Ghafir · Makki · ayah 26 of 85

Ghafir 40:26

وَقَالَ فِرْعَوْنُ ذَرُونِىٓ أَقْتُلْ مُوسَىٰ وَلْيَدْعُ رَبَّهُۥٓ ۖ إِنِّىٓ أَخَافُ أَن يُبَدِّلَ دِينَكُمْ أَوْ أَن يُظْهِرَ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ ٱلْفَسَادَ

“And Pharaoh said, "Let me kill Moses and let him call upon his Lord. Indeed, I fear that he will change your religion or that he will cause corruption[1368] in the land."”

Saheeh International

Essence

Pharaoh asks to be let loose on Musa, mocks his prayer, and dresses his fear as concern for the people's religion and the land's order.

A reflection

Hold me back

Dharūnī aqtul Mūsā: leave me to kill Musa. The words imply that someone was holding him back. Who?

The commentaries give several answers. One says his advisers kept restraining him. Musa is weaker than you fear, they said, just a magician. And if you kill him, people will think you could not answer him. Another suggests some at court may secretly have believed Musa.

But two commentaries go further. They suggest Pharaoh was in fact certain Musa was a prophet. He was a man who shed blood over the smallest things. Why would he not kill the man threatening his throne? Because he was afraid that if he tried, he would be destroyed on the spot. So 'leave me to kill him' was a cover. It made his people think they were the ones restraining him, when what restrained him was his own terror.

Anyone who has seen a scuffle outside a late-night pub knows the scene. A man squares up, shouting: hold me back, hold me back. His friends grab his arms. He strains forward, loudly. Everyone understands, including him, that he is very glad to be held.

One commentary finds the proof in the next phrase. 'Let him call on his Lord' looks like contempt. Underneath, it shows how much Musa's prayer frightened him. You do not mention a weapon you are not worried about.

The ayah offers a useful lens on bluster in any age. It also reassures the one being threatened. The loudest voice in the room is not always the most confident; often it is the most afraid. When someone with power makes loud threats and then explains why they cannot quite carry them out, listen for the fear underneath.

The full entry has 5 more reflections, questions to sit with, and "Live it today" - with the words, the roots and the tafsir alongside. Free, no account, works offline.