Translation
We overpowered the Pharaoh and his people with drought and reduction in food supply so that they might be reminded; but when good fortune came to them, they would say: “This is by us,” and when any affliction came to them, they would say: “This is due to Moses and his people.” (In reality) whatever befalls them, it is prescribed by God, but most of them are unaware. They refuted further: “Whatever means you (O Moses) may bring to charm us, we are not going to believe in you.” So We sent widespread destruction and diseases from locusts, lice, frogs, and blood — evident manifestations (of God’s displeasure) (see Exodus 7:10). Yet they responded with further arrogance; they were a people drawn to evil ways. 376
When a plague would descend on them, they would appeal to Moses: “Pray on our behalf to your Sustainer with Whom you have a covenant (of prophethood)—if you can remove this plague, we will certainly believe in you and will let the Children of Israel go with you (O Moses).” But whenever we removed such plagues and gave them time (to make good on their promises), they failed (see Exodus 8:11). So We made them face the consequences, and We drowned them in the sea since they denied Our messages and were deliberately turning away (from such guidance).
We (God) enabled people who were considered weak (and dispossessed) to inherit the land, from its eastern side to the western side, a land We had blessed abundantly (see Genesis 17:8). It was a commitment that God fulfilled for the Children of Israel due to their patience (and perseverance) while We brought down what the Pharaoh and his people accomplished and what they built. 377
Interpretation
376 The Pharaoh and his people were tested by their wealth and power as well as by drought and shortages, in addition to the direct message and guidance brought by Moses and Aaron. As God repeated in the Qur’an, for every prophet there is an adversary, and for every nation to whom a prophet comes, there is a term set after which the matter is settled in accordance with the conduct of the people with respect to belief and the extent of their commitment to do no evil and to do good. History tells us that Moses was able to leave Egypt with the Children of Israel while the Pharaoh was drowned in the sea as he pursued Moses and his people. God mentioned in another narrative on Moses (10:90-92) that He preserved the body of the Pharaoh, which washed ashore for future generations. Egyptologists have determined that such a body was found and preserved in the Royal Mummies Chamber in Cairo Museum, Egypt. A number of movies have been made about Moses, based primarily on narratives in the Bible. The Qur’an provides the essential details needed to make the morale of the story become clear rather than dwelling on the minutiae that the previous scriptures go into, perhaps because those Biblical narratives were compiled and possibly embellished by humans. Another explanation would be that Qur’an built on the previous details preserved in the Torah and the Bible and added further clarity where warranted.
377 The history of the Children of Israel is a prime example of how God reverses the fortune of those who are considered weak into a stronger force and gives them a chance to prove themselves in front of God and for themselves. The same situation has happened to the Christians and the Muslims throughout their histories as well. The same is true of many human communities throughout human history. The lands of present-day Palestine and Israel have been a hotbed of conflicts among these three groups, who, as the Qur’an claims, belong to the same faith—the faith of Moses, Jesus, and Mohammad, all of whom came with messages and guidance from the same God and who were given the same set of moral, ethical, and social behaviors to emulate and live up to. A new generation of Muslims, Christians, and Jews needs to come out and speak the core beliefs and social norms of our common faith and bring an unprecedented level of human unity that mankind has not seen before—this is the test that God has presented in front of us.
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REFLECTION
The story of Moses and the Children of Israel is a powerful reminder of God’s grace to those who are deemed weak in the world—that they can, with faith and commitment to do good, reverse their fortune. Such conviction and belief are essential in our times today, when our individual and collective actions have created unprecedented levels of corruptions in the lands, widespread income disparities unheard of in human history, and a level of environmental pollution unseen on this planet.
ACTION
Only through faith in God and a firm belief that our futures are intimately tied together that has to be nurtured by social consciousness and respect of natural order of things that we can reverse the trends. This is an individual and a collective responsibility that we have to shoulder in the coming days for humanity to prosper.