Surah Al-Qasas 28:3

Which was revealed in Makkah

Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal, may Allah have mercy on him, recorded that Ma`diykarib said: "We came to `Abdullah and asked him to recite to us:

طسم

(Ta Sin Mim.) the two hundred. He said, `I do not know it; you should go to someone who learned it from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ Khabbab bin Al-Aratt.' So we went to Khabbab bin Al-Aratt and he recited it to us, may Allah be pleased with him."

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَـنِ الرَّحِيمِ

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

The Story of Musa and Fir`awn, and what Allah intended for Their People

We have already discussed the significance of the separate letters.

تِلْكَ ءَايَـتُ الْكِتَـبِ الْمُبِينِ

(These are the Ayat of the manifest Book.) means the Book which is clear and makes plain the true reality of things, and tells us about what happened and what will happen.

نَتْلُواْ عَلَيْكَ مِن نَّبَإِ مُوسَى وَفِرْعَوْنَ بِالْحَقِّ

(We recite to you some of the news of Musa and Fir`awn in truth,) This is like the Ayah,

نَحْنُ نَقُصُّ عَلَيْكَ أَحْسَنَ الْقَصَصِ

(We relate unto you the best of stories) (12:3). which means, `We tell you about things as they really were, as if you are there and are seeing them yourself.' Then Allah says:

إِنَّ فِرْعَوْنَ عَلاَ فِى الاٌّرْضِ

(Verily, Fir`awn exalted himself in the land) means, he was an arrogant oppressor and tyrant.

وَجَعَلَ أَهْلَهَا شِيَعاً

(and made its people Shiya`) means, he made them into different classes, each of which he used to do whatever he wanted of the affairs of his state.

يَسْتَضْعِفُ طَآئِفَةً مِّنْهُمْ

(weakening a group among them. ) This refers to the Children of Israel, who at that time were the best of people, even though this tyrant king overpowered them, using them to do the most menial work and forcing them to hard labor night and day for him and his people. At the same time, he was killing their sons and letting their daughters live, to humiliate them and because he feared that there might appear among them the boy who would be the cause of his destruction and the downfall of his kingdom. So Fir`awn took precautions against that happening, by ordering that all boys born to the Children of Israel should be killed, but this precaution did not protect him against the divine decree, because when the term of Allah comes, it cannot be delayed, and for each and every matter there is a decree from Allah. Allah says:

وَنُرِيدُ أَن نَّمُنَّ عَلَى الَّذِينَ اسْتُضْعِفُواْ فِى الاٌّرْضِ

(And We wished to do a favor to those who were weak in the land,) until His saying;

يَحْذَرُونَ

(which they feared.) And Allah did indeed do this to them, as He says:

وَأَوْرَثْنَا الْقَوْمَ الَّذِينَ كَانُواْ يُسْتَضْعَفُونَ

(And We made the people who were considered weak) until His saying;

يَعْرِشُونَ

(they erected) (7:137). And Allah said:

كَذَلِكَ وَأَوْرَثْنَـهَا بَنِى إِسْرَءِيلَ

(Thus and We caused the Children of Israel to inherit them) (26: 59). Fir`awn hoped that by his strength and power he would be saved from Musa, but that did not help him in the slightest. Despite his great power as a king he could not oppose the decree of Allah, which can never be overcome. On the contrary, Allah's ruling was carried out, for it had been written and decreed from past eternity that Fir`awn would meet his doom at the hands of Musa.

Pada ayat ini dijelaskan bahwa Allah membacakan kepada Nabi Muhammad dengan perantaraan Jibril ayat-ayat yang berhubungan dengan kisah Nabi Musa dan Fir'aun untuk menjadi pelajaran bagi orang-orang yang beriman. Dengan memperhatikan kisah itu, di mana mereka mengetahui bahwa nasib orang-orang yang durhaka mendapat azab dan orang-orang mukmin terbebas dari penindasan orang-orang zalim, mereka bertambah yakin bahwa Al-Qur'an memang wahyu yang diturunkan Allah kepada Muhammad saw.

Dalam ayat ini disebutkan bahwa kisah Nabi Musa diceritakan khusus bagi kaum mukminin saja, padahal Al-Qur'an diturunkan untuk semua umat manusia baik yang beriman maupun yang kafir. Tujuannya adalah untuk menjelaskan bahwa hanya orang-orang beriman yang dapat mengambil manfaat dari pemaparan kisah-kisah umat terdahulu karena mereka mempunyai pikiran yang jernih dan hati yang suci, serta tidak dipengaruhi oleh hal-hal yang mengotori jiwa dan akal.

Adapun orang-orang kafir dan tetap dalam kekafiran tidak akan mungkin mendapat manfaat daripadanya, karena mereka telah jauh terperosok ke dalam kemusyrikan. Hati mereka telah dikuasai oleh perasaan dengki, sombong, dan takabur, serta suka memperturutkan hawa nafsu, sehingga sulit bagi mereka menerima kebenaran yang bertentangan dengan keinginan dan kemauan mereka. Bagaimana pun jelasnya ayat-ayat dan bukti-bukti yang dikemukakan, mereka akan tetap mengingkari dan menolaknya dengan berbagai alasan yang dicari-cari seperti me-ngatakan bahwa Muhammad saw sudah gila atau mukjizat yang diturunkan kepadanya hanya sihir belaka.