Oppression and Mass Crime

8. Surah Al Anfal

The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:

كَدَأْبِ آلِ فِرْعَوْنَ وَالَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ كَذَّبُواْ بآيَاتِ رَبِّهِمْ ...   

8:54.  "(Deeds) after the manner of the people of Pharaoh and those before them":

they treated as false the signs of their Lord;

C1222. These words from the address of the angels are quoted again, in order to add the comment that follows.

Note that in verse 51, the words were that they rejected the Signs of Allah and were punished:

here the words are that they treated the Signs as false and were destroyed: -a higher degree of guilt deserved a severer punishment.

... فَأَهْلَكْنَاهُم بِذُنُوبِهِمْ وَأَغْرَقْنَا آلَ فِرْعَونَ...

so We destroyed them for their crimes, and We drowned the people of Pharaoh:

...وَكُلٌّ كَانُواْ ظَالِمِينَ ﴿٥٤﴾

for they were all oppressors and wrongdoers.

Asad’s Version:

8: 54 “[Deeds] after the manner of the People of Pharaoh and those before them”: they treated as false the Signs of their Lord: so We destroyed them for their crimes, and We drowned the People of Pharaoh: for they were all oppressors and wrong-doers.