Topic: Exodus (Ikhraj)
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وَإِذْ نَجَّيْنَٰكُم مِّنْ ءَالِ فِرْعَوْنَ يَسُومُونَكُمْ سُوٓءَ ٱلْعَذَابِ يُذَبِّحُونَ أَبْنَآءَكُمْ وَيَسْتَحْيُونَ نِسَآءَكُمْ ۚ وَفِى ذَٰلِكُم بَلَآءٌ مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ عَظِيمٌ
14:7; 20:81; 44:31-32.
7:128, 142; 28:5.
法老不是一个特定的君主的名称。尼罗河流域和亚历山大港的统治者们也称为法老。穆撒生于君主尔马赛思二世 (RamesesⅡ, 古埃及几个国王的姓) 在位之时, 不得不在他儿子迈伦普塔二世 (MerenptahⅡ) 在位时与古以色列人一起离开埃及。尔马赛思二世 (RamesesⅡ) 被称为残暴的君主, 而他的继承者迈伦普塔二世 (MerenptahⅡ) 则被称之为 «出埃及记» 中的法老 {Enc. Bib和Peake’s Commentary on the Bible}。
14:7; 20:81; 44:31-32.
7:128, 142; 28:5.
Pharaoh was not the name of a particular monarch. The rulers of the Nile Valley and Alexandria were called Pharaohs. Moses was born in the reign of Pharaoh Rameses II, and had to leave Egypt with the Israelites in the reign of his son, Merenptah II. Rameses II, is called the Pharaoh of the Oppression and his successor Merenptah II, the Pharaoh of Exodus (Enc. Bib. & Peake’s Commentary on the Bible).
Al (people) is derived from the verb Ala which gives the sense of returning or governing or exercising control. The word thus means, the family or party of a man, or followers of a leader, or subjects of a ruler to whom they constantly return or who governs or exercises control over them (Lane).
Pharaoh had inflicted upon the Israelites grievous torments by imposing upon them hard and disgraceful labour. He also had given orders that their sons be slain and their daughters spared. In this way he sought to destroy not only their manhood but to kill in them manly qualities.
14:7; 20:81; 44:31, 32.
7:128, 142; 28:5.
Important Words:
آل (people) is derived from the verb آل which gives the sense of returning or governing or exercising control or managing. The noun آل thus means the family or party of a man, or followers of a leader, or subjects of a ruler to whom they constantly return or who governs or exercises control over them. The word اھل is also sometimes taken to be another form of the word آل and means what the latter word means.
فرعون (Pharaoh) is not a personal name. It was the title held by the ancient kings of Egypt. Every Egyptian king is called فرعون in the Bible. The personal name of the Pharaoh with whom Moses came in contact was Rameses II (Enc. Bib.).
یذبحون (slaying) is derived from ذبح which originally means, he slaughtered or cut open the throat of an animal, or he strangled a person to death. Here the word is used in the intensified form dhabbaha to signify (1) that Pharaoh and his people treated the Israelites as mere beasts, and (2) that they killed them most mercilessly. It does not mean that they actually slaughtered them like animals, for elsewhere the Quran, speaking of the same torment, uses the word یقتلونinstead of یذبحون (7:142).
نساء (women) is the plural of مراة (a woman) from a different root. Though the word generally means "women" (Aqrab), it is also sometimes used about girls, as the Quran itself has used it (4:128). It is also used to signify "wives" (33:33).
بلاء (trial) means, anything by means of which a person may be tried; a trial whether through a blessing or an affliction (Aqrab).
Commentary:
In verses 41-48 God reminded the Israelites of His blessings in general, particularly the blessing of prophethood, which He had bestowed on them. He now calls their attention to such favours as exalted the Israelites above other peoples. The first of them to which God refers here is their deliverance from the hands of Pharaoh and his people, who inflicted on them grievous torments.
Some Christian critics have objected that whereas the Bible nowhere speaks of the sons of the Israelites being slaughtered like beasts, the Quran so speaks of them. We have shown under Important Words that the word ذبح used in the verse does not signify actual slaughtering by cutting the throat. It also means strangling to death. As Pharaoh first ordered the male children of the Israelites to be strangled at birth and later changed the decree to other methods of killing, the Quran uses a word which covers all such forms of killing. As already hinted, the word ذبح in the sense of slaughtering is used figuratively to denote that Pharaoh and his people treated the Israelites most mercilessly, killing them in whatever manner they liked. Elsewhere the Quran uses the word قتل i.e. killing in place of ذبح i.e. slaughtering (7:142).
In Exod. 1:8-22, we read: "Now there arose a new king over Egypt which knew not Joseph. And he said unto his people, Behold the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we: Come on, let us deal wisely with them; lest they multiply. Therefore they (the Egyptians) did set over them taskmasters to afflict them (the Israelites) with their burdens. And they built for Pharaoh treasure cities, Pithom and Rameses. But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew. And they were grieved because of the children of Israel. And the Egyptians made the children of Israel to serve with rigour; and they made their lives bitter with hard bondage, in mortar and in brick, and in all manner of service in the field: all their service, wherein they made them serve, was with rigour. And the king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives…When ye do the office of a midwife to the Hebrew women, and see them upon the stools, if it be a son, then ye shall kill him: but if it be a daughter, then she shall live. But the midwives feared God and did not as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the men children alive (putting up the excuse that Israelite women being healthier than Egyptians were generally delivered before the midwives arrived). And Pharaoh charged all his people, saying, Every son that is born ye shall cast into the river, and every daughter ye shall save alive."
The above quotation clearly shows that the Pharaoh whose name was Rameses II not only inflicted upon the Israelites grievous torments by imposing upon them hard and disgraceful labour, but also gave orders to kill their sons and spare their daughters who were thus allowed to grow to womanhood and became نساء as the Quran puts it. The Quran uses the word ذبح to signify that at first the order was to strangle the Israelite male children at birth and when that order failed in its purpose, another was issued to the effect that all male children should be thrown into the river—a most merciless form of killing in which all human feelings were laid aside and the Israelites were treated as mere beasts.
As the word بلاء (trial) may mean either a trial through a favour or blessing, or a trial through grief or affliction, the words "in that" occurring in the verse may either refer to the deliverance of the Israelites from Pharaoh’s people, in which case the word trial will mean a favour or a blessing; or they refer to the slaying of the male children, in which case it would mean grief or affliction.
God reminds the Israelites in the verse how He delivered them from grievous torments and afflictions and calls their attention to the magnitude of the Sign which He showed in their favour. He tells them that He had faithfully fulfilled the promises which He had made to Abraham and had left nothing undone, but when they transgressed and made an ill return for the favours that had been bestowed upon them, He withheld His favours from them and transferred the gift of prophecy to their brethren, the children of Ishmael.
God does not say that He delivered the children of Israel from Pharaoh, but that He delivered them from "Pharaoh’s people", for it was through his people that Pharaoh inflicted torments upon them, he himself remaining in the background. Moreover, the expression آل فرعونdoes not exclude Pharaoh, for it, according to Arabic idiom, may also mean, Pharaoh and his people.
b
14:7; 20:81; 44:31-32.
c
7:128, 142; 28:5.
49
法老不是一个特定的君主的名称。尼罗河流域和亚历山大港的统治者们也称为法老。穆撒生于君主尔马赛思二世 (RamesesⅡ, 古埃及几个国王的姓) 在位之时, 不得不在他儿子迈伦普塔二世 (MerenptahⅡ) 在位时与古以色列人一起离开埃及。尔马赛思二世 (RamesesⅡ) 被称为残暴的君主, 而他的继承者迈伦普塔二世 (MerenptahⅡ) 则被称之为 «出埃及记» 中的法老 {Enc. Bib和Peake’s Commentary on the Bible}。
a
14:7; 20:81; 44:31, 32.
b
7:128, 142; 28:5.
56
Important Words:
آل (people) is derived from the verb آل which gives the sense of returning or governing or exercising control or managing. The noun آل thus means the family or party of a man, or followers of a leader, or subjects of a ruler to whom they constantly return or who governs or exercises control over them. The word اھل is also sometimes taken to be another form of the word آل and means what the latter word means.
فرعون (Pharaoh) is not a personal name. It was the title held by the ancient kings of Egypt. Every Egyptian king is called فرعون in the Bible. The personal name of the Pharaoh with whom Moses came in contact was Rameses II (Enc. Bib.).
یذبحون (slaying) is derived from ذبح which originally means, he slaughtered or cut open the throat of an animal, or he strangled a person to death. Here the word is used in the intensified form dhabbaha to signify (1) that Pharaoh and his people treated the Israelites as mere beasts, and (2) that they killed them most mercilessly. It does not mean that they actually slaughtered them like animals, for elsewhere the Quran, speaking of the same torment, uses the word یقتلونinstead of یذبحون (7:142).
نساء (women) is the plural of مراة (a woman) from a different root. Though the word generally means "women" (Aqrab), it is also sometimes used about girls, as the Quran itself has used it (4:128). It is also used to signify "wives" (33:33).
بلاء (trial) means, anything by means of which a person may be tried; a trial whether through a blessing or an affliction (Aqrab).
Commentary:
In verses 41-48 God reminded the Israelites of His blessings in general, particularly the blessing of prophethood, which He had bestowed on them. He now calls their attention to such favours as exalted the Israelites above other peoples. The first of them to which God refers here is their deliverance from the hands of Pharaoh and his people, who inflicted on them grievous torments.
Some Christian critics have objected that whereas the Bible nowhere speaks of the sons of the Israelites being slaughtered like beasts, the Quran so speaks of them. We have shown under Important Words that the word ذبح used in the verse does not signify actual slaughtering by cutting the throat. It also means strangling to death. As Pharaoh first ordered the male children of the Israelites to be strangled at birth and later changed the decree to other methods of killing, the Quran uses a word which covers all such forms of killing. As already hinted, the word ذبح in the sense of slaughtering is used figuratively to denote that Pharaoh and his people treated the Israelites most mercilessly, killing them in whatever manner they liked. Elsewhere the Quran uses the word قتل i.e. killing in place of ذبح i.e. slaughtering (7:142).
