وَٱسْتَكْبَرَ هُوَ وَجُنُودُهُۥ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ بِغَيْرِ ٱلْحَقِّ وَظَنُّوٓا۟ أَنَّهُمْ إِلَيْنَا لَا يُرْجَعُونَ 39
Translations
And he was arrogant, he and his soldiers, in the land, without right, and they thought that they would not be returned to Us.
Transliteration
Wa-stakbara huwa wa junooduhu fil-ardi bighayril-haqqi wa zannoo annahum ilayna la yurja'oon
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah describes Pharaoh and his armies becoming arrogant and tyrannical upon the earth without right, and their false assumption that they would never be returned to Allah for judgment. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari emphasize that this arrogance was rooted in their denial of the Hereafter and Allah's power, leading them to commit oppression with impunity. The ayah demonstrates how disconnection from belief in the Day of Judgment inevitably leads to corruption and injustice in worldly affairs.
Revelation Context
This ayah is part of the Meccan Surah Al-Qasas, which recounts the story of Musa (Moses) and Pharaoh's tyranny over the Israelites. The broader context illustrates how Pharaoh's persistent rejection of monotheism and his arrogance culminated in his ultimate destruction, serving as a warning to the Meccan polytheists who similarly rejected the Prophet Muhammad's message.
Related Hadiths
The theme of arrogance leading to destruction is reflected in the hadith: 'No one will enter Paradise who has an atom's weight of arrogance in his heart' (Sahih Muslim). Additionally, Surah Al-Qasas 28:40 directly follows with the consequence: 'So We seized him and his soldiers, and cast them into the sea' (Sahih al-Bukhari commentary tradition).
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches that arrogance combined with denial of accountability in the Hereafter corrupts both the soul and society, inevitably leading to downfall. For modern readers, it serves as a reminder that true success lies in humility before Allah and recognition that all will return to Him for judgment, regardless of worldly power or status.
Related Ayahs
وَمَآ أُوتِيتُم مِّن شَىْءٍ فَمَتَـٰعُ ٱلْحَيَوٰةِ ٱلدُّنْيَا وَزِينَتُهَا ۚ وَمَا عِندَ ٱللَّهِ خَيْرٌ وَأَبْقَىٰٓ ۚ أَفَلَا تَعْقِلُونَ
And whatever thing you [people] have been given - it is [only for] the enjoyment of worldly life and its adornment. And what is with Allāh is better and more lasting; so will you not use reason?
وَأَخِى هَـٰرُونُ هُوَ أَفْصَحُ مِنِّى لِسَانًا فَأَرْسِلْهُ مَعِىَ رِدْءًا يُصَدِّقُنِىٓ ۖ إِنِّىٓ أَخَافُ أَن يُكَذِّبُونِ
And my brother Aaron is more fluent than me in tongue, so send him with me as support, verifying me. Indeed, I fear that they will deny me."
مَن جَآءَ بِٱلْحَسَنَةِ فَلَهُۥ خَيْرٌ مِّنْهَا ۖ وَمَن جَآءَ بِٱلسَّيِّئَةِ فَلَا يُجْزَى ٱلَّذِينَ عَمِلُوا۟ ٱلسَّيِّـَٔاتِ إِلَّا مَا كَانُوا۟ يَعْمَلُونَ
Whoever comes [on the Day of Judgement] with a good deed will have better than it; and whoever comes with an evil deed - then those who did evil deeds will not be recompensed except [as much as] what they used to do.
وَمَا كُنتَ بِجَانِبِ ٱلطُّورِ إِذْ نَادَيْنَا وَلَـٰكِن رَّحْمَةً مِّن رَّبِّكَ لِتُنذِرَ قَوْمًا مَّآ أَتَىٰهُم مِّن نَّذِيرٍ مِّن قَبْلِكَ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَذَكَّرُونَ
And you were not at the side of the mount when We called [Moses] but [were sent] as a mercy from your Lord to warn a people to whom no warner had come before you that they might be reminded.