Al-A‘rāf 7:128

The issue

This text refers to a promise made by Moses to the people of Israel, stating that they

will inherit the land of Egypt. While the verse does not specifically say “Egypt,” verse

129 talks about Allah destroying the enemy (in this case, Pharaoh) and giving the land

of the enemy to the people of Israel, so a reference to Egypt can be assumed.

Some of the commentators defined this promise:

al-Baydāwi: “It is a promise of victory and a reminder to them of his [Allah’s] pledge

to destroy the Copts and bequeath to them their [the Copts’] land—to fulfill this

promise. It is said that Egypt was a conquest for them in the time of David....”.

al-Rāzī: “This is a promise made by Moses to entice his people that Allah will bequeath

them the land of Pharaoh after his [Pharaoh’s] destruction”.

al-Tabarī: “Moses says, ‘Perhaps Allah will bequeath the land upon you if you show

patience in the face of the misfortune incurred upon you and your children at the hand

of Pharaoh...if you keep this in mind and perfect your religion, Pharaoh’s land and his

people are yours as a reward”.

This promise (inheritance of Egypt) is not mentioned in the Torah or in any other

source. Rather, such a promise was made about the Holy Land (the land of Canaan).

The Qur’ān itself refers to this other promise in several verses: “And we gave as an

inheritance unto the people who had been weak, the eastern quarters of the earth and the western quarters thereof...” (Q 7.137). It is the land that the commentators declare is in al-Shām (Syria).