In Exod. 1:8-22, we read: "Now there arose a new king over Egypt which knew not Joseph. And he said unto his people, Behold the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we: Come on, let us deal wisely with them; lest they multiply. Therefore they (the Egyptians) did set over them taskmasters to afflict them (the Israelites) with their burdens. And they built for Pharaoh treasure cities, Pithom and Rameses. But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew. And they were grieved because of the children of Israel. And the Egyptians made the children of Israel to serve with rigour; and they made their lives bitter with hard bondage, in mortar and in brick, and in all manner of service in the field: all their service, wherein they made them serve, was with rigour. And the king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives…When ye do the office of a midwife to the Hebrew women, and see them upon the stools, if it be a son, then ye shall kill him: but if it be a daughter, then she shall live. But the midwives feared God and did not as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the men children alive (putting up the excuse that Israelite women being healthier than Egyptians were generally delivered before the midwives arrived). And Pharaoh charged all his people, saying, Every son that is born ye shall cast into the river, and every daughter ye shall save alive."
The above quotation clearly shows that the Pharaoh whose name was Rameses II not only inflicted upon the Israelites grievous torments by imposing upon them hard and disgraceful labour, but also gave orders to kill their sons and spare their daughters who were thus allowed to grow to womanhood and became نساء as the Quran puts it. The Quran uses the word ذبح to signify that at first the order was to strangle the Israelite male children at birth and when that order failed in its purpose, another was issued to the effect that all male children should be thrown into the river—a most merciless form of killing in which all human feelings were laid aside and the Israelites were treated as mere beasts.
As the word بلاء (trial) may mean either a trial through a favour or blessing, or a trial through grief or affliction, the words "in that" occurring in the verse may either refer to the deliverance of the Israelites from Pharaoh’s people, in which case the word trial will mean a favour or a blessing; or they refer to the slaying of the male children, in which case it would mean grief or affliction.
God reminds the Israelites in the verse how He delivered them from grievous torments and afflictions and calls their attention to the magnitude of the Sign which He showed in their favour. He tells them that He had faithfully fulfilled the promises which He had made to Abraham and had left nothing undone, but when they transgressed and made an ill return for the favours that had been bestowed upon them, He withheld His favours from them and transferred the gift of prophecy to their brethren, the children of Ishmael.
God does not say that He delivered the children of Israel from Pharaoh, but that He delivered them from "Pharaoh’s people", for it was through his people that Pharaoh inflicted torments upon them, he himself remaining in the background. Moreover, the expression آل فرعونdoes not exclude Pharaoh, for it, according to Arabic idiom, may also mean, Pharaoh and his people.
b
14:7; 20:81; 44:31-32.
c
7:128, 142; 28:5.
87
Pharaoh was not the name of a particular monarch. The rulers of the Nile Valley and Alexandria were called Pharaohs. Moses was born in the reign of Pharaoh Rameses II, and had to leave Egypt with the Israelites in the reign of his son, Merenptah II. Rameses II, is called the Pharaoh of the Oppression and his successor Merenptah II, the Pharaoh of Exodus (Enc. Bib. & Peake’s Commentary on the Bible).
88
Al (people) is derived from the verb Ala which gives the sense of returning or governing or exercising control. The word thus means, the family or party of a man, or followers of a leader, or subjects of a ruler to whom they constantly return or who governs or exercises control over them (Lane).
88A
Pharaoh had inflicted upon the Israelites grievous torments by imposing upon them hard and disgraceful labour. He also had given orders that their sons be slain and their daughters spared. In this way he sought to destroy not only their manhood but to kill in them manly qualities.
وَإِذْ فَرَقْنَا بِكُمُ ٱلْبَحْرَ فَأَنجَيْنَٰكُمْ وَأَغْرَقْنَآ ءَالَ فِرْعَوْنَ وَأَنتُمْ تَنظُرُونَ
7:137; 8:55; 20:78, 81; 26:64-67; 28:41; 44:25.
本节经文中所提到的这事件, 指的是在安拉的命令下穆撒率领古以色列人出埃及而进入迦南的这一时期。这些古以色列人趁黑夜秘密地离去。法老得知他们逃跑后, 就带领他的军队追踪他们而淹死在红海中。为了充分正确评价这一事件--------伟大的安拉的一个迹象--------的性质和重大意义, 有必要读一下加注的本节经文以及其他各节有关经文, 20:78; 26:62-64; 44:25。下列所述个点均见之于这些经文: (a) 如 «古兰经» 所说, 当穆撒用杖击打海水时, 或如 «圣经» 所说, 他在海面上伸出他的手时, 那是退潮的时刻, 正是海水退去, 留下一片干枯的海底。(b) 安拉命穆撒赶快越过干燥的海底, 登达对岸, 他遵命做了。 (c) 可是当法老的军队到达海上时, 正是高潮时刻, 由于他们一股劲地追赶古以色列人, 没有注意到高潮, 立刻跳入海中。 (d) 因为巨大的战车及其他重武器的沉重装备, 法老军队的前进看来受到极大阻滞, 在他们尚在海中央时, 高潮重来, 使他们全军覆没。穆撒用手杖击打海水与海水的实际分流并没有因果关系。这仅仅是安拉给穆撒的一个征兆或提示, 告知他此时正是退潮, 古以色列人应加紧渡海。安拉做了这样的安排:当穆撒到达海边时, 潮水快要退去, 以便他遵照安拉的命令, 用杖一经击打海水, 海水就开始退去而为古以色列人开辟出一条干的通路。穆撒用杖击打海水与海的退朝在时间上恰好相合。这就构成了一个奇迹, 因为只有安拉才知道海水在什么时候会退去, 在退潮时他曾命令穆撒击打海水。
关于穆撒从埃及进入迦南是在何处度过红海的确切地点, 历史学家各执己见。有的认为是从法老们的所在地首都戈申地区 (Goshen)--------也称作阿尔•塔姆蒂拉特山谷 (at-Tamthilat) 或土米拉特旱谷 (Tumilat) (Enc. Bib. 第四卷, 第4012条, 条目 (“Rameses”)--------的途中穆撒由 蒂姆赛湾 (Timsah) 度过去的 (Enc. Bib. 第1438和1439条)。另一些认为他往北去, 又走得很远, 并绕着祖恩 (Zoan) 跨越到达靠近地中海的迦南 (Enc. Bib. 第1438条)。可是最可能的是这样: 那些古以色列人从穆撒时代法老的首都塔尔•阿比•苏莱曼 (Tal Abi Sulaiman) 出发, 最初去到蒂姆赛湾 (Timsah) 的东北部, 但发现密布的深渊挡住了他们的去路, 他们转而往南并渡过靠近苏伊士港市的红海, 那处的红海宽度几乎还不到两或三英里。并从那里前往卡达斯 (Qadas) (Enc. Bib.第1437 条)。“古以色列人同他 (穆撒) 一起逃跑, 跨越戈申地区 (Goshen), 进入西奈半岛。渡过 “红海” 亚姆苏普 (Yamsuph) “海” 或 “芦苇湖”, 也许就是渡过现在称为红海的西北方向几英里处一个湖泊的南端。风把连绵一大片湖滨刮得光秃, 当一支埃及军队追赶逃亡者时, 他们的战车车轮牢牢地陷在湿土中, 风向转移时, 海水又向他们冲来。关于古以色列人所走的路线, 各作者有不同说法。有的认为他们往南出发到 (现代的) 西奈山脉, 然后沿着现在称为阿卡巴湾 (عَقَبَة, ‘Akaba) 的红海湾的东部到达它的最北端伊蔡恩--------格伯尔 (Ezion-Geber)。另一些认为有迹象表明仍是麦加朝圣者所经过的路线, 接近正东朝伊蔡恩--------格伯尔, 从那里他们向西北到卡迭石 (Kadesh) 巴尔尼地区 (Barnea), 到西奈山或往南沿着阿卡巴湾 (‘عَقَبَة’) 东侧到达霍雷布 (Horeb)。各种传说不尽相同, 因而也不能加以肯定” (Peake’s Commentary on the Bible)。
اس وقت جوار بھاٹا کے اصول کے مطابق سمندر پیچھے ہٹ گیا اور قوم ِموسیٰ سمندر سے نکل گئی مگر فرعون کے لشکر کے آنے پر پانی کے لوٹنے کا وقت آگیا اور وہ ڈوب گیا۔ چونکہ جوار بھاٹا خداتعالیٰ کے مقرر کردہ اصول کے مطابق آتا ہے‘ خداتعالیٰ ہی موسیٰ اور فرعون کو اس وقت سمندر پر لے گیا تھا۔ جب جوار بھاٹے کا اثر خداتعالیٰ کے منشاء کے مطابق موسیٰ اور فرعون پر پڑ سکتا تھا۔ اس لئے خداتعالیٰ نے فرمایا ہے کہ ہم نے سمندر کو پھاڑ کر تم کو نجات دی۔
7:137; 8:55; 20:78, 81; 26:64-67; 28:41; 44:25.
The incident mentioned in this verse relates to the time when, under God’s command, Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt into Canaan. The Israelites left secretly by night and when Pharaoh learnt of their flight, he pursued them with his hosts and was drowned in the Red Sea. In order to appreciate fully the nature and significance of this incident which constituted a great Divine Sign, it is necessary to read the verse under comment along with other relevant verses such as vv. 20:78; 26:62-64; 44:25. The following facts emerge from these verses: (a) When Moses struck the sea with his rod as the Qur’an says, or stretched out his hand over the sea as the Bible says, it was the time of the ebb-tide and the sea was receding, leaving a dry bed. (b) Moses was commanded by God to cross quickly the dry bed to the opposite bank, which he did. (c) But when the hosts of Pharaoh reached the sea, it was the time of high-tide and in their zeal to overtake the Israelites they took no notice of it and at once jumped
7:137; 8:55; 20:78-81; 26:64-67; 28:41; 44:25.
Important Words:
فرقنا (We divided) is from فرق meaning, he divided or he split. فرق الشعر means, he made parting in the hair (Aqrab).
