How Did Pharaoh Respond to the Words of the Believer, and Stop His People From Believing Moses?
كيف رد فرعون على كلمات المؤمن، وصدهم عن تصديق موسى؟
Pharaoh wanted to have a rational argument against the believer and Moses by building a high tower, so that he could ascend it until he reached the sky to look at the Lord of the Worlds, the Lord of Moses, exalted be He above what he said. He said to his minister Haman: Build for me a great, lofty building, the purpose being that I may look at the God of Moses, “although I am sure he is a liar.” It was as if he mostly believed that Moses was lying, but he wanted to take precautions for himself and his people lest he fall into error. So he said, “O chiefs! I know of no other god for you but myself.” This claim was the final nail in Pharaoh’s coffin, and the believer was the last preacher after whom Allah destroyed Pharaoh, since successive pieces of advice had not worked on him.
(Pharaoh declared, “O chiefs! I know of no other god for you but myself. So bake bricks out of clay for me, O Haman, and build a high tower so I may look at the God of Moses, although I am sure he is a liar.”) Al-Qasas 28:38
(Pharaoh ordered, “O Haman! Build me a high tower so I may reach the pathways leading up to the heavens and look for the God of Moses, although I am sure he is a liar.” And so Pharaoh’s evil deeds were made so appealing to him that he was hindered from the ˹Right˺ Way. But the plotting of Pharaoh was only in vain. And the man who believed urged, “O my people! Follow me, ˹and˺ I will lead you to the Way of Guidance. O my people! This worldly life is only ˹a fleeting˺ enjoyment, whereas the Hereafter is truly the home of settlement. Whoever does an evil deed will only be paid back with its equivalent. And whoever does good, whether male or female, and is a believer, they will enter Paradise, where they will be provided for without limit.”) Ghafer 40:36-40
أراد فرعون أن يقيم حجة عقلية على المؤمن وعلى موسى من خلال بناء صرح كبير بحيث يرتقي عليه ويشق السماء لينظر إلى رب العالمين، إله موسى، تعالى الله عما يقول علوًا كبيرًا. فقال لوزيره هامان: ابن لي بناء عظيمًا مرتفعًا، والقصد منه لعلي أطلع إلى إله موسى “وإني لأظنه كاذبًا”، وكأنه يغلب على ظنه كذب موسى، لكن يريد الاحتياط لنفسه ولقومه لئلا يقع في الخطأ. ولذا قال: “ما علمت لكم من إله غيري”، فكانت هذه الدعوى هي المسمار الأخير في نعش هلاك فرعون، وكان المؤمن هو الواعظ الأخير الذي أهلك الله بعده فرعون إذ لم تنفع معه النصائح المتتالية.
(وَقَالَ فِرْعَوْنُ يَا أَيُّهَا الْمَلَأُ مَا عَلِمْتُ لَكُم مِّنْ إِلَـٰهٍ غَيْرِي فَأَوْقِدْ لِي يَا هَامَانُ عَلَى الطِّينِ فَاجْعَل لِّي صَرْحًا لَّعَلِّي أَطَّلِعُ إِلَىٰ إِلَـٰهِ مُوسَىٰ وَإِنِّي لَأَظُنُّهُ مِنَ الْكَاذِبِينَ) القصص 28: 38
(وَقَالَ فِرْعَوْنُ يَا هَامَانُ ابْنِ لِي صَرْحًا لَّعَلِّي أَبْلُغُ الْأَسْبَابَ أَسْبَابَ السَّمَاوَاتِ فَأَطَّلِعَ إِلَىٰ إِلَـٰهِ مُوسَىٰ وَإِنِّي لَأَظُنُّهُ كَاذِبًا وَكَذَٰلِكَ زُيِّنَ لِفِرْعَوْنَ سُوءُ عَمَلِهِ وَصُدَّ عَنِ السَّبِيلِ وَمَا كَيْدُ فِرْعَوْنَ إِلَّا فِي تَبَابٍ وَقَالَ الَّذِي آمَنَ يَا قَوْمِ اتَّبِعُونِ أَهْدِكُمْ سَبِيلَ الرَّشَادِ يَا قَوْمِ إِنَّمَا هَـٰذِهِ الْحَيَاةُ الدُّنْيَا مَتَاعٌ وَإِنَّ الْآخِرَةَ هِيَ دَارُ الْقَرَارِ مَنْ عَمِلَ سَيِّئَةً فَلَا يُجْزَىٰ إِلَّا مِثْلَهَا وَمَنْ عَمِلَ صَالِحًا مِّن ذَكَرٍ أَوْ أُنثَىٰ وَهُوَ مُؤْمِنٌ فَأُولَـٰئِكَ يَدْخُلُونَ الْجَنَّةَ يُرْزَقُونَ فِيهَا بِغَيْرِ حِسَابٍ) غافر 40: 36-40
1. Evasion Through Spectacle, Not Engagement | تهربٌ بالمشهدية لا بالمواجهة
Rather than answering the believer’s arguments directly, Pharaoh redirects entirely, ordering Haman to build a tower to physically search for Musa’s God. This diversion into an elaborate construction project functions as an evasion, replacing a debate he could not win with a dramatic public spectacle that avoided the actual substance of what had been argued.
