Surah TaHa ayat 79 Tafsir Quran 20:79

﴿وَأَضَلَّ فِرْعَوْنُ قَوْمَهُ وَمَا هَدَىٰ﴾
[ طه: 79]

20:79 And Pharaoh led his people astray and did not guide [them].

And Pharaoh led his people astray by calling them to worship him and he did not guide them nay he led them to destruction in contrast to what he said to them and I guide you only to the path of rectitude Q. 4029.

In effect what Pharaoh actually did was that he fooled his people, led them astray and never did he really guide them to a path of righteousness

The Children of Israel leave Egypt Allah, the Exalted, informs that He commanded Musa to journey at night with the Children of Israel, when Fir`awn refused to release them and send them with Musa.
He was to take them away from Fir`awn's captivity.
Allah expounds upon this in Surahs other than this noble Surah.
Musa left with the Children of Israel, and when the people of Egypt awoke in the morning they found that not a single one of them remained in Egypt.
Fir`awn became extremely furious.
He sent callers into all of the cities to gather together his army from all of his lands and provinces.
He said to them, إِنَّ هَـؤُلاءِ لَشِرْذِمَةٌ قَلِيلُونَ - وَإِنَّهُمْ لَنَا لَغَآئِظُونَ ( Verily, these indeed are but a small band.
And verily, they have done what has enraged us. ) 26:54-55 Then when he gathered his army and organized his troops, he set out after them and they followed them at dawn when the sun began to rise. فَلَمَّا تَرَآءَا الْجَمْعَانِ ( And when the two hosts saw each other ) 26:61 This means that each person of the two parties was looking at the other party. فَلَمَّا تَرَآءَا الْجَمْعَانِ قَالَ أَصْحَـبُ مُوسَى إِنَّا لَمُدْرَكُونَ - قَالَ كَلاَّ إِنَّ مَعِىَ رَبِّى سَيَهْدِينِ ( The companions of Musa said: "We are sure to be overtaken." (Musa ) said: "Nay, verily, with me is my Lord.
He will guide me.") 26:61-62 Musa stopped with the Children of Israel and the sea was in front of them and Fir`awn was behind them.
Then, at that moment, Allah revealed to Musa, فَاضْرِبْ لَهُمْ طَرِيقاً فِى الْبَحْرِ يَبَساً ( And strike a dry path for them in the sea. ) So Musa struck the sea with his stick and he said, "Split for me, by the leave of Allah." Thus, it split, and each separate part of the water became like a huge mountain.
Then, Allah sent a wind to the land of the sea and it burned the soil until it became dry like the ground that is on land.
For this reason Allah said, فَاضْرِبْ لَهُمْ طَرِيقاً فِى الْبَحْرِ يَبَساً لاَّ تَخَافُ دَرَكاً ( and strike a dry path for them in the sea, fearing neither to be overtaken... ) This means being caught by Fir`awn. وَلاَ تَخْشَى ( nor being afraid. ) meaning, "Do not be afraid of the sea drowning your people." Then, Allah, the Exalted, said, فَأَتْبَعَهُمْ فِرْعَوْنُ بِجُنُودِهِ فَغَشِيَهُمْ مِّنَ الْيَمِّ ( Then Fir`awn pursued them with his hosts, but the sea Al-Yamm completely overwhelmed them ) Al-Yamm means the sea. مَا غَشِيَهُمْ ( and covered them up.
) meaning, covered them up with a thing that was well-familiar to them in such a situa- tion, as Allah states; وَالْمُؤْتَفِكَةَ أَهْوَى - فَغَشَّـهَا مَا غَشَّى ( And He destroyed the overthrown cities.
So there covered them that which did cover. ) 53:53-54 As Fir`awn pursued them into the sea, misled his people and did not lead them to the path of correct guidance, likewise, he will go ahead of his people on the Day of Resurrection, and will lead them in to the Hellfire.
And evil indeed is the place to which they are led. يبَنِى إِسْرَءِيلَ قَدْ أَنجَيْنَـكُمْ مِّنْ عَدُوِّكُمْ وَوَاعَدْنَـكُمْ جَانِبَ الطُّورِ الاٌّيْمَنَ وَنَزَّلْنَا عَلَيْكُمُ الْمَنَّ وَالسَّلْوَى

