Transliteration:( Fantaqamnaa minhum fa'aghraqnaahum Fil'yammi Bi Annahum kazzaboo bi Aayaatinaa wa kaanoo 'anhaa ghaafileen )
So We took vengeance (286) on them and drowned them in the sea (287) because they denied Our signs and were heedless of them (288).
Allah took revenge on behalf of Musa (peace be upon him) and the oppressed Israelites. This teaches that Allah personally avenges His Prophets, while the revenge of the oppressed is executed through the natural order—even if it comes after a delay. Divine justice may seem delayed, but it is certain and precise.
Pharaoh and his army were drowned in the Red Sea, referred to in Arabic as ‘Yamm’, meaning a vast and deep ocean, difficult to fathom. Their fate was inescapable, showing that even the most powerful rulers are powerless before Allah’s command when their time comes.
The verse says they were heedless, not in the sense of ignorance, but in the sense of intentional disregard. These were people who consciously turned away from truth despite recognizing the signs. Hence, their punishment was justified—as Allah does not punish those who are truly unaware, but those who deliberately choose to reject after knowing the truth.
136. So We took retribution from them. We drowned them in the sea, because they belied Our Ayat and were heedless with them. 137. 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. And the fair Word of your Lord was fulfilled for the Children of Israel, because of their endurance. And We destroyed what Fir`awn and his people produced, and what they erected.
Allah states that when the people of Fir`awn rebelled and transgressed, even though He inflicted them with consecutive signs, one after another, He took retribution from them by drowning them in the sea that Musa parted by Allah’s power, and he and the Children of Israel passed through. In their pursuit, Fir`awn and his soldiers went in the sea chasing Musa and his people. When they all had gone inside the water, the sea closed in on them and they all drowned, because they belied the Ayat of Allah and were heedless of them. Allah said that He has granted the people who were considered weak, the Children of Israel, to inherit the eastern and western parts of the land. Al-Hasan Al-Basri and Qatadah commented that Allah’s statement,
(…the eastern parts of the land and the western parts thereof which We have blessed.) refers to the Sham area (Greater Syria). Also, Mujahid and Ibn Jarir said that Allah’s statement,
(And the fair Word of your Lord was fulfilled for the Children of Israel, because of their endurance.) is explained by Allah’s other statement,
(And We wished to do a favor to those who were weak (and oppressed) in the land, and to make them rulers and to make them the inheritors. And to establish them in the land, and We let Fir`awn and Haman and their hosts receive from them that which they feared) ﴿28:5-6﴾. Further, Allah’s statement,
(And We destroyed what Fir`awn and his people produced,) meaning, We destroyed what Fir`awn and his people produced, such as agriculture and buildings.
(and what they erected.) Ibn `Abbas and Mujahid said that
(they erected) means, they built.
(7:136) So We inflicted Our retribution on them, and caused them to drown in the sea because they gave the lie to Our signs and were heedless of them.
There is no commentary by Abul Maududi available for this verse.
For a faster and smoother experience,
install our mobile app now.
Related Ayat(Verses)/Topics