بکم (for you) may give a number of meanings: (1) for you; (2) with you, i.e. the sea divided or receded as you proceeded, as if you were the means of dividing it; (3) because of you, i.e. in order to save you; (4) in your presence, i.e. while you were present (Kashshaf).
Commentary:
The incident mentioned in this verse relates to the time when, under God’s command, Moses led the Israelites from Egypt to Palestine. The Israelites left secretly at night, and when Pharaoh learnt of their flight, he pursued them with his hosts in order to bring them back to bondage. The verse mentions the favour bestowed by God on the Israelites by dividing the sea for them and drowning the Egyptians. The incident is narrated in Exod. 14:21-30. The Bible says: "And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the Lord caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night and made the sea dry land and the waters were divided. And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand and on their left. And the Egyptians pursued and went in after them to the midst of the sea… And the waters returned and covered the chariots and the horsemen and all the host of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them; there remained not so much as one of them."
The بحر (sea) spoken of in the Quranic verse and mentioned in the Biblical quotation given above refers to the Red Sea through which or through an extremity of which the Israelites passed in their flight from Egypt to the Holy Land (Exod. 14).
Besides the verse under comment, the Quran also speaks of this incident in 20:78, 26:64 and 44:25. Says the Quran: And We sent a revelation to Moses, saying, 'Take away My servants by night and strike for them a dry path through the sea' (20:78). Again: Then We revealed to Moses, saying, 'Strike the sea with thy rod'. Whereupon it parted and every part was like a huge sandhill, i.e. on one side was the sea itself, and on the other (from which the sea had receded) there loomed large depressions filled with water (26:64). And again: Take My servants away by night; for you will surely be pursued. And leave the sea motionless (i.e. pass through quickly and leave it at a time when the tide has all receded but has not yet begun to flow back, so that, on the one hand, finding the sea-bed dry and, on the other, feeling secure in the thought that the high tide was not likely to overtake them, the Egyptians might be tempted to follow on); they are a host which is doomed to be drowned (44:24, 25).
In view of the above description, the facts appear to be as follows. When the Israelites were on their way to the Promised Land, they were pursued by the army of Pharaoh. When they reached the arm of the Red Sea which lay across their route, they were greatly dismayed, for Pharaoh was close behind with his hosts. But God cheered them through Moses, asking him to strike the water with his rod. This being the time of ebb-tide, the sea receded, exposing to view in the bed of the sea huge mounds of dry sand interspersed with depressions filled with water. Under the lead of Moses the Israelites quickly crossed the dry bed of the sea to the opposite bank. The army of Pharaoh came in pursuit, and while they were yet in the bed of the sea the high tide returned and drowned them all.
It should be remembered that, according to the Quran, a miracle is purely the work of God, and man has no hand in it. So, the striking of the sea by Moses was merely a symbol or a sign, having nothing to do with the actual parting of the sea which was exclusively the work of God, Who so arranged that it was the time of ebb-tide when Moses reached the sea so that just when He lifted his rod the sea began to recede. But when the army of Pharaoh began to cross the sea, they met with obstacles, just as heavily equipped armies generally do, and their progress was naturally retarded so that while they were yet in the midst of the sea, the high tide flowed and they were all drowned.
The words of the Quran do not lend themselves to the erroneous inference that there was an actual split in the sea to afford a passage for Moses and his followers. The two words used in the Quran in this connection are فرقنا (We divided) and انفلق (the sea parted); the root idea of both being "parting". These two words only corroborate the theory that when the Israelites reached the sea, the ebb-tide set in and the sea parted, exposing to view the sand dunes upon which the Israelites crossed over to the other side.
The fact that Pharaoh followed Moses through the bed of the sea also indicates that it was the time of the ebb-tide. If the sea had been actually split against all known laws of nature, Pharaoh would never have dared to follow in the wake of Moses. Nevertheless, it was a great miracle brought about by a subtle combination of the laws of nature which all united to save the Israelites and destroy Pharaoh and his people.
In this connection we may well quote an incident in Napoleon’s life which goes to illustrate how the tide helped Moses and destroyed Pharaoh in their journey across the Red Sea. In Abbott’s Life of Napoleon it is related that, "One day, with quite a retinue, he (Napoleon) made an excursion to that identical point of the Red Sea which, as tradition reports, the children of Israel crossed three thousand years ago. The tide was out, and he passed over the Asiatic shore upon extended flats. Various objects of interest engrossed his attention until late in the afternoon, when he commenced his return, the twilight faded away, and darkness came rapidly on. The party lost their path, and, as they were wandering bewildered among the sands, the rapidly returning tide surrounded them. The darkness of the night increased, and the horses floundered deeper and deeper in the rising waves. The water reached the girths of the saddles, and dashed upon the feet of the rider, and destruction seemed inevitable. From that perilous position Napoleon extricated himself by that presence of mind and promptness of decision which seemed never to fail him…The horses did not reach the shore until midnight, when they were wading breast deep in the swelling waves. The tide rises on that part of the coast to the height of 22 feet. 'Had I perished in that manner like Pharaoh', said Napoleon, 'it would have furnished all the preachers in Christendom with a magnificent text against me'." (Abbott’s Life of Napoleon, Chap. 12, p. 96).
The words, while you looked on, have been added in the verse to make the Israelites realize that though the above miracle was performed before their very eyes and their proud and haughty oppressor was brought to naught in their very sight, yet they proved ungrateful to their Lord and His Prophet.
a
7:137; 8:55; 20:78, 81; 26:64-67; 28:41; 44:25.
50
本节经文中所提到的这事件, 指的是在安拉的命令下穆撒率领古以色列人出埃及而进入迦南的这一时期。这些古以色列人趁黑夜秘密地离去。法老得知他们逃跑后, 就带领他的军队追踪他们而淹死在红海中。为了充分正确评价这一事件--------伟大的安拉的一个迹象--------的性质和重大意义, 有必要读一下加注的本节经文以及其他各节有关经文, 20:78; 26:62-64; 44:25。下列所述个点均见之于这些经文: (a) 如 «古兰经» 所说, 当穆撒用杖击打海水时, 或如 «圣经» 所说, 他在海面上伸出他的手时, 那是退潮的时刻, 正是海水退去, 留下一片干枯的海底。(b) 安拉命穆撒赶快越过干燥的海底, 登达对岸, 他遵命做了。 (c) 可是当法老的军队到达海上时, 正是高潮时刻, 由于他们一股劲地追赶古以色列人, 没有注意到高潮, 立刻跳入海中。 (d) 因为巨大的战车及其他重武器的沉重装备, 法老军队的前进看来受到极大阻滞, 在他们尚在海中央时, 高潮重来, 使他们全军覆没。穆撒用手杖击打海水与海水的实际分流并没有因果关系。这仅仅是安拉给穆撒的一个征兆或提示, 告知他此时正是退潮, 古以色列人应加紧渡海。安拉做了这样的安排:当穆撒到达海边时, 潮水快要退去, 以便他遵照安拉的命令, 用杖一经击打海水, 海水就开始退去而为古以色列人开辟出一条干的通路。穆撒用杖击打海水与海的退朝在时间上恰好相合。这就构成了一个奇迹, 因为只有安拉才知道海水在什么时候会退去, 在退潮时他曾命令穆撒击打海水。
关于穆撒从埃及进入迦南是在何处度过红海的确切地点, 历史学家各执己见。有的认为是从法老们的所在地首都戈申地区 (Goshen)--------也称作阿尔•塔姆蒂拉特山谷 (at-Tamthilat) 或土米拉特旱谷 (Tumilat) (Enc. Bib. 第四卷, 第4012条, 条目 (“Rameses”)--------的途中穆撒由 蒂姆赛湾 (Timsah) 度过去的 (Enc. Bib. 第1438和1439条)。另一些认为他往北去, 又走得很远, 并绕着祖恩 (Zoan) 跨越到达靠近地中海的迦南 (Enc. Bib. 第1438条)。可是最可能的是这样: 那些古以色列人从穆撒时代法老的首都塔尔•阿比•苏莱曼 (Tal Abi Sulaiman) 出发, 最初去到蒂姆赛湾 (Timsah) 的东北部, 但发现密布的深渊挡住了他们的去路, 他们转而往南并渡过靠近苏伊士港市的红海, 那处的红海宽度几乎还不到两或三英里。并从那里前往卡达斯 (Qadas) (Enc. Bib.第1437 条)。“古以色列人同他 (穆撒) 一起逃跑, 跨越戈申地区 (Goshen), 进入西奈半岛。渡过 “红海” 亚姆苏普 (Yamsuph) “海” 或 “芦苇湖”, 也许就是渡过现在称为红海的西北方向几英里处一个湖泊的南端。风把连绵一大片湖滨刮得光秃, 当一支埃及军队追赶逃亡者时, 他们的战车车轮牢牢地陷在湿土中, 风向转移时, 海水又向他们冲来。关于古以色列人所走的路线, 各作者有不同说法。有的认为他们往南出发到 (现代的) 西奈山脉, 然后沿着现在称为阿卡巴湾 (عَقَبَة, ‘Akaba) 的红海湾的东部到达它的最北端伊蔡恩--------格伯尔 (Ezion-Geber)。另一些认为有迹象表明仍是麦加朝圣者所经过的路线, 接近正东朝伊蔡恩--------格伯尔, 从那里他们向西北到卡迭石 (Kadesh) 巴尔尼地区 (Barnea), 到西奈山或往南沿着阿卡巴湾 (‘عَقَبَة’) 东侧到达霍雷布 (Horeb)。各种传说不尽相同, 因而也不能加以肯定” (Peake’s Commentary on the Bible)。
1
اس وقت جوار بھاٹا کے اصول کے مطابق سمندر پیچھے ہٹ گیا اور قوم ِموسیٰ سمندر سے نکل گئی مگر فرعون کے لشکر کے آنے پر پانی کے لوٹنے کا وقت آگیا اور وہ ڈوب گیا۔ چونکہ جوار بھاٹا خداتعالیٰ کے مقرر کردہ اصول کے مطابق آتا ہے‘ خداتعالیٰ ہی موسیٰ اور فرعون کو اس وقت سمندر پر لے گیا تھا۔ جب جوار بھاٹے کا اثر خداتعالیٰ کے منشاء کے مطابق موسیٰ اور فرعون پر پڑ سکتا تھا۔ اس لئے خداتعالیٰ نے فرمایا ہے کہ ہم نے سمندر کو پھاڑ کر تم کو نجات دی۔
a
7:137; 8:55; 20:78-81; 26:64-67; 28:41; 44:25.
