فَأَخَذْنَـٰهُ وَجُنُودَهُۥ فَنَبَذْنَـٰهُمْ فِى ٱلْيَمِّ ۖ فَٱنظُرْ كَيْفَ كَانَ عَـٰقِبَةُ ٱلظَّـٰلِمِينَ 40
Translations
So We took him and his soldiers and threw them into the sea. So see how was the end of the wrongdoers.
Transliteration
Fa-akhaznaahu wa junudahu fa-nabaznaahum fil-yammi fa-nzur kayfa kaana aaqibatu az-zaalimeen
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah describes Allah's seizure of Pharaoh and his armies, drowning them in the sea as punishment for their oppression and disbelief. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari emphasize that this was the definitive end of Pharaoh's tyranny, serving as a concrete manifestation of divine justice. The phrase 'look how was the end of the wrongdoers' (fa-nzur kayfa kaana aaqibatu az-zaalimeen) functions as a rhetorical appeal to reflect on the inevitable consequences of transgression against Allah's signs.
Revelation Context
This ayah is part of Surah Al-Qasam's narrative of Musa (Moses) and Pharaoh, which was revealed in Mecca during the early Islamic period when Muslims faced persecution. The story provided comfort to the early Muslim community by illustrating that Allah ultimately destroys oppressive regimes, no matter how powerful they appear. The account draws from the historical event of the parting of the Red Sea when Pharaoh pursued the Israelites.
Related Hadiths
The drowning of Pharaoh is referenced in various hadiths about the signs of Allah's power. In Sahih Muslim, there are narrations about the Prophet's descriptions of the Day of Judgment where Pharaoh is mentioned as one of the most severely punished. Additionally, Surah Ad-Dukhan (44:24-28) provides complementary narration of the same event.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches that no matter how powerful oppressors appear or how long they persist in wrongdoing, Allah's justice will ultimately overtake them—a reminder for believers facing injustice to trust in divine accountability. It also serves as a warning that rejecting Allah's signs and persecuting His messengers carries the gravest consequences, both in this life and the hereafter.
Related Ayahs
وَأَمَّا ثَمُودُ فَهَدَيْنَـٰهُمْ فَٱسْتَحَبُّوا۟ ٱلْعَمَىٰ عَلَى ٱلْهُدَىٰ فَأَخَذَتْهُمْ صَـٰعِقَةُ ٱلْعَذَابِ ٱلْهُونِ بِمَا كَانُوا۟ يَكْسِبُونَ
And as for Thamūd, We guided them, but they preferred blindness over guidance, so the thunderbolt of humiliating punishment seized them for what they used to earn.
فَأَصَابَهُمْ سَيِّـَٔاتُ مَا كَسَبُوا۟ ۚ وَٱلَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا۟ مِنْ هَـٰٓؤُلَآءِ سَيُصِيبُهُمْ سَيِّـَٔاتُ مَا كَسَبُوا۟ وَمَا هُم بِمُعْجِزِينَ
And the evil consequences of what they earned struck them. And those who have wronged of these [people] will be struck [i.e., afflicted] by the evil consequences of what they earned; and they will not cause failure.
فَقُطِعَ دَابِرُ ٱلْقَوْمِ ٱلَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا۟ ۚ وَٱلْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ ٱلْعَـٰلَمِينَ
So the people that committed wrong were eliminated. And praise to Allāh, Lord of the worlds.
يَتَجَرَّعُهُۥ وَلَا يَكَادُ يُسِيغُهُۥ وَيَأْتِيهِ ٱلْمَوْتُ مِن كُلِّ مَكَانٍ وَمَا هُوَ بِمَيِّتٍ ۖ وَمِن وَرَآئِهِۦ عَذَابٌ غَلِيظٌ
He will gulp it but will hardly [be able to] swallow it. And death will come to him from everywhere, but he is not to die. And before him is a massive punishment.