وَضَرَبَ اللَّهُ مَثَلًا لِلَّذينَ آمَنُوا امرَأَتَ فِرعَونَ إِذ قالَت رَبِّ ابنِ لي عِندَكَ بَيتًا فِي الجَنَّةِ وَنَجِّني مِن فِرعَونَ وَعَمَلِهِ وَنَجِّني مِنَ القَومِ الظّالِمينَ
Allah draws an[other] example for those who have faith: the wife of Pharaoh, when she said: ‘My Lord! Build me a home near You in paradise, and deliver me from Pharaoh and his conduct, and deliver me from the wrongdoing lot.’
EXPOSITION
This verse and the previous one tie in closely to the surah’s main theme of family relations. In verse 6 we read about each person’s responsibility to their family members; however, in these two verses we are told the limits of that responsibility. Even though we have duty towards our family, as individuals we are responsible in the end about our own actions.
This verse gives a diametrically opposed example to the last verse. Here we read about a woman who was married to one of the vilest men to have ever lived, yet this did not affect her spiritual status. In contrast to the previous verse, the example here is drawn for those who have faith. Pharaoh’s wife is set as an example for the believers so that they may strive to be like her, not letting circumstance and situation keep them from faith and righteousness.
According to what is reported, Pharaoh’s wife was named Āsiyah bint Muzāḥim. We may imagine how Āsiyah was tested and affected by the vile acts and indecencies committed by Pharaoh and his followers; so she turned to God asking Him to help her remain steadfast in faith. Āsiyah strongly disassociated herself from the actions of Pharaoh. Even though she shared her house with him, her spiritual house was in paradise. Whilst people clamoured and yearned to be allowed closeness to Pharaoh and entry into his palace, Āsiyah yearned for nearness to God: And the magicians came to Pharaoh. They said: ‘We shall indeed have a reward if we were to be the victors?’ He said: ‘Of course! And indeed you shall be among those near [to me]’ (7:113-114).
In a way, God is also derogating Pharaoh’s palace by pointing out that a simple house is superior, if it is near Him.
Her final prayer, and deliver me from Pharaoh and his conduct, and deliver me from the wrongdoing lot, is testament to the sin, evil, and injustice that she witnessed whilst living with Pharaoh. Combined with the previous verse, there is an important lesson being alluded to here. Sometimes, a person may live in circumstances where she has all the opportunities to sin and to enjoy worldly pleasures, yet chooses the path of righteousness and obedience to God; and sometimes, a person may have all the opportunities to cultivate themselves spiritually and do good, yet they choose to seek out sin and worldly gain. This ties into verse 7, that a person should not make their circumstances an excuse for sinning and committing evil actions.
Why did Āsiyah first ask to be saved from Pharaoh and then ask to be saved from his actions? Why should she repeat herself like that, even though being saved from Pharaoh should include being saved from his actions? Ālūsī to this by saying that it is as if she hated him so much that she just wished to be first removed from his presence, physically – as if his very proximity was torture to her – and then asked to be saved from his actions.
Another question one might ask here is: why does God choose to relate this specific prayer of Āsiyah when He is setting her as an exemplar of faith? Indeed, unlike with Mary in the next verse, God mentions no merit of Āsiyah except this prayer. Tabatabai says this is because this prayer summarises her laudable faith. She had no desire for worldly luxury and enjoyment, but rather her goal was only to live in heaven in nearness to God. The choice of this with regards to the theme of the surah is obvious – the real family of a believer is a vehicle towards nearness to God; if they are enemies of God, one should separate oneself from them. In addition to this obvious reference made in this verse to the main theme of the surah, there is also an indirect reference to that in Āsiyah’s prayer. She first asks for rescue from the evil acts of Pharaoh (an individual), and then asks for rescue from the evil acts of Egyptian society in general. As we have earlier noted, under the theme of family relations is the subtheme of individual responsibility versus social responsibility.
