نَتْلُوا۟ عَلَيْكَ مِن نَّبَإِ مُوسَىٰ وَفِرْعَوْنَ بِٱلْحَقِّ لِقَوْمٍ يُؤْمِنُونَ 3
Translations
We recite to you from the news of Moses and Pharaoh in truth for a people who believe.
Transliteration
Natlū ʿalayka min nabāʾi Mūsā wa-Firʿawna bil-ḥaqqi liqawmin yuʾminūn
Tafsir (Explanation)
Allah addresses the Prophet Muhammad, stating that He recites to him the true account of the story of Musa (Moses) and Pharaoh. According to Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari, this introduction emphasizes that the narrative being presented is established in truth and certainty, not mere speculation or fabrication. The phrase 'for people who believe' indicates that this account is especially meaningful and instructive for those who have faith and are willing to reflect upon its lessons.
Revelation Context
This ayah opens the narrative section of Surah Al-Qasas (revealed in Mecca), which focuses on the story of Prophet Musa as a central theme. The surah was revealed during the Meccan period when the Prophet and believers faced opposition from the Quraysh, and the story of Musa's struggle against Pharaoh served as an inspiring parallel to their own circumstances. The emphasis on 'truth' (bil-ḥaqqi) counters contemporary Arab skepticism about the authenticity of Quranic narratives.
Related Hadiths
Hadith from Sahih Muslim (#2286) where the Prophet said: 'The best of stories is that of the Quran' (Aḥsan al-ḥadīth al-Qurʾān), and Surah Al-Qasas exemplifies this by presenting the detailed story of Musa with profound wisdom.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah reminds believers that Quranic narratives are not merely historical tales but divinely-guided truths meant to strengthen faith and provide practical wisdom for navigating trials. Modern readers should recognize that stories of prophets facing opposition offer timeless guidance for maintaining conviction during adversity.
Related Ayahs
وَقِيلَ ٱدْعُوا۟ شُرَكَآءَكُمْ فَدَعَوْهُمْ فَلَمْ يَسْتَجِيبُوا۟ لَهُمْ وَرَأَوُا۟ ٱلْعَذَابَ ۚ لَوْ أَنَّهُمْ كَانُوا۟ يَهْتَدُونَ
And it will be said, "Invoke your 'partners,'" and they will invoke them; but they will not respond to them, and they will see the punishment. If only they had followed guidance!
وَكَمْ أَهْلَكْنَا مِن قَرْيَةٍۭ بَطِرَتْ مَعِيشَتَهَا ۖ فَتِلْكَ مَسَـٰكِنُهُمْ لَمْ تُسْكَن مِّنۢ بَعْدِهِمْ إِلَّا قَلِيلًا ۖ وَكُنَّا نَحْنُ ٱلْوَٰرِثِينَ
And how many a city have We destroyed that was insolent in its [way of] living, and those are their dwellings which have not been inhabited after them except briefly. And it is We who were the inheritors.
ٱسْلُكْ يَدَكَ فِى جَيْبِكَ تَخْرُجْ بَيْضَآءَ مِنْ غَيْرِ سُوٓءٍ وَٱضْمُمْ إِلَيْكَ جَنَاحَكَ مِنَ ٱلرَّهْبِ ۖ فَذَٰنِكَ بُرْهَـٰنَانِ مِن رَّبِّكَ إِلَىٰ فِرْعَوْنَ وَمَلَإِي۟هِۦٓ ۚ إِنَّهُمْ كَانُوا۟ قَوْمًا فَـٰسِقِينَ
Insert your hand into the opening of your garment; it will come out white, without disease. And draw in your arm close to you [as prevention] from fear, for those are two proofs from your Lord to Pharaoh and his establishment. Indeed, they have been a people defiantly disobedient."
وَإِذَا يُتْلَىٰ عَلَيْهِمْ قَالُوٓا۟ ءَامَنَّا بِهِۦٓ إِنَّهُ ٱلْحَقُّ مِن رَّبِّنَآ إِنَّا كُنَّا مِن قَبْلِهِۦ مُسْلِمِينَ
And when it is recited to them, they say, "We have believed in it; indeed, it is the truth from our Lord. Indeed we were, [even] before it, Muslims [i.e., submitting to Allāh]."