Al-Qur'an Surah Ghafir Verse 28

Mufti Taqi Usmani

And said a believing man from the House of Pharaoh who had kept his faith secret, “Would you kill a man because he says - ‘Allah is my Lord’ - while he has come to you with clear signs from your Lord? If he is a liar, his lie will fall back on himself, and if he is truthful, some of that (punishment) of which he warns you will afflict you. Indeed, Allah does not give guidance to anyone who is transgressor, a liar.

Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran

A believing man from Pharaoh’s people, who was hiding his faith, argued, “Will you kill a man[[ i.e., Moses (ﷺ).]] ˹only˺ for saying: ‘My Lord is Allah,’ while he has in fact come to you with clear proofs from your Lord? If he is a liar, it will be to his own loss. But if he is truthful, then you will be afflicted with some of what he is threatening you with. Surely Allah does not guide whoever is a transgressor, a total liar.

Ruwwad Translation Center

A believing man from the house of Pharaoh, who was concealing his faith, said, “Would you kill a man simply because he says: ‘My Lord is Allah,’ even though he has come to you with clear proofs from your Lord? If he is a liar, he will suffer the consequences of his lie, but if he is truthful, some of what he is threatening you with will befall you. Surely Allah does not guide anyone who is a transgressor and an utter liar.

A. J. Arberry

Then said a certain man, a believer 'of Pharaoh's folk that kept hidden his belief, 'What, will you slay a man because he says, "My Lord is God," yet he has brought you the clear signs from your Lord? If he is a liar, his lying is upon his own head; but if he is truthful, somewhat of that he promises you will smite you. Surely God guides not him who is prodigal and a liar.

Abdul Haleem

A secret believer from Pharaoh’s family said, ‘How can you kill a man just for saying, “My Lord is God”? He has brought you clear signs from your Lord- if he is a liar, on his own head be it- and if he is truthful, then at least some of what he has threatened will happen to you. God does not guide any rebellious, outrageous liar.

Abdul Majid Daryabadi

And a believing man of Fir'awn 's household, hiding his belief, said: would ye slay a man because he saith: my Lord is God, and hath come upto you with evidences from your Lord? If he is a liar, then upon him will be his lie, and if he is a truth-teller, then there will befall you some of that wherewith he threateneth you; verily God guideth not one who is an extravagant and a liar.

Abdullah Yusuf Ali

A believer, a man from among the people of Pharaoh, who had concealed his faith, said; "Will ye slay a man because he says, 'My Lord is Allah'?- when he has indeed come to you with Clear (Signs) from your Lord? and if he be a liar, on him is (the sin of) his lie; but, if he is telling the Truth, then will fall on you something of the (calamity) of which he warns you; Truly Allah guides not one who transgresses and lies!

Abul Ala Maududi

Then a man endowed with faith, from Pharaoh's folk, who had kept his faith hidden, said: “Do you kill a person simply because he says: 'My Lord is Allah' even though he brought to you clear Signs from your Lord? If he is a liar, his lying will recoil upon him; but if he is truthful, you will be smitten with some of the awesome consequences of which he warns you. Allah does not guide to the Right Way any who exceeds the limits and is an utter liar.

Ahmed Ali

A believer from the House of Pharaoh who had kept his faith to himself, said: "Will you kill a man because he says: 'My Lord is God,' when he has brought clear signs from his Lord to you? If he is a liar his lie will recoil back on him; but in case he speaks the truth, then what he predicts will befall you. Surely God does not show the way to the shameful liar.

Ahmed Raza Khan

And said a Muslim man from the people of Firaun, who used to hide his faith, “What! You want to kill a man just because he says, ‘Allah is my Lord’ whereas he has indeed brought clear signs to you from your Lord? And supposedly if he is speaking wrongly, then the calamity of wrongful speech is upon him; and if he is truthful, then part of what he promises you will reach you; indeed Allah does not guide any transgressor, excessive liar.”

