وَقَالَ فِرْعَوْنُ يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلْمَلَأُ مَا عَلِمْتُ لَكُم مِّنْ إِلَـٰهٍ غَيْرِى فَأَوْقِدْ لِى يَـٰهَـٰمَـٰنُ عَلَى ٱلطِّينِ فَٱجْعَل لِّى صَرْحًا لَّعَلِّىٓ أَطَّلِعُ إِلَىٰٓ إِلَـٰهِ مُوسَىٰ وَإِنِّى لَأَظُنُّهُۥ مِنَ ٱلْكَـٰذِبِينَ 38
Translations
And Pharaoh said, "O eminent ones, I have not known you to have a god other than me. Then ignite for me, O Hāmān, [a fire] upon the clay and make for me a tower that I may look at the God of Moses. And indeed, I do think he is among the liars."
Transliteration
Wa qala fir'awnu ya ayyuha al-mala'u ma 'alimtu lakum min ilahun ghayri fa awqid li ya hamanu 'ala al-tin fa'j'al li sarhan la'alli attali'u ila ilahi Musa wa inni la-azunnuhu mina al-kadhibin
Tafsir (Explanation)
Pharaoh arrogantly declares himself the only god and commands his minister Haman to build him a tall tower of baked bricks so he can ascend to see the God of Moses, whom he accuses of lying. This ayah exemplifies Pharaoh's extreme arrogance and rebellion against Allah's signs; Ibn Kathir notes that Pharaoh's plan was absurd—he sought to reach the heavens by earthly means while denying the existence of his Creator. Al-Qurtubi emphasizes this as the peak of his polytheistic defiance and futile opposition to monotheism.
Revelation Context
This ayah is part of the Quranic narrative of Pharaoh's conflict with Prophet Moses (Musa). Surah Al-Qasas recounts the stories of various prophets and their struggles against disbelief. This particular verse illustrates Pharaoh's desperate attempt to disprove Moses's message and his claim to monotheism by proposing an impossible physical journey to the heavens.
Related Hadiths
The Quran itself references this narrative in Surah Ghafir (40:36-37), where similar language appears. While no specific hadith directly comments on this verse's revelation, hadiths about the trials of the prophets and the arrogance of disbelievers (found in Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim) relate thematically to Pharaoh's rebellion.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah warns against the spiritual blindness caused by arrogance and power; when leaders reject truth and position themselves as divine, they descend into absurdity and inevitable ruin. For believers, it reinforces that no earthly power can stand against Allah's truth, and sincere tawhid (monotheism) always triumphs over human pride.