Ash-Shu'araa 26:54

"[And said], "Indeed, those are but a small band,"

The Exodus of the Children of Israel from Egypt

After Musa stayed in Egypt for a long time, and the proof of Allah was established against Fir`awn and his chiefs, yet they were still arrogant and stubborn, then there was nothing left for them but punishment and vengeance. So Allah commanded Musa, peace be upon him, to take the Children of Israel out of Egypt by night, and take them wherever he would be commanded. So Musa, peace be upon him, did as he was commanded by his Lord, may He be glorified, and he led them forth after they had borrowed an abundance of jewelry from the people of Fir`awn. As more than one of the scholars of Tafsir have said, they left when the moon was rising, and Mujahid, may Allah have mercy on him, said that the moon was eclipsed that night. And Allah knows best. Musa asked about the grave of Yusuf (Prophet Joseph), peace be upon him, and an old woman from among the Children of Israel showed him where it was, so he took the remains with them, and it was said that they were among the things that were carried by Musa himself, may peace be upon them both. It was also said that Yusuf, peace be upon him, had left instructions in his will that if the Children of Israel ever left Egypt, they should take his remains with them. The following morning, when there was nobody to be found in the Israelite quarters, Fir`awn became angry and his anger intensified since Allah had decreed that he was to be destroyed. So he quickly sent his callers to all his cities, i.e., to mobilize his troops and bring them together, and he called out to them:

إِنَّ هَـؤُلآءِ

(Verily, these) meaning, the Children of Israel,

لَشِرْذِمَةٌ قَلِيلُونَ

(indeed are but a small band. ) meaning, a small group.

وَإِنَّهُمْ لَنَا لَغَآئِظُونَ

(And verily, they have done what has enraged us.) means, `every time we have heard anything about them, it has upset us and made us angry.'

وَإِنَّا لَجَمِيعٌ حَـذِرُونَ

(But we are a host all assembled, amply forewarned.) means, `we are constantly taking precautions lest they betray us.' Some of the Salaf read this with the meaning, "we are constantly forewarned and forearmed. And I want to destroy them to the last man, and destroy all their lands and property." So he and his troops were punished with the very things he sought to inflict upon the Children of Israel. Allah says:

فَأَخْرَجْنَـهُمْ مِّن جَنَّـتٍ وَعُيُونٍ - وَكُنُوزٍ وَمَقَامٍ كَرِيمٍ

(So, We expelled them from gardens and springs, treasures, and every kind of honorable place.) meaning, they were thrown out of those blessings and into Hell, and they left behind the honorable places, gardens and rivers, wealth, provision, position and power in this world:

كَذَلِكَ وَأَوْرَثْنَـهَا بَنِى إِسْرَءِيلَ

(Thus and We caused the Children of Israel to inherit them.) This is like the Ayat:

وَأَوْرَثْنَا الْقَوْمَ الَّذِينَ كَانُواْ يُسْتَضْعَفُونَ مَشَـرِقَ الاٌّرْضِ وَمَغَـرِبَهَا الَّتِى بَارَكْنَا فِيهَا

(And We made the people who were considered weak to inherit the eastern parts of the land and the western parts thereof which We have blessed) (7: 137).

وَنُرِيدُ أَن نَّمُنَّ عَلَى الَّذِينَ اسْتُضْعِفُواْ فِى الاٌّرْضِ وَنَجْعَلَهُمْ أَئِمَّةً وَنَجْعَلَهُمُ الْوَارِثِينَ

(And We wished to do a favor to those who were weak in the land, and to make them rulers and to make them the inheritors) The two Ayat thereafter: 28:5-6.

Тебе не удастся запугать нас! Мы увязали в неверии и занимались колдовством, но теперь мы отрекаемся от этих грехов. Мы - первые из твоих воинов, которые уверовали в Мусу. Аллах помог чародеям сохранить веру и выстоять в этом испытании. Существует мнение, что деспотичный правитель сделал то, что обещал, и погубил уверовавших мужей. Он действительно мог поступить так, потому что его власть в Египте была слишком велика. Однако существует и другое мнение, согласно которому Всевышний Аллах не позволил Фараону исполнить чудовищное обещание. В любом случае, Фараон и его воины отказались уверовать, а пророк Муса продолжал проповедовать среди них истину. Он являл им одно знамение за другим, и всякий раз Всемогущий Господь насылал на них какую-нибудь напасть. Египтяне убеждались в собственной беспомощности и просили Мусу заступиться за них перед Аллахом. Они обещали ему уверовать в истину и освободить из рабства сынов Исраила, если Аллах избавит их от наказания, но как только Господь проявлял к ним снисходительность, они нарушали данное ими обещание. Это продолжалось до тех пор, пока Муса не отчаялся обратить Фараона и его народ в истинную веру. Они действительно были скверными людьми и заслуживали мучительного наказания. Пробил тот час, когда Всевышний Аллах пожелал освободить сынов Исраила от унизительного рабства и наделить их великой властью.

قَالُوا لَا ضَيْرَ‌ ۖ إِنَّا إِلَىٰ رَ‌بِّنَا مُنقَلِبُونَ

They said, "There is no harm. We are to return to our Lord. (26:50)

When the Pharaoh threatened the magicians to kill them, and to cut their limbs and to crucify them, the magicians replied rather indifferently, the gist of their reply was, ` You do whatever you can. We shall lose nothing. Even if we are killed we will go back to our Lord, where there is nothing but comfort'.

It is worth noting here that the magicians who had involved all their lives practicing the sinful sorcery and who believed in the Pharaoh's claim to be a god, rather, used to worship him, pronounced faith in Allah before that tyrant and despotic king and the entire nation. This was in itself something most astonishing and courageous, but it was not just the pronouncement of faith in Allah, but a demonstration of such deep devotion as if they could see the Dooms Day and the Hereafter before their eyes. The blessings and bounties of the Hereafter were within their sight, for which they raised themselves over and above any punishment or torment of this world, and said فَاقْضِ مَا أَنتَ قَاضٍ that is ` You do whatever you are to do (20:72). We are not going back from our faith'. This in fact was also a miracle of Sayyidna Musa (علیہ السلام) which was no less than the miracle of the staff and the luminous hand. Many incidents of similar nature have also occurred with our Holy Prophet ﷺ . In one such incident a drastic change had occurred in a seventy years old infidel in that within a minute he not only converted to Islam, but was ready to lay down his life to become a martyr.

Other English translations

Tafsīr · classical commentary

The Exodus of the Children of Israel from Egypt