The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 4) — Page 517
PT. 20 AL-QAŞAŞ Certainly, he was of the mischief makers. 2879 CH. 28 وَنُرِيدُ اَنْ نَّمُنَّ عَلَى الَّذِينَ اسْتُضْعِفُوا فِي And We desired to show. 6 الْأَرْضِ وَنَجْعَلَهُمْ أَبِمَّةً وَنَجْعَلَهُمُ considered weak in the earth الْوَرِثِينَ favour unto those who had been and to make them leaders and to make them inheritors of Our favours, 2880 وَنُمَكِّنَ لَهُمْ فِي الْأَرْضِ وَنُرِيَ فِرْعَوْنَ And to establish them in the. 7 earth, and to show Pharaoh and وَهَا مَن وَجُنُودَهُمَا مِنْهُمْ مَّا كَانُوا Haman and their hosts that وَهَامَن 2879. Commentary: "7:138; 26:60; 44:29. The policy of "divide and rule" which has been practised with such deadly effect by the Colonial Powers of the west in this twentieth century was also followed by Pharaoh. He had split the people of Egypt into parties and sections and had made invidious distinctions between them. Some of them he favoured and others he exploited and suppressed. Moses' people belonged to the latter unfortunate class. The words, "he slew their sons and spared their women," besides bearing the apparent sense, viz. that in order to keep the Israelites under permanent subjection, Pharaoh destroyed their manhood and kept alive their women, may also signify that by his policy of exploitation heartless suppression, Pharaoh sought to kill all manly qualities among the Israelites and thus made them timid like women. and 2880. Commentary: When the degradation humiliation of the Israelites in Egypt reached its nadir and the cup of iniquities of Pharaoh and his people became full to the brim and God in His infallible wisdom decreed that the oppressors should be punished and those held in bondage be emancipated, He raised Moses. Such has always been God's practice that He raises a Prophet to lead a down- trodden people to honour and glory and through his influence and under his lead the erstwhile suppressed and exploited people become the leaders and teachers of men. This phenomenon which took place in the time of every Divine Messenger witnessed its fullest and finest manifestation during the ministry of the Holy Prophet of Islam. The words "to make them inheritors", refer to the Israelites becoming heirs to that 'land of promise' _Canaan—which, like Egypt, "flowed with milk and honey" and which God had "ordained for and them" (5:22). 2431