(20:79) Pharaoh had misled his people and had not guided them aright. *55

And Pharaoh led his people astray and meaning

*55) This was a subtle warning to the disbelievers of Makkah, as if to say, " Your chiefs and leaders are leading you on the same way on which Pharaoh led his people; now you may yourselves see that he did not guide them aright. "
In conclusion, it will be worth while to consider the version as given in the Bible, for this will make it plain that it is absolutely false and ridiculous to say that the Qur'an has copied these stories from the Israelite traditions.
We learn from Exodus the following:
( 1 ) According to 4: 2-5, the miracle of the staff was given to Prophet Moses, and in 4:17 he was instructed: " And thou shalt take this rod in throe hand, wherewith thou shalt do signs ", but according to 7: 9, the same rod was transferred to Prophet Aaron and then it remained with him to work miracles.

( 2 ) The first dialogue between Prophet Moses and Pharaoh has been given in Chapter 5, but there is no mention in it whatever of the Doctrine of Tauhid presented by Moses.
In answer to Pharaoh's question: " Who is the Lord that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I know not the Lord ", Moses and Aaron merely said, " The God of the Hebrews hath met with us ".
( 5: 2-3 ).

( 3 ) The encounter with the magicians has been summed up in a few sentences thus: " And the Lord spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying, When Pharaoh shall speak unto you, saying, Shew a miracle for you: then thou shalt say unto Aaron, Take thy rod, and cast it before Pharaoh, and it shall become a serpent.
And Moses and Aaron went in unto Pharaoh, and they did so as the Lord had commanded: and Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh, and before his servants, and it became a serpent.
Then Pharaoh also called the wise men and the sorcerers: now the magicians of Egypt, they also did in like manner with their enchantments.
For they cast down every man his rod, and they became serpents: but Aaron's rod swallowed up their rods. " ( 7' 8-12 )
When we compare this with the version of it in the Qur'an, it becomes obvious that the description in the Bible lacks the real essence of the whole encounter, for it dces not mention that the encounter took place on the Day of the Feast in the open as a result of a regular challenge, and there is no mention at all that the magicians became believers in the Lord of Moses and Aaron and remained steadfast in their faith even in face of terrible threats.

( 4 ) According to the Qur'an, Prophet Moses demanded full freedom and liberty for the Israelites, but according to the Bible his demand was only this: " Let us go, we pray thee, three days' journey into the desert, and sacrifice unto the Lord our God.
" ( 5:3 )
( 5 ) In Chapters 11 to 14, the details of the events concerning the exodus from Egypt to the drowning of Pharaoh have been given.
Though these contain some useful information and details about the events which have been briefly described in the Qur'an, they contain some strange contradictions as well.
For instance, in 14:15-16 the staff ( rod ) again comes into the hands of Prophet Moses, who is commanded: " ....
Iift thou up thy rod, and stretch out throe hand over the sea, and divide it; and the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea. " But in w.
21 -22, it is said: " And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the Lord caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all the night, and made the sea dry /and, and the waters were divided.
And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground.' and the waters were a wall unto them, on their right hand, and on their left.
" It is not clear whether the sea was divided by a miracle or by a strong " east wind " which incidentally has never been known to divide the sea into two parts leaving a dry path between them.

It will also be worth while to make a study of these events as given in the Talmud.
The Talmudic account differs from the Biblical version but is nearer to the one given in the Qur'an.
A comparative study of the two clearly shows that the one is based on direct Revelation from Allah and the other on centuries old oral traditions which have been handed down from one generation to the other and thus considerably tampered with.
( See H.
Polano: The Talmud Selections, pp.
150-154 ).

