Surah 28. Al-Qasas, Ayah 4
| إِنَّ فِرْعَوْنَ عَلَا فِي الْأَرْضِ وَجَعَلَ أَهْلَهَا شِيَعًا يَسْتَضْعِفُ طَائِفَةً مِنْهُمْ يُذَبِّحُ أَبْنَاءَهُمْ وَيَسْتَحْيِي نِسَاءَهُمْ ۚ إِنَّهُ كَانَ مِنَ الْمُفْسِدِينَ |
| Transliteration | : | 'inna fircawn calaa fe al- 'ard. wa- jacala 'ahl -haa shiyac(an) yastad.cif t.aa'ifah min -hum yudhabbih. abnaa' -hum wa- yastah.ye nisaa' -hum 'inna -hu kaana min al- mufsiden |
| Pickthall | : | Lo! Pharaoh exalted himself in the earth and made its people castes. A tribe among them he suppressed, killing their sons and sparing their women. Lo! he was of those who work corruption. |
| Asad | : | Behold, Pharaoh exalted himself in the land and divided its people into castes.3 One group of them he deemed utterly low; he would slaughter their sons and spare [only] their women:4 for, behold, he was one of those who spread corruption [on earth]. |
| Malik | : | The fact is that Fir'on elevated himself in the land and divided its residents into groups, one group of which he persecuted, putting their sons to death and sparing only their females. Indeed he was one of the mischief-makers. |
| Yusuf Ali | : | Truly Pharaoh elated himself in the land and broke up its people into sections depressing a small group among them: their sons he slew but he kept alive their females: for he was indeed a maker of mischief. 3329 |
Note - 3Lit., "parties" or "sects" - here undoubtedly referring
to the division of people into "high" and "low-born": a
division which the Qur'an utterly condemns. The group
which, as mentioned in the next sentence, Pharaoh "deemed
utterly low" were the Israelites, who had been placed on
the lowest rung of the Egyptian social scale and were
deprived of almost all human rights.
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Note - 4See note [7].
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Note - 3329For a king or ruler to make invidious distinctions
between his subjects, and specially to depress or oppress
any particular class of his subjects, is a dereliction of
his kingly duties, for which he is responsible to Allah.
Pharaoh and his clique were intoxicated with pride of
race and pride of material civilization, and grievously
oppressed the Israelites. Pharaoh decreed that all male
sons born to his Israelite subjects should be killed, and
the females kept alive for the pleasure of the Egyptians.
Moses was saved in a wonderful way, as related further.
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Lit., "parties" or "sects" - here undoubtedly referring to the division of people into "high" and "low-born": a division which the Qur'an utterly condemns. The group which, as mentioned in the next sentence, Pharaoh "deemed utterly low" were the Israelites, who had been placed on the lowest rung of the Egyptian social scale and were deprived of almost all human rights. |
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For a king or ruler to make invidious distinctions between his subjects, and specially to depress or oppress any particular class of his subjects, is a dereliction of his kingly duties, for which he is responsible to Allah. Pharaoh and his clique were intoxicated with pride of race and pride of material civilization, and grievously oppressed the Israelites. Pharaoh decreed that all male sons born to his Israelite subjects should be killed, and the females kept alive for the pleasure of the Egyptians. Moses was saved in a wonderful way, as related further. |
