Surah Al-Fajr: Verse 10 - وفرعون ذي الأوتاد... - English

Tafsir of Verse 10, Surah Al-Fajr

وَفِرْعَوْنَ ذِى ٱلْأَوْتَادِ

English Translation

And [with] Pharaoh, owner of the stakes? -

English Transliteration

WafirAAawna thee alawtadi

Tafsir of Verse 10

and Pharaoh, he of the tent-pegs,

And with Pharaoh, lord of stakes?

وَفِرْعَوْنَ ذِي الْأَوْتَادِ (and with Fir'aun [ the Pharaoh ], the man of the stakes...89:10). The word autad is the plural of watad that means 'peg or stake or nail'. Fir'aun (the Pharaoh) is referred to as 'the man of the stakes'. There are several reasons for this. Majority of the commentators hold the view that he was so called because of the brute torture and cruel torment he inflicted on the people. When he was angry with people, he would hammer stakes into the ground and tie them to these, so that they could be tortured; or he would hammer stakes into their hands and feet, as they lay on the ground in the scorching heat of the sun, and leave them to the mercy of snakes and scorpions. Other commentators have recounted a lengthy story about his wife 'Asiyah. She embraced 'Iman (the True Faith) and expressed it to Fir'aun (the Pharaoh). This angered him and he inflicted on her the same type of brute torture and destroyed her. [ Mazhari ].

Verse 10 - Surah Al-Fajr: (وفرعون ذي الأوتاد...) - English