Al-Baqarah: (49) And [recall] when We saved you...

Context and Introduction

Allāh, the Exalted, having previously mentioned His favors upon the Children of Israel in general terms, now details those favors specifically. This approach is more emphatic in reminding them and stronger in establishing the proof against them.

It is as if He is saying: "Remember My favor, and remember when We saved you, and remember when We split the sea for you." The event mentioned in this verse is the first of these favors.

Analysis of the Verse: {وَإِذْ نَجَّيْنَاكُم} (And [recall] when We saved you)

The verb form {نَجَّيْنَاكُم} (We saved you) is also recited as {أَنجَيْنَاكُم} (We delivered you) and {نَجَّيْتُكُمْ} (We rescued you).

Al-Qaffāl stated that the root meaning of anjā and tanjiyah is deliverance or separation—to separate something from something else so they are no longer connected. Both najā and anjā are linguistic variations, as is najā bi-nafsihi (he saved himself). The elevated place is called a najwah (a high place/refuge) because whoever reaches it is saved, meaning delivered, and because a high place is distinct from what is below it, it is as if it is separated from it.

The author of Al-Kashshāf said that the origin of āl (family/kin) is ahl (people/family), which is why its diminutive form is uḥayyil. The hā’ (ه) was changed to an alif (ا), and its usage became specific to those of high status and importance, like kings and their like. It is not said: āl al-ḥajjām (the family of the barber) or āl al-iskāf (the family of the cobbler).

‘Īsā (Al-Farāhīdī) narrated that ahl is more general than āl. One says ahl al-Kūfah (the people of Kufa) or ahl al-balad (the people of the town) or ahl al-‘ilm (the people of knowledge), but one does not say āl al-Kūfah, āl al-balad, or āl al-‘ilm. Thus, it seems ahl refers to the core group of a thing based on their predominance over it, while āl refers to a man's close kin or companions. Abū ‘Ubaydah narrated hearing an eloquent speaker say: "The people of Mecca are the Āl of Allāh."

Regarding Pharaoh (Fir‘awn)

Fir‘awn is a proper noun for the ruler of Egypt from the Amalekites, similar to Caesar for the rulers of Rome, Heraclius for the Byzantines, Kisra for the Persians, Tubba‘ for the rulers of Yemen, and Khāqān for the rulers of the Turks.

There are two points of difference regarding the Pharaoh:

1. His Name: Ibn Jurayj narrated from a group that his name was Mus‘ab ibn Rayyān. Ibn Ishāq said it was Al-Walīd ibn Mus‘ab, noting that none of the Pharaohs was harsher in temperament or harder of heart than him. Wahb ibn Munabbih mentioned that the People of the Books said the Pharaoh’s name was Qābūs, and he was a Copt.
2. Identity: Ibn Wahb suggested that the Pharaoh of Joseph (peace be upon him) was the Pharaoh of Moses. This is incorrect, as more than 400 years elapsed between Joseph’s entry into Egypt and Moses’ entry. Muḥammad ibn Ishāq stated they were different, and the Pharaoh of Joseph was named Al-Rayyān ibn Al-Walīd.

As for Āl Fir‘awn (the family/people of Pharaoh), there is no doubt that what is meant here are those who belonged to Pharaoh’s people—those who were determined to destroy the Children of Israel—so that Allāh could save them from them through the circumstances He provided, which necessitated their survival and the destruction of Pharaoh and his people.

Analysis of {يَسُومُونَكُم} (inflicting upon you)

The phrase {يَسُومُونَكُم} (inflicting upon you) comes from sāma khafsan (to impose humiliation). ‘Amr ibn Kulthūm said:

If the king imposes humiliation upon people, We refuse to accept humiliation among us.

Its origin is from sāma as-sil‘ah (to ask for a price for an item), as if it means: they seek the worst torment for you and desire it for you. Sū’ (worst/evil) is the maṣdar (verbal noun) of sā’a (to be bad). One says: "I seek refuge in Allāh from bad character (sū’ al-khuluq) and bad deeds (sū’ al-fa‘l)," referring to their ugliness. The meaning of sū’ al-‘aḏāḇ (the worst torment) is the most severe and difficult torment, as if its ugliness is intensified by the iḍāfah (genitive construction) to sā’a.

