn:

فَحَشَرَ فَنَادَى - فَقَالَ أَنَاْ رَبُّكُمُ الاٌّعْلَى - فَأَخَذَهُ اللَّهُ نَكَالَ الاٌّخِرَةِ وَالاٍّوْلَى - إِنَّ فِى ذَلِكَ لَعِبْرَةً لِّمَن يَخْشَى

وَيَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ هُم مِّنَ الْمَقْبُوحِينَ (And on the day of judgment they will be among those treated badly - 28:42). Maqbuhin is the plural of Maqbuh, which means spoilt, damaged or disfigured. Thus the meaning of the verse is that on the Doomsday their faces will be disfigured to turn black, and eyes will turn blue.

Literally, ‘I do not know any being other than myself who is worth worshipping.’ This was not a serious statement. In uttering these words Pharaoh did not intend to state any fact. He only wanted to denigrate Moses. Similarly, when Pharaoh ordered his minister Haman to prepare fired bricks and construct a high tower so that he could peep into the sky and see Moses’s God, this was not a genuine order. Its sole purpose was to make a mockery of Moses.