فَأَتْبَعَهُمْ فِرْعَوْنُ بِجُنُودِهِۦ فَغَشِيَهُم مِّنَ ٱلْيَمِّ مَا غَشِيَهُمْ 78
Translations
So Pharaoh pursued them with his soldiers, and there covered them from the sea that which covered them,
Transliteration
Fa-atba'ahum fir'awnu bijunudihi fa-ghashiyahum mina al-yammi ma ghashiyahum
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah describes how Pharaoh pursued Moses and the Children of Israel with his armies, and the sea overwhelmed them (Pharaoh and his soldiers) with what it had overwhelmed them with—referring to their complete drowning. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari emphasize that this verse demonstrates Allah's perfect justice: Pharaoh, who had arrogantly pursued the believers intending their destruction, met his own destruction in the same waters through which the believers had safely passed. The phrase 'what it had overwhelmed them with' underscores the symmetry of divine retribution.
Revelation Context
This ayah is part of Surah Taha, a Meccan chapter that narrates the story of Moses and Pharaoh as a source of comfort to Prophet Muhammad during the early persecution in Mecca. The broader context describes the miraculous parting of the Red Sea for the Israelites and the subsequent drowning of Pharaoh's army, illustrating Allah's power to save His servants and punish the transgressors.
Related Hadiths
The story of Pharaoh's drowning is corroborated in Surah Al-Maidah (5:78) and other surahs. While no single hadith directly explains this ayah, Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim contain hadiths about the final hour and signs of the Day of Judgment where similar themes of divine justice appear.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches believers that those who oppress the faithful and rebel against Allah will ultimately face certain punishment, while the righteous will be protected and saved. It provides reassurance that no tyrant's power is beyond Allah's reach, and that justice, though sometimes delayed, is ultimately inevitable.
Related Ayahs
وَكَذَٰلِكَ أَخْذُ رَبِّكَ إِذَآ أَخَذَ ٱلْقُرَىٰ وَهِىَ ظَـٰلِمَةٌ ۚ إِنَّ أَخْذَهُۥٓ أَلِيمٌ شَدِيدٌ
And thus is the seizure of your Lord when He seizes the cities while they are committing wrong. Indeed, His seizure is painful and severe.
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.
وَٱلَّذِينَ كَسَبُوا۟ ٱلسَّيِّـَٔاتِ جَزَآءُ سَيِّئَةٍۭ بِمِثْلِهَا وَتَرْهَقُهُمْ ذِلَّةٌ ۖ مَّا لَهُم مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ مِنْ عَاصِمٍ ۖ كَأَنَّمَآ أُغْشِيَتْ وُجُوهُهُمْ قِطَعًا مِّنَ ٱلَّيْلِ مُظْلِمًا ۚ أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ أَصْحَـٰبُ ٱلنَّارِ ۖ هُمْ فِيهَا خَـٰلِدُونَ
But they who have earned [blame for] evil doings - the recompense of an evil deed is its equivalent, and humiliation will cover them. They will have from Allāh no protector. It will be as if their faces are covered with pieces of the night - so dark [are they]. Those are the companions of the Fire; they will abide therein eternally.
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.