What Were the Calamities That Befell Pharaoh and His People Successively?
حدثنا القرآن العظيم عن ابتلاء الله لفرعون وقومه بجملة من البلاءات المتعاقبة. فما هي تلك البلايا التي تعرضوا لها؟
Although Pharaoh and his followers saw the Divine Sign of the staff, and how the magicians were defeated with the tricks they presented, they insisted on their pride, arrogance, and disbelief. So Allah afflicted them with several calamities.
First: They were afflicted with drought for years, which affected the economy negatively, but the people neither remembered Allah nor returned to Him in repentance. Allah then turned that affliction into wellness, so they might repent and thank their Lord for His blessings, but the wellness only made them more persistent in disbelief. They claimed they deserved prosperity due to their own good deeds, and that the drought was bad luck brought by Moses and his followers.
Second: They said to Moses, “No matter what sign you may bring to deceive us, we will never believe in you.” Al-A’raf 7:132. This accused Moses of witchcraft and falsehood, but also implied their own inner belief in his truthfulness, since they called it “a sign” (“ayah”), the very word marking evidence of his honesty, peace be upon him. So Allah sent them several successive signs:
“The Flood,” abundant rain that drowns and destroys crops and fruits. “Locusts,” the well-known locusts, which ate their crops and fruits, leaving nothing, even eating the nails of their doors and leaving only wood. “Lice,” here the weevils that come out of wheat, eating that wheat so they could benefit from only a very small quantity of it. “Frogs,” which appeared everywhere, jumping into their mouths when they tried to speak, and they heard their croaking everywhere until it kept them from sleeping. “Blood,” so that water taken from a river or well was found to be blood, not water.
After each calamity, they would come to Moses, peace be upon him, and say, “O Moses! Pray to your Lord on our behalf, by virtue of the covenant He made with you. If you help remove this torment from us, we will certainly believe in you and let the Children of Israel go with you.” Al-A’raf 7:134
Some scholars mentioned that Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, also afflicted them with plague, but they were neither deterred nor did they return to their Lord.
Allah the Almighty says: (Indeed, We afflicted Pharaoh’s people with famine and shortage of crops so they might come back ˹to their senses˺. In times of prosperity, they said, “This is what we deserve,” but in adversity, they blamed it on Moses and those with him. Surely all is destined by Allah. Yet most of them did not know. They said, “No matter what sign you may bring to deceive us, we will never believe in you.” So We plagued them with floods, locusts, lice, frogs, and blood, all as clear signs, but they persisted in arrogance and were a wicked people. When tormented, they pleaded, “O Moses! Pray to your Lord on our behalf, by virtue of the covenant He made with you. If you help remove this torment from us, we will certainly believe in you and let the Children of Israel go with you.” But as soon as We removed the torment from them, until they met their inevitable fate, they broke their promise. So We inflicted punishment upon them, drowning them in the sea for denying Our signs and being heedless of them.) Al-A’raf 7:130-136
لما شاهد فرعون ومن معه آية العصا وانهزم السحر والسحرة أمام أعينهم، تكبروا وواصلوا كفرهم وعنادهم، فابتلاهم الله بجملة من البلايا.
أولاً: أصابهم الجفاف والقحط لسنوات، وهذا يمثل عصب الاقتصاد في تلك المملكة، فلم يتذكر القوم ولم يرجعوا إلى الله، فحول الله بلاءهم إلى عافية لعلهم يتوبون ويشكرون ربهم على نعمه، لكن كانت هذه العافية تزيدهم إصرارًا على الكفر، فكانوا يزعمون أنهم مستحقون للرخاء لحسن أفعالهم، وإنما أصابهم الجدب بشؤم موسى ومن معه.
ثانيًا: قالوا لموسى عليه السلام: “مَهْمَا تَأْتِنَا بِهِ مِنْ آيَةٍ لِّتَسْحَرَنَا بِهَا فَمَا نَحْنُ لَكَ بِمُؤْمِنِينَ” (الأعراف 7: 132)، وهو يتضمن اتهام موسى بالسحر والتكذيب، كما يتضمن تصديقهم الباطن بصدق موسى لأنهم يقولون له “بآية” وهي العلامة على صدقه عليه السلام، فأرسل الله عليهم جملة من الآيات المتتابعة:
“الطوفان”: وهو الأمطار الكثيرة المغرقة للزروع والثمار والمتلفة لها. “الجراد”: وهو الجراد المعروف المشهور، فكان الجراد يأكل زروعهم وثمارهم فلا يبقي لهم شيئًا، بل كانت تأكل مسامير أبوابهم وتدع الخشب. “القُمَّل”: وهو السوس الذي يخرج من الحنطة، فيأكل تلك الحنطة ولا يستطيعون أن ينتفعوا بها بشيء إلا قليلًا جدًّا. “الضفادع”: كانت الضفادع تظهر لهم في كل مكان، حتى أن أحدهم إذا أراد أن يتكلم قفز الضفدع إلى فمه، ويسمعون أصواتها في كل مكان حتى منعتهم من النوم. “الدم”: أرسل الله عليهم الدم فكانوا إذا أخذوا الماء من النهر أو البئر وجدوه دمًا وليس ماءً.
