فَلَمَّا جَآءَهُم بِٱلْحَقِّ مِنْ عِندِنَا قَالُوا۟ ٱقْتُلُوٓا۟ أَبْنَآءَ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ مَعَهُۥ وَٱسْتَحْيُوا۟ نِسَآءَهُمْ ۚ وَمَا كَيْدُ ٱلْكَـٰفِرِينَ إِلَّا فِى ضَلَـٰلٍ 25
Translations
And when he brought them the truth from Us, they said, "Kill the sons of those who have believed with him and keep their women alive." But the plan of the disbelievers is not except in error.
Transliteration
Falamma jaa'ahum bil-haqqi min 'indina qaaloo iqtuloo abna'a alladhina amanoo ma'ahu wastaḥyoo nisaa'ahum wa maa kaydu al-kafireena illa fee dalalil
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah describes Pharaoh and his people's rejection of Moses' message and their evil response: they demanded the killing of the sons of believers and the enslavement of their daughters. Al-Tabari and Ibn Kathir explain that despite Moses bringing clear truth from Allah, the disbelievers responded with hostility rather than acceptance, revealing their spiritual blindness. The ayah concludes that the scheming of disbelievers ultimately leads only to misguidance and failure, as their plans contradict divine truth and are destined to fail.
Revelation Context
This ayah is part of Surah Ghafir's narrative account of Pharaoh's rejection of Moses' message. The broader context depicts the historical conflict between Pharaoh's regime and the message of monotheism, serving as a warning to the Meccan disbelievers of similar consequences for rejecting Prophet Muhammad's message. The surah uses this historical parallel to demonstrate how rejection of divine guidance always leads to destruction.
Related Hadiths
The hadith of Abu Hurairah in Sahih Bukhari regarding the killing of the children of believers parallels this historical event, and Surah Al-Qasas (28:4) provides additional context on Pharaoh's persecution of Israelites. Also relevant is the general principle in Jami' at-Tirmidhi that the plots of disbelievers will ultimately perish.
Themes
Key Lesson
When truth arrives, the hearts of those devoted to falsehood often respond with violence and aggression rather than reflection. Muslims should take comfort knowing that no matter how powerful the schemes of those who reject Allah's message appear, they are fundamentally rooted in misguidance and are destined to fail against the unshakeable truth of divine guidance.