Taa-Haa 20:78

"So Pharaoh pursued them with his soldiers, and there covered them from the sea that which covered them,"

The Children of Israel leave Egypt

Allah, the Exalted, informs that He commanded Musa to journey at night with the Children of Israel, when Fir`awn refused to release them and send them with Musa. He was to take them away from Fir`awn's captivity. Allah expounds upon this in Surahs other than this noble Surah. Musa left with the Children of Israel, and when the people of Egypt awoke in the morning they found that not a single one of them remained in Egypt. Fir`awn became extremely furious. He sent callers into all of the cities to gather together his army from all of his lands and provinces. He said to them,

إِنَّ هَـؤُلاءِ لَشِرْذِمَةٌ قَلِيلُونَ - وَإِنَّهُمْ لَنَا لَغَآئِظُونَ

(Verily, these indeed are but a small band. And verily, they have done what has enraged us.) 26:54-55 Then when he gathered his army and organized his troops, he set out after them and they followed them at dawn when the sun began to rise.

فَلَمَّا تَرَآءَا الْجَمْعَانِ

(And when the two hosts saw each other) 26:61 This means that each person of the two parties was looking at the other party.

فَلَمَّا تَرَآءَا الْجَمْعَانِ قَالَ أَصْحَـبُ مُوسَى إِنَّا لَمُدْرَكُونَ - قَالَ كَلاَّ إِنَّ مَعِىَ رَبِّى سَيَهْدِينِ

(The companions of Musa said: "We are sure to be overtaken." (Musa) said: "Nay, verily, with me is my Lord. He will guide me.") 26:61-62 Musa stopped with the Children of Israel and the sea was in front of them and Fir`awn was behind them. Then, at that moment, Allah revealed to Musa,

فَاضْرِبْ لَهُمْ طَرِيقاً فِى الْبَحْرِ يَبَساً

(And strike a dry path for them in the sea.) So Musa struck the sea with his stick and he said, "Split for me, by the leave of Allah." Thus, it split, and each separate part of the water became like a huge mountain. Then, Allah sent a wind to the land of the sea and it burned the soil until it became dry like the ground that is on land. For this reason Allah said,

فَاضْرِبْ لَهُمْ طَرِيقاً فِى الْبَحْرِ يَبَساً لاَّ تَخَافُ دَرَكاً

(and strike a dry path for them in the sea, fearing neither to be overtaken...) This means being caught by Fir`awn.

وَلاَ تَخْشَى

(nor being afraid.) meaning, "Do not be afraid of the sea drowning your people." Then, Allah, the Exalted, said,

فَأَتْبَعَهُمْ فِرْعَوْنُ بِجُنُودِهِ فَغَشِيَهُمْ مِّنَ الْيَمِّ

(Then Fir`awn pursued them with his hosts, but the sea Al-Yamm completely overwhelmed them) Al-Yamm means the sea.

مَا غَشِيَهُمْ

(and covered them up. ) meaning, covered them up with a thing that was well-familiar to them in such a situa- tion, as Allah states;

وَالْمُؤْتَفِكَةَ أَهْوَى - فَغَشَّـهَا مَا غَشَّى

(And He destroyed the overthrown cities. So there covered them that which did cover.) 53:53-54 As Fir`awn pursued them into the sea, misled his people and did not lead them to the path of correct guidance, likewise, he will go ahead of his people on the Day of Resurrection, and will lead them in to the Hellfire. And evil indeed is the place to which they are led.

يبَنِى إِسْرَءِيلَ قَدْ أَنجَيْنَـكُمْ مِّنْ عَدُوِّكُمْ وَوَاعَدْنَـكُمْ جَانِبَ الطُّورِ الاٌّيْمَنَ وَنَزَّلْنَا عَلَيْكُمُ الْمَنَّ وَالسَّلْوَى

