وَقَالَ فِرْعَوْنُ يَـٰهَـٰمَـٰنُ ٱبْنِ لِى صَرْحًا لَّعَلِّىٓ أَبْلُغُ ٱلْأَسْبَـٰبَ 36
Translations
And Pharaoh said, "O Hāmān, construct for me a tower that I might reach the ways -
Transliteration
Wa qala fir'awnu ya Hamanu ibni li sarhan la'alli ablughu al-asbab
Tafsir (Explanation)
Pharaoh commands his minister Haman to construct a tall tower, hoping to reach the heavens and thereby ascend to the God of Moses to prove him a liar. Classical scholars like Al-Tabari and Ibn Kathir note this reflects Pharaoh's arrogance and spiritual blindness—his literal interpretation of 'reaching God' demonstrates his fundamental misunderstanding of divine transcendence and his desperate attempt to discredit monotheism through an impossible physical feat.
Revelation Context
This ayah occurs within the narrative of Pharaoh's rejection of Prophet Moses in Surah Ghafir, a Meccan chapter revealed to strengthen the Prophet Muhammad and believers against Meccan opposition. The broader context shows Pharaoh's escalating attempts to suppress Moses's message, illustrating how tyrants resort to futile grandeur projects when confronted with truth.
Related Hadiths
While no hadith directly addresses this ayah, Hadith Qudsi relates to divine transcendence: 'My earth and heavens do not contain Me, but the soft heart of My believing servant contains Me' (Musnad Ahmad), thematically contrasting with Pharaoh's materialistic conception of reaching the Divine.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches that no amount of worldly power, wealth, or technological achievement can substitute for spiritual humility and sincere belief; those who reject divine guidance often turn to grandiose but hollow projects that distract from their own spiritual emptiness.
Related Ayahs
مُسْتَكْبِرِينَ بِهِۦ سَـٰمِرًا تَهْجُرُونَ
In arrogance regarding it, conversing by night, speaking evil.
فَصَبَّ عَلَيْهِمْ رَبُّكَ سَوْطَ عَذَابٍ
So your Lord poured upon them a scourge of punishment.
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."
قَالُوٓا۟ أَجِئْتَنَا لِتَلْفِتَنَا عَمَّا وَجَدْنَا عَلَيْهِ ءَابَآءَنَا وَتَكُونَ لَكُمَا ٱلْكِبْرِيَآءُ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ وَمَا نَحْنُ لَكُمَا بِمُؤْمِنِينَ
They said, "Have you come to us to turn us away from that upon which we found our fathers and so that you two may have grandeur in the land? And we are not believers in you."