Texts of Islam

The Meaning of the Glorious Qur'ân,: 28. al-Qasas: The Narrative

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This is Surah Al-Qasas (Chapter 28, "The Narrative") from the Qur'an, presented in M.M. Pickthall's English translation — a landmark early 20th-century rendering notable for its archaic but reverent prose style. The surah retells the life of Moses in substantial detail: his infancy among Pharaoh's household, his killing of an Egyptian, his flight to Midian and marriage, his encounter with God at the burning bush, and his confrontation with Pharaoh that ends in Pharaoh's destruction. Woven through the narrative is a direct address to Muhammad, asserting that the Qur'an's accurate knowledge of these events — which Muhammad could not have witnessed — itself constitutes proof of divine revelation. The surah also responds to contemporary critics who doubted Muhammad by comparing their rejection to the Israelites' rejection of Moses, and it challenges them to produce a better-guided scripture if they dispute the Qur'an's authority. A distinctive theological thread runs throughout: God's sovereignty over history is absolute, rulers who oppress and claim divine status are destined for ruin, and the oppressed are ultimately made inheritors — a pattern the text presents as a recurring divine law rather than a one-time event.

The Meaning of the Glorious Qur'ân,: 28. al-Qasas: The Narrative

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