وفي كل بلية يأتون موسى عليه السلام فيقولون له: “يَا مُوسَى ادْعُ لَنَا رَبَّكَ بِمَا عَهِدَ عِندَكَ لَئِن كَشَفْتَ عَنَّا الرِّجْزَ لَنُؤْمِنَنَّ لَكَ وَلَنُرْسِلَنَّ مَعَكَ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ” (الأعراف 7: 134)
ذكر بعض العلماء أن الله عز وجل أرسل عليهم مرض الطاعون لكنهم لم يرتدعوا ولم يرجعوا إلى ربهم.
قال الله تعالى: (وَلَقَدْ أَخَذْنَا آلَ فِرْعَوْنَ بِالسِّنِينَ وَنَقْصٍ مِّنَ الثَّمَرَاتِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَذَّكَّرُونَ ﴿١٣٠﴾ فَإِذَا جَاءَتْهُمُ الْحَسَنَةُ قَالُوا لَنَا هَـٰذِهِ وَإِن تُصِبْهُمْ سَيِّئَةٌ يَطَّيَّرُوا بِمُوسَىٰ وَمَن مَّعَهُ أَلَا إِنَّمَا طَائِرُهُمْ عِندَ اللَّـهِ وَلَـٰكِنَّ أَكْثَرَهُمْ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ ﴿١٣١﴾ وَقَالُوا مَهْمَا تَأْتِنَا بِهِ مِنْ آيَةٍ لِّتَسْحَرَنَا بِهَا فَمَا نَحْنُ لَكَ بِمُؤْمِنِينَ ﴿١٣٢﴾ فَأَرْسَلْنَا عَلَيْهِمُ الطُّوفَانَ وَالْجَرَادَ وَالْقُمَّلَ وَالضَّفَادِعَ وَالدَّمَ آيَاتٍ مُّفَصَّلَاتٍ فَاسْتَكْبَرُوا وَكَانُوا قَوْمًا مُّجْرِمِينَ ﴿١٣٣﴾ وَلَمَّا وَقَعَ عَلَيْهِمُ الرِّجْزُ قَالُوا يَا مُوسَى ادْعُ لَنَا رَبَّكَ بِمَا عَهِدَ عِندَكَ لَئِن كَشَفْتَ عَنَّا الرِّجْزَ لَنُؤْمِنَنَّ لَكَ وَلَنُرْسِلَنَّ مَعَكَ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ ﴿١٣٤﴾ فَلَمَّا كَشَفْنَا عَنْهُمُ الرِّجْزَ إِلَىٰ أَجَلٍ هُم بَالِغُوهُ إِذَا هُمْ يَنكُثُونَ ﴿١٣٥﴾ فَانتَقَمْنَا مِنْهُمْ فَأَغْرَقْنَاهُمْ فِي الْيَمِّ بِأَنَّهُمْ كَذَّبُوا بِآيَاتِنَا وَكَانُوا عَنْهَا غَافِلِينَ) الأعراف 7: 130-136 (ملاحظة: كانت الإحالة في الجواب الأصلي تنتهي بالآية 135، والمقتبس يشمل الآية 136، فصُحّحت.)
1. Drought and Prosperity, Both Misread | جفافٌ ورخاء يُساء تفسيرهما كلاهما
Years of drought struck the kingdom’s economy directly, yet produced no reflection or repentance. When Allah turned it into prosperity so that they might be grateful, the people instead grew more entrenched, crediting their own good deeds for the wellness and blaming Musa’s presence for the earlier hardship. Neither extreme moved them, revealing that the problem was never really the circumstances themselves. Their self-praise is the kind of conduct discussed in arrogance and boasting in Islamic law.
