Translation
The people of Pharaoh and their previous generations have likewise neglected the messages from God; so, God took them to account for their evils. God is ever powerful, capable of just retribution. Such consequence (a reflection of divine rule) is because God does not remove a favor that He bestows on people until they become unfit for it by their own conducts. God always hears, and He knows. The people of Pharaoh and their previous generations were treated as such. They denied guidance from their Sustainer God and We replaced them for their evils. We drowned the people of Pharaoh and they were indeed evil people. To God, the worst among His creations are those who disbelieve and never come back to belief. If you make an agreement with them, they dishonor their agreements every time and they are not responsible people.
So, when you face them in battle, fight and put them to flight so that those after them may become mindful. If you suspect treachery for any covenant that you make with them, you can renege such treaty on equitable manner. Surely God dislike treacherous conducts (from all parties). Let not those who deny God’s grace (and act contrary to His guidance) think that they can outmaneuver God or frustrate His purpose. 413
Interpretation
413 The story of Pharaoh and his people, their evils, their arrogance, their enslavement of the children of Israel, and their refusal to listen to Moses and Aaron have been narrated in the Torah, the Bible, and the Qur’an repeatedly and with emphasis on various aspects of lessons to be learned. God had saved the children of Israel in the past and drowned the people of Pharaoh; this commitment to destroy evil and restore justice and human dignity is the way God operates human societies. We must believe that such commitment from God and such social norms that will prevail in the long run, but it can only happen if we do our part by demonstrating equal commitment to truth and justice, respecting human freedom and dignity, and showing courage, commitment, and patience in the face of all odds and trials.
Such challenges are the only way we can demonstrate to ourselves and to God that we really mean what we believe in and how committed we are to such noble purposes and faith. The degree of our success is directly proportional to the degree of our commitment and our activism for such ideals and belief in God.
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REFLECTION
As Mark Twain once said, “History may not repeat itself, but it does rhyme,” reflecting a tendency among people to vacillate in our commitment to truth and justice. God helps the pendulum to swing back by creating circumstances that force us to fight evils and restore justice for all. Such circumstances call for enormous commitment and sacrifices from the faithful and people who wish to persevere in goodness.
ACTION
The presence of evil is a result of our own evil actions and lack of commitment to truth and justice. Such evils should be fought against to restore goodness and to provide evidence to God that we are really committed to our faith and to goodness for all of humanity. God also said in 13:11, “God does not change the condition of a people, until they change themselves,” which is very apt to remember in this context.