Surah 26

Surah 26:28

"He said, ‘The Lord of the East and the West, and whatever is between them, if you (would) understand.’"
Between Musa and Fir'awn Verses 26:23-28
Show Full Scripture Context (26:23-28) — 6 Verses
Verse 23

قَالَ فِرۡعَوۡنُ وَمَا رَبُّ ٱلۡعَٰلَمِينَ

Pharaoh said, ‘What is the Lord of the worlds?’

Verse 24

قَالَ رَبُّ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلۡأَرۡضِ وَمَا بَيۡنَهُمَآۖ إِن كُنتُم مُّوقِنِينَ

He said, ‘The Lord of the heavens and the earth, and whatever is between them, if you (would) be certain.’ He said to those who were around him,

Verse 25

قَالَ لِمَنۡ حَوۡلَهُۥٓ أَلَا تَسۡتَمِعُونَ

‘Do you not hear?’

Verse 26

قَالَ رَبُّكُمۡ وَرَبُّ ءَابَآئِكُمُ ٱلۡأَوَّلِينَ

He said, ‘Your Lord and the Lord of your fathers of old.’

Verse 27

قَالَ إِنَّ رَسُولَكُمُ ٱلَّذِيٓ أُرۡسِلَ إِلَيۡكُمۡ لَمَجۡنُونٞ

He said, ‘Surely your messenger who has been sent to you is possessed indeed.’

Verse 28

قَالَ رَبُّ ٱلۡمَشۡرِقِ وَٱلۡمَغۡرِبِ وَمَا بَيۡنَهُمَآۖ إِن كُنتُمۡ تَعۡقِلُونَ

He said, ‘The Lord of the East and the West, and whatever is between them, if you (would) understand.’

When Fir'awn asked him about the Lord of Al-'Alamin, Musa said:

Quoted Scripture
"(Musa) said: “The Lord of the heavens and the earth, and all that is between them...""

meaning, the Creator, Sovereign and Controller of all that, their God Who has no partner or associate. He is the One Who has created all things. He knows the higher realms and the heavenly bodies that are in them, both those that are stationary and those that move and shine brightly. He knows the lower realms and what is in them; the oceans, continents, mountains, trees, animals, plants and fruits. He knows what is in between the two realms; the winds, birds, and whatever is in the air. All of them are servants to Him, submitting and humbling themselves before Him.

Quoted Scripture
"if you seek to be convinced with certainty."

means, if you have believing hearts and clear insight. At this, Fir'awn turned to the chiefs and leaders of his state around him, and said to them - mockingly expressing his disbelief in Musa:

{"Do you not hear?"} meaning, ‘are you not amazed by what this man is claiming - that you have another god other than me?’ Musa said to them:

Quoted Scripture
"Your Lord and the Lord of your ancient fathers!"

meaning, the One Who created you and your forefathers, those who came before Fir'awn and his time.

{He said} that is, Fir'awn said:

Quoted Scripture
"Verily, your Messenger who has been sent to you is a madman !"

meaning, there is no sense in his claim that there is any god other than me!

{(Musa) said } - to those in whose hearts Fir'awn had planted doubts:

Quoted Scripture
"Lord of the east and the west, and all that is between them, if you did but understand !"

‘He is the One Who made the east the place where the heavenly bodies rise, and made the west the place where they set; this is the system to which He has subjugated all the heavenly bodies, stationary and moving. If what Fir'awn claims is true, that he is your lord and your god, then let him turn things around so that the heavenly bodies set in the east and rise in the west.’ This is similar to the Ayah,

{who disputed with Ibrahim about his Lord, because Allah had given him the kingdom? When Ibrahim said: "My Lord is He Who gives life and causes death." He said, "I give life and cause death." Ibrahim said, "Verily, Allah brings the sun from the east. So cause it to rise from the west."} (2:258)

So when Fir'awn was defeated in debate, he resorted to the use of his force and power, believing that this would be effective in dealing with Musa, peace be upon him, so he said, as Allah tells us:

About this Source & Scholarly Authority (Tafsir Ibn Kathir)

Universal Sunni Consensus: Tafsir al-Qur'an al-Azim by Hafiz Ibn Kathir (701–774 AH / 1301–1373 AD) is universally regarded across all major schools of Sunni Islam (traditional, Salafi, Ash'ari) as the most authoritative classical exegesis. It is prized because it relies on Tafsir bil-Ma'thur—interpreting the Quran using the Quran itself, authentic Hadiths of Prophet Muhammad, and recorded statements of the early Companions (Sahabah).

Standard English Edition: This text is from the standard 10-volume English abridgment published by Dar-us-Salam Publications (supervised by Shaykh Safiur-Rahman Al-Mubarakpuri), which is the official, most widely distributed English Quranic commentary in mosques and Islamic libraries worldwide today.