What Advice Was Given to Pharaoh to Get Rid of His Problem After Losing to Moses? What Is the Guidance in Facing This Affliction?
ما الذي أشار به ملأ فرعون على فرعون ليتخلص من المشكلة التي وقع فيها بعد خسارته للمناظرة والمباراة؟
After Moses won the contest and the magicians believed in his Message, 600,000 of the Children of Israel followed him, according to some reports in the tafsir books. (Note added here: this figure comes from Israelite reports and is not established by the Quran or authentic hadith; the Quran states that at first only a few youths of his people believed in him (10:83).) Pharaoh’s people worried that a great number would believe in Moses’s message, so they said to Pharaoh, enticing him to harm Moses and his followers: Would you leave Moses to ruin your kingdom by corrupting your slaves and letting people abandon your worship? As a result, Pharaoh threatened to kill the sons and keep the women alive, as he had done previously.
(The chiefs of Pharaoh’s people protested, “Are you going to leave Moses and his people free to spread corruption in the land and abandon you and your gods?” He responded, “We will kill their sons and keep their women. We will completely dominate them.” Moses reassured his people, “Seek Allah’s help and be patient. Indeed, the earth belongs to Allah ˹alone˺. He grants it to whoever He chooses of His servants. The ultimate outcome belongs ˹only˺ to the righteous.” They complained, “We have always been oppressed, before and after you came to us ˹with the message˺.” He replied, “Perhaps your Lord will destroy your enemy and make you successors in the land to see what you will do.”) Al-A’raf 7:127-129
The guidance regarding this great calamity: to seek help from Allah, to trust in Him, to remain patient against the harm caused by other people, to perform prayer regularly, and to be optimistic about coming relief and victory.
Allah inspired His Prophet Moses, after this severe persecution, to increase prayer, and to make their homes the places where they had to pray, because they were unable to go to the places of worship.
(“But no one believed in Moses except a few youths of his people, while fearing that Pharaoh and their own chiefs might persecute them. And certainly Pharaoh was a tyrant in the land, and he was truly a transgressor. Moses said, “O my people! If you do believe in Allah and submit ˹to His Will˺, then put your trust in Him.” They replied, “In Allah we trust. Our Lord! Do not subject us to the persecution of the oppressive people, and deliver us by Your mercy from the disbelieving people.” We revealed to Moses and his brother, “Appoint houses for your people in Egypt. Turn these houses into places of worship, establish prayer, and give good news to the believers!”) Yunus 10:83-87
When Pharaoh’s followers intended to harm Moses and his followers, Moses made a supplication against Pharaoh: (“Our Lord! You have granted Pharaoh and his chiefs luxuries and riches in this worldly life, ˹which they abused˺ to lead people astray from Your Way! Our Lord, destroy their riches and harden their hearts so that they will not believe until they see the painful punishment.”) Yunus 10:88
بعد انتصار موسى في المباراة وإيمان السحرة ظهر أمر موسى واتبعه ستمائة ألف من بني إسرائيل في بعض روايات التفسير (أُضيفت هنا ملاحظة: هذا العدد مأخوذ من الإسرائيليات ولا يثبت في القرآن ولا في السنة الصحيحة، والقرآن يذكر أنه لم يؤمن له أولا إلا ذرية من قومه، يونس 10: 83)، وخاف قوم فرعون وأتباعه من إيمان الناس بموسى، فقالوا لفرعون على وجه التحريض: أتترك موسى ليفسد عليك مملكتك من خلال إفساد العبيد والخدم؟ ومن خلال ترك الناس عبادتك؟ فتوعد فرعون القوم بقتل الأبناء وإبقاء النساء كما كان يفعل سابقًا.
(وَقَالَ الْمَلَأُ مِن قَوْمِ فِرْعَوْنَ أَتَذَرُ مُوسَىٰ وَقَوْمَهُ لِيُفْسِدُوا فِي الْأَرْضِ وَيَذَرَكَ وَآلِهَتَكَ قَالَ سَنُقَتِّلُ أَبْنَاءَهُمْ وَنَسْتَحْيِي نِسَاءَهُمْ وَإِنَّا فَوْقَهُمْ قَاهِرُونَ قَالَ مُوسَىٰ لِقَوْمِهِ اسْتَعِينُوا بِاللَّـهِ وَاصْبِرُوا إِنَّ الْأَرْضَ لِلَّـهِ يُورِثُهَا مَن يَشَاءُ مِنْ عِبَادِهِ وَالْعَاقِبَةُ لِلْمُتَّقِينَ قَالُوا أُوذِينَا مِن قَبْلِ أَن تَأْتِيَنَا وَمِن بَعْدِ مَا جِئْتَنَا قَالَ عَسَىٰ رَبُّكُمْ أَن يُهْلِكَ عَدُوَّكُمْ وَيَسْتَخْلِفَكُمْ فِي الْأَرْضِ فَيَنظُرَ كَيْفَ تَعْمَلُونَ) الأعراف 7: 127-129
التوجيه أمام هذا البلاء العظيم: الأمر بالاستعانة بالله والتوكل عليه، والصبر على الأذى، وإقامة الصلاة، والتفاؤل بقرب الانتصار.