Ali Quli Qarai

Said a man of faith from Pharaoh’s clan, who concealed his faith, ‘Will you kill a man for saying, ‘‘My Lord is Allah,’’ while he has already brought you manifest proofs from your Lord? Should he be lying, his falsehood will be to his own detriment; but if he is truthful, there shall visit you some of what he promises you. Indeed Allah does not guide someone who is a transgressor and liar.

Ali Ünal

(At just that moment) a believing man from among the household of the Pharaoh, who until then had concealed his faith, (came forward and) said: "Would you kill a man only because he declares, ‘My Lord is God!’, when he has indeed come to you with clear proofs from your Lord? If he be a liar, then his lie will be (reckoned) against him; but if he is true (in his proclamations), then something of what he threatens you with will befall you. Surely God does not guide (either to truth or to any achievement) one who (transgressing all bounds) is wasteful (of his God-given faculties), and a liar.

Amatul Rahman Omar

And a man who was a believer and belonged to the people of Pharaoh (and) kept his faith hidden said, `Are you bent upon killing a man simply because he says, "Allâh alone is my Lord," while he has already brought you clear proofs from your Lord? If he is a liar he will suffer (the sad consequences of) his lie, and if he is truthful then some of the things he threatens you with are sure to befall you. Indeed, Allâh does not guide (to success) the person who exceeds the bounds and is a great liar.

English Literal

And a man believing from Pharaoh`s family, he hides/conceals his faith/belief said: "Do you kill a man that (E) he says, my Lord is God? And he had come to you with the evidences from your Lord, and if he be a liar/falsifier so on him his lies/defiance/falsification, and if he be truthful, some of which he promises you strikes you ,that truly God does not guide who he is (a) waster/extravagator , liar/denier/falsifier."

Faridul Haque

And said a Muslim man from the people of Firaun, who used to hide his faith, “What! You want to kill a man just because he says, ‘Allah is my Lord’ whereas he has indeed brought clear signs to you from your Lord? And supposedly if he is speaking wrongly, then the calamity of wrongful speech is upon him; and if he is truthful, then part of what he promises you will reach you; indeed Allah does not guide any transgressor, excessive liar.”

Hamid S. Aziz

And a believing man of Pharaoh´s people who hid his faith said, "What! Will you slay a man because he says, ´My Lord is Allah, and indeed he has brought to you clear arguments from your Lord? And if he be a liar, on him will be (the consequences of) his lie, and if he be truthful, there will befall you some of that of which he warns you; surely Allah does not guide him who is a transgressing liar:

Hilali & Khan

And a believing man of Fir'aun's (Pharaoh) family, who hid his faith said: "Would you kill a man because he says: My Lord is Allah, and he has come to you with clear signs (proofs) from your Lord? And if he is a liar, upon him will be (the sin of) his lie; but if he is telling the truth, then some of that (calamity) wherewith he threatens you will befall on you." Verily, Allah guides not one who is a Musrif (a polytheist, or a murderer who shed blood without a right, or those who commit great sins, oppressor, transgressor), a liar!

Maulana Mohammad Ali

And Moses said: Truly I see refuge in my Lord and your Lord from every proud one who believes not in the day of Reckoning.

Mohammad Habib Shakir

And a believing man of Firon's people who hid his faith said: What! will you slay a man because he says: My Lord is Allah, and indeed he has brought to you clear arguments from your Lord? And if he be a liar, on him will be his lie, and if he be truthful, there will befall you some of that which he threatens you (with); surely Allah does not guide him who is extravagant, a liar:

Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall

And a believing man of Pharaoh's family, who hid his faith, said: Would ye kill a man because he saith: My Lord is Allah, and hath brought you clear proofs from your Lord? If he is lying, then his lie is upon him; and if he is truthful, then some of that wherewith he threateneth you will strike you. Lo! Allah guideth not one who is a prodigal, a liar.

Muhammad Sarwar

A believing person from the people of the Pharaoh who concealed his faith said, "Would you kill a man just because he says God is my Lord? He has brought you illustrious miracles from your Lord. If he speaks lies, it will only harm him, but if he speaks the Truth, some of his warnings may affect you. God does not guide a transgressing liar.

