33. Surah Al-Ahzab

The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَا تَكُونُوا كَالَّذِينَ آذَوْا مُوسَى...

33:69 [Ali] . O ye who believe! be ye not like those who vexed and insulted Moses,

C3774. The people of Moses often vexed him and rebelled against him and against Allah's Law. Here the reference seems to be to Num. 12:1-13. It is there said that;

Moss's own sister Miriam and his brother Aaron spoke against Moses because Moses had married an Ethiopian woman. Allah cleared Moses of the charge of having done anything wrong:

"My servant Moses is not so, who is faithful in all mine house."

Miriam was afflicted with leprosy for seven days as a punishment, after which she was forgiven, as also was Aaron.

This is the Old Testament story.

The Holy Prophet was also attacked because of his marriage with Zaynab bint Jahsh, but not by his own circle; his motives were of the highest and were completely vindicated as we have seen above.

...فَبَرَّأَهُ اللَّهُ مِمَّا قَالُوا... ...

but Allah cleared him of the (calumnies) they had uttered:

...وَكَانَ عِندَ اللَّهِ وَجِيهًا ﴿٦٩﴾

and he was honorable in Allah's sight.

Asad’s Version:

33:69 O YOU who have attained to faith! Be not like those [children of Israel] who gave offence to Moses, and [remember that] God showed him to be innocent of whatever they alleged [against him or demanded of him] : 85 for of great honor was he in the sight of God.

33:69 [Yuksel] O you who acknowledge, do not be like those who harmed Moses, but then God cleared him of all they said, and he was honorable before God.

[[Asad’s note - 85 This is an allusion to the aspersions occasionally cast upon Moses by some of his followers and mentioned in the Old Testament (e.g., Numbers xii, 1-13), as well as to the blasphemous demands of which the Qur'an speaks - e.g., "O Moses, indeed we shall not believe thee until we see God face to face" (2:55) or. "Go forth, thou and thy Sustainer, and fight, both of you! " (5:24). These instances are paralleled here with the frequently cited accusations that Muhammad had "invented" the Qur'an and then falsely attributed it to God, that he was a madman, and so forth, as well as with frivolous demands to prove his prophethood by bringing about miracles or - as is restated in verse 63 of this surah - by predicting the date of the Last Hour. ]]