Tafsir of Surah As-Saffat - Verse 121

Musa and Harun

Allah tells us how He blessed Musa and Harun with prophethood and how He saved them, along with those who believed, from the oppression of Fir`awn and his people, who had persecuted them by killing their sons and sparing their women, and by forcing them to do the most menial tasks, then ultimately He caused them to prevail over them and to seize their lands and their wealth and all that they had spent their entire lives amassing. Then Allah revealed to Musa the Clear and Mighty Book, which is the Tawrah, as Allah says:

وَلَقَدْ ءَاتَيْنَا مُوسَى وَهَـرُونَ الْفُرْقَانَ وَضِيَآءً

(And indeed We granted to Musa and Harun the criterion (of right and wrong), and a shining light) (21:48). And Allah says here:

وَءَاتَيْنَـهُمَا الْكِتَـبَ الْمُسْتَبِينَ - وَهَدَيْنَـهُمَا الصِّرَطَ الْمُسْتَقِيمَ

(And We gave them the clear Scripture; and guided them to the right path.) meaning, with regard to words and deeds.

وَتَرَكْنَا عَلَيْهِمَا فِى الاٌّخِرِينَ

(And We left for them among the later generations.) means, that after they died they would be mentioned in good terms and spoken of highly. Then Allah explain this further:

سَلَـمٌ عَلَى مُوسَى وَهَـرُونَ إِنَّا كَذَلِكَ نَجْزِى الْمُحْسِنِينَ إِنَّهُمَا مِنْ عِبَادِنَا الْمُؤْمِنِينَ

(Salam (peace!) be upon Musa and Harun! Verily, thus do We reward the doers of good. Verily, they were two of Our believing servants.)

وَإِنَّ إِلْيَاسَ لَمِنَ الْمُرْسَلِينَ - إِذْ قَالَ لِقَوْمِهِ أَلاَ تَتَّقُونَ - أَتَدْعُونَ بَعْلاً وَتَذَرُونَ أَحْسَنَ الْخَـلِقِينَ - اللَّهَ رَبَّكُمْ وَرَبَّ ءَابَآئِكُمُ الاٌّوَّلِينَ - فَكَذَّبُوهُ فَإِنَّهُمْ لَمُحْضَرُونَ إِلاَّ عِبَادَ اللَّهِ الْمُخْلَصِينَ

Commentary

Described in the verses cited above is the third event relating to Sayyidna Musa (علیہ السلام) and Harun (علیہ السلام) . It has appeared in details at several places. Here it serves as an indicator. The purpose is to tell how Allah Ta’ ala helps out His sincere and obedient servants, and how He bestows so many of His rewards on them. Mentioned here are His favors bestowed upon Sayyidna Musa علیہ السلام and Harun (علیہ السلام) . These favors are of two kinds. First come positive favors that bring benefits as in: وَلَقَدْ مَنَنَّا عَلَىٰ مُوسَىٰ وَهَارُ‌ونَ (And We did bestow favors upon Musa (علیہ السلام) and Harun (علیہ السلام) - 37:114). This points out towards those beneficial favors. Then there are negative favors that save from loss or harm. Later verses spell out details of the other kind.

God helped the Prophet Moses and his community and relieved them from the oppression of Pharaoh. This was made possible through the dawah work performed by Moses. He preached the truth before Pharaoh. After the completion of the tenure of his dawah mission came the time for Pharaoh to be pronounced guilty and to be destroyed; and for Moses and his community to be victorious and dominant. In this context, one of the meanings of ‘showing the straight path’ is that the right solution to the problem of Pharaoh was revealed to them. Though this was a problem faced at the community level, its solution nevertheless lay in communicating the divine message. So, the victory and supremacy which they achieved was the result of dawah efforts and was not due to any national struggle or rebellion against Pharaoh in the usual sense.