ضربت سنوات الجفاف اقتصاد المملكة مباشرة، لكنها لم تُنتج أي تأمل أو توبة. وحين حوّل الله ذلك إلى رخاء لعلهم يشكرون، ازداد القوم تصلبا بدلا من ذلك، حاسبين أنفسهم أهلا للعافية بأفعالهم الحسنة، ومحمّلين وجود موسى مسؤولية الشدة السابقة. فلم يحركهم أي من الطرفين، مما يكشف أن المشكلة لم تكن في الظروف نفسها قط.
2. A Denial the Answer Reads as an Admission | إنكارٌ يقرؤه الجواب اعترافًا
Their declaration that no “sign” Musa (peace be upon him) brought would ever convince them uses the very word, ayah, that marks something as genuine evidence. The answer reads this as an unintentional admission, betraying an inner conviction that their outward defiance refused to acknowledge.
يستخدم إعلانهم بأن أي “آية” يأتي بها موسى لن تقنعهم الكلمة نفسها، آية، التي تدل على دليل حقيقي. ويقرأ الجواب هذا اعترافا غير مقصود يفضح قناعة داخلية رفض تحديهم الظاهري الاعتراف بها.
3. Five Distinct, Escalating Signs | خمس آيات متمايزة ومتصاعدة
Each plague targeted a different aspect of daily life: floods destroying crops, locusts eating their crops and fruits, weevils ruining the wheat itself, frogs disrupting speech and sleep, and finally water turning to blood. Called “detailed signs” in the Ayah, their variety and specificity ruled out any explanation as ordinary natural misfortune.
استهدف كل بلاء جانبا مختلفا من الحياة اليومية: الطوفان يدمر الزروع، والجراد يلتهم الزروع والثمار، والقُمّل يفسد الحنطة نفسها، والضفادع تعطل الكلام والنوم، وأخيرا الماء يتحول إلى دم. وقد سُمّيت “آيات مفصلات” في الآية، وتنوعها وتحديدها استبعدا أي تفسير بوصفها مجرد نكبة طبيعية عادية.
4. A Repeated Pattern: Promise, Relief, Betrayal | نمطٌ متكرر: وعدٌ ورفعٌ ونقض
Every single plague follows the identical sequence: Pharaoh’s people beg Musa to pray for relief, promising to believe and release the Israelites if he does, and every time, relief is followed immediately by broken promises. The answer describes this happening not once but repeatedly, across five separate calamities, making clear this was a settled pattern of behavior, not a single lapse.
يتبع كل بلاء التسلسل نفسه بالضبط: يتوسل قوم فرعون إلى موسى أن يدعو لرفع البلاء، واعدين بالإيمان وإرسال بني إسرائيل إن فعل، وفي كل مرة يعقب رفع البلاء مباشرة نقض الوعد. ولا يصف الجواب هذا وكأنه حدث مرة واحدة، بل بشكل متكرر عبر خمس بلايا منفصلة، مما يوضح أن هذا كان نمط سلوك راسخا لا زلة عابرة.
5. The Pattern’s Final Outcome | الخاتمة النهائية لهذا النمط
The same passage closes by naming where this repeated betrayal ultimately led: retribution and drowning in the sea, for denying Allah’s signs and remaining heedless of them. This final line briefly points toward the drowning of Pharaoh and his army, a climactic event significant enough to be its own separate topic in Musa’s story.
يختتم المقطع نفسه بتسمية إلى أين أدى هذا الغدر المتكرر في النهاية: الانتقام والإغراق في اليمّ، جزاء تكذيبهم بآيات الله وغفلتهم عنها. وتشير هذه الجملة الأخيرة بإيجاز إلى إغراق جيش فرعون، وهو حدث حاسم بالغ الأهمية بحيث يستحق أن يكون موضوعا منفصلا بذاته في قصة موسى.
Frequently Asked Questions | الأسئلة الشائعة
What calamities befell Pharaoh and his people?
Years of drought, followed by five detailed signs: flood, locusts, lice, frogs, and blood.
How did Pharaoh’s people react to prosperity versus hardship?
They credited themselves for prosperity and blamed Moses for hardship, neither prompting genuine reflection.
What did the plague of locusts do?
It ate their crops and fruits entirely; tafsir reports add that it even ate the nails of their doors, leaving only the wood.
What did Pharaoh’s people promise each time a plague struck?
That they would believe in Moses and let the Children of Israel go if the affliction was lifted.
Did they keep these promises?
No, they broke their promise every time as soon as the torment was removed.