23 . Sura Al-Muminun

The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:

ثُمَّ أَرْسَلْنَا مُوسَى وَأَخَاهُ هَارُونَ بِآيَاتِنَا وَسُلْطَانٍ مُّبِينٍ ﴿٤٥﴾

23: 45. Then We sent Moses and his brother Aaron, with Our Signs and authority manifest,

C2903. Moses and Aaron had a twofold mission:

1. to Pharaoh and his Court, which failed because of Egyptian arrogance;

2. to the Israelites, for whom the Law was received on Mount Sinai, but they repeatedly rebelled against Allah.

In both cases there were miracles ("Clear Signs") and other proofs which showed that they came at Allah's command and were inspired by His authority.

إِلَى فِرْعَوْنَ وَمَلَئِهِ...

23: 46. To Pharaoh and his Chiefs:

...فَاسْتَكْبَرُوا وَكَانُوا قَوْمًا عَالِينَ ﴿٤٦﴾

but these behaved insolently: they were arrogant people.

فَقَالُوا أَنُؤْمِنُ لِبَشَرَيْنِ مِثْلِنَا وَقَوْمُهُمَا لَنَا عَابِدُونَ ﴿٤٧﴾

23: 47. They said:

"Shall we believe in two men like ourselves?

And their people are subject to us!"

C2904. Racial arrogance made the Egyptians say, 'These men belong to a race which we hold in subjection as our slaves: how can we accept them as messengers of Allah?'

فَكَذَّبُوهُمَا فَكَانُوا مِنَ الْمُهْلَكِينَ ﴿٤٨﴾

23: 48. So they accused them of falsehood, and they became of those who were destroyed.

وَلَقَدْ آتَيْنَا مُوسَى الْكِتَابَ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَهْتَدُونَ ﴿٤٩﴾

23: 49. And We gave Moses the Book, in order that they might receive guidance.

C2905. Here the reference is to the second part of the mission of Moses, that to the Israelites, which the Israelites rendered ineffective by their want of faith.

See n. 2903 above.

Asad’s Version:

23:45 [al-Muminun, Mecca 74]Asad

AND THEN We sent forth Moses and his brother Aaron with Our messages and a manifest authority [from Us]

(23:46) unto Pharaoh and his great ones; 23 but these behaved with arrogance, for they were people wont to glorify [only) themselves.

(23:47) And so they said: "Shall we believe [them -) two mortals like ourselves - although their people are our slaves?"

23:48 Thus, they gave the lie to those two, and earned [thereby) their place among the doomed: 24

(23:49) for, indeed, We had vouchsafed revelation unto Moses in order that they might find the right way.

[[ Asad’s notes -

23 Moses and Aaron are mentioned here by name because their case was different from that of all other prophets: they were rejected not by their own community but by their community's oppressors.

24 Lit., "became of those who were destroyed".

25 For my rendering of ayah, in this instance, as "symbol",, see surah 19, note 16. Jesus and his mother Mary are mentioned here specifically because they, too, had to suffer persecution and slander at the hands of "those who were bent on denying the truth".]]