سورة طه

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): Misguidance has several aspects: some of them are praiseworthy, some are blameworthy, and some are neither praiseworthy nor blameworthy — misguidance through forgetfulness belongs to the third category. As for the blameworthy misguidance, it is what Allah the Exalted says in the Qur'an: وَ أَضَلَّهُمُ السَّامِرِیُّ [And the Samiri led them astray], or وَ أَضَلَّ فِرْعَوْنُ قَوْمَهُ وَ ما هَدی [And Pharaoh led his people astray and did not guide them], and there are many similar examples.

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): Ibn Abbas said: Jibra'il said to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family): "If only you had seen me at the moment when Pharaoh was bearing witness to the oneness of Allah and said: 'I believe that there is no god except the One in whom the Children of Israel have believed, and I am among the Muslims!' (Yunus/90). Out of the intensity of my anger I buried him in the water and clay, lest he repent and Allah accept his repentance." The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) said: "O Jibra'il, what was the reason for the intensity of your anger against Pharaoh?" He replied: "Because he said: 'I am your lord most high!' (Nazi'at/24). This was his last statement, and he said it when he reached the sea. Another reason for my anger was that he said: 'I do not know of any god for you besides myself!' (Qasas/38). Between his first statement and his last statement, forty years passed. He said this statement — 'I am your lord most high!' (Nazi'at/24) — to his people when he reached the sea and saw that the path of the sea had dried up. He said to his people: 'See, the sea has dried up because of the cleaving I have made,' and when they saw the path of the sea dry, they affirmed him. And this is the saying of Allah the Exalted in the Qur'an: وَ أَضَلَّ فِرْعَوْنُ قَوْمَهُ وَ ما هَدی [And Pharaoh led his people astray and did not guide them]."