Ash-Shu'ara · Makki · ayah 35 of 227

Ash-Shu'ara 26:35

يُرِيدُ أَن يُخْرِجَكُم مِّنْ أَرْضِكُم بِسِحْرِهِۦ فَمَاذَا تَأْمُرُونَ

“He wants to drive you out of your land by his magic, so what do you advise?"”

Saheeh International

Essence

The self-proclaimed god paints Musa as an invader and then, of all things, asks his own servants what he should do.

A reflection

A god asking his servants for orders

This line returns almost word for word in Al-Aʿraf (7:110), where its fuller treatment belongs. Here one detail deserves a moment.

Taʾmurūn comes from the root of command. Literally, Pharaoh asks: what do you order? Two classical commentators found this astonishing. The man who claimed lordship made his supposed slaves into the ones giving orders. He made himself the one who receives them. They put it down to sheer bewilderment at the sign.

Pride is loud while things go its way. Shaken, it reaches for other people's judgement at once. Watch for the moment your own certainty suddenly needs a vote.

The full entry has 2 more reflections, questions to sit with, and "Live it today" - with the words, the roots and the tafsir alongside. Free, no account, works offline.