أَمْ أَنَا۠ خَيْرٌ مِّنْ هَـٰذَا ٱلَّذِى هُوَ مَهِينٌ وَلَا يَكَادُ يُبِينُ 52
Translations
Or am I [not] better than this one [i.e., Moses] who is insignificant and hardly makes himself clear?
Transliteration
Am ana khayrun min hatha alladhi huwa maheen wa la yakadu yubeen
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah quotes Pharaoh's arrogant boast wherein he claims superiority over Prophet Moses, describing Moses as despicable and barely able to speak clearly (referring to Moses's speech impediment). Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Qurtubi note that this reflects Pharaoh's rejection of the divine message through mockery of the messenger's physical limitations. The ayah illustrates how those with power and wealth often use worldly advantages to dismiss divine guidance, exemplifying the spiritual blindness that accompanies arrogance.
Revelation Context
This ayah occurs within the account of Pharaoh and Moses in Surah Az-Zukhruf, a Meccan surah addressing the disbelievers of Mecca who similarly rejected the Prophet Muhammad. The broader context shows Pharaoh's escalating rejection of Moses's message, and the surah uses this historical example as a warning to the Quraysh about the consequences of arrogance and rejection of prophetic guidance.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) mentioned Moses's speech impediment in various hadiths, affirming that despite this physical limitation, Moses was one of the greatest messengers. See Sahih Bukhari (3415) and related accounts in Sahih Muslim discussing the virtues of the five greatest messengers.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches that material power, wealth, and physical perfection are not measures of truth or spiritual worth; true greatness lies in submission to Allah's will. Believers should remain humble regardless of worldly advantages and recognize that messengers may be tested with physical limitations, yet their message from Allah remains valid and binding.
Related Ayahs
أَءُلْقِىَ ٱلذِّكْرُ عَلَيْهِ مِنۢ بَيْنِنَا بَلْ هُوَ كَذَّابٌ أَشِرٌ
Has the message been sent down upon him from among us? Rather, he is an insolent liar."
وَقَالَ ٱلْمَلَأُ مِن قَوْمِ فِرْعَوْنَ أَتَذَرُ مُوسَىٰ وَقَوْمَهُۥ لِيُفْسِدُوا۟ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ وَيَذَرَكَ وَءَالِهَتَكَ ۚ قَالَ سَنُقَتِّلُ أَبْنَآءَهُمْ وَنَسْتَحْىِۦ نِسَآءَهُمْ وَإِنَّا فَوْقَهُمْ قَـٰهِرُونَ
And the eminent among the people of Pharaoh said, "Will you leave Moses and his people to cause corruption in the land and abandon you and your gods?" [Pharaoh] said, "We will kill their sons and keep their women alive; and indeed, we are subjugators over them."
وَإِذَا قِيلَ لَهُمُ ٱرْكَعُوا۟ لَا يَرْكَعُونَ
And when it is said to them, "Bow [in prayer]," they do not bow.
إِنَّآ أَرْسَلْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ صَيْحَةً وَٰحِدَةً فَكَانُوا۟ كَهَشِيمِ ٱلْمُحْتَظِرِ
Indeed, We sent upon them one shriek [i.e., blast from the sky], and they became like the dry twig fragments of an [animal] pen.