The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 3) — Page 184
CH. 11 100. And a curse was made to follow them in this life and on the Day of Resurrection. Evil is the gift which shall be given them. 1480 HUD a28:43. water; the day or turn of a fever when it attacks the patient intermittently or periodically; a portion of the night in which a man has to pray; a section or division of the Quran portioned out for recitation at a certain time. is the passive participle from (warada) and means a place or person arrived at or visited which is the active participle means, he who comes or arrives at a place (Lane & Aqrab). Commentary: The verse means to say that all that Pharaoh did for his people was to bring them to the verge of Hell and cause them to fall into it. As shown under Important Words, the word (will bring down) is generally used with reference to water but here it has been used in connection with fire in order to point out that instead of obtaining water, which is the source of physical and spiritual life (21:31), these people will land in fire, which is the killer of life. Thus their own efforts which were employed to destroy rather than get spiritual life will appear to them in an embodied form. The expression may also contain an allusion to the fact that the descent of the people of Pharaoh into Hell will be like the repairing of a thirsty man to a place of water, i. e. corrupt as they PT. 12 وَاتَّبِعُوا فِى هَذِهِ لَعْنَةً وَيَوْمَ الْقِمَةِ بِئْسَ الرِّفْدُ الْمَرْفُودُ are, it will prove the means of satisfying their peculiar thirst. The fire will purify them of their sins and thus, through it, they will at last succeed in satisfying their spiritual thirst. 1480. Important Words: which will be المرفود gift) and) رفد given them) are both derived from (rafada). They say i. e. he gave him, or he gave him a gift; he aided, helped or assisted him; he aided or assisted him by a gift or by a good saying or by some other thing. bil means, he propped up or supported the wall. means, a gift or a gratuity; aid, help or assistance by a gift, etc. ; a lot, share or portion. means, giver of a gift; aider or helper. which is the passive participle from this root, means, he who is given a gift, etc. ; or that which is given as a gift, etc. (Lane & Aqrab). Commentary: 1392 The word (curse) is not used here as a term of abuse, but in its original sense of "driving away" or "casting away by way of punishment" (Mufradāt). The verse would therefore mean that, as these people remained away from God in the present life, so, as a punishment, they will be kept away from Him in the