وَٱسْتَكْبَرَ هُوَ وَجُنُودُهُۥ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ بِغَيْرِ ٱلْحَقِّ وَظَنُّوٓا۟ أَنَّهُمْ إِلَيْنَا لَا يُرْجَعُونَ 39
Translations
And he was arrogant, he and his soldiers, in the land, without right, and they thought that they would not be returned to Us.
Transliteration
Wa-stakbara huwa wa junooduhu fil-ardi bighayril-haqqi wa zannoo annahum ilayna la yurja'oon
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah describes Pharaoh and his armies becoming arrogant and tyrannical upon the earth without right, and their false assumption that they would never be returned to Allah for judgment. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari emphasize that this arrogance was rooted in their denial of the Hereafter and Allah's power, leading them to commit oppression with impunity. The ayah demonstrates how disconnection from belief in the Day of Judgment inevitably leads to corruption and injustice in worldly affairs.
Revelation Context
This ayah is part of the Meccan Surah Al-Qasas, which recounts the story of Musa (Moses) and Pharaoh's tyranny over the Israelites. The broader context illustrates how Pharaoh's persistent rejection of monotheism and his arrogance culminated in his ultimate destruction, serving as a warning to the Meccan polytheists who similarly rejected the Prophet Muhammad's message.
Related Hadiths
The theme of arrogance leading to destruction is reflected in the hadith: 'No one will enter Paradise who has an atom's weight of arrogance in his heart' (Sahih Muslim). Additionally, Surah Al-Qasas 28:40 directly follows with the consequence: 'So We seized him and his soldiers, and cast them into the sea' (Sahih al-Bukhari commentary tradition).
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches that arrogance combined with denial of accountability in the Hereafter corrupts both the soul and society, inevitably leading to downfall. For modern readers, it serves as a reminder that true success lies in humility before Allah and recognition that all will return to Him for judgment, regardless of worldly power or status.
Related Ayahs
وَقِيلَ ٱدْعُوا۟ شُرَكَآءَكُمْ فَدَعَوْهُمْ فَلَمْ يَسْتَجِيبُوا۟ لَهُمْ وَرَأَوُا۟ ٱلْعَذَابَ ۚ لَوْ أَنَّهُمْ كَانُوا۟ يَهْتَدُونَ
And it will be said, "Invoke your 'partners,'" and they will invoke them; but they will not respond to them, and they will see the punishment. If only they had followed guidance!
وَلَـٰكِنَّآ أَنشَأْنَا قُرُونًا فَتَطَاوَلَ عَلَيْهِمُ ٱلْعُمُرُ ۚ وَمَا كُنتَ ثَاوِيًا فِىٓ أَهْلِ مَدْيَنَ تَتْلُوا۟ عَلَيْهِمْ ءَايَـٰتِنَا وَلَـٰكِنَّا كُنَّا مُرْسِلِينَ
But We produced [many] generations [after Moses], and prolonged was their duration. And you were not a resident among the people of Madyan, reciting to them Our verses, but We were senders [of this message].
فَلَمَّآ أَنْ أَرَادَ أَن يَبْطِشَ بِٱلَّذِى هُوَ عَدُوٌّ لَّهُمَا قَالَ يَـٰمُوسَىٰٓ أَتُرِيدُ أَن تَقْتُلَنِى كَمَا قَتَلْتَ نَفْسًۢا بِٱلْأَمْسِ ۖ إِن تُرِيدُ إِلَّآ أَن تَكُونَ جَبَّارًا فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ وَمَا تُرِيدُ أَن تَكُونَ مِنَ ٱلْمُصْلِحِينَ
And when he wanted to strike the one who was an enemy to both of them, he said, "O Moses, do you intend to kill me as you killed someone yesterday? You only want to be a tyrant in the land and do not want to be of the amenders."
قَالَ ذَٰلِكَ بَيْنِى وَبَيْنَكَ ۖ أَيَّمَا ٱلْأَجَلَيْنِ قَضَيْتُ فَلَا عُدْوَٰنَ عَلَىَّ ۖ وَٱللَّهُ عَلَىٰ مَا نَقُولُ وَكِيلٌ
[Moses] said, "That is [established] between me and you. Whichever of the two terms I complete - there is no injustice to me, and Allāh, over what we say, is Witness."