وقد أوحى الله إلى نبيه موسى بعد هذا الاضطهاد الشديد أن يكثروا من الصلاة وأن تكون بيوتهم هي الأماكن التي يصلون فيها لعدم قدرتهم على الذهاب إلى دور العبادة.
(فَمَا آمَنَ لِمُوسَىٰ إِلَّا ذُرِّيَّةٌ مِّن قَوْمِهِ عَلَىٰ خَوْفٍ مِّن فِرْعَوْنَ وَمَلَئِهِمْ أَن يَفْتِنَهُمْ وَإِنَّ فِرْعَوْنَ لَعَالٍ فِي الْأَرْضِ وَإِنَّهُ لَمِنَ الْمُسْرِفِينَ وَقَالَ مُوسَىٰ يَا قَوْمِ إِن كُنتُمْ آمَنتُم بِاللَّـهِ فَعَلَيْهِ تَوَكَّلُوا إِن كُنتُم مُّسْلِمِينَ فَقَالُوا عَلَى اللَّـهِ تَوَكَّلْنَا رَبَّنَا لَا تَجْعَلْنَا فِتْنَةً لِّلْقَوْمِ الظَّالِمِينَ وَنَجِّنَا بِرَحْمَتِكَ مِنَ الْقَوْمِ الْكَافِرِينَ وَأَوْحَيْنَا إِلَىٰ مُوسَىٰ وَأَخِيهِ أَن تَبَوَّآ لِقَوْمِكُمَا بِمِصْرَ بُيُوتًا وَاجْعَلُوا بُيُوتَكُمْ قِبْلَةً وَأَقِيمُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَبَشِّرِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ) يونس 10: 83-87
ولما أمعن القوم بإيذاء موسى عليه السلام وأتباعه دعا على فرعون ومن معه: (وَقَالَ مُوسَىٰ رَبَّنَا إِنَّكَ آتَيْتَ فِرْعَوْنَ وَمَلَأَهُ زِينَةً وَأَمْوَالًا فِي الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا رَبَّنَا لِيُضِلُّوا عَن سَبِيلِكَ رَبَّنَا اطْمِسْ عَلَىٰ أَمْوَالِهِمْ وَاشْدُدْ عَلَىٰ قُلُوبِهِمْ فَلَا يُؤْمِنُوا حَتَّىٰ يَرَوُا الْعَذَابَ الْأَلِيمَ) يونس 10: 88
1. Renewed Persecution Advised by His Own Chiefs | اضطهادٌ متجدد بمشورة بلاطه
Once the magicians’ conversion made Musa’s call public, Pharaoh’s own advisors pushed him to act, warning that leaving Musa unchecked would mean losing both his subjects and his claimed divinity. His response, reviving the exact same infanticide policy from before Musa’s own birth, shows the persecution had come full circle, the child once targeted for killing was now, as a grown prophet, provoking the identical response against his people.
بعد أن ذاع أمر موسى عقب إيمان السحرة، دفع مستشارو فرعون إياه إلى التحرك، محذرين من أن ترك موسى دون رادع يعني خسارة رعاياه وألوهيته المزعومة معا. وردة فعله، بإحياء سياسة قتل الأطفال نفسها التي سبقت مولد موسى نفسه، تُظهر أن الاضطهاد قد اكتمل دورة كاملة: الطفل الذي استُهدف بالقتل يوما ما بات الآن، وهو نبي بالغ، يستفز الرد نفسه ضد قومه.
2. Musa’s Guidance: Seek Allah’s Help and Be Patient | توجيه موسى: الاستعانة بالله والصبر
Facing renewed persecution, Musa does not offer a military or political solution, but a spiritual one: seek Allah’s help, be patient, and remember the earth belongs to Him alone to grant as He chooses, with the outcome ultimately belonging to the righteous. This response reframes present suffering within a much larger picture of who actually controls the land in question.
