Surah Shuara ayat 29 Tafsir Quran 26:29

﴿قَالَ لَئِنِ اتَّخَذْتَ إِلَٰهًا غَيْرِي لَأَجْعَلَنَّكَ مِنَ الْمَسْجُونِينَ﴾
[ الشعراء: 29]

26:29 [Pharaoh] said, "If you take a god other than me, I will surely place you among those imprisoned."

He Pharaoh said to Moses ‘If you choose any god other than me I will surely make you a prisoner!’. His Pharaoh’s prison was very harsh for a person would be shut up in a dungeon underground alone where he could neither see nor hear anyone else.

Let me warn you, Pharaoh said to Mussa, should you take an Ilah besides me, I will shut you up with those shut up in the grim confines of the dungeon

After the Rational Proof, Fir`awn resorts to Force When proof had been established against Fir`awn, clearly and rationally, he resorted to using force against Musa, thinking that after this there would no further room for discussion.
So he said: لَئِنِ اتَّخَذْتَ إِلَـهَاً غَيْرِى لأَجْعَلَنَّكَ مِنَ الْمَسْجُونِينَ ( If you choose a god other than me, I will certainly put you among the prisoners. ) To this, Musa responded: أَوَلَوْ جِئْتُكَ بِشَىءٍ مُّبِينٍ ( Even if I bring you something manifest ) meaning, clear and definitive proof. قَالَ فَأْتِ بِهِ إِن كُنتَ مِنَ الصَّـدِقِينَ - فَأَلْقَى عَصَـهُ فَإِذَا هِىَ ثُعْبَانٌ مُّبِينٌ ( Fir`awn said: "Bring it forth then, if you are of the truthful!" So he threw his stick, and behold, it was a serpent, manifest. ) meanig, it was very clear and obvious, with a huge body and a big mouth, terrifying in appearance. وَنَزَعَ يَدَهُ ( And he drew out his hand, ) meaning, from his sleeve, فَإِذَا هِىَ بَيْضَآءُ لِلنَّـظِرِينَ ( and behold, it was white to all beholders! ) It was shining like a piece of the moon.
Since Fir`awn was already doomed, he hastened to stubborn denial, and said to the chiefs around him: إِنَّ هَـذَا لَسَـحِرٌ عَلِيمٌ ( Verily, this is indeed a well-versed sorcerer. ) One who knows a great deal of magic or witchcraft.
Fir`awn was trying to convince them that this was sorcery, not a miracle.
Then he provoked them against Musa, trying to make them oppose him and disbelieve in him, and said: يُرِيدُ أَن يُخْرِجَكُمْ مِّنْ أَرْضِكُمْ بِسِحْرِهِ ( He wants to drive you out of your land by his sorcery... ) meaning, `he wants to capture the people's hearts and win them over by doing this, so that they will support him, and help him and follow him, and he will defeat you in your own land and take the land from you.
So advise me, what should I do with him' قَالُواْ أَرْجِهْ وَأَخَاهُ وَابْعَثْ فِى الْمَدَآئِنِ حَـشِرِينَ - يَأْتُوكَ بِكُلِّ سَحَّارٍ عَلِيمٍ ( They said: "Put him off and his brother, and send callers to the cities; to bring up to you every well-versed sorcerer." ) meaning, `delay him and his brother until you gather together all the sorcerers from every city and region of your kingdom so that they may confront him and produce something like he produces, then you will defeat him and have the victory.' So Fir`awn did as they suggested, which is what Allah decreed would happen to them, so that all the people would gather in one place and the signs and proof of Allah would be made manifest before them all in one day.

(26:29) Pharaoh said, "If you take any one other than me as a deity, will cast you among those who are rotting in the prisons." *24