Qaribullah & Darwish

But one of Pharaoh's people, who was in secret a believer, asked: 'Would you kill a man because he says: "My Lord is Allah?" He has brought you clear signs from your Lord. If he is lying, let his lie be on his head, but, if he is speaking the truth then at least a part of what he promises will befall you. Allah does not guide the lying sinner.

Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri

And a believing man of Fir`awn's family, who hid his Faith said: "Would you kill a man because he says: `My Lord is Allah,' and he has come to you with clear signs from your Lord And if he is a liar, upon him will be (the sin of) his lie; but if he is telling the truth, then some of that (calamity) wherewith he threatens you will befall on you." Verily, Allah guides not one who is a transgressor, a liar!

Wahiduddin Khan

A believer, a man from among the people of Pharaoh, who had concealed his faith, said, "Would you slay a man merely because he says, "My Lord is God." He has brought you clear signs from your Lord, and if he is lying, the sin of his will be on his own head; but if he is truthful, a part of that of which he warns you will surely befall you. Certainly, God does not guide one who is a transgressor and a liar.

Talal Itani

A believing man from Pharaoh's family, who had concealed his faith, said, “Are you going to kill a man for saying, `My Lord is God,’ and he has brought you clear proofs from your Lord? If he is a liar, his lying will rebound upon him; but if he is truthful, then some of what he promises you will befall you. God does not guide the extravagant imposter.

Tafsir jalalayn

Then said a believing man from among Pharaoh's folk -- this is said to have been his paternal cousin -- who had concealed his faith, `Will you slay a man for saying, "My Lord is God", even though he has [also] brought you clear signs, manifest miracles, from your Lord? If he is lying, then his mendacity will be to his own detriment, that is, the harm resulting from his mendacity [will be to his own detriment]; but if he is truthful, then there will befall you some of that with which he is threatening you, in the way of chastisement, soon. Truly God does not guide one who is a prodigal, an idolater, a liar.

Tafseer Ibn Kathir

Musa was supported by a believing Man from Fir`awn's Family

Allah says,

وَقَالَ رَجُلٌ مُّوْمِنٌ مِّنْ الِ فِرْعَوْنَ يَكْتُمُ إِيمَانَهُ أَتَقْتُلُونَ رَجُلً أَن يَقُولَ رَبِّيَ اللَّهُ

And a believing man of Fir`awn's family, who hid his Faith said;"Would you kill a man because he says;`My Lord is Allah,'

The well-known view is that this believing man was a Coptic (Egyptian) from the family of Fir`awn.

As-Suddi said, he was a cousin (son of the paternal uncle) of Fir`awn. And it was said that he was the one who was saved along with Musa, peace be upon him.

Ibn Jurayj reported that Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, said,

"No one from among the family of Fir`awn believed apart from this man, the wife of Fir`awn, and the one who said,
يَا مُوسَى إِنَّ الْمَلَاَ يَأْتَمِرُونَ بِكَ لِيَقْتُلُوكَ
("O Musa! Verily, the chiefs are taking counsel together about you, to kill you.")" (28;20)

This was narrated by Ibn Abi Hatim.

This man concealed his Faith from his people, the Egyptians, and did not reveal it except on this day when Fir`awn said,
ذَرُونِي أَقْتُلْ مُوسَى
(Leave me to kill Musa).

The man was seized with anger for the sake of Allah, and the best of Jihad is to speak a just word before an unjust ruler, as is stated in the Hadith. There is no greater example of this than the words that this man said to Fir`awn;

أَتَقْتُلُونَ رَجُلً أَن يَقُولَ رَبِّيَ اللَّهُ


Would you kill a man because he says;`My Lord is Allah,

Al-Bukhari narrated a similar story in his Sahih from `Urwah bin Az-Zubayr, may Allah be pleased with him, who said;

"I said to `bdullah bin `Amr bin Al-`As, may Allah be pleased with him;`Tell me, what was the worst thing the idolators did to the Messenger of Allah?'