بدلا من الرد على حجج المؤمن مباشرة، يحول فرعون الاتجاه كليا، آمرا هامان ببناء صرح للبحث فعليا عن إله موسى. ويعمل هذا التحويل إلى مشروع بناء متقن بوصفه تهربا، مستبدلا نقاشا لم يكن قادرا على كسبه بمشهد علني درامي تجنب جوهر ما جرى الجدال فيه فعلا.
2. “I Know of No God for You But Myself”: The Final Nail | “ما علمت لكم من إله غيري”: المسمار الأخير
The scholar’s answer describes Pharaoh’s explicit declaration of sole divinity as the final nail in his own coffin. Pharaoh persisted in his false claim to divinity and rejected the warnings he received; Allah ultimately destroyed him and his army.
يصف جواب العالم إعلان فرعون الصريح لألوهيته المنفردة بأنه المسمار الأخير في نعشه. أصر فرعون على دعوى الألوهية الباطلة ورفض ما تلقاه من إنذار، فأهلكه الله وجنوده في النهاية.
3. A Shift From Warning to Constructive Invitation | تحولٌ من التحذير إلى الدعوة البناءة
Where the believer’s earlier words had focused on warnings of destruction and judgment, his next appeal changes tone entirely: “Follow me, and I will lead you to the way of guidance.” This shift from fear to invitation offers his people something positive to move toward, not only something to flee.
بينما ركزت كلمات المؤمن السابقة على تحذيرات الهلاك والحساب، يغير نداؤه التالي نبرته كليا: “اتبعوني أهدكم سبيل الرشاد”. ويمنح هذا التحول من الخوف إلى الدعوة قومه أمرا إيجابيا يتجهون نحوه، لا مجرد شيء يهربون منه.
4. This World as Fleeting, the Hereafter as the Real Home | الدنيا متاعٌ والآخرة دار القرار
He reframes the entire dispute around a single distinction: this worldly life is only temporary enjoyment, while the Hereafter is the true home of permanence. Set against Pharaoh’s tower, wealth, and claimed kingdom, this framing directly undercuts everything Pharaoh had been using to assert his own superiority.
يعيد صياغة الخلاف كله حول فارق واحد: هذه الحياة الدنيا مجرد متاع مؤقت، بينما الآخرة هي دار القرار الحقيقية. وفي مقابل صرح فرعون وثروته وملكه المزعوم، تقوض هذه الصياغة مباشرة كل ما كان فرعون يستخدمه لتأكيد تفوقه.
5. A Precise Standard: Equal for Evil, Unlimited for Good | ميزانٌ دقيق: مثلٌ للسيئة وبلا حدود للحسنة
His appeal states the standard of judgment plainly: an evil deed is repaid only with its equal, while anyone, male or female, who does good as a believer enters Paradise with provision beyond measure. This asymmetry, limited consequence for wrong, unlimited reward for right, is one of the believer’s most hopeful words before he closes his sermon in the verses that follow.
يذكر نداؤه معيار الحساب بوضوح: السيئة تُجازى بمثلها فقط، بينما كل من يعمل صالحا، ذكرا كان أو أنثى، وهو مؤمن يدخل الجنة برزق بلا حساب. وهذا التفاوت، عاقبة محدودة للخطأ وثواب بلا حدود للصواب، هو من أكثر كلمات المؤمن أملا قبل أن يختم موعظته في الآيات التالية.
Frequently Asked Questions | الأسئلة الشائعة
How did Pharaoh respond to the believer’s arguments?
He redirected attention to a tower-building scheme instead of engaging them, and declared that he knew of no other god for his people but himself.
Why is Pharaoh’s declaration of sole divinity called “the final nail”?
The scholar’s answer uses this image to describe Pharaoh’s persistence in his false claim to divinity and rejection of warnings; Allah ultimately destroyed him and his army.
How did the believer’s tone change in his next appeal?
From warnings of destruction to a constructive invitation, calling his people to follow him toward guidance.
How did the believer describe this worldly life versus the Hereafter?
This life as only fleeting enjoyment, and the Hereafter as the true home of permanence.
What standard of judgment did he describe?
Evil repaid only with its equal, while good deeds by believers, male or female, earn unlimited reward in Paradise.