The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 3) — Page 82
CH. 10 YŪNUS going to believe until they see the grievous punishment. '1361 1361. Important Words: زينة (embellishment) is the substantive noun from which means, he or it adorned, decorated, embellished, beautified or graced (him or it). means, a thing with which one is adorned or embellished or beautified; any ornature, decoration, embellishment or grace. The words (lit. ornature of the present life) particularly include wealth and children (Lane). J (with the result that) means, (1) so that; (2) with the result that. ab (destroy) is derived from a meaning, it became effaced or obliterated. They say acabi. e. he effaced or obliterated or extirpated it; or he destroyed it. amab means, he transformed or metamorphosed him or it (Lane). اشدد. (attack their hearts) اشدد على قلوبهم i. e. is derived from. They say he tied, bound or made him or it fast. means, he strengthened his arm. means, he charged or assaulted or attacked the enemy (Aqrab). Commentary: The verse does not mean that God gave wealth and splendour to Pharaoh and his chiefs so that by means of these things they might lead men astray from His path. It simply means that God bestowed upon Pharaoh and his chiefs the gifts of this world and the result was that, instead of being thankful to Him for His manifold PT. 11 favours, they began to lead men astray from His path. The verse is, in fact, a forceful expression by Moses of regret and condemnation. In his words of prayer, Our Lord, destroy their riches and attack their hearts, which form a parenthetical clause, Moses wishes Pharaoh and his chiefs no evil; on the contrary, the words constitute a pathetic prayer for their good. Realizing that they had become so hardened in disbelief that nothing but God's severe punishment could make them believe, Moses prayed to God to send down His punishment on them not to destroy them but to turn their hearts to truth. So the words, seemingly containing a prayer for the destruction of Pharaoh and his chiefs, in reality embody a prayer for their good and spiritual wellbeing. The prayer in fact resembles a request by a well-wisher for the amputation of the diseased limb of a patient, and is therefore definitely a prayer for mercy though couched in apparently harsh words. attack their اشدد على قلوبهم The clause hearts) has wrongly been interpreted by some as "harden their hearts. " According to Arabic idiom, the words only mean "attack their hearts," signifying that some affliction should befall them to turn their hearts to truth. The word corresponds to the word (embellishment) occurring in the foregoing clause and, as a here signifies progeny and children (see 1290 قلوب (hearts) زينة