The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 4) — Page 855
sought to kill their Prophets and exterminate their missions. But God's punishment overtook them. So will punishment of God seize disbelievers of the Holy Prophet. And when punishment came upon them, they will curse themselves and vainly seek a way out of their dreadful predicament. But they will suffer the consequences of their evil deeds and of opposition to truth, because they have ignored the lesson of history and have not profited by the fate of opponents of Prophets of past generations. The Surah then proceeds to refer to the case of Moses as an illustration of the sad end to which the opponents of the Holy Prophet are bound to come. Moses was sent to Pharaoh, Hāmān and Korah with the Divine Message; they sought to take his life. But they were foiled in their wicked designs. While Pharaoh rejected Moses' invitation to truth, a "believing man" from his own household gave a most pathetic but convincing speech, exhorting his people not to seek to kill a man (Moses) whose only fault was that he said that Allah was his Lord, and who possessed sound and solid proofs to support and establish his case. The "believing man" told his people that if they did not cease opposing Moses, they would meet with the sad fate which the people of Noah and ‘Ād and Thamūd tribes had met. He further warned them that they should not be misled by their wealth, power and material resources, for all these things were transitory and, that it was the Hereafter which was the place of permanent stay and where the good and the righteous will be provided with blessings that will know no end. The Surah further states that instead of benefiting by the very sincere advice of the "believing man," Pharaoh mocked and jeered at him and wanted, as it were, to go up to heaven to have a peep, as he sarcastically and jeeringly said, at the God of Moses. But the God of Moses made him see a manifestation of His great power in the depths of the deep sea. He was cursed in this life, and on the Day of Resurrection he will enter the fire of Hell at the head of his people. This is the end of those who, in the pride of their wealth and prestige, reject the Message of God. After having given a brief description of the evil end of Pharaoh and that of the opponents of other Prophets of God, the Surah makes pointed reference to an invariable Divine law, viz. that help and succour of God is and will always be with His Messengers and with their followers and that failure and frustration will continue to dog the footsteps of disbelievers till the end of time. This Divine law operated in the time of every Prophet and it will see its fullest demonstration in the time of the Holy Prophet. The Prophet is then enjoined to bear with patience the opposition and ridicule of his opponents and to pray to God for removal of all obstacles from his way. He is further comforted that the "Hour" was fast approaching when forces of darkness would be finally vanquished. The "Hour" is as certain as anything but most men would not believe in the "Hour" unless they actually felt its impact, but 2769