Ghafir (The Forgiver)

30. And he who believed said: “O my people! Indeed I fear for you a fate like that day [of destruction] of the [former] Confederates!

31. Like the fate of the people of Noah and ‘Ad, and Thamud [inflicted with tempest, poisonous icy gale, and lightning, respectively] and those who came after them. And Allah wills no injustice for [his] servants.

Do not desist promulgation of faith and Divine Guidance for the sake of opponents’ words. Solitude does not lie in commanding good and forbidding evil.

Egyptians at the time were relatively civilized and literate and knew about historians’ accounts of ancient peoples, like those of Noah, ‘Ad, and Thamud whose lands did not lie too remote from theirs and they were more or less aware of their dire fates.

The blessed Verses in question indicate that the believing man of the family of Pharaoh, after raising objection as to the conspiracy against Moses’ (as) life faced Pharaoh’s severe resistance who confirmed his command as to taking the life of Moses (as); however, he did not desist from making efforts as he deemed it fit and appropriate to do so and thought of reminding the rebellious people of the history of ancient peoples and warn them against being inflicted with the same afflictions so that they may wake up and revise their decision.

Thus he opened his admonition:

“O my people! Indeed I fear for you a fate like that day [of destruction] of the [former] Confederates!”

Then he added:

“Like the fate of the people of Noah and ‘Ad, and Thamud [inflicted with tempest, poisonous icy gale, and lightning, respectively] and those who came after them. And Allah wills no injustice for [his] servants.”

He made efforts to convince them, saying:

“these people were entangled with polytheism, disbelief, and rebellion and we are apprised of their dire fates. Some of them met their end by a devastating tempest, some by a horrible gale, some by lightning, and some by annihilating earthquakes!

Do you not think that you may be afflicted by such terrible disasters as a recompense of your persistence in disbelief and rebellion? Therefore, allow me to say unto you that I am afraid of such dire fate in store for you.

Could you produce some argument substantiating that you are different from them and you will not be afflicted with such Divine torments? What had they done that they were entangled with such torments? They solely resisted the Calls of Prophets and at times murdered or denied them. You are supposed to know that whatever befalls on you will be the consequences of your evil acts since:

‘Allah wills no injustice for [his] servants.’”