في مواجهة الاضطهاد المتجدد، لا يقدم موسى حلا عسكريا أو سياسيا، بل حلا روحيا: الاستعانة بالله والصبر، وتذكر أن الأرض لله وحده يورثها من يشاء، وأن العاقبة في النهاية للمتقين. ويعيد هذا الرد صياغة المعاناة الحاضرة ضمن صورة أوسع بكثير لمن يملك السيطرة الفعلية على هذه الأرض.
3. A Weary People and a Conditional Promise | شعبٌ منهك ووعدٌ مشروط
The people’s honest complaint, that they had suffered both before and after Musa’s arrival, is met not with denial but with a real promise: Allah might destroy their enemy and make them successors in the land, “to see what you will do.” That final clause matters, the promise of relief comes bundled with an expectation of how they would then behave, not an unconditional reward.
يُقابَل تذمر القوم الصادق، بأنهم عانوا قبل مجيء موسى وبعده على حد سواء، لا بالإنكار بل بوعد حقيقي: أن يهلك الله عدوهم ويستخلفهم في الأرض “فينظر كيف تعملون”. وهذه الجملة الأخيرة مهمة، فوعد الفرج يأتي مقترنا بتوقع لكيفية تصرفهم بعد ذلك، لا مكافأة غير مشروطة.
4. Only a Few Believed, and Even They Were Afraid | قلة آمنوا وحتى هم كانوا خائفين
Surah Yunus is candid that only a small number of young people among Musa’s own community believed him, and even they did so in fear of persecution from Pharaoh and their own chiefs. This detail resists any idealized picture of instant, widespread acceptance; real belief here came slowly and at real personal risk.
تصارح سورة يونس بأن عددا قليلا فقط من الشباب داخل قوم موسى نفسه آمنوا به، وحتى هؤلاء فعلوا ذلك خوفا من اضطهاد فرعون وملئهم. ويقاوم هذا التفصيل أي صورة مثالية عن قبول فوري وواسع، فالإيمان الحقيقي هنا جاء ببطء وبمخاطرة شخصية حقيقية.
5. Turning Homes Into Places of Worship | تحويل البيوت إلى أماكن للعبادة
When public worship became too dangerous, Allah’s instruction to Musa and Harun was practical: establish houses for the people in Egypt and turn those homes into places of prayer. This adaptation shows worship continuing under persecution not by abandoning it, but by relocating it somewhere safer.
حين أصبحت العبادة العلنية بالغة الخطورة، جاء توجيه الله لموسى وهارون عمليا: أن يتخذا لقومهما بيوتا في مصر ويجعلا هذه البيوت أماكن للصلاة. ويُظهر هذا التكيف أن العبادة استمرت تحت الاضطهاد لا بتركها، بل بنقلها إلى مكان أكثر أمانا.
6. A Striking Prayer Against Pharaoh’s Wealth and Hearts | دعاءٌ لافت على أموال فرعون وملئه وقلوبهم
As the persecution intensified, Musa prays specifically that Allah destroy the wealth of Pharaoh and his chiefs and harden their hearts until they see the painful punishment. This unusual dua names the very tool, riches used to lead people astray, that had made Pharaoh’s tyranny possible, asking for it to be stripped away at its source.
مع اشتداد الاضطهاد، يدعو موسى تحديدا بأن يطمس الله على أموال فرعون ويشد على قلوب فرعون وملئه حتى يروا العذاب الأليم. ويسمي هذا الدعاء غير المعتاد الأداة نفسها، الثروة المستخدمة لإضلال الناس، التي جعلت طغيان فرعون ممكنا، طالبا انتزاعها من مصدرها.
Frequently Asked Questions | الأسئلة الشائعة
What advice did Pharaoh’s chiefs give him after his loss?
To act against Moses and his people, fearing Moses would corrupt the kingdom.
What guidance did Moses give his people facing this renewed persecution?
To seek Allah’s help, be patient, and trust that the earth belongs to Allah alone.
How many of the Israelites actually believed Moses at first?
Only a small number of young people, and even they were afraid of persecution.
What did Allah command Moses and Harun to do about worship?
To establish homes for their people in Egypt and turn those homes into places of prayer.
What did Moses pray against Pharaoh?
That Allah destroy his wealth and harden the hearts of Pharaoh and his chiefs until they saw the painful punishment.