57
Important Words:
فرقنا (We divided) is from فرق meaning, he divided or he split. فرق الشعر means, he made parting in the hair (Aqrab).
بکم (for you) may give a number of meanings: (1) for you; (2) with you, i.e. the sea divided or receded as you proceeded, as if you were the means of dividing it; (3) because of you, i.e. in order to save you; (4) in your presence, i.e. while you were present (Kashshaf).
Commentary:
The incident mentioned in this verse relates to the time when, under God’s command, Moses led the Israelites from Egypt to Palestine. The Israelites left secretly at night, and when Pharaoh learnt of their flight, he pursued them with his hosts in order to bring them back to bondage. The verse mentions the favour bestowed by God on the Israelites by dividing the sea for them and drowning the Egyptians. The incident is narrated in Exod. 14:21-30. The Bible says: "And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the Lord caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night and made the sea dry land and the waters were divided. And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand and on their left. And the Egyptians pursued and went in after them to the midst of the sea… And the waters returned and covered the chariots and the horsemen and all the host of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them; there remained not so much as one of them."
The بحر (sea) spoken of in the Quranic verse and mentioned in the Biblical quotation given above refers to the Red Sea through which or through an extremity of which the Israelites passed in their flight from Egypt to the Holy Land (Exod. 14).
Besides the verse under comment, the Quran also speaks of this incident in 20:78, 26:64 and 44:25. Says the Quran: And We sent a revelation to Moses, saying, 'Take away My servants by night and strike for them a dry path through the sea' (20:78). Again: Then We revealed to Moses, saying, 'Strike the sea with thy rod'. Whereupon it parted and every part was like a huge sandhill, i.e. on one side was the sea itself, and on the other (from which the sea had receded) there loomed large depressions filled with water (26:64). And again: Take My servants away by night; for you will surely be pursued. And leave the sea motionless (i.e. pass through quickly and leave it at a time when the tide has all receded but has not yet begun to flow back, so that, on the one hand, finding the sea-bed dry and, on the other, feeling secure in the thought that the high tide was not likely to overtake them, the Egyptians might be tempted to follow on); they are a host which is doomed to be drowned (44:24, 25).
In view of the above description, the facts appear to be as follows. When the Israelites were on their way to the Promised Land, they were pursued by the army of Pharaoh. When they reached the arm of the Red Sea which lay across their route, they were greatly dismayed, for Pharaoh was close behind with his hosts. But God cheered them through Moses, asking him to strike the water with his rod. This being the time of ebb-tide, the sea receded, exposing to view in the bed of the sea huge mounds of dry sand interspersed with depressions filled with water. Under the lead of Moses the Israelites quickly crossed the dry bed of the sea to the opposite bank. The army of Pharaoh came in pursuit, and while they were yet in the bed of the sea the high tide returned and drowned them all.
It should be remembered that, according to the Quran, a miracle is purely the work of God, and man has no hand in it. So, the striking of the sea by Moses was merely a symbol or a sign, having nothing to do with the actual parting of the sea which was exclusively the work of God, Who so arranged that it was the time of ebb-tide when Moses reached the sea so that just when He lifted his rod the sea began to recede. But when the army of Pharaoh began to cross the sea, they met with obstacles, just as heavily equipped armies generally do, and their progress was naturally retarded so that while they were yet in the midst of the sea, the high tide flowed and they were all drowned.
The words of the Quran do not lend themselves to the erroneous inference that there was an actual split in the sea to afford a passage for Moses and his followers. The two words used in the Quran in this connection are فرقنا (We divided) and انفلق (the sea parted); the root idea of both being "parting". These two words only corroborate the theory that when the Israelites reached the sea, the ebb-tide set in and the sea parted, exposing to view the sand dunes upon which the Israelites crossed over to the other side.
The fact that Pharaoh followed Moses through the bed of the sea also indicates that it was the time of the ebb-tide. If the sea had been actually split against all known laws of nature, Pharaoh would never have dared to follow in the wake of Moses. Nevertheless, it was a great miracle brought about by a subtle combination of the laws of nature which all united to save the Israelites and destroy Pharaoh and his people.
In this connection we may well quote an incident in Napoleon’s life which goes to illustrate how the tide helped Moses and destroyed Pharaoh in their journey across the Red Sea. In Abbott’s Life of Napoleon it is related that, "One day, with quite a retinue, he (Napoleon) made an excursion to that identical point of the Red Sea which, as tradition reports, the children of Israel crossed three thousand years ago. The tide was out, and he passed over the Asiatic shore upon extended flats. Various objects of interest engrossed his attention until late in the afternoon, when he commenced his return, the twilight faded away, and darkness came rapidly on. The party lost their path, and, as they were wandering bewildered among the sands, the rapidly returning tide surrounded them. The darkness of the night increased, and the horses floundered deeper and deeper in the rising waves. The water reached the girths of the saddles, and dashed upon the feet of the rider, and destruction seemed inevitable. From that perilous position Napoleon extricated himself by that presence of mind and promptness of decision which seemed never to fail him…The horses did not reach the shore until midnight, when they were wading breast deep in the swelling waves. The tide rises on that part of the coast to the height of 22 feet. 'Had I perished in that manner like Pharaoh', said Napoleon, 'it would have furnished all the preachers in Christendom with a magnificent text against me'." (Abbott’s Life of Napoleon, Chap. 12, p. 96).
The words, while you looked on, have been added in the verse to make the Israelites realize that though the above miracle was performed before their very eyes and their proud and haughty oppressor was brought to naught in their very sight, yet they proved ungrateful to their Lord and His Prophet.
a
7:137; 8:55; 20:78, 81; 26:64-67; 28:41; 44:25.
89
The incident mentioned in this verse relates to the time when, under God’s command, Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt into Canaan. The Israelites left secretly by night and when Pharaoh learnt of their flight, he pursued them with his hosts and was drowned in the Red Sea. In order to appreciate fully the nature and significance of this incident which constituted a great Divine Sign, it is necessary to read the verse under comment along with other relevant verses such as vv. 20:78; 26:62-64; 44:25. The following facts emerge from these verses: (a) When Moses struck the sea with his rod as the Qur’an says, or stretched out his hand over the sea as the Bible says, it was the time of the ebb-tide and the sea was receding, leaving a dry bed. (b) Moses was commanded by God to cross quickly the dry bed to the opposite bank, which he did. (c) But when the hosts of Pharaoh reached the sea, it was the time of high-tide and in their zeal to overtake the Israelites they took no notice of it and at once jumped
۞ أَلَمْ تَرَ إِلَى ٱلَّذِينَ خَرَجُوا۟ مِن دِيَٰرِهِمْ وَهُمْ أُلُوفٌ حَذَرَ ٱلْمَوْتِ فَقَالَ لَهُمُ ٱللَّهُ مُوتُوا۟ ثُمَّ أَحْيَٰهُمْ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَذُو فَضْلٍ عَلَى ٱلنَّاسِ وَلَٰكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ ٱلنَّاسِ لَا يَشْكُرُونَ
5:27.
اَلَّذِیْنَ خَرَجُوْا مِنْ دِیَارِھِمْ سے مراد بنی اسرائیل ہیں جو فرعون کے ڈر کی وجہ سے مصر سے نکل آئے تھے۔ وَھُمْ اُلُوْفٌ میں بتایا کہ وہ ہزاروں تھے۔ اس سے بائیبل کے اس بیان کی تردید ہو جاتی ہے کہ بنی اسرائیل کی تعداد جو مصر سے نکلے تھے چھ لاکھ تین ہزار پانچ سو پچاس تھی۔ کیونکہ چھ لاکھ کا قافلہ بغیر زیادہ سامان کے بے آب و گیاہ جنگل میں سے سینکڑوں میل تک نہیں گزر سکتا۔
’’مرجاؤ‘‘ سے یہ مراد ہے کہ تمہاری نافرمانی کی وجہ سے تم سے فاتحانہ طاقتیں واپس لی جاتی ہیں۔ مگر بعد میں خداتعالیٰ نے معاف کر دیا اور ان کے غالب آنے کی قوتیں انہیں واپس دے دیں۔
5:27.
When, being persecuted by Pharaoh, the Israelites left Egypt and crossed over to Asia, Moses wanted them to enter the Promised Land, but they were afraid of the people that dwelt there and refused to march ahead (5:25).
The Bible represents the number of the Israelites migrating from Egypt as six hundred thousand. Recent researches favour the Quranic view according to which they were only several thousand (History of the People of Israel, by Ernest Renan. p. 145, 1888, and History of Palestine and the Jews, i. 174, by John Kitto). See also 2:61.
The Israelites left Egypt because their further stay in that country would have meant their total annihilation. Pharaoh had recourse to all sorts of means to destroy their manhood. See 2:50.
The reference is to the wandering in the wilderness of Sinai of the Israelites who had refused to march with Moses into Canaan until they perished in the wilderness and a new generation arose who, inspired with a new life, marched into the Promised Land under Joshua. Elsewhere the Qur’an says, "Then we raised you up after your death" (2:57).
5:27.
Commentary:
The commandments relating to conjugal relations were mentioned as an offshoot of the subject of جھاد (holy war) dealt with in 2:217 and the following verses. The Quran now reverts to the original subject and by way of re-introduction cites the example of the Israelites who had left the land of the Pharaohs for fear of death. Trodden under the foot of the tyrant, the children of Israel were then in a most abject condition, and the wise God, in His eternal wisdom, decreed that they should lead a life of ordeals in the wilderness before becoming fit for the great life that awaited them in the Promised Land. The words, Allah said to them: 'Die', point to the great truth that all life must be preceded by death, i.e. great trials and extraordinary sacrifices.
As mentioned above, the clause, those who went forth from their homes, refers to the Israelites who had gone forth from Egypt to escape persecution by Pharaoh. It was the fear of death which had made the Israelites migrate from the land (2:50).
