وَقَالُوا۟ مَهْمَا تَأْتِنَا بِهِۦ مِنْ ءَايَةٍ لِّتَسْحَرَنَا بِهَا فَمَا نَحْنُ لَكَ بِمُؤْمِنِينَ 132
Translations
And they said, "No matter what sign you bring us with which to bewitch us, we will not be believers in you."
Transliteration
Wa qāloo mā-mā ta'tinā bihi min āyatin li-tasḥarnā bihā fa-mā naḥnu laka bi-mu'minīn
Tafsir (Explanation)
The people of Pharaoh stubbornly rejected Moses' miracles, accusing him of sorcery and refusing to believe regardless of what signs he presented. According to Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari, this reflects the hardness of their hearts and their predetermined rejection—they were not genuinely seeking truth but rather seeking excuses to deny. This ayah illustrates how those who reject faith often attribute divine miracles to deception, demonstrating that rejection stems from spiritual blindness rather than lack of evidence.
Revelation Context
This ayah occurs within the account of Moses' confrontation with Pharaoh and his people (7:103-162), a major narrative in Surah Al-A'raf. It reflects the historical reality of Pharaonic Egypt's rejection of Moses despite witnessing numerous miracles (the staff becoming a serpent, the plagues, etc.), establishing a pattern of how disbelievers rationalize away signs of truth.
Related Hadiths
Sahih Muslim narrates that the Prophet ﷺ said, 'The supplication of the disbeliever is futile,' indicating the spiritual state of those who persistently deny signs. Additionally, Surah Al-Baqarah 2:18 contains a related theme: 'Deaf, dumb, and blind, so they will not return [to the right path].'
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah reminds us that presenting evidence to those determined to disbelieve is often fruitless—rejection rooted in arrogance and spiritual sickness cannot be cured by miracles alone. For believers, it teaches compassion toward those who reject, understanding that their denial reflects internal corruption rather than intellectual inability.
Related Ayahs
وَلَقَدْ مَكَّنَّـٰكُمْ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ وَجَعَلْنَا لَكُمْ فِيهَا مَعَـٰيِشَ ۗ قَلِيلًا مَّا تَشْكُرُونَ
And We have certainly established you upon the earth and made for you therein ways of livelihood. Little are you grateful.
قُلْ يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلنَّاسُ إِنِّى رَسُولُ ٱللَّهِ إِلَيْكُمْ جَمِيعًا ٱلَّذِى لَهُۥ مُلْكُ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ ۖ لَآ إِلَـٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ يُحْىِۦ وَيُمِيتُ ۖ فَـَٔامِنُوا۟ بِٱللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ ٱلنَّبِىِّ ٱلْأُمِّىِّ ٱلَّذِى يُؤْمِنُ بِٱللَّهِ وَكَلِمَـٰتِهِۦ وَٱتَّبِعُوهُ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَهْتَدُونَ
Say, [O Muḥammad], "O mankind, indeed I am the Messenger of Allāh to you all, [from Him] to whom belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth. There is no deity except Him; He gives life and causes death." So believe in Allāh and His Messenger, the unlettered prophet, who believes in Allāh and His words, and follow him that you may be guided.
يَـٰبَنِىٓ ءَادَمَ إِمَّا يَأْتِيَنَّكُمْ رُسُلٌ مِّنكُمْ يَقُصُّونَ عَلَيْكُمْ ءَايَـٰتِى ۙ فَمَنِ ٱتَّقَىٰ وَأَصْلَحَ فَلَا خَوْفٌ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا هُمْ يَحْزَنُونَ
O children of Adam, if there come to you messengers from among you relating to you My verses [i.e., scriptures and laws], then whoever fears Allāh and reforms - there will be no fear concerning them, nor will they grieve.
وَإِلَىٰ مَدْيَنَ أَخَاهُمْ شُعَيْبًا ۗ قَالَ يَـٰقَوْمِ ٱعْبُدُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ مَا لَكُم مِّنْ إِلَـٰهٍ غَيْرُهُۥ ۖ قَدْ جَآءَتْكُم بَيِّنَةٌ مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ ۖ فَأَوْفُوا۟ ٱلْكَيْلَ وَٱلْمِيزَانَ وَلَا تَبْخَسُوا۟ ٱلنَّاسَ أَشْيَآءَهُمْ وَلَا تُفْسِدُوا۟ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ بَعْدَ إِصْلَـٰحِهَا ۚ ذَٰلِكُمْ خَيْرٌ لَّكُمْ إِن كُنتُم مُّؤْمِنِينَ
And to [the people of] Madyan [We sent] their brother Shuʿayb. He said, "O my people, worship Allāh; you have no deity other than Him. There has come to you clear evidence from your Lord. So fulfill the measure and weight and do not deprive people of their due and cause not corruption upon the earth after its reformation. That is better for you, if you should be believers.