Tafseer of The Stories · Al-Qasas · 28:38
And Pharaoh said, "O eminent ones, I have not known you to have a god other than me. Then ignite for me, O Haman, [a fire] upon the clay and make for me a tower that I may look at the God of Moses. And indeed, I do think he is among the liars."
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.
The word of Allah, the Exalted: وَقَالَ فِرْعَوْنُ يَا أَيُّهَا الْمَلأُ مَا عَلِمْتُ لَكُمْ مِنْ إِلَهٍ غَيْرِي فَأَوْقِدْ لِي يَا هَامَانُ عَلَى الطِّينِ فَاجْعَلْ لِي صَرْحًا لَعَلِّي أَطَّلِعُ إِلَى إِلَهِ مُوسَى وَإِنِّي لأَظُنُّهُ مِنَ الْكَاذِبِينَ (38)
Allah, the Exalted, says: Pharaoh said to the notables and leaders of his people: يَا أَيُّهَا الْمَلأُ مَا عَلِمْتُ لَكُمْ مِنْ إِلَهٍ غَيْرِي — so that you may worship him and believe the words of Mūsā in what he has brought to you, namely that you and he have a Lord other than me and another to be worshipped besides me. فَأَوْقِدْ لِي يَا هَامَانُ عَلَى الطِّينِ — that is to say: make bricks for me. It is reported that he was the first to bake bricks and build with them.
Mention of who said that:
Al-Qāsim related to us, he said: al-Ḥusayn related to us, he said: Ḥajjāj related to me, on the authority of Ibn Jurayj, on the authority of Mujāhid: فَأَوْقِدْ لِي يَا هَامَانُ عَلَى الطِّينِ — he said: "upon clay that becomes baked brick."
Ibn Jurayj said: Pharaoh was the first to give the order to make bricks and to build with them.
Bishr related to us, he said: Yazīd related to us, he said: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda: فَأَوْقِدْ لِي يَا هَامَانُ عَلَى الطِّينِ — he said: he was the first to bake bricks in order to build the structure with them.
Yūnus related to me, he said: Ibn Wahb informed us, he said: Ibn Zayd said concerning the word of Allah: فَأَوْقِدْ لِي يَا هَامَانُ عَلَى الطِّينِ — he said: "the baked material for which fire is kindled is of clay with which one builds."
His word فَاجْعَلْ لِي صَرْحًا — that is to say: build for me a structure with bricks. Every flat structure is a ṣarḥ, like a palace. Hence the verse of the poet:
Bihinna naʿāmun banā-hā l-rijālu taḥsabu aʿlāma-hunna l-ṣurūḥā
By "al-ṣurūḥ" here he means: the plural of ṣarḥ.
His word لَعَلِّي أَطَّلِعُ إِلَى إِلَهِ مُوسَى — that is to say: I will look upon the one worshipped by Mūsā, whom he worships and to whose worship he invites. وَإِنِّي لأَظُنُّهُ — in what he claims, namely that he has one to be worshipped in heaven, and that it is He who grants him strength and supports him, and that He sent him to us: مِنَ الْكَاذِبِينَ — among the liars. It is transmitted to us that Hāmān built the structure for him, and he climbed it.
What has been transmitted concerning his story and his ascent of the structure, Mūsā related to us, he said: ʿAmr related to us, he said: Asbāṭ related to us, on the authority of al-Suddī, who said: Pharaoh said to his people: يَا أَيُّهَا الْمَلأ مَا عَلِمْتُ لَكُمْ مِنْ إِلَهٍ غَيْرِي فَأَوْقِدْ لِي يَا هَامَانُ عَلَى الطِّينِ فَاجْعَلْ لِي صَرْحًا لَعَلِّي I will go into the heaven and look down إِلَى إِلَهِ مُوسَى . When the structure had been built for him, he climbed atop it and ordered that an arrow be taken and shot in the direction of the heaven. That arrow returned to him smeared with blood. He said: "I have killed the god of Mūsā." — Exalted is Allah above what they say.