INSIGHTS FROM HADITH
- From Ibn Abbas, that the Prophet said: ‘The best women of paradise are four: Khadijah bint Khuwaylid, Fatimah bint Muhammad, Maryam bint ʿImrān, and Āsiyah bint Muzāḥim, the wife of Pharaoh.’
REVIEW OF TAFSĪR LITERATURE
It is related from Salmān al-Fārsī that Āsiyah was tortured with the heat of the sun, and that angels came to shade her with their wings and showed her what was to be her house in paradise. According to a report from Abū Hurayrah, Āsiyah believed after witnessing the miracles of Prophet Moses (a). When she revealed her faith to Pharaoh, he commanded her to recant. She refused, so Pharaoh tortured her by tying her limbs to stakes and leaving her under the sun. Finally, a heavy rock was placed on top of her. When her final moments drew near, she prayed to God: My Lord! Build me a home near You in paradise. According to the report, God then lifted her to a heavenly garden. It truly is a testament to Āsiyah’s faith that neither the worldly pleasures of Pharaoh’s palace could tempt her away from faith, nor could the cruel torture of his lackeys dissuade her.
Ālūsī notes that in Āsiyah’s prayer she first mentions nearness (ʿindaka) and then mentions a home (bayt). He says this is because of the maxim ‘the neighbour comes before the house’ (al-jār qabl al-dār). In other words, nearness to God was her primary desire, and the pleasure of paradise was secondary. Zamakhsharī says this is because she first asks for nearness to the mercy of God, and then asks for rescue from the tortures of her enemies (i.e. paradise). Alternatively, he says it could be that she asks for not only entry into paradise, but nearness to God spiritually, meaning a high station in paradise.
INSIGHTS FROM OTHER TRADITIONS
- Judge me, O God, and plead my cause against an ungodly nation: O deliver me from the deceitful and unjust man.
- Deliver me from the workers of iniquity, and save me from bloody men.
- Be surety for thy servant for good: let not the proud oppress me. Deliver me from the oppression of man: so will I keep thy precepts.
- I have done judgment and justice: leave me not to mine oppressors. Be surety for thy servant for good: let not the proud oppress me.
[1] Tibyan, 10/53. [2] Nemuneh, 24/304. [3] Tibyan, 10/54; Tabrisi, 10/479; Thalabi, 9/351. It has also been claimed that she was the aunt of Prophet Moses (a); see Zamakhshari, 4/572; Qurtubi, 18/202. [4] Tibyan, 10/54. [5] Nemuneh, 24/303. [6] See also Fadlallah, 22/331. [7] Alusi, 14/358. [8] Mizan, 19/344. [9] Mizan, 19/345. [10] See for example the commentary on verse 6. [11] Khisal, pp. 206-207; see also Suyuti, 6/246; Nur, 5/377. [12] Suyuti, 6/245; Tabrisi 10/479; Tabari, 28/110; Thalabi, 9/351. [13] Razi, 30/574-575; Alusi, 14/358. Tibyan relates this same story, however without mentioning who it is from, as do Tabrisi and Nemuneh; see Tibyan, 10/55; Tabrisi 10/479; Nemuneh, 24/302-303. See also Suyuti, 6/245-246; Tabari, 28/110; Haythami, 9/218; Thalabi, 9/351, for slight variations of this. Some variations explicitly state that she was spiritually rescued and that the rock fell on a lifeless body, whereas from others it could be understood that she was rescued physically as they state that she was rescued to her Lord, where she ate and drank. Ibn Kathir relates a very lengthy story that has the same basic idea, see Ibn Kathir, 8/193-194. It has been argued that this story of how Āsiyah was tortured and killed bears striking similarity to Saint Catherine of Alexandria (d. fourth century ce), and that the story might be based on that; see J Walker, ‘Asiya: the Wife of Pharaoh’, in The Muslim World (January, 1928), 45-48. [14] Nemuneh, 24/304. [15] Alusi, 14/358. [16] Zamakhshari, 4/572. [17] Psalms 43:1. [18] Psalms 59:2. [19] Psalms 133-134. [20] Psalms 119:121-122.