Transliteration:( Wa iz qaala Moosaa liqawmihiz kuroo ni'matal laahi 'alaikum iz anjaakum min Aali Fir'awna yasoomoo nakum sooo'al 'azaabi wa yuzabbihoona abnaaa'akum wa yastahyoona nisaaa'akum; wa fee zaalikum balaaa'un mir Rabbikum 'azeem )
“And when Musa [Moses] said to his people, ‘Remember the favor of Allah upon you [13], when He saved you from the people of Pharaoh, who afflicted you with severe suffering [14], and slaughtered your sons while sparing your women. And in that was a tremendous test from your Lord [15].’”
(Kanzul Imaan Translation)
Hazrat Musa عليه السلام reminded his people of the immense favour of Allah in delivering them from Pharaoh’s tyranny.
This remembrance could be:
A verbal acknowledgment of Allah’s blessings
Or a public commemoration, including extra worship on specific days
For instance, the Jews used to fast on the Day of Ashurah, as Pharaoh was drowned on that day.
In early Islam, fasting on Ashurah was obligatory. Later, it became Sunnah, yet the practice reflects a prophetic tradition:
Commemorating days associated with Allah’s favours upon His righteous servants through acts of worship is from the way of the Prophets.
The verse vividly describes Pharaoh’s oppression in both:
The literal sense: torture, hardship, and slaughter of male infants
The spiritual/punitive sense: a divine punishment upon the Israelites for their own past transgressions
From this, we derive a valuable principle:
The appointment of oppressive rulers over Muslims is a worldly punishment from Allah for their evil deeds,
whereas righteous rulers are a manifestation of Allah’s mercy for the community's goodness and obedience.
This salvation was a great test and a great blessing.
It teaches us that:
The destruction of tyrants is a form of Allah’s mercy
Conversely, the passing away of pious scholars is a major loss for the Ummah
Expressing gratitude or even joy over the fall of oppressors is justified and reflective of divine justice
6. And (remember) when Musa said to his people: “Call to mind Allah’s favor to you, when He delivered you from Fir`awn’s people who were afflicting you with horrible torment, and were slaughtering your sons and letting your women live; and in it was a tremendous trial from your Lord.” 7. And (remember) when your Lord proclaimed: “If you give thanks, I will give you more; but if you are thankless, verily, My punishment is indeed severe.” 8. And Musa said: “If you disbelieve, you and all on earth together, then verily, Allah is Rich (free of all needs), Worthy of all praise.”
They used to slaughter whomever they could find among their sons and let their females live. Allah delivered them from all this torment, and this is a great bounty, indeed. This is why Allah described this affliction,
(and in it was a tremendous trial from your Lord.) `for He granted you (O Children of Israel) a great favor for which you are unable to perfectly thank Him.’ Some scholars said that this part of the Ayah means, `what Fir`awn used to do to you was a tremendous
(trial.)’ Both meanings might be considered here and Allah knows best. Allah said in another Ayah ,
(And We tried them with good and evil in order that they might turn (to Allah). ) ﴿7:168﴾ Allah’s statement next,
(And (remember) when your Lord proclaimed) means, proclaimed and made known His promise to you. It is possible that this Ayah means, your Lord has vowed and sworn by His might, grace and exaltness. Allah said in a similar Ayah,
(And (remember) when your Lord declared that He would certainly keep on sending against them (i.e. the Jews), till the Day of Resurrection.) ﴿7:167﴾ Allah said,
(If you give thanks, I will give you more;) meaning, `if you appreciate My favor on you, I will give you more of it,
(but if you are thankless) if you are not thankful for My favors, covering and denying, them,
(verily, My punishment is indeed severe), by depriving you of the favor and punishing you for being unappreciative of it.’ A Hadith states that,
(A servant might be deprived of a provision (that was written for him) because of a sin that he commits. ) Allah said,
(And Musa said: “If you disbelieve, you and all on earth together, then verily, Allah is Rich (free of all needs), Worthy of all praise.”) Allah does not need the gratitude of His servants, and He is worthy of all praise even if the disbelievers disbelieve in Him,
(If you disbelieve, then verily, Allah is not in need of you) ﴿39:7﴾ and,
(So they disbelieved and turned away. But Allah was not in need (of them). And Allah is Rich (free of all needs), Worthy of all praise.) ﴿64:6﴾ In his Sahih, Muslim recorded that Abu Dharr said that the Messenger of Allah said that his Lord the Exalted and Most Honored said,
(O My servants. If the first and the last among you, mankind and Jinns among you, had the heart of the most pious and righteous man among you, that will not increase my kingdom in the least. O My servants! If the first and the last among you, mankind and the Jinns among you, had the heart of the most wicked man among you, that will not decrease My kingdom in the least. O My servants! If the first and the last among you, the mankind and Jinns among you, stood in one flat area and each asked me (what they wish), and I gave each one of them what they asked, that will not decrease My kingdom except by that which the needle carries (of water) when inserted in the ocean.”) Verily, all praise and glory are due to Allah, the Rich ﴿free of need﴾, the Worthy of all praise.
(14:6) And call to mind when Moses said to his people: “Remember Allah’s favour upon you when He delivered you from Pharaoh’s people who afflicted you with a grievous chastisement, slaughtering your sons, while letting your women live. In it there was a terrible trial from your Lord.”
There is no commentary by Abul Maududi available for this verse.
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