AZ ZUKHRUF — Ayat 51

Tafsir Ibnu Katsir

وَنَادَى فِرْعَوْنُ فِى قَوْمِهِ قَالَ يقَوْمِ أَلَيْسَ لِى مُلْكُ مِصْرَ وَهَـذِهِ الاٌّنْهَـرُ تَجْرِى مِن تَحْتِى أَفَلاَ تُبْصِرُونَ - أَمْ أَنَآ خَيْرٌ مِّنْ هَـذَا الَّذِى هُوَ مَهِينٌ وَلاَ يَكَادُ يُبِينُ - فَلَوْلاَ أُلْقِىَ عَلَيْهِ أَسْوِرَةٌ مِّن ذَهَبٍ أَوْ جَآءَ مَعَهُ الْمَلَـئِكَةُ مُقْتَرِنِينَ - فَاسْتَخَفَّ قَوْمَهُ فَأَطَاعُوهُ إِنَّهُمْ كَانُواْ قَوْماً فَـسِقِينَ - فَلَمَّآ ءَاسَفُونَا انتَقَمْنَا مِنْهُمْ فَأَغْرَقْنَـهُمْ أَجْمَعِينَ - فَجَعَلْنَـهُمْ سَلَفاً وَمَثَلاً لِّلاٌّخِرِينَ

51. And Fir`awn proclaimed among his people (saying): ”O my people! Is not mine the dominion of Egypt, and these rivers flowing underneath me. See you not then'' 52. ”Am I not better than this one (Musa) who is despicable and can scarcely express himself clearly'' 53. Why then are not golden bracelets bestowed on him, or angels sent along with him'' 54. Thus he fooled his people, and they obeyed him. Verily, they were ever a people who were rebellious. 55. So when they angered Us, We punished them, and drowned them all. 56. And We made them a precedent, and an example to later generations.   Allah tells us how Fir`awn stubbornly persisted in his rebellion and disbelief. He assembled his people and addressed them in a vainglorious fashion, boasting of his dominion over Egypt.