The words, they were thousands, contradict the Bible which represents the number of the Israelites migrating from Egypt as six hundred thousand. Recent researches favour the Quranic view (See History of the People of Israel, p. 145, by Ernest Renan, London, 1888, and History of Palestine and the Jews, i. 174 by John Kitto, London, 1844). See also. 2:55.
The story of the exodus of the Israelites is briefly this. When, being persecuted by Pharaoh, they left Egypt and crossed over to Asia, Moses wanted them to enter the Promised Land, but they were afraid of the people that dwelt there and refused to march ahead, saying Go thou and thy Lord and fight and here we sit (5:25). The result was that they drew upon themselves the wrath of God, Who said to Moses, Verily, it shall be forbidden them for forty years; in distraction shall they wander through the land (5:27). The promise was thus put off for forty years and the children of Israel were left to wander in the wilderness until those who had refused to fight perished in the desert, whereafter the younger generation led by Joshua conquered the land. Thus it was that the people whom God had caused to perish had new life breathed into them. It is with reference to these events that the Quran uses the word "die" in the verse under comment. This very death, i.e. destruction of the rebellious and training of the youth through trials and ordeals, proved the forerunner of life. Elsewhere, the Quran says about the Israelites: Then We raised you up after your death (2:57).
It may also be noted here that from this verse onward, the Quran begins the description of تزکیة or means of national progress spoken of in 2:130, reference to "Signs" and "the Book" and "Wisdom" having already been made.
a
5:27.
5
اَلَّذِیْنَ خَرَجُوْا مِنْ دِیَارِھِمْ سے مراد بنی اسرائیل ہیں جو فرعون کے ڈر کی وجہ سے مصر سے نکل آئے تھے۔ وَھُمْ اُلُوْفٌ میں بتایا کہ وہ ہزاروں تھے۔ اس سے بائیبل کے اس بیان کی تردید ہو جاتی ہے کہ بنی اسرائیل کی تعداد جو مصر سے نکلے تھے چھ لاکھ تین ہزار پانچ سو پچاس تھی۔ کیونکہ چھ لاکھ کا قافلہ بغیر زیادہ سامان کے بے آب و گیاہ جنگل میں سے سینکڑوں میل تک نہیں گزر سکتا۔
6
’’مرجاؤ‘‘ سے یہ مراد ہے کہ تمہاری نافرمانی کی وجہ سے تم سے فاتحانہ طاقتیں واپس لی جاتی ہیں۔ مگر بعد میں خداتعالیٰ نے معاف کر دیا اور ان کے غالب آنے کی قوتیں انہیں واپس دے دیں۔
b
5:27.
250
Commentary:
The commandments relating to conjugal relations were mentioned as an offshoot of the subject of جھاد (holy war) dealt with in 2:217 and the following verses. The Quran now reverts to the original subject and by way of re-introduction cites the example of the Israelites who had left the land of the Pharaohs for fear of death. Trodden under the foot of the tyrant, the children of Israel were then in a most abject condition, and the wise God, in His eternal wisdom, decreed that they should lead a life of ordeals in the wilderness before becoming fit for the great life that awaited them in the Promised Land. The words, Allah said to them: 'Die', point to the great truth that all life must be preceded by death, i.e. great trials and extraordinary sacrifices.
As mentioned above, the clause, those who went forth from their homes, refers to the Israelites who had gone forth from Egypt to escape persecution by Pharaoh. It was the fear of death which had made the Israelites migrate from the land (2:50).
The words, they were thousands, contradict the Bible which represents the number of the Israelites migrating from Egypt as six hundred thousand. Recent researches favour the Quranic view (See History of the People of Israel, p. 145, by Ernest Renan, London, 1888, and History of Palestine and the Jews, i. 174 by John Kitto, London, 1844). See also. 2:55.
The story of the exodus of the Israelites is briefly this. When, being persecuted by Pharaoh, they left Egypt and crossed over to Asia, Moses wanted them to enter the Promised Land, but they were afraid of the people that dwelt there and refused to march ahead, saying Go thou and thy Lord and fight and here we sit (5:25). The result was that they drew upon themselves the wrath of God, Who said to Moses, Verily, it shall be forbidden them for forty years; in distraction shall they wander through the land (5:27). The promise was thus put off for forty years and the children of Israel were left to wander in the wilderness until those who had refused to fight perished in the desert, whereafter the younger generation led by Joshua conquered the land. Thus it was that the people whom God had caused to perish had new life breathed into them. It is with reference to these events that the Quran uses the word "die" in the verse under comment. This very death, i.e. destruction of the rebellious and training of the youth through trials and ordeals, proved the forerunner of life. Elsewhere, the Quran says about the Israelites: Then We raised you up after your death (2:57).
It may also be noted here that from this verse onward, the Quran begins the description of تزکیة or means of national progress spoken of in 2:130, reference to "Signs" and "the Book" and "Wisdom" having already been made.
a
5:27.
300
When, being persecuted by Pharaoh, the Israelites left Egypt and crossed over to Asia, Moses wanted them to enter the Promised Land, but they were afraid of the people that dwelt there and refused to march ahead (5:25).
301
The Bible represents the number of the Israelites migrating from Egypt as six hundred thousand. Recent researches favour the Quranic view according to which they were only several thousand (History of the People of Israel, by Ernest Renan. p. 145, 1888, and History of Palestine and the Jews, i. 174, by John Kitto). See also 2:61.
302
The Israelites left Egypt because their further stay in that country would have meant their total annihilation. Pharaoh had recourse to all sorts of means to destroy their manhood. See 2:50.
303
The reference is to the wandering in the wilderness of Sinai of the Israelites who had refused to march with Moses into Canaan until they perished in the wilderness and a new generation arose who, inspired with a new life, marched into the Promised Land under Joshua. Elsewhere the Qur’an says, "Then we raised you up after your death" (2:57).
وَلَقَدْ أَوْحَيْنَآ إِلَىٰ مُوسَىٰٓ أَنْ أَسْرِ بِعِبَادِى فَٱضْرِبْ لَهُمْ طَرِيقًا فِى ٱلْبَحْرِ يَبَسًا لَّا تَخَٰفُ دَرَكًا وَلَا تَخْشَىٰ
26:53.
26:64.
Against all unimpeachable historical data, most extraordinary theories have been propounded about the Israelites, viz. (a) they never lived in Egypt; because no reference to them is to be found in the old Egyptian historical records. (b) In the fifth year of the reign of Pharaoh Meneptah (or Merenptah) when Moses is said to have taken the Israelites out of Egypt, some Israelite tribes were actually living in Canaan, therefore the theory that Moses had taken the Israelites out of Egypt to Canaan during his reign and that they settled there some fifty years later is all wrong.
The propounders of these strange theories seem to forget that the Israelites were foreigners in Egypt and were a subject race and had lived the miserable life of serfs and slaves under their cruel rulers. How could such people be considered worthy of any notice being taken of them by historians? When even in this 20th century historians cannot find it easy to prepare a well- connected and harmonious narrative about a people from
26:53.
26:64.
Important Words:
لا تخشی (nor wilt thou have fear) is formed from خشیwhich means, he feared or dreaded or feared with reverence, veneration, respect, or awe. We have in the Quran وھم من خشیته مشفقون i.e. they fear their Lord, holding Him in reverence (21:29). خشی منه means, he feared or dreaded what might happen to him from him or it. خشیة is the dread, fear or awe resulting from the knowledge which one possesses about a thing or person. The Quranic expression انما یخشی اللّٰه من عبادہ العلماء(35:29) means, only those of His servants who possess knowledge fear Allah (Lane, Aqrab & Mufradat). The reference to the fear mentioned in the words لا تخشی is to the dangers of the sea and other hardships that lay ahead of the Israelites.
Commentary:
The incident mentioned in this verse relates to the time when, under God’s command, Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt into Canaan. The Israelites left secretly by night, and when Pharaoh learnt of their flight, he pursued them with his hosts and was drowned in the Red Sea.
In order to appreciate fully the nature and significance of this incident which indeed constituted a great divine sign, it is necessary to read the verse under comment along with other relevant verses such as vv. 2:51, 26:62-64 & 44:25. The Quran says:
And remember the time when We divided the sea for you and saved you and drowned Pharaoh’s people while you looked on (2:51).
And when the two hosts came in sight of each other the companions of Moses said, 'We are surely overtaken.'…Then We revealed to Moses, saying, 'Strike the sea with thy rod.' Whereupon it parted and every part was like a huge sandhill (26:62-64). When the Israelites were passing they had the sea on one side and the small lake son the other, which conformably to the natural laws of perspective appeared raised above the level of the land.
And leave the sea at a time when it is motionless. Surely, they are a host which is doomed to be drowned (44:25). i.e. pass through the sea quickly at a time when the tide has receded.
The Bible also refers to this incident in the following verses:
And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the Lord caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all the night and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided. And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground; and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand and on their left. And the Egyptians pursued and went in after them to the midst of the sea…And the Lord said unto Moses, 'Stretch out thine hand over the sea'…And Moses stretched forth his hand over the sea and the sea returned to its strength…And the waters returned and covered the chariots, and the horsemen, and all the host of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them; there remained not so much as one of them (Exod. 14:21-28).
The following facts emerge from the above account of this incident as given in the Quran and the Bible;
(a) that Moses was commanded by God to take away the Israelites out of Egypt by night;
(b) that Pharaoh pursued the Israelites with his mighty hosts;
(c) that when the Israelites reached the arm of the Red Sea which lay across their route, they were greatly dismayed because Pharaoh was close behind with his hosts;
(d) that when on seeing Pharaoh’s hosts the Israelites exclaimed in fright that they were overtaken, God commanded Moses to strike the water of the sea with his rod;
(e) that when Moses struck the sea with his rod as the Quran says or stretched out his hand over the sea as the Bible says, it was the time of the ebb-tide and the sea was receding, leaving a dry bed;
(f) that Moses was commanded by God to cross quickly the dry bed to the opposite bank, which he did;
(g) that when the hosts of Pharaoh reached the sea, it was the time of high tide and that in their zeal to overtake the Israelites they took no notice of it and at once jumped into the sea behind them; and
(h) that, as it appears, being heavily equipped with big chariots and other heavy armaments the progress of the army of Pharaoh was greatly retarded so that while they were yet in the midst of the sea, the high tide returned and they were all drowned.
