إِلَىٰ فِرْعَوْنَ وَهَـٰمَـٰنَ وَقَـٰرُونَ فَقَالُوا۟ سَـٰحِرٌ كَذَّابٌ 24
Translations
To Pharaoh, Hāmān and Qārūn, but they said, "[He is] a magician and a liar."
Transliteration
Ila Fir'awna wa Hamana wa Qarun fa qalū sāhirun kadhhāb
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah describes how the enemies of Prophet Musa—Pharaoh, Haman, and Qarun—responded to his message by accusing him of being a sorcerer and a liar, rejecting the clear signs he presented to them. According to Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari, their rejection stemmed from arrogance, disbelief, and their vested interests in maintaining power and wealth rather than any rational objection to the message. This response exemplifies how those consumed by worldly ambition and pride dismiss divine guidance regardless of its clarity.
Revelation Context
This ayah is part of Surah Ghafir, a Meccan chapter that recounts the stories of past nations and their rejection of prophets. It appears within the narrative of Musa's confrontation with Pharaoh's court, illustrating how different groups (political leader, vizier, and wealthy man) unified in their rejection of monotheism. The historical context emphasizes parallels between the Meccan polytheists' rejection of Prophet Muhammad and Pharaoh's court's rejection of Musa.
Related Hadiths
Sahih Bukhari: The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is reported to have faced similar accusations of being a sorcerer and liar from the Quraysh, just as Musa faced from Pharaoh's people. This demonstrates the recurring pattern of rejection faced by messengers throughout history.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches believers that opposition to divine truth often comes not from genuine intellectual disagreement but from pride, vested interests, and spiritual blindness. Modern Muslims should recognize that staying steadfast in faith despite ridicule and false accusations is part of the prophetic tradition, and should respond with wisdom and patience rather than despair.
Related Ayahs
وَقَالَ رَبُّكُمُ ٱدْعُونِىٓ أَسْتَجِبْ لَكُمْ ۚ إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ يَسْتَكْبِرُونَ عَنْ عِبَادَتِى سَيَدْخُلُونَ جَهَنَّمَ دَاخِرِينَ
And your Lord says, "Call upon Me; I will respond to you." Indeed, those who disdain My worship will enter Hell [rendered] contemptible.
تَنزِيلُ ٱلْكِتَـٰبِ مِنَ ٱللَّهِ ٱلْعَزِيزِ ٱلْعَلِيمِ
The revelation of the Book [i.e., the Qur’ān] is from Allāh, the Exalted in Might, the Knowing,
فَلَمَّا جَآءَتْهُمْ رُسُلُهُم بِٱلْبَيِّنَـٰتِ فَرِحُوا۟ بِمَا عِندَهُم مِّنَ ٱلْعِلْمِ وَحَاقَ بِهِم مَّا كَانُوا۟ بِهِۦ يَسْتَهْزِءُونَ
And when their messengers came to them with clear proofs, they [merely] rejoiced in what they had of knowledge, but they were enveloped by what they used to ridicule.
أَفَلَمْ يَسِيرُوا۟ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ فَيَنظُرُوا۟ كَيْفَ كَانَ عَـٰقِبَةُ ٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ ۚ كَانُوٓا۟ أَكْثَرَ مِنْهُمْ وَأَشَدَّ قُوَّةً وَءَاثَارًا فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ فَمَآ أَغْنَىٰ عَنْهُم مَّا كَانُوا۟ يَكْسِبُونَ
Have they not traveled through the land and observed how was the end of those before them? They were more numerous than themselves and greater in strength and in impression on the land, but they were not availed by what they used to earn.