The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 4) — Page 422
Pharaoh to preach to him the Divine Message and to ask him to let him take the Israelites out of Egypt, and how Pharaoh taunted him for being ungrateful as he had been brought up in his house, and how Moses turned the tables upon him by telling him that instead of taunting him with ingratitude, he (Pharaoh) should have felt ashamed of himself for having unjustly held his (Moses') people in bondage. It is further stated that having been utterly confounded by Moses' rejoinder, Pharaoh sought to change the subject and began to ask questions about the existence of God. But when Moses gave devastating answers to these questions, Pharaoh threatened him with imprisonment. And when Moses showed him the sign of the rod and of the white hand, no course was left open to him but to accuse him (Moses) of being a sorcerer and an adventurer who sought political leadership. In order to defeat Moses, as he thought, with his own weapons, Pharaoh summoned magicians from all over the land, but they were completely confounded and discomfited and came to believe in Moses there and then. The Surah then sheds further light on the activities of Moses, who in pursuance of Divine command succeeded in taking the Israelites out of Egypt, and we are told that having been severely mortified and enraged at the escape of the Israelites, Pharaoh followed them in hot pursuit with his mighty hosts, but the Israelites safely went ashore while Pharaoh and his hosts were drowned in the sea. Then to illustrate that truth always triumphs in the long run and opposition to it comes to grief, the Surah gives instances of Prophets Abraham, Noah, Hūd, Ṣāliḥ, Lot and Shu‘aib. Abraham demonstrated to his people the folly and futility of idol worship and invited them to the worship of Almighty God Who hears the prayers of His votaries and Who controls the universe, and makes provision for the physical needs of man and also provides spiritual guidance for him. He gives life and brings about death and in Him all hopes are centred. To this most sympathetic and solicitous harangue of Abraham, his people, after the manner of the opponents of former Prophets, returned the arrogant reply that on no account would they give up the religion of their forefathers. They rejected the Divine Message and were punished, because it is the invariable law of God that the arrogant and the wicked disbelievers are punished for their rejection of truth. Abraham's account is followed by that of Noah. Noah's people also rejected him on the ground that he sought to remove all social distinctions. He told them that true criterion to judge who was really high and noble and who was low and ignoble was good conduct and righteous deeds and not power, wealth and social status. His people, instead of listening to his message, threatened him with violence and incurred the wrath of God. Noah was followed by Hūd and Ṣāliḥ. Both these Divine Prophets also tried hard to make their people realize that it was not material pomp and power but good morals and spiritual strength upon which really depended the life and strength of a people. But their people also turned a deaf ear to their preachings and opposed them and persecuted them and declared with boastful arrogance that 2336