The commentators differed on the meaning of (the worst torment):

• Muḥammad ibn Ishāq said: Pharaoh made them khawl (servants) and khadam (laborers) for him, assigning them to different tasks: one group built for him, another plowed for him, and another cultivated for him. Those not engaged in manual labor were required to pay a poll tax (jizyah).
• As-Suddī said: He assigned them to filthy and difficult tasks, such as cleaning out excrement, making mud, and quarrying mountains. The Children of Israel recounted to Moses: {We were harmed before you came to us and after you have come to us} (Al-A‘rāf: 129). Moses said to Pharaoh: "And that is a favor you count against me, that you enslaved the Children of Israel."

It is known that being under the control of another, who can dispose of you as he wishes—especially when employed in hard, difficult, and filthy labor—is one of the most severe forms of torment. A person in such a state might even wish for death.

Therefore, Allāh clarified the greatness of His favor upon them by saving them from this. Then, He followed this with another, even greater favor:

Analysis of {يَذْبَحُونَ أَبْنَاءَكُمْ} (slaughtering your sons)

This means killing the males among the offspring, sparing the females. There are several discussions regarding this:

Slaughtering the sons, while sparing the daughters, involves harm in several ways:

1. Extinction of Lineage: Slaughtering the sons leads to the annihilation of the men. Since women alone cannot perpetuate the lineage, this ultimately leads to the destruction of both men and women.
2. Distress for Women: The death of the men leads to the corruption of the women's welfare concerning livelihood. A woman, deprived of the care and support of men, might wish for death due to the hardship of living alone. This characteristic is a great affliction, and the magnitude of the deliverance from it corresponds to the severity of the affliction.
3. Pain of Loss: Killing a child immediately after a long pregnancy, enduring hardship, and having strong hopes for benefiting from the newborn is one of the greatest torments. Killing a child in this state is more severe than killing one who has already lived a long time and brought joy. Thus, the favor of deliverance is proportional to the intensity of the trial.
4. Preference for Sons: Sons are generally more beloved to parents than daughters. This is why many people dislike daughters, even if they have many sons. This is supported by Allāh’s statement: {And when one of them is given the good news of a female, his face darkens, and he becomes suppressed} (An-Naḥl: 58). This is also why the Arabs were forbidden from female infanticide by the verse: {And do not kill your children for fear of poverty} (Al-Isrā’: 31), as they used to bury only the females, not the males.
5. Vulnerability of Women: The survival of women without men leads to them becoming available to enemies, which is the ultimate humiliation and disgrace.

In this Surah (Al-Baqarah), it is mentioned as {يَذْبَحُونَ} (slaughtering) without a wāw (conjunction 'and'), whereas in Surah Ibrāhīm, it is mentioned with a wāw ({وَيَذْبَحُونَ}).

The reason is: If {يَسُومُونَكُم سُوءَ الْعَذَابِ} (inflicting upon you the worst torment) is interpreted as being explained by {يَذْبَحُونَ أَبْنَاءَكُمْ} (slaughtering your sons), then the wāw is unnecessary. However, if {سُوءَ الْعَذَابِ} is interpreted as the other harsh obligations (excluding slaughter), and slaughter is considered a separate type of torment, then the wāw is required.

Both interpretations are possible in both places. However, the benefit of including the conjunction in Surah Ibrāhīm might be that Allāh mentioned before that verse: {And We did certainly send Moses with Our signs, [saying], "Bring your people out of darknesses into the light and remind them of the Days of Allāh"} (Ibrāhīm: 5). Reminding them of the "Days of Allāh" requires enumerating His favors. Therefore, it must be that {سُوءَ الْعَذَابِ} refers to one type of torment, and {وَيَذْبَحُونَ أَبْنَاءَكُمْ} refers to another type, so that the deliverance from both constitutes two distinct favors. This necessitates the conjunction there.

In this verse (Al-Baqarah), the command is only to recall the genus of the favor: {Remember My favor which I have bestowed upon you} (Al-Baqarah: 40, 47, 122). Whether sū’ al-‘aḏāḇ refers to slaughter or something else, the general reminder of the favor is achieved, clarifying the difference.

