وَقَالَ فِرْعَوْنُ يَـٰهَـٰمَـٰنُ ٱبْنِ لِى صَرْحًا لَّعَلِّىٓ أَبْلُغُ ٱلْأَسْبَـٰبَ 36
Translations
And Pharaoh said, "O Hāmān, construct for me a tower that I might reach the ways -
Transliteration
Wa qala fir'awnu ya Hamanu ibni li sarhan la'alli ablughu al-asbab
Tafsir (Explanation)
Pharaoh commands his minister Haman to construct a tall tower, hoping to reach the heavens and thereby ascend to the God of Moses to prove him a liar. Classical scholars like Al-Tabari and Ibn Kathir note this reflects Pharaoh's arrogance and spiritual blindness—his literal interpretation of 'reaching God' demonstrates his fundamental misunderstanding of divine transcendence and his desperate attempt to discredit monotheism through an impossible physical feat.
Revelation Context
This ayah occurs within the narrative of Pharaoh's rejection of Prophet Moses in Surah Ghafir, a Meccan chapter revealed to strengthen the Prophet Muhammad and believers against Meccan opposition. The broader context shows Pharaoh's escalating attempts to suppress Moses's message, illustrating how tyrants resort to futile grandeur projects when confronted with truth.
Related Hadiths
While no hadith directly addresses this ayah, Hadith Qudsi relates to divine transcendence: 'My earth and heavens do not contain Me, but the soft heart of My believing servant contains Me' (Musnad Ahmad), thematically contrasting with Pharaoh's materialistic conception of reaching the Divine.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches that no amount of worldly power, wealth, or technological achievement can substitute for spiritual humility and sincere belief; those who reject divine guidance often turn to grandiose but hollow projects that distract from their own spiritual emptiness.
Related Ayahs
وَقَالُوا۟ لَوْلَا نُزِّلَ هَـٰذَا ٱلْقُرْءَانُ عَلَىٰ رَجُلٍ مِّنَ ٱلْقَرْيَتَيْنِ عَظِيمٍ
And they said, "Why was this Qur’ān not sent down upon a great man from [one of] the two cities?"
وَيَوْمَ ٱلْقِيَـٰمَةِ تَرَى ٱلَّذِينَ كَذَبُوا۟ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ وُجُوهُهُم مُّسْوَدَّةٌ ۚ أَلَيْسَ فِى جَهَنَّمَ مَثْوًى لِّلْمُتَكَبِّرِينَ
And on the Day of Resurrection you will see those who lied about Allāh [with] their faces blackened. Is there not in Hell a residence for the arrogant?
وَقَـٰرُونَ وَفِرْعَوْنَ وَهَـٰمَـٰنَ ۖ وَلَقَدْ جَآءَهُم مُّوسَىٰ بِٱلْبَيِّنَـٰتِ فَٱسْتَكْبَرُوا۟ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ وَمَا كَانُوا۟ سَـٰبِقِينَ
And [We destroyed] Qārūn and Pharaoh and Hāmān. And Moses had already come to them with clear evidences, and they were arrogant in the land, but they were not outrunners [of Our punishment].
قَالَ إِنَّمَآ أُوتِيتُهُۥ عَلَىٰ عِلْمٍ عِندِىٓ ۚ أَوَلَمْ يَعْلَمْ أَنَّ ٱللَّهَ قَدْ أَهْلَكَ مِن قَبْلِهِۦ مِنَ ٱلْقُرُونِ مَنْ هُوَ أَشَدُّ مِنْهُ قُوَّةً وَأَكْثَرُ جَمْعًا ۚ وَلَا يُسْـَٔلُ عَن ذُنُوبِهِمُ ٱلْمُجْرِمُونَ
He said, "I was only given it because of knowledge I have." Did he not know that Allāh had destroyed before him of generations those who were greater than him in power and greater in accumulation [of wealth]? But the criminals, about their sins, will not be asked.