Jonah: (90–92) And We brought the Children of Israel across the sea...

Translation and Exegesis

It should be noted that the interpretation of the phrase: {And We brought the Children of Israel across the sea} has been mentioned in Surah Al-A'raf.

The meaning is that when God answered their prayer, He commanded the Children of Israel to leave Egypt at the appointed time and facilitated the means for them. Pharaoh was heedless of this. When he heard that they had left and were determined to depart from his kingdom, he pursued them.

His statement {Then Pharaoh and his hosts followed them} means he caught up with them. It is said, "He followed him until he overtook him."

His statement {out of tyranny and enmity} means:

• Tyranny (Bughy): Seeking dominance unjustly.
• Enmity (`Adw): Oppression/transgression.

It is narrated that when Moses (peace be upon him) left with his people, they reached the edge of the sea, and Pharaoh approached them with his army. They fell into severe fear because they were trapped between a drowning sea and a destructive army. God favored them by revealing a path for them in the sea, as God has fully detailed this story in other Surahs.

Then, Moses (peace be upon him) and his companions entered and exited, and God kept that path dry, leading Pharaoh to hope he could cross. When Pharaoh entered with his host, God drowned him by causing the parts of the water to rejoin and removing the parting. This is the meaning of His statement: {Then Pharaoh and his hosts followed them out of tyranny and enmity}. This clarifies the tyranny in their hearts—the desire to excessively kill and oppress them—and the transgression that exceeded the limit.

Then God mentioned that when the drowning overtook him, he uttered a declaration of sincerity (Ikhlas), thinking it would save him from those calamities.

Here arise two questions:

The Answer: There are two perspectives:

1. The first: Our doctrine holds that true speech is the speech of the soul (Nafs), not the speech of the tongue. Therefore, he mentioned this statement with his soul, not with his tongue. This verse can be used as evidence for affirming the speech of the soul, because God narrated that he said this speech, and it is proven by evidence that he did not say it with his tongue; thus, one must acknowledge the existence of speech other than that of the tongue, which is the desired conclusion.
2. The second: The meaning of "drowning" refers to its precursors (the moments leading up to it).

The Answer: Scholars have mentioned several views regarding this:

First View: He only believed when the punishment descended. Faith at this time is not accepted because the descent of punishment signifies a state of compulsion (Ilja'), and repentance in this state is not accepted. This is why God said: {But their faith was not to benefit them when they saw Our punishment} (Ghafir: 85).

Second View: He uttered these words only to seek deliverance from the present affliction and immediate tribulation. His intention was not to confess the Oneness of God, acknowledge the glory of Lordship, or the humility of servitude. Therefore, his utterance was not accompanied by sincerity (Ikhlas), and for this reason, it was not accepted.

Third View: That confession was based purely on imitation (Taqlid). Do you not see that he said: {There is no god except the One in Whom the Children of Israel believed}? It is as if he admitted that he did not know God, except that he heard from the Children of Israel that the world has a God. So, he affirmed that God whom he heard the Children of Israel confessing. This was pure imitation, and thus the statement was not accepted. Further investigation reveals that Pharaoh, as explained in Surah Taha, was a materialist (Dahriyyah) and denied the existence of the Creator. Such a gross belief cannot be removed except by conclusive arguments and certain proofs; mere imitation is useless, as it compounds the darkness of previous ignorance with the darkness of imitation.

Fourth View: I have seen in some books that when some of the Children of Israel crossed the sea, they became preoccupied with worshipping the Calf. When Pharaoh said, {There is no god except the One in Whom the Children of Israel believed}, this referred to the Calf they worshipped at that time. Thus, this statement became a cause for increased disbelief on his part.

Fifth View: The hearts of the Jews were inclined toward anthropomorphism and corporealism (Tashbih and Tajsim). This is why they engaged in the worship of the Calf, believing that God was incarnated in its body and descended into it. When this was the case, and Pharaoh said [the declaration of faith], he believed in a God described by corporeality, incarnation, and descent. Whoever believes this is a disbeliever; hence, Pharaoh's faith was invalid.

Sixth View: Perhaps faith is only complete through affirming the Oneness of God and affirming the prophethood of Moses (peace be upon him). Here, Pharaoh affirmed Oneness but did not affirm prophethood, so his faith was not valid. Similarly, if one of the disbelievers says a thousand times, "I testify that there is no god but Allah," their faith is not valid unless they also say, "And I testify that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah." The same applies here.

Seventh View: The author of Al-Kashshaf narrated that Gabriel (peace be upon him) brought Pharaoh a legal ruling (Fatwa) concerning a slave who grew up in his master's wealth and favor, yet he denied his favor, rejected his right, and claimed sovereignty over him. Pharaoh wrote his response: "The recompense for the slave who rebels against his believing master who denied his favor is to be drowned in the sea." Then, when Pharaoh drowned, Gabriel raised his ruling to him.

Regarding His Statement: {Now? After you have already disobeyed and were among the corrupters?}

Here are some questions:

The Answer: Reports indicate that the speaker of this saying is Gabriel. The phrase {and were among the corrupters} is mentioned in contrast to his statement, {And I am among the Muslims}. Some scholars say the speaker is God, because He follows it with: {So today We shall save you in body} up to {So today We shall save you in body, that you may be a sign for those who come after you}. This speech can only be the speech of God.

