The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 2) — Page 593
CH. 7 PT. 9 140. 'As to these, AL-A'RĀF destroyed shall be all that they اِنَّ هَؤُلَاءِ مُتَبَّرٌ مَّا هُمْ فِيهِ وَيُحِلُّ مَّا surely كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ are engaged in, and vain shall be all that they do. '1029 قَالَ أَغَيْرَ اللَّهِ أَبْغِيُكُمُ الهَا وَ هُوَ He said, “Shall I seek for. 141 فَضَّلَكُمْ عَلَى الْعَلَمِينَ you a god other than Allah, b while He has exalted you above all peoples?' 1030 وَاذْ اَنْجَيْنُكُم مِّنْ آلِ فِرْعَوْنَ And remember the time. 142 E يَسُومُونَكُمُ سُوءَ الْعَذَابِ يُقَتِلُونَ Pharaoh's people who afflicted أَبْنَاءَكُمْ وَيَسْتَحْيُونَ نِسَاءَكُمْ وَفِي when We delivered you from you with grievous torment, slaughtering your sons and "6:15,165; 2:48; 3:34. 2:50; 7:128; 14:7; 28:5. to their request. They were told that it was foolish on their part to think that they could fix their attention on God better by concentrating on an idol, because firstly, there was really nothing like Him and secondly, the practice was sure subsequently to develop into real idol-worship. The right way to fix attention on God is to ponder and meditate upon His attributes. To bow down before a lifeless image cannot but degrade a man both morally and spiritually. 1029. Commentary: The word "these" refers to the idol- worshippers whom the Israelites wished to copy. Moses explains to his men that the people they desired to imitate were a people doomed to perdition. 1030. Commentary: The error of the Israelites in desiring to have an image of God like the idols of other peoples (7:139) has been brought home to them by three cogent reasons. Firstly, they are told that the works of the people whose example had prompted them to wish for an image of God would be brought to nought and their image worship would prove of no avail to them (7:140). The second argument is given in the present verse. The idea that by having a representation of God they would not be guilty of idolatry is rebutted by saying that the image thus made would be, and Allah, and it is inconceivable that one cannot but be, something other than should make an image of God and then think that he is not worshipping anything beside Him. The third 1033 argument is contained in the words, He has exalted you above all peoples, which are intended to point out that he, who makes an image with his own hand and then proceeds to