Historians differ as to the exact place from where Moses crossed the Red Sea from Egypt into Canaan. Some are of the view that on his way from the territory of Goshen, which is also called the valley of Al-Tamthilat or Wadi Tumilat and where the capital of the Pharaohs was situated (Enc. Bib. vol. 4, col. 4012, under "Rameses"), Moses passed by the Gulf of Timsah (Enc. Bib., cols. 1438 & 1439). Others think that he went much further to the north and going round Zoan crossed over to Canaan near the Mediterranean Sea (Enc. Bib., col. 1438). But what is most probable is the fact that from Tal Abi Sulaiman which was the capital of the Pharaohs in Moses’ time, the Israelites at first went to north-east to the Gulf of Timsah but finding that a net of gulfs barred their way, they turned south and crossed the Red Sea near the town of Suez where it is hardly more than 2/3 mile wide, and started for Qadas (Enc. Bib., col. 1437).
The following passage from Peake’s "Commentary on the Bible" (p. 64) may also be read with interest:
The Israelites fled with him (Moses) across the Goshen marshes into the Sinaitic Peninsula. The crossing of the "Red Sea" (yam suph, "sea" or "lake of reeds") was probably the crossing of the southern end of a lake a few miles N.W. of what is now called the Red Sea. A wind laid bare a wide stretch of shore, and when an Egyptian force pursued the fugitives, their chariot wheels stuck fast in the wet soil, and the water returned upon them when the wind shifted. Writers differ as to the route taken by the Israelites. Some think that they moved southward to the mountainous range of (the modern) Sinai, and then along the eastern arm of the Red Sea, now known as the Gulf of ‘Akabah, to its northernmost point at Ezion Geber. Others think that the evidence points to the route still taken by Mecca pilgrims, nearly due E. to Ezion Geber, and that thence they moved N.W. to the region of Kadesh (Barnea), to Mt. Sinai or southward along the E. side of the Gulf of ‘Akabah to Mt. Horeb. The traditions differ and certainty is impossible.
There are people who against all canons of history take particular delight in propounding most extraordinary theories that the Israelites never lived in Egypt. Some such theories are:
(a) No reference to the Israelites is to be found in the old Egyptian historical records.
(b) In the fifth year of the reign of Pharaoh Merneptah (or Mereneptah) when Moses is said to have taken the Israelites out of Egypt, some Israelite tribes were actually living in Canaan, therefore the theory of Moses having taken the Israelites out of Egypt to Canaan during his reign and their having settled in that country some fifty years later is all wrong.
(c) Though some trace is found of a few tribes having crossed over from Asia into Egypt but there is no proof that these were the Israelite tribes.
The propounders of these strange theories seem to ignore the patent fact that the Israelites were foreigners in Egypt and were a subject race and lived the miserable life of slaves under their cruel rulers. How could such people be considered worthy of any notice being taken of them by historians? Apart from this the fact may also be taken into consideration that when it is not quite possible for historians even in this 20th century to prepare a well-connected and harmonious narrative about a people from the remnants of its ruined civilization, it was much more difficult for historians in the past to reconstruct a consistent record from the fragmentary accounts of a people who lived in the hoary past and who were treated like beasts of burden by their rulers. This is why no reference to the Israelites is to be found in the old historical records of Egypt.
Secondly, the doubtful theory that certain Israelite tribes were found to be living in Canaan in the 5th year of the reign of Pharaoh Merneptah cannot disprove the fact that other Israelite tribes had remained behind in Egypt. Is it not possible that some of these tribes might have left Egypt for Canaan sometime before all of them were taken out of it by Moses. It is very strange that on the one hand these very writers say that Moses is an Egyptian name and that some of the companions of Moses also had Egyptian names, and on the other that the Israelites never went to Egypt. Moreover, the Bible gives a detailed and well-connected story of the Israelites having lived in Egypt. There was no compelling reason for the writers of the Bible to have done so, especially when the Israelites had lived there only as slaves and worse than beasts of burden. No people would feel any urge or pride in forging and falsely inventing such a miserable record of shame and sorrow of themselves. Last but not least, the Biblical details with regard to the customs, culture and mode of life of the Pharaohs of that time is another proof of the fact that the Israelites had lived under them. The Bible had no interest in the Pharaoh dynasty of Egypt apart from their being rulers of the Israelites. Besides, as stated by old Greek historians, the Egyptians themselves admitted that the Israelites had lived in Egypt for a long time and later on had left this country. The present Egypt, however, should not be confused with a territory which in ancient times was also known as Egypt but which formed a part of northern Syria or northern Arabia.
The date of the Exodus has also been much contested and there seems to be considerable difficulty in determining its exact date from the Biblical records alone. Neither the name of the reigning Pharaoh nor the place where he held his court is mentioned; the account given is not contemporary, but has been condensed and annotated by later editors, and fused by them into a general narrative; and the Biblical chronology of the period, though containing trustworthy material, is known to be largely artificial. Apart from the Biblical records any historical information on the subject is meagre. Various theories, however, are held about the Exodus. Some of these are as follows:
1. The view that the Israelites left Egypt with the Hyksos (1580 B.C.) at the beginning of the XVIIIth Dynasty, or shortly afterwards, and lived a nomadic life of about 200 years in the desert previous to entering Canaan. But evidently this view seems to do violence to genuine Hebrew tradition.
2. The theory which dates the Exodus in the XVIIIth Dynasty, but about 1445 B.C. just after the long despotic reign of Thutmose III and during that of his son Amenhotep II (1447-1420 B.C.). This theory too lacks the support of trustworthy historical material and Hebrew tradition.
3. The hypothesis which connects the Exodus with the religion’s revolution attempted by Amenhotep IV, otherwise known as Akhenaten (1383-1366 B.C.) This view would place the Exodus about 1350 or 1345 B.C. This seems to be more plausible than the first two views.
4. But the theory, largely prevalent which receives much support from historical data, archaeological research and Hebrew tradition is that the Exodus occurred in the Nineteenth Dynasty (1328-1202 B.C.), in the reign of Merneptah II or Mereneptah II (1234-1214) and still seems the most probable. It appears to have taken place about 1230 B.C. According to this view the Pharaoh of the oppression would be Rameses II and his successor Merneptah II, the Pharaoh of the Exodus (Peake’s Commentary on the Bible, pp. 119, 955 & 956).
Incidentally, it may be stated here that the striking of the water of the sea with his rod by Moses had no cause and effect connection with the actual parting of the sea. It was merely a sign or a Divine intimation that it was the time of the ebb tide and that the Israelites should hasten to cross. God had so arranged that when Moses reached the sea the tide was about to go back, so that as soon as he struck the sea with his rod in obedience to Divine command, it began to recede and a dry path was made for the Israelites. The striking of the water with his rod by Moses and the recession of the sea coincided. This constituted a miracle because God alone knew when the sea would recede and He had commanded Moses to strike its waters at the time of its recession.
a
26:53.
b
26:64.
c
26:53.
d
26:64.
2293A
Important Words:
لا تخشی (nor wilt thou have fear) is formed from خشیwhich means, he feared or dreaded or feared with reverence, veneration, respect, or awe. We have in the Quran وھم من خشیته مشفقون i.e. they fear their Lord, holding Him in reverence (21:29). خشی منه means, he feared or dreaded what might happen to him from him or it. خشیة is the dread, fear or awe resulting from the knowledge which one possesses about a thing or person. The Quranic expression انما یخشی اللّٰه من عبادہ العلماء(35:29) means, only those of His servants who possess knowledge fear Allah (Lane, Aqrab & Mufradat). The reference to the fear mentioned in the words لا تخشی is to the dangers of the sea and other hardships that lay ahead of the Israelites.
Commentary:
The incident mentioned in this verse relates to the time when, under God’s command, Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt into Canaan. The Israelites left secretly by night, and when Pharaoh learnt of their flight, he pursued them with his hosts and was drowned in the Red Sea.
In order to appreciate fully the nature and significance of this incident which indeed constituted a great divine sign, it is necessary to read the verse under comment along with other relevant verses such as vv. 2:51, 26:62-64 & 44:25. The Quran says:
And remember the time when We divided the sea for you and saved you and drowned Pharaoh’s people while you looked on (2:51).
And when the two hosts came in sight of each other the companions of Moses said, 'We are surely overtaken.'…Then We revealed to Moses, saying, 'Strike the sea with thy rod.' Whereupon it parted and every part was like a huge sandhill (26:62-64). When the Israelites were passing they had the sea on one side and the small lake son the other, which conformably to the natural laws of perspective appeared raised above the level of the land.
And leave the sea at a time when it is motionless. Surely, they are a host which is doomed to be drowned (44:25). i.e. pass through the sea quickly at a time when the tide has receded.
The Bible also refers to this incident in the following verses:
And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the Lord caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all the night and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided. And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground; and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand and on their left. And the Egyptians pursued and went in after them to the midst of the sea…And the Lord said unto Moses, 'Stretch out thine hand over the sea'…And Moses stretched forth his hand over the sea and the sea returned to its strength…And the waters returned and covered the chariots, and the horsemen, and all the host of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them; there remained not so much as one of them (Exod. 14:21-28).
The following facts emerge from the above account of this incident as given in the Quran and the Bible;
(a) that Moses was commanded by God to take away the Israelites out of Egypt by night;
(b) that Pharaoh pursued the Israelites with his mighty hosts;
(c) that when the Israelites reached the arm of the Red Sea which lay across their route, they were greatly dismayed because Pharaoh was close behind with his hosts;
(d) that when on seeing Pharaoh’s hosts the Israelites exclaimed in fright that they were overtaken, God commanded Moses to strike the water of the sea with his rod;
(e) that when Moses struck the sea with his rod as the Quran says or stretched out his hand over the sea as the Bible says, it was the time of the ebb-tide and the sea was receding, leaving a dry bed;
(f) that Moses was commanded by God to cross quickly the dry bed to the opposite bank, which he did;
(g) that when the hosts of Pharaoh reached the sea, it was the time of high tide and that in their zeal to overtake the Israelites they took no notice of it and at once jumped into the sea behind them; and
(h) that, as it appears, being heavily equipped with big chariots and other heavy armaments the progress of the army of Pharaoh was greatly retarded so that while they were yet in the midst of the sea, the high tide returned and they were all drowned.