The Answer: The doctrine of our scholars is that the acceptance of repentance is not rationally obligatory. One of their proofs for this is this very verse. Furthermore, the reasoning was not based merely on past disobedience, but on that disobedience combined with being among the corrupters.

The Answer: This is unlikely to be sound. In that state, either the religious obligation (Taklif) was still in effect or it was not.

• If it was in effect, Gabriel (peace be upon him) was not permitted to prevent him from repenting; rather, he was obligated to assist him in repentance and all acts of obedience, based on God's saying: {Cooperate in righteousness and piety, but do not cooperate in sin and aggression} (Al-Ma'idah: 2).
• Moreover, if he prevented him by stuffing his mouth, repentance would still be possible, as a mute person can repent by feeling remorse in his heart and resolving to abandon the evil act. In that case, what Gabriel allegedly did would be pointless.
• Furthermore, if he prevented him from repenting, he would have consented to his remaining in disbelief, and consenting to disbelief is disbelief itself.
• How fitting would it be for God to tell Moses and Aaron (peace be upon them): {Then speak to him with gentle speech, perhaps he may remember or fear} (Taha: 44), and then command Gabriel to prevent him from believing?
• If it is argued that Gabriel did this on his own initiative without God's command, this is refuted by Gabriel's statement: {We do not descend except by the command of your Lord} (Maryam: 64), and God's description of the angels: {And they are fearful of Him} (Al-Anbiya: 28), and {They do not precede Him in speech, and they act by His command} (Al-Anbiya: 27).
• If it is argued that the religious obligation (Taklif) had ceased for Pharaoh at that time, then the action attributed to Gabriel would have no purpose whatsoever.

Regarding His Statement: {So today We shall save you in body}

This has several interpretations:

1. First: {We shall save you in body} means We shall cast you onto a high place (Najwah) on the land.
2. Second: We shall bring you out of the sea and save you from the depths where your people perished, but only after you have drowned. The phrase {in body} is in the accusative case (Hal), meaning in the state you are in then—without a soul.
3. Third: This is a promise of salvation in the manner of mockery (Tahakkum), similar to His saying: {So give them tidings of a painful punishment} (Al 'Imran: 21). It is as if He said: We will save you, but this salvation will only apply to your body, not your soul. Such speech is sometimes used for derision, like saying, "We will free you, but after death," or "We will release you from prison, but after you die."
4. Fourth: Some recited it as {nunjīka bi-ḥā’} (with a Hā’), meaning We shall cast you onto a shore near the sea. Indeed, after drowning, he was thrown onto the side of the sea. Ka'b said: The water threw him onto the shore like a bull.

Regarding His Statement: {in body}

This also has several interpretations:

1. First: As mentioned, it is in the state (Hal) of being a mere body without a soul.
2. Second: It means We shall save you in your complete, unaltered body.
3. Third: {We shall save you in body} means We shall bring you out of the sea naked, without clothing.
4. Fourth: {We shall save you in body} means in your armor/coat of mail (Badan). Al-Layth said: Al-Badan is the short-sleeved armor. Thus, {in body} means in your armor. This is narrated from Ibn Abbas, who said: He was wearing a golden coat of mail by which he was recognized, and God brought him out of the water with that armor so he could be identified. I say: If this is true, it was a miracle for Moses (peace be upon him).

Regarding His Statement: {that you may be a sign for those who come after you}

This has several interpretations:

1. First: A group who believed in his divinity, upon not witnessing his drowning, denied it and claimed that someone like him could not die. God revealed his affair by bringing him out of the water in his form so they could witness it and the doubt would be removed from their hearts. It is also said that he was cast onto the path of the Children of Israel.
2. Second: It is plausible that God intended for creation to witness him in that state of humiliation and disgrace after they heard him say: {I am your Lord, the Most High} (An-Nazi'at: 24). This would serve as a deterrent to creation from following his path, making them realize that yesterday he was at the height of majesty and greatness, and today his affair has ended as they see.
3. Third: Some recited it as {li-man khalaqak} (for your Creator) with a Qāf, meaning that you may be a sign for your Creator, like His other signs.
4. Fourth: Since God drowned him along with all his people, yet He singled him out for extraction from the bottom of the sea, His singling him out in this wondrous state indicates the perfection of God's power and the truthfulness of Moses (peace be upon him) in his claim of prophethood.

The most apparent interpretation of {So today We shall save you in body, that you may be a sign for those who come after you} is that when God mentioned the story of Moses and Pharaoh, concluding with Pharaoh's fate in this manner, He addressed Muhammad (peace be upon him). This serves as a warning to his Ummah against turning away from the signs and encourages them to reflect upon and learn lessons from them, as the purpose of mentioning these stories is to derive admonition, as God says: {Indeed, in their stories is a lesson for those of understanding} (Yusuf: 111).

Verse 93

{And We certainly settled the Children of Israel in a good settlement and provided for them of the good things. And they did not differ until there came to them knowledge. Indeed, your Lord will judge between them on the Day of Resurrection concerning that over which they used to differ.}