После того как Муса явил Фараону и его народу множество доказательств, он остался в Египте и начал призывать людей к покорности Аллаху. Он делал все возможное для того, чтобы избавить сынов Исраила от Фараона и тех страданий, которые они испытывали. Аллах явил деспотичному правителю удивительные знамения, которые подробно описаны в Священном Коране, но он надменно отворачивался от истины и продолжал угнетать сынов Исраила. И поэтому они были вынуждены скрывать свою веру от египтян и поклоняться Аллаху в своих домах. Они терпеливо сносили бесчинство Фараона и причиняемые им страдания, и тогда Всевышний Аллах решил спасти их от ненавистного врага и одарить их силой и могуществом, дабы они открыто поклонялись своему Господу и выполняли Его повеления. Аллах повелел Мусе договориться с сынами Исраила о дне, когда они покинут Египет, и сохранить это в тайне от египтян. Им было велено выступить под покровом ночи и идти без привалов, потому что Фараон и его войско непременно отправятся вслед за ними. Сыны Исраила покинули Египет в первые часы ночи. Среди них были даже женщины и дети. А наутро об этом узнали египтяне. Они звали Своих рабов, но те не отвечали на их зов, и тогда Фараон пришел в ярость. Он велел собрать огромную армию со всех концов Египта и после восхода солнца отправился с нею по стопам сынов Исраила. Когда две огромные рати увидели друг друга, последователи Мусы сказали: «Нас непременно настигнут» (26:61). Они забеспокоились и перепугались: перед ними было море, а позади них находилось войско Фараона, который пришел в бешенство от их поступка. Однако Муса сохранял спокойствие, потому что он твердо верил в правдивость Божьего обещания. Он воскликнул: «О нет! Со мной - мой Господь, и Он укажет мне прямой путь» (26:62). Аллах велел ему ударить посохом по воде, и стоило ему сделать это, как море разверзлось, и в нем образовалось двенадцать тропинок, по правую и левую стороны которых находились огромные столбы воды, подобные высоким горам. По воле Аллаха образовавшие тропинки были сухими, и Господь повелел сынам Исраила не опасаться того, что они будут настигнуты Фараоном или потоплены в море. Тогда сыны Исраила стали пересекать море по этим тропинкам, а Фараон и его воины отправились вслед за ними. Когда все последователи Мусы вышли на берег, а все воины Фараона вошли в разверзнутое море, Аллах повелел морю сомкнуться над ними. Морская пучина поглотила неверных, и они погибли все как один. А сыны Исраила наблюдали за тем, какая участь постигла их врагов, и воочию убедились в их гибели.

Commentary

The decisive defeat which he suffered in the contest between the right and wrong and between miracle and magic broke the power of the Pharaoh, and the Bani Isra'ile stood united under the leadership of Sayyidni Musa (علیہ السلام) . Allah now commanded Sayyidna Musa (علیہ السلام) to take his men out of Egypt. But this move was full of danger. First there was the risk of pursuit by the Pharaoh, and second the river, which they had no means of crossing, barred their flight. Allah dispelled both these fears from Sayyidna Musa (علیہ السلام) mind and told him to strike his staff on the surface of the water, and dry passageways would appear in the bed of the river over which they could all escape, thus frustrating Pharaoh's pursuit. This story has been narrated earlier under Hadith ul-Futun in this very Surah.

When the time came, Sayyidna Musa علیہ السلام struck the surface of water with his staff and masses of water stood asunder revealing twelve dry paths, as mentioned in Surah Ash-Shu` ara' فَكَانَ كُلُّ فِرْ‌قٍ كَالطَّوْدِ الْعَظِيمِ (And each part became like a big mountain- 26:63). The walls of water which divided the passages were so formed that those going on one road could see and talk to those travelling on other roads, thus imparting to them all a sense of security.

The number of the Ban' Isra'il who fled Egypt and the strength of the Pharaoh's army

According to Ruh ul-Ma` ani Sayyidna Musa (علیہ السلام) embarked on his journey towards the Red Sea with the Bani Isra'il soon after sunset. Earlier they had announced that one of their festivals was approaching which they would celebrate outside the city, and on this excuse, as well as to allay the suspicions of the Egyptians, they borrowed some jewellery from the Copts promising to return it after the festival. At that time Bani Isra'il numbered six hundred and three thousand, while another version puts their number at six hundred and seventy thousand. These figures, which may be exaggerated, have been taken from Isra'ilite traditions, but one thing appears certain, namely that they were divided into twelve very populous tribes. These large numbers were also a gift from Allah because the first arrivals in Egypt in the days of Sayyidna Yusuf (علیہ السلام) were just the twelve brothers. Now the twelve tribes of those twelve brothers which fled Egypt numbered well over six hundred thousand.

When the Pharaoh learned that the Bani Isra'il had taken flight, he assembled a large army of which the advance units consisted of seven hundred thousand horsemen and started off in pursuit. When the Bani Isra'il saw the river barring their way ahead and the Pharaoh hot on their heels, they cried out in despair. "Surely! We are caught". Sayyidna Musa (علیہ السلام) consoled them with the words إِنَّ مَعِيَ رَ‌بِّي سَيَهْدِينِ (With me is my Lord indeed. He will guide me - 26:62). Then by the command of Allah he struck his staff on the water and twelve dry passageways appeared on which the twelve tribes of Bani Isra'il crossed over to the other side in safety. The Pharaoh who saw all this was frightened but he urged his men on by declaring that the dry paths were formed because the river stopped flowing on account of the awe which it felt in his presence. Saying so, he spurred his horse into the river ordering his army to follow him. When they were all in the middle, Allah commanded the river to resume its flow and water covered them over. (Ruh ul-Ma` ani)

Other English translations

Tafsīr · classical commentary

The Children of Israel leave Egypt