[Pharaoh] said, "If you take a god meaning

*24) To understated and appreciate this conversation fully, one should bear in mind the fact that as it is today, in the ancient times too, the concept of " deity " was confined to its religious sense only.
The deity was meant to be worshipped and presented offerings and gifts, and because of its " supernatural powers " and author ity the people were to pray to it for help and fulfilment of their desires.
But a deity's being supreme legally and politically also and his right to enjoin anything he pleased in the mundane affairs and man's duty to submit to his commands as to superior law, has never been recognized by the socalled worldly rulers.
They have always claimed that in the mundane affairs, they alone possess absolute authority and no deity has any right to interfere in the polity and law prescribed by them.
This very thing has been the real cause of the conflict between the Prophets and their righteous followers, on the one hand, and the worldly kingdoms and governments on the other.
The Prophets have been trying their utmost to make the worldly rulers acknowledge the sovereign and absolute rights of the Lord of the Worlds, but they in return have not only been claiming sovereign powers and rights for themselves, but have been considering every such person as a criminal and rebel, who has held someone else as a deity in the political and legal sphere.
With this background one can easily understand the real significance of Pharaoh's words.
Had it been a question of mere worship and offerings, he would have least bothered that Moses, forsaking all gods, regarded only Allah, the Lord of all Creation, as worthy of those rights.
if Moses had invited him to serve Allah alone, he would not have felt provoked and offended.
At the most he would have refused to give up the creed of his forefathers, or would have challenged Moses to have a debate with his own religious scholars.
But what caused him provocation was that Prophet Moses was presenting himself as the representative of the Lord of all Creation and was conveying to him a political command as if he was a subordinate ruler and the representative of the superior authority was demanding obedience from him to the command.
In this sense, he was not prepared to acknowledge any other political or legal authority, nor allow any of his subjects to acknowledge anybody instead of himself as the supreme ruler.
That is why he challenged the teen " Lord, of all Creation ", for the message sent by Him clearly reflected sovereignty in the political and trot in the mere religious sense.
Then, when Prophet Moses explained over and over again what he meant by the " Lord of all Creation ", Pharaoh threatened that if he held any one other than him as sovereign in the land of Egypt, he would be cast into prison.

 

After the Rational Proof, Fir`awn resorts to Force When proof had been established against Fir`awn, clearly and rationally, he resorted to using force against Musa, thinking that after this there would no further room for discussion.
So he said: لَئِنِ اتَّخَذْتَ إِلَـهَاً غَيْرِى لأَجْعَلَنَّكَ مِنَ الْمَسْجُونِينَ ( If you choose a god other than me, I will certainly put you among the prisoners. ) To this, Musa responded: أَوَلَوْ جِئْتُكَ بِشَىءٍ مُّبِينٍ ( Even if I bring you something manifest ) meaning, clear and definitive proof. قَالَ فَأْتِ بِهِ إِن كُنتَ مِنَ الصَّـدِقِينَ - فَأَلْقَى عَصَـهُ فَإِذَا هِىَ ثُعْبَانٌ مُّبِينٌ ( Fir`awn said: "Bring it forth then, if you are of the truthful!" So he threw his stick, and behold, it was a serpent, manifest. ) meanig, it was very clear and obvious, with a huge body and a big mouth, terrifying in appearance. وَنَزَعَ يَدَهُ ( And he drew out his hand, ) meaning, from his sleeve, فَإِذَا هِىَ بَيْضَآءُ لِلنَّـظِرِينَ ( and behold, it was white to all beholders! ) It was shining like a piece of the moon.
Since Fir`awn was already doomed, he hastened to stubborn denial, and said to the chiefs around him: إِنَّ هَـذَا لَسَـحِرٌ عَلِيمٌ ( Verily, this is indeed a well-versed sorcerer. ) One who knows a great deal of magic or witchcraft.
Fir`awn was trying to convince them that this was sorcery, not a miracle.
Then he provoked them against Musa, trying to make them oppose him and disbelieve in him, and said: يُرِيدُ أَن يُخْرِجَكُمْ مِّنْ أَرْضِكُمْ بِسِحْرِهِ ( He wants to drive you out of your land by his sorcery... ) meaning, `he wants to capture the people's hearts and win them over by doing this, so that they will support him, and help him and follow him, and he will defeat you in your own land and take the land from you.
So advise me, what should I do with him' قَالُواْ أَرْجِهْ وَأَخَاهُ وَابْعَثْ فِى الْمَدَآئِنِ حَـشِرِينَ - يَأْتُوكَ بِكُلِّ سَحَّارٍ عَلِيمٍ ( They said: "Put him off and his brother, and send callers to the cities; to bring up to you every well-versed sorcerer." ) meaning, `delay him and his brother until you gather together all the sorcerers from every city and region of your kingdom so that they may confront him and produce something like he produces, then you will defeat him and have the victory.' So Fir`awn did as they suggested, which is what Allah decreed would happen to them, so that all the people would gather in one place and the signs and proof of Allah would be made manifest before them all in one day.

( (Pharaoh ) said: If thou choosest) if you worship ( a god other than me ) O Moses, ( I assuredly shall place thee among the prisoners ) his prisons were worse than death, for he used to put people in complete isolation, unable to see or hear anyone.

Fir'aun (Pharaoh) said: "If you choose an ilah (god) other than me, I will certainly put you among the prisoners."

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