028- AL-QAṢAṢ
THE STORY
Al-Qaṣaṣ
Most commentators consider al-Qaṣaṣ to be an entirely Makkan surah that was revealed after Surah 27, al-Naml, although some consider vv. 52–55 to be Madinan and others maintain that v. 85 was revealed during Muhammad’s migration from Makkah to Madinah. It takes its name from the story (qaṣaṣ) Moses tells his future father-in-law in v. 25 regarding his flight from Egypt.
Al-Qaṣaṣ begins with the story of Moses and Pharaoh and describes the oppression suffered by the Children of Israel, leading Moses’ mother to cast him into the river, after which he was rescued and cared for by the family of Pharaoh and ultimately reunited with his mother (vv. 3–13). This is followed by an account of Moses’ striking and killing an Egyptian who was quarreling with an Israelite and the subsequent flight of Moses from Egypt to Midian (vv. 14–22). There Moses meets two sisters, one of whom he will come to marry, and finds refuge for many years in the employ of his father-in-law (vv. 23–28). Then Moses encounters the fire from which he hears God speak to him; he has his first experience of the miracles he will perform in Egypt and requests that Aaron, his brother, be sent with him to confront Pharaoh (vv. 29–35). The confrontation between Moses and Pharaoh includes the issue of the latter’s claim to divinity and his boast about building a structure to climb up to Heaven to encounter and challenge the God of Moses (vv. 36–42).
The Prophet Muhammad is told that he was not present when Moses received his revelations and that in the intervening period God sent prophets to other peoples, a reminder that only highlights the obstinacy and pride of the Prophet’s contemporaries who claimed to long for guidance from God, but who rejected His Prophet when he was sent (vv. 43–50). They are contrasted with those who, when they hear the truth, believe in it (vv. 51–55).
The last part of the surah emphasizes the ephemerality of the world in relation to the Hereafter; Moses’ contemporary Korah is presented as the epitome of wickedness and worldly extravagance and pride. The surah ends with a reminder that this world is coming to an end and that all things will return to God (vv. 56–88).
(source: “The Study Quran” a new translation and commentary by Seyyed Hossein Nasr)
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