فَلَولا أُلقِيَ عَلَيهِ أَسوِرَةٌ مِن ذَهَبٍ أَو جاءَ مَعَهُ المَلائِكَةُ مُقتَرِنينَ
Why have no bracelets of gold been cast upon him, nor have the angels come with him as escorts?’
EXEGESIS
Lawlā (why have no) is an exhortation particle used for urging, but in this context it is employed to express inability (taʿjīz), i.e. making something seem impossible or beyond reach.
Ulqiya (cast) is the passive form of the verb alqā meaning casting or throwing, but here it is used in the sense of sending down (inzāl), i.e. ‘why were not bracelets of gold cast down upon him from the sky?’
Aswirah (bracelets) is the plural of siwār which means bracelet or bangle, and is the Arabicised form of the original Persian, dastwār. According to Ibn ʿĀshūr, siwār is a broad ring made of gold or silver that encircles the wrist. It was a symbol of kingship in Persia and Egypt, where the king would wear two bracelets. Among the Pharaohs, it was customary to wear two or more golden bracelets – sometimes two on the wrists and another two on the upper arms. Thus, when Pharaoh imagined that the rank of prophethood was like that of kingship, he assumed that lacking this royal emblem was a sign that a person was not a true messenger.
Muqtarinīn (as escorts) stems from the root verb qarana, which means to join, pair, or connect two things together. Classical Arabic usage illustrates this meaning clearly: the expression qarana al‑baʿīrayn means two camels were tied together with a single rope.
The verbal noun iqtirān signifies the coming together of two or more entities in a particular respect. When person A is described as a qarīn of person B, it indicates that they are joined or associated through a shared attribute, such as equal valour, comparable rank, or even being born at the same time.
In the Quranic verse in question, Pharaoh objects to Prophet Moses (a) by asking why he was not accompanied by angels. The implication is not merely physical accompaniment, but associative pairing, that a prophet and the angels would be joined together in one context, namely as a visible sign of authority and confirmation. Thus, the angels would function as escorts, sharing with a prophet the attribute of appearing together as a unified proof.
EXPOSITION
Many exegetes mention that it was a custom that when they would appoint someone as their leader, they would present him with a golden bracelet and place a golden necklace around his neck. Therefore, in the current verse, Pharaoh was questioning Prophet Moses’ (a) divine leadership by asking that if he was truly a prophet, he ought to have been given a golden bracelet. Secondly, Pharaoh argued that had Prophet Moses (a) really been a divine messenger, he would be accompanied by angels who would testify to his prophethood, or as attributed to Ibn Abbas, support him against those who oppose him. Both the above arguments were repeated by the polytheists of Mecca (25:7-8) (see verse 31 of this chapter). For God’s response to this oft-repeated objection, see 6:8 and 17:95.
Prophet Moses (a) was dressed in simple woollen attire with a wooden staff in his hand, promulgating that a person’s value should not be determined by his clothes or ornaments. Real values are those of piety and knowledge, and until and unless a society’s hierarchy of values is not corrected, that society can never prosper spiritually.
INSIGHTS FROM HADITH
- In a lengthy sermon, Imam Ali (a) is reported to have said: ‘God tests people who are mighty in their own view, through his chosen ones, who are weak in their eyes. Moses, son of ʿImrān, and with him his brother Aaron, were admitted to Pharaoh wearing shifts of coarse wool and holding wooden staffs, and they offered him a guarantee – if he committed to God’s will, his kingdom would last forever, and his might would persist. Pharaoh exclaimed: “Do you not wonder at these two? They promise me the continuation of my might and the perpetuation of my kingdom when, as you see, they are utterly poor and totally contemptible! How is it they are not adorned with bracelets of gold?” Pharaoh prized gold and the hoarding of it and mocked coarse wool and the wearing of it. If God, when He sent His prophets, had wished to open for them treasuries of gold, stores of bullion, and the granaries of the celestial garden, if He had wished to assemble in their legions the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth, He would have done so. And had He done so, the trial would have been nullified, recompense would have become invalid, and true reports [about the affairs of the next world] would have dwindled. Those who accepted the prophets’ message would not have deserved the reward of those who had been tested, believers would not have merited the reward of good deeds, and words would not have retained their meanings. But God sent His messengers strong in resolution, weak in terms of what eyes perceived. Their contentment filled hearts and eyes with riches, while their destitution filled eyes and ears with pain. If these prophets had possessed strength that could not be challenged, might that could not be diminished, and kingship toward which men’s necks craned and saddles were fastened, these conditions would have relieved the weight of reflection for the people and broken their arrogance. People would have become believers either out of subjugation to fear or the pull of desire. Intentions would have been split and benefits would accordingly have been divided. But God willed that all pious acts – devotion to His messengers, acceptance of the truth of His books, self-effacement for His sake, humility before His command, and submission to Him and obedience – all these things should be pure and for Himself alone, untainted by any drop of insincerity. The greater the test and trial, the grander the reward and recompense.’
REVIEW OF TAFSĪR LITERATURE
Muqtarinīn has also been interpreted as ‘gathered together in large numbers’, i.e. the angels were united together, forming large groups to support Prophet Moses (a), strengthen his power, or endorse his message. Perhaps this can be seen in the translation of Yusuf Ali: ‘Then why are not gold bracelets bestowed on him, or (why) come (not) with him angels accompanying him in procession?’ and Mir Ahmed Ali: ‘Why were then no bracelets of gold shed upon him from above, or angels sent down as a retinue with him?’ Qatādah interpreted it as following one another in succession.
Ibn ʿĀshūr states that there is no evidence that the Egyptians affirmed the existence of angels in the sense known to followers of divine religions. Perhaps Pharaoh mentioned angels only to keep up with Prophet Moses (a), as he may have heard from him that God has angels or something similar during his preaching. Thus, Pharaoh sought to challenge him by demanding that he bring forth the angels who supposedly appeared to him. Others have added that it would have been impossible for Pharaoh to have believed in the existence of angels since he denied the existence of their Creator. Ironically, some exegetes refer to this very verse as evidence that Pharaoh did believe in angels.
[1] Ibn Ashur, 25/270.
[2] Ibn Ashur, 25/270.
[3] Raghib, p. 433.
[4] Ibn Ashur, 25/270.
[5] Qamus, 5/310.
[6] Mizan, 18/111; Alusi, 25/90; Tabrisi, 9/78.
[7] Daqaiq, 12/77; Safi, 4/395; Alusi, 13/90.
[8] Amthal, 16/73.
[9] Nahj, sermon 190; Nur, 4/607-8.
[10] Alusi, 13/90.
[11] Ibn Ashur, 25/271.
[12] Qurtubi, 16/100.
[13] Rahnama, 17/77.