Tafsir of Az-Zukhruf 43:55

"So when they angered Us, We took retribution," meaning: they provoked Our wrath, as stated by Ali—may Allah ennoble his countenance. The meaning in this context is that they angered Us with the utmost intensity through their actions. According to the later scholars, wrath—when attributed to the Almighty—is a metaphor for the intention of punishment, thus rendering it an attribute of Essence; or it is a metaphor for the punishment itself, thus rendering it an attribute of Act.

Abu Abdullah al-Rida—may Allah be pleased with him—said: "Verily, Allah, glory be to Him, does not become angry with the same anger we experience. However, He—exalted be His majesty—has friends (awliya) who become angry and pleased, and He, glory be to Him, has made their pleasure His pleasure, and their anger His anger." Upon this is the saying of the Almighty: "Whoever insults a friend of Mine, I have declared war upon him," and the saying of the Almighty: "Whoever obeys the Messenger has obeyed Allah." Accordingly, it has been said that the meaning is: "When they angered Moses—peace be upon him—and those who were with him."

The predecessors (Salaf) do not interpret these terms metaphorically; they say: "Anger in us is a psychological agitation, and His attributes—glory be to Him—are not like our attributes in any way." It is narrated from Ibn Abbas—may Allah be pleased with both of them—that he interpreted al-asaf (anger/sorrow) as sadness, stating regarding this verse: "It means they grieved Our believing friends," such as the magicians and the Children of Israel.

Al-Raghib mentioned that al-asaf encompasses both sadness and anger, and it may be applied to either of them individually. Its reality is the boiling of the heart's blood due to the desire for revenge. When this occurs against one who is inferior, it manifests outward and becomes anger; when it occurs against one who is superior, it turns inward and becomes sadness. Because of this perspective, Ibn Abbas was asked about the two, and he replied: "Their source is the same, but the terms differ. He who contends with someone he can overpower shows it as rage and anger, and he who contends with someone he cannot overpower shows it as sadness and anguish." Based on this view, the poet said: "Every brother of sadness is a brother of anger."

Thus, according to all interpretations, asafu-na (they angered Us) is derived by the hamza from asifa.

"So We took retribution from them and drowned them all together."