In the name of God, the Lord of Grace, the Ever Merciful
Ha. Mim. The revelation of this book is from God, the Almighty, the All-Knowing, who forgives sins, accepts repentance, is severe in retribution, and limitless in bounty. There is no deity other than Him. To Him is the ultimate return. (The Forgiving, Ghafir; 40: 1-3)
As we introduced this surah we said that it concentrates on the battle between truth and falsehood. We also mentioned that it may be divided into four parts. At the outset, the surah states that the whole universe submits to God and obeys Him. Only the unbelievers dispute God’s revelations, thus they separate themselves from the rest of the universe. Therefore, the Prophet should pay no attention to them, no matter how affluent and well-pleased they appear to be. They will inevitably face the same fate suffered by earlier communities of unbelievers. God smote them with stern punishment.
The second part begins with a reference to the fate suffered by some past communities. This serves as a prelude to the narration about certain events from Moses’ life history and specifically his encounter with Pharaoh, Haman and Korah or Qarun. These events, representing tyrants’ attitude to the message of truth, are only told in this surah. There is no reference to them anywhere else in the Qur’an.
They tell us of a believer from Pharaoh’s own household, who concealed the fact that he believed in Moses’ message. He tries first to protect Moses against Pharaoh’s attempt to kill him. He states the word of truth, putting it cautiously at first, then ultimately declaring it openly and clearly. In his argument with Pharaoh, this believer presents strong and clear evidence for the truth, warns Pharaoh and his people of the Day of Judgment, describes some images of the day in an inspirational way, and reminds them of their attitude and that of generations before them to Joseph and his message. The story is developed in such a way as to link it, eventually, to the life to come, and we see them all there, disputing among themselves as they suffer in hell. The dialogue occurs between the weak elements of society and their arrogant leaders, on the one side, and another takes place between them all and the angels in charge of hell, trying to find a way out when there is none. In the light of this last scene, the surah directs Prophet Muhammad to remain patient in adversity, to have full trust that God’s promise will come true, and to glorify and praise Him.