7. Sura al-Araf

The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:

وَقَالَ الْمَلأُ مِن قَوْمِ فِرْعَونَ...

7: 127. Said the chiefs of Pharaoh's people:

...أَتَذَرُ مُوسَى وَقَوْمَهُ لِيُفْسِدُواْ فِي الأَرْضِ وَيَذَرَكَ وَآلِهَتَكَ...

"Wilt thou leave Moses and his people, to spread mischief in the land, and to abandon thee and thy gods?"

...قَالَ سَنُقَتِّلُ أَبْنَاءهُمْ وَنَسْتَحْيِـي نِسَاءهُمْ وَإِنَّا فَوْقَهُمْ قَاهِرُونَ ﴿١٢٧﴾

He said:

"Their male children will we slay; (only) their females will we save alive;

and we have over them (power) irresistible."

C1084. Pharaoh's order against the sorcerers was drastic enough. But his Council is not satisfied.

What about Moses and the Israelites?

They had a seeming victory, and will now be more mischievous than ever. They appeal to Pharaoh's vanity and his superstition and sense of power. "If you leave them alone." they say, "where will be your authority? You and your gods will be defied!"

Pharaoh has a ready answer. He was really inwardly cowed by the apparent power of Moses. He dared not openly act against him. But he had already, before the birth of Moses, passed a cunning order to destroy the whole people of Israel. Through the instrumentality of midwives (Exod. 1:15-16) all the male children were to be destroyed. and the females would then be for the Egyptians: the race of Israel would thus be at an end. This order was still in force, and would remain in force until the despised race was absorbed.

But Egyptian cunning and wickedness had no power against Allah's Plan for those who had faith.

See verse 129 below.

Other versions:

7: 127

Yusuf Ali Said the chiefs of Pharaoh's people: "will you leave Moses and his people to spread mischief in the land and to abandon thee and thy gods?" He said: "Their male children will we slay; (only) their females will we save alive; and we have over them (power) irresistible."

Pickthall The chiefs of Pharaoh's people said: (O King), wilt thou suffer Moses and his people to make mischief in the land, and flout thee and thy gods? He said: We will slay their sons and spare their women, for lo! we are in power over them.

Transliteration Wa qa_lal mala'u min qaumi fir'auna atazaru mu_sa_ wa qaumahu_ liyufsidu_ fil ardi wa yazaraka wa a_lihatak(a), qa_la sanuqattilu abna_'ahum wa nastahyi nisa_'ahum, wa inna_ fauqahum qa_hiru_n(a).