Quran Universe
26:49

قَالَ ءَامَنتُمۡ لَهُۥ قَبۡلَ أَنۡ ءَاذَنَ لَكُمۡۖ إِنَّهُۥ لَكَبِيرُكُمُ ٱلَّذِي عَلَّمَكُمُ ٱلسِّحۡرَ فَلَسَوۡفَ تَعۡلَمُونَۚ لَأُقَطِّعَنَّ أَيۡدِيَكُمۡ وَأَرۡجُلَكُم مِّنۡ خِلَٰفٖ وَلَأُصَلِّبَنَّكُمۡ أَجۡمَعِينَ

Qala amantum lahu qabla an athana lakum innahu lakabeerukumu allathee AAallamakumu alssihra falasawfa taAAlamoona laoqattiAAanna aydiyakum waarjulakum min khilafin walaosallibannakum ajmaAAeena

[Pharaoh] said, "You believed Moses before I gave you permission. Indeed, he is your leader who has taught you magic, but you are going to know. I will surely cut off your hands and your feet on opposite sides, and I will surely crucify you all."

Word by word
  1. قَالَHe said
  2. ءَامَنتُمۡYou believed
  3. لَهُۥin him
  4. قَبۡلَbefore
  5. أَنۡ[that]
  6. ءَاذَنَI gave permission
  7. لَكُمۡۖto you
  8. إِنَّهُۥIndeed,he
  9. لَكَبِيرُكُمُ(is) surely your chief
  10. ٱلَّذِيwho
  11. عَلَّمَكُمُhas taught you
  12. ٱلسِّحۡرَthe magic
  13. فَلَسَوۡفَso surely soon
  14. تَعۡلَمُونَۚyou will know
  15. لَأُقَطِّعَنَّI will surely cut off
  16. أَيۡدِيَكُمۡyour hands
  17. وَأَرۡجُلَكُمand your feet
  18. مِّنۡof
  19. خِلَٰفٖopposite sides
  20. وَلَأُصَلِّبَنَّكُمۡand I will surely crucify you
  21. أَجۡمَعِينَall
Ash-Shu'ara · 26:49Makkah

You believed without my permission.

A tyrant demands control over hearts

Fir'awn's reaction
before I allowed ityou should have asked me
he is your chiefan absurd charge
threatsof cruel punishment
Who owns belief
the rulerI decide what you believe
the heartanswers only to Allah

Fir'awn's first complaint is about permission. Ibn Kathir explains: you should have asked me, for I am the ruler to be obeyed. Then he accuses them of a plot with Musa, whom they had never met before that day, and threatens them with cruel punishment.

Someone in your life wants a say over your heart. A partner who sulks when you start praying, a friend group that mocks you for changing. No one has to approve your faith before you live it. Your heart answers to Allah.

I need the people around me to approve before I change.

My faith does not need anyone's permission but Allah's.

Try this

Do one act of worship today that you have been holding back because of what others think.

Related20:717:123
Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir

He said: "You have believed in him before I give you leave. Surely, he indeed is your chief, who has taught you magic! So verily, you shall come to know. Verily, I will cut off your hands and your feet on opposite sides, and I will crucify you all. (49)They said: "No harm! Surely, to our Lord we are to return. (50)"Verily, we really hope that our Lord will forgive us our sins, as we are the first of the believers. (51)

Between Fir'awn and the Sorcerers

His threats against them resulted only in an increase in their faith and submission to Allah, for the veil of disbelief had been lifted from their hearts and the truth became clear to them because they knew something that their people did not: that what Musa had done could not have been done by any human being unless Allah helped him, making it proof and an evidence of the truth of what he had brought from his Lord. Then Fir'awn said to them:

آمَنتُمْ لَهُ قَبْلَ أَنْ آذَنَ لَكُمْ

(You have believed in him before I give you leave.) meaning, 'you should have asked my permission for what you did, and you did not consult with me; if I had given you permission you could have done it, and if I did not allow you, you should not have done it, for I am the ruler and the one to be obeyed.'

إِنَّهُ لَكَبِيرُكُمُ الَّذِي عَلَّمَكُمُ السِّحْرَ

(Surely, he indeed is your chief, who has taught you magic!) This is stubborn talk, and anyone can see that it is nonsense, for they had never met Musa before that day, so how could he have been their chief who taught them how to do magic No rational person would say this. Then Fir'awn threatened to cut off their hands and feet, and crucify them. They said:

لَا ضَيْرَ

(No harm!) meaning, 'no problem, that will not harm us and we do not care.'

إِنَّا إِلَىٰ رَبِّنَا مُنقَلِبُونَ

(Surely, to our Lord we are to return.) means, 'the return of us all is to Allah, may He be glorified, and He will never allow the reward of anyone who has done good to be lost. What you have done to us is not hidden from Him, and He will reward us in full for that.' So they said:

إِنَّا نَطْمَعُ أَن يَغْفِرَ لَنَا رَبُّنَا خَطَايَانَا

(Verily, we really hope that our Lord will forgive us our sins,) 'the sins we have committed and the magic you forced us to do.'

أَن كُنَّا أَوَّلَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ

(as we are the first of the believers,) means, because we are the first of our people, the Egyptians, to believe. So he killed them all.