Historians differ as to the exact place from where Moses crossed the Red Sea from Egypt into Canaan. Some are of the view that on his way from the territory of Goshen, which is also called the valley of Al-Tamthilat or Wadi Tumilat and where the capital of the Pharaohs was situated (Enc. Bib. vol. 4, col. 4012, under "Rameses"), Moses passed by the Gulf of Timsah (Enc. Bib., cols. 1438 & 1439). Others think that he went much further to the north and going round Zoan crossed over to Canaan near the Mediterranean Sea (Enc. Bib., col. 1438). But what is most probable is the fact that from Tal Abi Sulaiman which was the capital of the Pharaohs in Moses’ time, the Israelites at first went to north-east to the Gulf of Timsah but finding that a net of gulfs barred their way, they turned south and crossed the Red Sea near the town of Suez where it is hardly more than 2/3 mile wide, and started for Qadas (Enc. Bib., col. 1437).
The following passage from Peake’s "Commentary on the Bible" (p. 64) may also be read with interest:
The Israelites fled with him (Moses) across the Goshen marshes into the Sinaitic Peninsula. The crossing of the "Red Sea" (yam suph, "sea" or "lake of reeds") was probably the crossing of the southern end of a lake a few miles N.W. of what is now called the Red Sea. A wind laid bare a wide stretch of shore, and when an Egyptian force pursued the fugitives, their chariot wheels stuck fast in the wet soil, and the water returned upon them when the wind shifted. Writers differ as to the route taken by the Israelites. Some think that they moved southward to the mountainous range of (the modern) Sinai, and then along the eastern arm of the Red Sea, now known as the Gulf of ‘Akabah, to its northernmost point at Ezion Geber. Others think that the evidence points to the route still taken by Mecca pilgrims, nearly due E. to Ezion Geber, and that thence they moved N.W. to the region of Kadesh (Barnea), to Mt. Sinai or southward along the E. side of the Gulf of ‘Akabah to Mt. Horeb. The traditions differ and certainty is impossible.
There are people who against all canons of history take particular delight in propounding most extraordinary theories that the Israelites never lived in Egypt. Some such theories are:
(a) No reference to the Israelites is to be found in the old Egyptian historical records.
(b) In the fifth year of the reign of Pharaoh Merneptah (or Mereneptah) when Moses is said to have taken the Israelites out of Egypt, some Israelite tribes were actually living in Canaan, therefore the theory of Moses having taken the Israelites out of Egypt to Canaan during his reign and their having settled in that country some fifty years later is all wrong.
(c) Though some trace is found of a few tribes having crossed over from Asia into Egypt but there is no proof that these were the Israelite tribes.
The propounders of these strange theories seem to ignore the patent fact that the Israelites were foreigners in Egypt and were a subject race and lived the miserable life of slaves under their cruel rulers. How could such people be considered worthy of any notice being taken of them by historians? Apart from this the fact may also be taken into consideration that when it is not quite possible for historians even in this 20th century to prepare a well-connected and harmonious narrative about a people from the remnants of its ruined civilization, it was much more difficult for historians in the past to reconstruct a consistent record from the fragmentary accounts of a people who lived in the hoary past and who were treated like beasts of burden by their rulers. This is why no reference to the Israelites is to be found in the old historical records of Egypt.
Secondly, the doubtful theory that certain Israelite tribes were found to be living in Canaan in the 5th year of the reign of Pharaoh Merneptah cannot disprove the fact that other Israelite tribes had remained behind in Egypt. Is it not possible that some of these tribes might have left Egypt for Canaan sometime before all of them were taken out of it by Moses. It is very strange that on the one hand these very writers say that Moses is an Egyptian name and that some of the companions of Moses also had Egyptian names, and on the other that the Israelites never went to Egypt. Moreover, the Bible gives a detailed and well-connected story of the Israelites having lived in Egypt. There was no compelling reason for the writers of the Bible to have done so, especially when the Israelites had lived there only as slaves and worse than beasts of burden. No people would feel any urge or pride in forging and falsely inventing such a miserable record of shame and sorrow of themselves. Last but not least, the Biblical details with regard to the customs, culture and mode of life of the Pharaohs of that time is another proof of the fact that the Israelites had lived under them. The Bible had no interest in the Pharaoh dynasty of Egypt apart from their being rulers of the Israelites. Besides, as stated by old Greek historians, the Egyptians themselves admitted that the Israelites had lived in Egypt for a long time and later on had left this country. The present Egypt, however, should not be confused with a territory which in ancient times was also known as Egypt but which formed a part of northern Syria or northern Arabia.
The date of the Exodus has also been much contested and there seems to be considerable difficulty in determining its exact date from the Biblical records alone. Neither the name of the reigning Pharaoh nor the place where he held his court is mentioned; the account given is not contemporary, but has been condensed and annotated by later editors, and fused by them into a general narrative; and the Biblical chronology of the period, though containing trustworthy material, is known to be largely artificial. Apart from the Biblical records any historical information on the subject is meagre. Various theories, however, are held about the Exodus. Some of these are as follows:
1. The view that the Israelites left Egypt with the Hyksos (1580 B.C.) at the beginning of the XVIIIth Dynasty, or shortly afterwards, and lived a nomadic life of about 200 years in the desert previous to entering Canaan. But evidently this view seems to do violence to genuine Hebrew tradition.
2. The theory which dates the Exodus in the XVIIIth Dynasty, but about 1445 B.C. just after the long despotic reign of Thutmose III and during that of his son Amenhotep II (1447-1420 B.C.). This theory too lacks the support of trustworthy historical material and Hebrew tradition.
3. The hypothesis which connects the Exodus with the religion’s revolution attempted by Amenhotep IV, otherwise known as Akhenaten (1383-1366 B.C.) This view would place the Exodus about 1350 or 1345 B.C. This seems to be more plausible than the first two views.
4. But the theory, largely prevalent which receives much support from historical data, archaeological research and Hebrew tradition is that the Exodus occurred in the Nineteenth Dynasty (1328-1202 B.C.), in the reign of Merneptah II or Mereneptah II (1234-1214) and still seems the most probable. It appears to have taken place about 1230 B.C. According to this view the Pharaoh of the oppression would be Rameses II and his successor Merneptah II, the Pharaoh of the Exodus (Peake’s Commentary on the Bible, pp. 119, 955 & 956).
Incidentally, it may be stated here that the striking of the water of the sea with his rod by Moses had no cause and effect connection with the actual parting of the sea. It was merely a sign or a Divine intimation that it was the time of the ebb tide and that the Israelites should hasten to cross. God had so arranged that when Moses reached the sea the tide was about to go back, so that as soon as he struck the sea with his rod in obedience to Divine command, it began to recede and a dry path was made for the Israelites. The striking of the water with his rod by Moses and the recession of the sea coincided. This constituted a miracle because God alone knew when the sea would recede and He had commanded Moses to strike its waters at the time of its recession.
c
26:53.
d
26:64.
1838
Against all unimpeachable historical data, most extraordinary theories have been propounded about the Israelites, viz. (a) they never lived in Egypt; because no reference to them is to be found in the old Egyptian historical records. (b) In the fifth year of the reign of Pharaoh Meneptah (or Merenptah) when Moses is said to have taken the Israelites out of Egypt, some Israelite tribes were actually living in Canaan, therefore the theory that Moses had taken the Israelites out of Egypt to Canaan during his reign and that they settled there some fifty years later is all wrong.
The propounders of these strange theories seem to forget that the Israelites were foreigners in Egypt and were a subject race and had lived the miserable life of serfs and slaves under their cruel rulers. How could such people be considered worthy of any notice being taken of them by historians? When even in this 20th century historians cannot find it easy to prepare a well- connected and harmonious narrative about a people from
فَأَتْبَعَهُمْ فِرْعَوْنُ بِجُنُودِهِۦ فَغَشِيَهُم مِّنَ ٱلْيَمِّ مَا غَشِيَهُمْ
10:91; 26:61.
10:91; 26:61.
10:91; 26:61.
Important Words:
أتبعھم (pursued them) is derived from تبع. They say تبعه i.e. he followed him. أتبعه means, he followed him and overtook him. أتبعه بھم means, he made him to be followed by them i.e. he made them to follow him. فأتبعھم فرعون بجنودہ means, Pharaoh made his troops to follow them (Lane & Aqrab). See also 10:91.
یم (sea) is substantive-noun from یم (yamma).
The Arabs say یٍم الرجل i.e. the man was thrown into the sea. یم الساحل means, the water of the river overflowed its banks. یم means, the sea; or the sea of unknown or unreached depth; a great body of water. See also 7:137.
c
10:91; 26:61.
a
10:91; 26:61.
2294
Important Words:
أتبعھم (pursued them) is derived from تبع. They say تبعه i.e. he followed him. أتبعه means, he followed him and overtook him. أتبعه بھم means, he made him to be followed by them i.e. he made them to follow him. فأتبعھم فرعون بجنودہ means, Pharaoh made his troops to follow them (Lane & Aqrab). See also 10:91.
یم (sea) is substantive-noun from یم (yamma).
The Arabs say یٍم الرجل i.e. the man was thrown into the sea. یم الساحل means, the water of the river overflowed its banks. یم means, the sea; or the sea of unknown or unreached depth; a great body of water. See also 7:137.
a
10:91; 26:61.
۞ وَأَوْحَيْنَآ إِلَىٰ مُوسَىٰٓ أَنْ أَسْرِ بِعِبَادِىٓ إِنَّكُم مُّتَّبَعُونَ
20:74.
20:74.
10:91; 20:78; 44:24.
g
20:74.
a
10:91; 20:78; 44:24.
f
20:74.
