Tafseer Ibn Kathir of AL A'RAAF [127]

127. The chiefs of Fir`awn's people said: ”Will you leave Musa and his people to spread mischief in the land, and to abandon you and your gods'' He said: ”We will kill their sons, and let their women live, and we have indeed irresistible power over them.'' 128. Musa said to his people: ”Seek help in Allah and be patient. Verily, the earth is Allah's. He gives it as a heritage to whom He wills of His servants; and the (blessed) end is for the pious and righteous persons.'' 129. They said: ”We suffered troubles before you came to us, and since you have come to us.'' He said: ”It may be that your Lord will destroy your enemy and make you successors on the earth, so that He may see how you act'' Allah mentions the conspiracy of Fir`awn and his people, their ill intentions and their hatred for Musa and his people.

(The chiefs of Fir`awn's people said), to Fir`awn,

(”Will you leave Musa and his people''), will you let them be free,

(”to spread mischief in the land''), spreading unrest among your subjects and calling them to worship their Lord instead of you Amazingly, these people were worried that Musa and his people would cause mischief! Rather, Fir`awn and his people are the mischief-makers, but they did not realize it. They said,

(”and to abandon you and your gods'') `Your gods', according to Ibn `Abbas, as As-Suddi narrated from him, ”Were cows. Whenever they saw a beautiful cow, Fir`awn would command them to worship it. This is why As-Samiri, made the statue of a calf that seemed to moo for the Children of Israel.'' Fir`awn accepted his people's recommendation, saying,

(”We will kill their sons, and let their women live'') thus reiterating his previous order concerning the Children of Israel. He had tormented them ﴿killing every newly born male﴾ before Musa was born, so that Musa would not live. However, the opposite of what Fir`awn sought and intended occurred. The same end struck Fir`awn that he intended to subjugate and humiliate the Children of Israel with. Allah gave victory to the Children of Israel, humiliated and disgraced Fir`awn, and caused him to drown along with his soldiers. When Fir`awn insisted on his evil plot against the Children of Israel,

(Musa said to his people: ”Seek help in Allah and be patient'') and promised them that the good end will be theirs and that they will prevail, saying,

(”Verily, the earth is Allah's. He gives it as a heritage to whom He wills of His servants; and the (blessed) end is for the pious and righteous persons.'' They said: ”We suffered troubles before you came to us, and since you have come to us.'') The Children of Israel replied to Musa, `they (Fir`awn and his people) inflicted humiliation and disgrace on us, some you witnessed, both before and after you came to us, O Musa'! Musa replied, reminding them of their present situation and how it will change in the future,

(”It may be that your Lord will destroy your enemy. ..'') encouraging them to appreciate Allah when the afflictions are removed and replaced by a bounty.