Tafseer of The Forgiver · Ghafir · 40:29
O my people, sovereignty is yours today, [your being] dominant in the land. But who would protect us from the punishment of Allah if it came to us?" Pharaoh said, "I do not show you except what I see, and I do not guide you except to the way of right conduct."
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.
Explanation of the statement of the Exalted: Yā qawmi lakumu al-mulku al-Yawma ẓāhirīna fī al-arḍi faman yanṣurunā min baʾsi Allāhi in jāʾanā qāla Firʿawnu mā urīkum illā mā arā wa-mā ahdīkum illā sabīla al-rashād (40:29) — "O my people, today the kingship is yours, while you have the upper hand in the land; but who will help us against the punishment of Allah, should it come upon us? Pharaoh said: I show you only what I myself see, and I guide you only to the path of righteousness."
The Exalted, whose praise is exalted, says — relating the statement of the believer from the house of Pharaoh to Pharaoh and his counselors: ( Yā qawmi lakumu al-mulku al-Yawma ẓāhirīna fī al-arḍi ) — He means: the land of Egypt. He says: to you belongs today the dominion and the kingship, while you have the upper hand over the children of Israel in the land of Egypt. ( faman yanṣurunā min baʾsi Allāhi ). He says: who will avert from us the punishment of Allah and His might, should it descend upon us, and His retribution, should it come to us? Pharaoh said: ( mā urīkum illā mā arā ). He says: Pharaoh said, replying to this believer who forbade the killing of Moses: I show you, O people, in the way of insight and good counsel, only what I deem wholesome and correct for myself and for you; and I guide you only to the path of righteousness. He says: and I call you only to the way of truth and of what is right in the matter of Moses and his killing, for if you do not kill him, he will change your religion and openly spread corruption in your land.
