The Ḥawāmīm 5: Moses, the Book and the Outcome in Ghāfir and Fuṣṣilat

Occasion: Transcription of a khatira delivered on 26 February 2026 Source: A transcription of a video khatira by Dr. Ahmed Abouseif — Watch the original video on YouTube

Ghāfir and the Believer from the House of Pharaoh

In this khatira Dr. Ahmed continues his reflections on Sūrat Ghāfir and Sūrat Fuṣṣilat. He begins with the story of the believer from the House of Pharaoh in Ghāfir, and with the words of the Exalted: ﴿إِنَّا لَنَنصُرُ رُسُلَنَا وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا فِي الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا﴾ (“Indeed, We will surely support Our messengers and those who believe in the worldly life”).^[1]

Moses, peace be upon him, the Guidance and the Book

Then he pauses at the words of the Glorified: ﴿وَلَقَدْ آتَيْنَا مُوسَى الْهُدَىٰ وَأَوْرَثْنَا بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ الْكِتَابَ﴾ (“And We certainly gave Moses the guidance and caused the Children of Israel to inherit the Book”). The guidance given to Moses, peace be upon him, is the Torah, and the Book that the Children of Israel were made to inherit is the book of the Torah. This is followed by the words of the Exalted: ﴿هُدًى وَذِكْرَىٰ لِأُولِي الْأَلْبَابِ﴾ (“as guidance and a reminder for those of understanding”), and “al-albāb” means the enlightened minds.^[2]

The Nations’ Denial of Their Messengers

Then he moves on to the denial of their messengers by the earlier nations in Ghāfir: ﴿كَذَّبَتْ قَبْلَهُمْ قَوْمُ نُوحٍ وَالْأَحْزَابُ مِن بَعْدِهِمْ وَهَمَّتْ كُلُّ أُمَّةٍ بِرَسُولِهِمْ لِيَأْخُذُوهُ﴾ (“The people of Noah denied before them, and the factions after them, and every nation intended to seize its messenger”).^[3]

The Blind and the Seeing

He mentions the words of the Exalted: ﴿لَخَلْقُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ أَكْبَرُ مِنْ خَلْقِ النَّاسِ وَلَٰكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ النَّاسِ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ﴾ (“The creation of the heavens and the earth is greater than the creation of mankind, but most of mankind do not know”), then ﴿وَمَا يَسْتَوِي الْأَعْمَىٰ وَالْبَصِيرُ وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ وَلَا الْمُسِيءُ﴾ (“And not equal are the blind and the seeing, nor are those who believe and do righteous deeds and the evildoer”).^[4]

The Veil over Hearts in Fuṣṣilat

And in Fuṣṣilat he pauses at the words of those who turn away: ﴿وَقَالُوا قُلُوبُنَا فِي أَكِنَّةٍ مِّمَّا تَدْعُونَا إِلَيْهِ وَفِي آذَانِنَا وَقْرٌ وَمِن بَيْنِنَا وَبَيْنِكَ حِجَابٌ فَاعْمَلْ إِنَّنَا عَامِلُونَ﴾ (“And they say, ‘Our hearts are within coverings from that to which you invite us, and in our ears is deafness, and between us and you is a screen, so work; indeed, we are working’”).^[5]

Travelling through the Earth and the Fates of the Nations

Then he mentions the words of the Glorified: ﴿أَفَلَمْ يَسِيرُوا فِي الْأَرْضِ فَيَنظُرُوا كَيْفَ كَانَ عَاقِبَةُ الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ كَانُوا أَكْثَرَ مِنْهُمْ وَأَشَدَّ قُوَّةً وَآثَارًا فِي الْأَرْضِ﴾ (“Have they not travelled through the earth and seen how was the end of those before them? They were more numerous than them and greater in strength and in impact on the earth”), and with it he recalls what came in Sūrat al-Qamar of the destruction of ʿĀd by the furious wind, of Thamūd by the blast ﴿فَكَانُوا كَهَشِيمِ﴾ (“and they became like the dry twigs”), and of the people of Lot by the stone-storm, except the family of Lot, whom Allah saved before dawn.^[6]

--- ^[1]: Editor's documentation: Ghāfir 51. The transcript breaks the verse off at «ويوم يقوم الأش», so it was not completed in the body (the rest of it is ﴿الْأَشْهَادُ﴾). The story of the believer from the House of Pharaoh is attributed to Ghāfir 28 and what follows. ^[2]: Editor's documentation: Ghāfir 53–54. The explanation of “guidance” as the Torah and of “al-albāb” as the enlightened minds is the speaker's own. ^[3]: Editor's documentation: Ghāfir 5. The verse is set down only as far as the speaker pronounced it; the transcript becomes confused at its end, so that part was not included. ^[4]: Editor's documentation: Ghāfir 57 and 58. ^[5]: Editor's documentation: Fuṣṣilat 5. ^[6]: Editor's documentation: The verse is from Ghāfir 82. What is mentioned from al-Qamar is in verses 18–34; the phrase «كهشيم المحتظر» was not pronounced in full in the transcript (it has only «كهشيم»).