 

The Children of Israel leave Egypt Allah, the Exalted, informs that He commanded Musa to journey at night with the Children of Israel, when Fir`awn refused to release them and send them with Musa.
He was to take them away from Fir`awn's captivity.
Allah expounds upon this in Surahs other than this noble Surah.
Musa left with the Children of Israel, and when the people of Egypt awoke in the morning they found that not a single one of them remained in Egypt.
Fir`awn became extremely furious.
He sent callers into all of the cities to gather together his army from all of his lands and provinces.
He said to them, إِنَّ هَـؤُلاءِ لَشِرْذِمَةٌ قَلِيلُونَ - وَإِنَّهُمْ لَنَا لَغَآئِظُونَ ( Verily, these indeed are but a small band.
And verily, they have done what has enraged us. ) 26:54-55 Then when he gathered his army and organized his troops, he set out after them and they followed them at dawn when the sun began to rise. فَلَمَّا تَرَآءَا الْجَمْعَانِ ( And when the two hosts saw each other ) 26:61 This means that each person of the two parties was looking at the other party. فَلَمَّا تَرَآءَا الْجَمْعَانِ قَالَ أَصْحَـبُ مُوسَى إِنَّا لَمُدْرَكُونَ - قَالَ كَلاَّ إِنَّ مَعِىَ رَبِّى سَيَهْدِينِ ( The companions of Musa said: "We are sure to be overtaken." (Musa ) said: "Nay, verily, with me is my Lord.
He will guide me.") 26:61-62 Musa stopped with the Children of Israel and the sea was in front of them and Fir`awn was behind them.
Then, at that moment, Allah revealed to Musa, فَاضْرِبْ لَهُمْ طَرِيقاً فِى الْبَحْرِ يَبَساً ( And strike a dry path for them in the sea. ) So Musa struck the sea with his stick and he said, "Split for me, by the leave of Allah." Thus, it split, and each separate part of the water became like a huge mountain.
Then, Allah sent a wind to the land of the sea and it burned the soil until it became dry like the ground that is on land.
For this reason Allah said, فَاضْرِبْ لَهُمْ طَرِيقاً فِى الْبَحْرِ يَبَساً لاَّ تَخَافُ دَرَكاً ( and strike a dry path for them in the sea, fearing neither to be overtaken... ) This means being caught by Fir`awn. وَلاَ تَخْشَى ( nor being afraid. ) meaning, "Do not be afraid of the sea drowning your people." Then, Allah, the Exalted, said, فَأَتْبَعَهُمْ فِرْعَوْنُ بِجُنُودِهِ فَغَشِيَهُمْ مِّنَ الْيَمِّ ( Then Fir`awn pursued them with his hosts, but the sea Al-Yamm completely overwhelmed them ) Al-Yamm means the sea. مَا غَشِيَهُمْ ( and covered them up.
) meaning, covered them up with a thing that was well-familiar to them in such a situa- tion, as Allah states; وَالْمُؤْتَفِكَةَ أَهْوَى - فَغَشَّـهَا مَا غَشَّى ( And He destroyed the overthrown cities.
So there covered them that which did cover. ) 53:53-54 As Fir`awn pursued them into the sea, misled his people and did not lead them to the path of correct guidance, likewise, he will go ahead of his people on the Day of Resurrection, and will lead them in to the Hellfire.
And evil indeed is the place to which they are led. يبَنِى إِسْرَءِيلَ قَدْ أَنجَيْنَـكُمْ مِّنْ عَدُوِّكُمْ وَوَاعَدْنَـكُمْ جَانِبَ الطُّورِ الاٌّيْمَنَ وَنَزَّلْنَا عَلَيْكُمُ الْمَنَّ وَالسَّلْوَى

( And Pharaoh led his folk astray ) Pharaoh destroyed his people in the sea, ( he did not guide them ) he did not save them; it is also said that this means: he misguided them regarding Allah’s religion and did not guide them to the Truth.

And Fir'aun (Pharaoh) led his people astray, and he did not guide them.

Page 317 English transliteration