ثُمَّ أَغْرَقْنَا ٱلْـَٔاخَرِينَ 66
Translations
Then We drowned the others.
Transliteration
Thumma aghraqna al-akhireen
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah refers to the drowning of Pharaoh and his army in the Red Sea, completing Allah's punishment upon those who rejected His signs and oppressed the Children of Israel. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari emphasize that this act was both a judgment upon the disbelievers and a salvation for the believers, demonstrating Allah's perfect justice and the ultimate triumph of His will over the forces of arrogance and tyranny.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears within the narrative of Prophet Musa (Moses) and Pharaoh in Surah Ash-Shu'ara, a Meccan chapter that recounts stories of previous prophets to comfort Prophet Muhammad during persecution. The verse concludes the account of how Allah saved Musa and the Children of Israel while drowning Pharaoh's forces, serving as a powerful reminder to the Meccan polytheists that Allah always protects His messengers and punishes the arrogant deniers.
Related Hadiths
The story is referenced in various Quranic narratives and Hadith collections. Related to Allah's punishment of disbelievers: Sunan Ibn Majah reports that the Prophet emphasized the destruction of Pharaoh's people as a sign for those with understanding. The Quran itself provides the most detailed account in Surah Yunus (10:90-92).
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches that no matter how powerful or arrogant the enemies of Allah's message may appear, they cannot escape divine justice, while those who believe and follow the messengers are saved. For contemporary believers, it reinforces faith that patience in the face of persecution will be rewarded, as Allah ultimately destroys oppression and establishes justice.
Related Ayahs
وَحَرَٰمٌ عَلَىٰ قَرْيَةٍ أَهْلَكْنَـٰهَآ أَنَّهُمْ لَا يَرْجِعُونَ
And it is prohibited to [the people of] a city which We have destroyed that they will [ever] return
أَلَمْ تَرَ كَيْفَ فَعَلَ رَبُّكَ بِعَادٍ
Have you not considered how your Lord dealt with ʿAad -
وَمَا لَهُمْ أَلَّا يُعَذِّبَهُمُ ٱللَّهُ وَهُمْ يَصُدُّونَ عَنِ ٱلْمَسْجِدِ ٱلْحَرَامِ وَمَا كَانُوٓا۟ أَوْلِيَآءَهُۥٓ ۚ إِنْ أَوْلِيَآؤُهُۥٓ إِلَّا ٱلْمُتَّقُونَ وَلَـٰكِنَّ أَكْثَرَهُمْ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ
But why should Allāh not punish them while they obstruct [people] from al-Masjid al-Ḥarām and they were not [fit to be] its guardians? Its [true] guardians are not but the righteous, but most of them do not know.
قُل لِّلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ سَتُغْلَبُونَ وَتُحْشَرُونَ إِلَىٰ جَهَنَّمَ ۚ وَبِئْسَ ٱلْمِهَادُ
Say to those who disbelieve, "You will be overcome and gathered together to Hell, and wretched is the resting place."