فَلَمَّا تَرَٰٓءَا ٱلْجَمْعَانِ قَالَ أَصْحَٰبُ مُوسَىٰٓ إِنَّا لَمُدْرَكُونَ
The companions of Moses seemed to possess very weak faith. This is also clear from 5:22, 23; 7:149; 20:87-92.
Commentary:
This verse shows that the companions of Moses were generally men of very weak faith. This is also clear from several other verses of the Quran. See 5:22-23; 7:149; 20:87-92, etc.
2744
Commentary:
This verse shows that the companions of Moses were generally men of very weak faith. This is also clear from several other verses of the Quran. See 5:22-23; 7:149; 20:87-92, etc.
2117
The companions of Moses seemed to possess very weak faith. This is also clear from 5:22, 23; 7:149; 20:87-92.
قَالَ كَلَّآ ۖ إِنَّ مَعِىَ رَبِّى سَيَهْدِينِ
Commentary:
The verse throws a flood of light on the invincible faith that the Prophets have in God. The Israelites were between the devil and the deep sea. The sea was before them and the mighty hosts of Pharaoh were coming from behind in hot pursuit. Complete destruction stared them in the face, and in utter despair they cried "We are surely overtaken." But Moses’ faith in his Lord was as strong as ever, nay it shone forth with greater effulgence in the face of the extreme peril. To the cry of despair of his companions Moses replied, most emphatically, and in words expressive of complete confidence and trust in God. "We shall never be overtaken," he said, "My Lord is with me." This is how God’s Elect stand firm and unshaken like a rock in the midst of severest trials. God purposely makes them pass through hard ordeals to show to the world the invincibility of their trust in God and His own regard for them. They emerge from these ordeals triumphant. This has happened in the time of every Prophet of God. Its brightest example is to be seen in the life of the Holy Prophet of Islam.
2745
Commentary:
The verse throws a flood of light on the invincible faith that the Prophets have in God. The Israelites were between the devil and the deep sea. The sea was before them and the mighty hosts of Pharaoh were coming from behind in hot pursuit. Complete destruction stared them in the face, and in utter despair they cried "We are surely overtaken." But Moses’ faith in his Lord was as strong as ever, nay it shone forth with greater effulgence in the face of the extreme peril. To the cry of despair of his companions Moses replied, most emphatically, and in words expressive of complete confidence and trust in God. "We shall never be overtaken," he said, "My Lord is with me." This is how God’s Elect stand firm and unshaken like a rock in the midst of severest trials. God purposely makes them pass through hard ordeals to show to the world the invincibility of their trust in God and His own regard for them. They emerge from these ordeals triumphant. This has happened in the time of every Prophet of God. Its brightest example is to be seen in the life of the Holy Prophet of Islam.
فَأَوْحَيْنَآ إِلَىٰ مُوسَىٰٓ أَنِ ٱضْرِب بِّعَصَاكَ ٱلْبَحْرَ ۖ فَٱنفَلَقَ فَكَانَ كُلُّ فِرْقٍ كَٱلطَّوْدِ ٱلْعَظِيمِ
20:78.
Important Words:
طود (mountain) is derived from طاد which means, it was or became firm or steadfast. طود means, a mountain or a great mountain rising high into the sky, an elevated or overlooking tract of land (Lane & Aqrab).
فرق (part) is derived from فرق (faraqa) and means, a piece or portion that is split or separated from a thing; a great flock or herd of sheep or goats only; a group of boys; a mountain; a wave, billow or surge (Lane & Aqrab).
Commentary:
For a more detailed discussion as to how the Israelites passed safely through the sea and how Pharaoh with his hosts was drowned, see 20:78
The idea embodied in the words اضرب بعصاک الحجر has been expressed elsewhere (20:78) in the words فاضرب لھم طریقا فی البحر یبساi.e. "make for them a dry path in the sea." God miraculously so arranged that when the Israelites were crossing the sea it was the time of the low tide and the water of the sea had receded, leaving a dry path for them to pass. But when the Egyptians following them reached the middle of the sea, the high tide returned and the rising water quickly engulfed them.
The words کل فرق may either refer to the two parties of the Egyptians and the Israelites or to the several parties in which the Egyptians might have become divided while they were crossing the sea; or they may refer to each wave of the sea because when the water was receding it looked like a huge mound.
d
20:78.
925
这句话也意味着, “把你的民族带到海那儿去”。 عَصَا (‘Asa) 的意思是民族或社团 (Lane)。
a
20:78.
2746
Important Words:
طود (mountain) is derived from طاد which means, it was or became firm or steadfast. طود means, a mountain or a great mountain rising high into the sky, an elevated or overlooking tract of land (Lane & Aqrab).
فرق (part) is derived from فرق (faraqa) and means, a piece or portion that is split or separated from a thing; a great flock or herd of sheep or goats only; a group of boys; a mountain; a wave, billow or surge (Lane & Aqrab).
Commentary:
For a more detailed discussion as to how the Israelites passed safely through the sea and how Pharaoh with his hosts was drowned, see 20:78
The idea embodied in the words اضرب بعصاک الحجر has been expressed elsewhere (20:78) in the words فاضرب لھم طریقا فی البحر یبساi.e. "make for them a dry path in the sea." God miraculously so arranged that when the Israelites were crossing the sea it was the time of the low tide and the water of the sea had receded, leaving a dry path for them to pass. But when the Egyptians following them reached the middle of the sea, the high tide returned and the rising water quickly engulfed them.
The words کل فرق may either refer to the two parties of the Egyptians and the Israelites or to the several parties in which the Egyptians might have become divided while they were crossing the sea; or they may refer to each wave of the sea because when the water was receding it looked like a huge mound.
a
20:78.
2117A
The words also mean, 'take thy people to the sea,' ‘Asa meaning people or community (Lane).
وَأَزْلَفْنَا ثَمَّ ٱلْءَاخَرِينَ
Important Words:
ثم (that place). They say ثـمه i.e. he repaired to it. ثم means, there; that place; thither; yonder. This word is generally used to denote a place which is remote whileھنا denotes a place which is near (Lane & Aqrab). See also 2:116.
2746A
Important Words:
ثم (that place). They say ثـمه i.e. he repaired to it. ثم means, there; that place; thither; yonder. This word is generally used to denote a place which is remote whileھنا denotes a place which is near (Lane & Aqrab). See also 2:116.
وَأَنجَيْنَا مُوسَىٰ وَمَن مَّعَهُۥٓ أَجْمَعِينَ
20:81; 44:31, 32.
20:81; 44:31, 32.
20:81; 44:31-32.
e
20:81; 44:31, 32.
a
20:81; 44:31-32.
b
20:81; 44:31, 32.
ثُمَّ أَغْرَقْنَا ٱلْءَاخَرِينَ
2:51; 7:137; 17:104; 20:79.
2:51; 7:137; 17:104; 20:79.
2:51; 7:137; 17:104; 20:79.
f
2:51; 7:137; 17:104; 20:79.
b
2:51; 7:137; 17:104; 20:79.
c
2:51; 7:137; 17:104; 20:79.
وَٱتْرُكِ ٱلْبَحْرَ رَهْوًا ۖ إِنَّهُمْ جُندٌ مُّغْرَقُونَ
دیکھئے تفسیر کبیر جلد اول ص۴۱۷ تا ۴۲۲۔
Rahw is derived from Raha. They say, Raha Baina Rijlaihi, i.e. he parted his legs and made an opening between them; Rahal-Bahru means, the sea became still and calm. Rahw means calm; motionless; depressed place where water collects; an elevated and plain tract of ground (Lane). When Moses and the Israelites arrived at the northern extremity of the Red Sea, the ebb of the tide had begun. As the water receded, it left behind dunes, the tops of which were gradually uncovered, leaving the intervening depressions full of water. The Israelites crossed over at that moment. See also 20:78.
Important Words:
رھوا (motionless) is derived from رھا. They say رھا بین رجلیه i.e. he parted his legs and made an opening between them. رھا البحرmeans, the sea became still and calm. رھا الطائر means, the bird spread its wings. رھوا means, an intervening space between two things; a depressed place where water collects or stagnates; an elevated place; a way through a market-place, at the sides of which sit the sellers; a well wide in the mouth; quick or swift; still, quiet or motionless; accompany of men following one another (Lane & Aqrab).
Commentary:
When Moses and the Israelites arrived at the northern extremity of the Red Sea, the ebb of the tide had begun. As the water receded, it left dunes, the tops of which were gradually uncovered, leaving the intervening depressions full of water. The Israelites crossed over at that moment.
For a detailed description as to how Moses passed through the sea while Pharaoh and his mighty hosts were drowned, see 20:78 and 26:64.
1
دیکھئے تفسیر کبیر جلد اول ص۴۱۷ تا ۴۲۲۔
3711
Important Words:
رھوا (motionless) is derived from رھا. They say رھا بین رجلیه i.e. he parted his legs and made an opening between them. رھا البحرmeans, the sea became still and calm. رھا الطائر means, the bird spread its wings. رھوا means, an intervening space between two things; a depressed place where water collects or stagnates; an elevated place; a way through a market-place, at the sides of which sit the sellers; a well wide in the mouth; quick or swift; still, quiet or motionless; accompany of men following one another (Lane & Aqrab).
Commentary:
When Moses and the Israelites arrived at the northern extremity of the Red Sea, the ebb of the tide had begun. As the water receded, it left dunes, the tops of which were gradually uncovered, leaving the intervening depressions full of water. The Israelites crossed over at that moment.
For a detailed description as to how Moses passed through the sea while Pharaoh and his mighty hosts were drowned, see 20:78 and 26:64.
2697
Rahw is derived from Raha. They say, Raha Baina Rijlaihi, i.e. he parted his legs and made an opening between them; Rahal-Bahru means, the sea became still and calm. Rahw means calm; motionless; depressed place where water collects; an elevated and plain tract of ground (Lane). When Moses and the Israelites arrived at the northern extremity of the Red Sea, the ebb of the tide had begun. As the water receded, it left behind dunes, the tops of which were gradually uncovered, leaving the intervening depressions full of water. The Israelites crossed over at that moment. See also 20:78.