He said, `While the Messenger of Allah was praying in the courtyard of the Ka`bah, Uqbah bin Abi Mu`it came and grabbed the shoulder of the Messenger of Allah and started twisting his garment so that it strangled him. Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, came and grabbed (Uqbah's) shoulder and pushed him away from the Prophet, then he said,

أَتَقْتُلُونَ رَجُلً أَن يَقُولَ رَبِّيَ اللَّهُ وَقَدْ جَاءكُم بِالْبَيِّنَاتِ مِن رَّبِّكُمْ

Would you kill a man because he says;`My Lord is Allah,' and he has come to you with clear signs from your Lord."'

This was recorded by Al-Bukhari.

Allah's saying;

وَقَدْ جَاءكُم بِالْبَيِّنَاتِ مِن رَّبِّكُمْ

and he has come to you with clear signs from your Lord,

means, "how can you kill a man just because he says, `My Lord is Allah,' and he brings proof that what he is saying is the truth"

Then, for the sake of argument, he went along with them and said,

وَإِن يَكُ كَاذِبًا فَعَلَيْهِ كَذِبُهُ وَإِن يَكُ صَادِقًا يُصِبْكُم بَعْضُ الَّذِي يَعِدُكُمْ

And if he is a liar, upon him will be (the sin of) his lie; but if he is telling the truth, then some of that (calamity) wherewith he threatens you will befall on you.

meaning, `if you do not believe in what he is saying, then it is only common sense to leave him alone and not harm him; if he is lying, then Allah will punish him for his lies in this world and in the Hereafter. If he is telling the truth and you harm him, then some of what he is warning about will happen to you too, because he is threatening you with punishment in this world and in the Hereafter if you go against him. It is possible that he is telling the truth in your case, so you should leave him and his people alone, and not harm them.'

Allah tells us that Musa asked Fir`awn and his people to leave them in peace, as Allah says;

وَلَقَدْ فَتَنَّا قَبْلَهُمْ قَوْمَ فِرْعَوْنَ وَجَأءَهُمْ رَسُولٌ كَرِيمٌ

أَنْ أَدُّواْ إِلَىَّ عِبَادَ اللَّهِ إِنِّى لَكُمْ رَسُولٌ أَمِينٌ

وَأَن لاَّ تَعْلُواْ عَلَى اللَّهِ إِنِّى ءَاتِيكُمْ بِسُلْطَانٍ مُّبِينٍ

وَإِنِّى عُذْتُ بِرَبِّى وَرَبِّكُمْ أَن تَرْجُمُونِ

وَإِن لَّمْ تُوْمِنُواْ لِى فَاعْتَزِلُونِ

And indeed We tried before them Fir`awn's people, when there came to them a noble Messenger, saying;"Deliver to me the servants of Allah. Verily, I am to you a Messenger worthy of all trust. And exalt not yourselves against Allah. Truly, I have come to you with a manifest authority. And truly, I seek refuge with my Lord and your Lord, lest you should stone me. But if you believe me not, then keep away from me and leave me alone." (44;17-21)

Similarly, the Messenger of Allah told the Quraysh to leave him alone and let him call the servants of Allah to Allah; he asked them not to harm him, and to uphold the ties of kinship that existed between him and them, by not harming him.

Allah says;

قُل لاَّ أَسْـَلُكُمْ عَلَيْهِ أَجْراً إِلاَّ الْمَوَدَّةَ فِى الْقُرْبَى

Say;"No reward do I ask of you for this except to be kind to me for my kinship with you." (42;23)

meaning, `do not harm me, because of the ties of kinship that exist between me and you; so do not harm me, and let me address my call to the people.'

This was the basis of the truce agreed upon on the day of Al-Hudaybiyyah, which was a manifest victory.

إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يَهْدِي مَنْ هُوَ مُسْرِفٌ كَذَّابٌ



Verily, Allah guides not one who is a transgressor, a liar!

means, `if the one who claims to have been sent by Allah is a liar, as you say, this would be obvious to everyone from his words and deeds, for they would be inconsistent and self-contradictory. But we can see that this man is upright and what he says is consistent. If he was a sinner and a liar, Allah would not have guided him and made his words and actions rational and consistent as you see them.'

Then this believer warned his people that they would lose the blessings Allah bestowed upon them and that the vengeance of Allah would befall them