Tafseer of Taa-Haa · Taa-Haa · 20:74
Indeed, whoever comes to his Lord as a criminal - indeed, for him is Hell; he will neither die therein nor live.
Important: The Arabic source text is always authoritative. This translation is a study aid and has not been verified by scholars — do not use it as a basis for religious proof or for deriving rulings (ahkam). When in doubt, always consult the Arabic text and a qualified scholar.
And His words وَإِنَّا آمَنَّا بِرَبِّنَا لِيَغْفِرَ لَنَا خَطَايَانَا ("We have believed in our Lord, that He may forgive us our sins") — Allah, exalted be His remembrance, says: We have acknowledged the oneness of our Lord, we have accepted His promise and His threat as truth, and we believe that what Mūsā brought is the truth — لِيَغْفِرَ لَنَا خَطَايَانَا — that He may forgive us our sins and conceal them for us. وَمَا أَكْرَهْتَنَا عَلَيْهِ مِنَ السِّحْرِ — that He may forgive us our sins, and that which we have learned of sorcery, and what we performed by it — that which you compelled us to learn and to practice — that He may forgive us. And it has been mentioned that Pharaoh had compelled them to learn sorcery.
Mention of those who said this:
Mūsā ibn Sahl related to me, saying: Naʿīm ibn Ḥammād related to us, saying: Sufyān ibn ʿUyayna related to us, on the authority of Abū Saʿīd, on the authority of ʿIkrima, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, concerning the word of Allah, the Blessed and Exalted: وَمَا أَكْرَهْتَنَا عَلَيْهِ مِنَ السِّحْرِ — he said: youths whom Pharaoh had handed over to the sorcerers to have them learn sorcery in al-Faramā.
Yūnus related to me, saying: Ibn Wahb informed us, saying: Ibn Zayd said, concerning His words وَمَا أَكْرَهْتَنَا عَلَيْهِ مِنَ السِّحْرِ : he said: He commanded them to learn sorcery — they said: they abandoned the Book of Allah, and commanded their people to learn sorcery. And concerning وَمَا أَكْرَهْتَنَا عَلَيْهِ مِنَ السِّحْرِ he said: You commanded us to learn it.
And His words وَاللَّهُ خَيْرٌ وَأَبْقَى — Allah, exalted be His remembrance, says: Allah is better than you, O Pharaoh, with respect to the reward for whoever obeys Him, and He is more enduring in the punishment for whoever disobeys Him and resists His command.
As Ibn Ḥumayd related to us, saying: Salama related to us, on the authority of Ibn Isḥāq: وَاللَّهُ خَيْرٌ وَأَبْقَى : better than you in reward, and more enduring in punishment.
Al-Qāsim related to us, saying: Al-Ḥusayn related to us, saying: Ḥajjāj related to me, on the authority of Abū Maʿshar, on the authority of Muḥammad ibn Kaʿb and Muḥammad ibn Qays, concerning the word of Allah وَاللَّهُ خَيْرٌ وَأَبْقَى — they both said: Better than you when He is obeyed, and more enduring than you in punishment when He is disobeyed.