Some commentators suggested that {أَبْنَاءَكُمْ} (your sons) refers to adult men, to correspond with the women (who were adults). They argue that the sons meant were the adult men from whom Pharaoh feared rebellion and gathering against him to disrupt his rule.

However, the majority of commentators hold that children (infants/youths) are meant, for several reasons:

1. Adhering to the literal meaning of the word abnā’.
2. It would have been impossible to kill all the men due to their large numbers.
3. They needed the men for the difficult labor mentioned earlier.
4. If it meant adult men, the casting of Moses (peace be upon him) into the ark while he was young would have no significance.

Regarding the counter-argument that it must refer to men to correspond with women:

• Response 1: Since the sons were killed in childhood, they never reached adulthood, so the term "men" cannot strictly apply to them. However, the daughters were spared and reached the age of womanhood, so applying the term "women" to them is permissible.
• Response 2: Some suggested {وَيَسْتَحْيُونَ نِسَاءَكُمْ} (and keep alive your women) means they would search the modesty (ḥayā’) of the woman—her private parts—to check if she was pregnant. This was refuted because if the fetus was not externally visible, it could not be known by searching or extracted by hand.

Several reasons were mentioned for why Pharaoh killed the male infants:

1. Ibn ‘Abbās’s View: What Allāh had promised Abraham—that his descendants would include prophets and kings—reached Pharaoh and his court. They feared this, so they agreed to station men with swords throughout Israel, and they would slaughter any male infant they found. When they saw the elders dying and the infants being slaughtered, they feared total annihilation and the lack of laborers for hard work, so they reduced the killing year by year.
2. As-Suddī’s View: Pharaoh saw a fire approaching from Jerusalem that enveloped the houses of Egypt, burning the Copts but leaving the Children of Israel untouched. He consulted the priests, who told him that someone would emerge from Jerusalem who would cause the destruction of the Copts.
3. Astrologers’ Prediction: The astrologers informed Pharaoh of this and specified the year, which is why he killed the male infants only in that specific year.

The first view is the most probable, because interpretations derived from dream analysis or astrology are usually general, not detailed. If they were detailed, it would undermine the miraculous nature of prophecy concerning the unseen. A rational person would not undertake such a massive action based on such ambiguous information.

If it is argued that since Pharaoh was an unbeliever, he would naturally disbelieve the prophets, so why would he act based on Abraham’s prophecy? We reply: Perhaps Pharaoh knew of Allāh and the truthfulness of the prophets but remained an unbeliever out of denial and obstinacy. Alternatively, he might have been doubtful and uncertain in his religion, allowing for the possibility that Abraham was truthful, and thus acted out of precaution.

There are several benefits to mentioning this favor:

1. Greatest Trial: Since these events were among the greatest trials people face from tyrannical rulers, Allāh’s deliverance from them constitutes one of the greatest favors. They witnessed the destruction of those who sought their destruction and the humiliation of those who were excessively oppressive. This realization of the greatest favor necessitates submission and obedience, and it renders opposition and defiance utterly ugly. Allāh mentioned this great favor to maximize the proof against them and cut off their excuses.
2. Reversal of Fortune: Since they knew they were in ultimate humiliation while their oppressor was in ultimate glory, yet they were in the right while the oppressor was in the wrong, it was inevitable that the glory of the truthful would return and the glory of the falsehood-doers would vanish. It is as if Allāh is saying: "Do not be deceived by the poverty of Muḥammad or the small number of his supporters now; he is truthful, and glory must eventually shift to his side and humiliation to his enemies."
3. Divine Sovereignty: Allāh thereby indicated that sovereignty belongs to Him, and He grants it to whomever He wills. Man should not be deluded by worldly glory but should strive for the glory of the Hereafter.

Analysis of {وَفِي ذَلِكُمْ بَلَاءٌ مِنْ رَبِّكُمْ عَظِيمٌ} (And in that is a great trial from your Lord)

Al-Qaffāl stated that the root of the word balā’ is ibtila’, meaning selection and testing. Allāh says: {And We test you with evil and with good as a trial} (Al-Anbiyā’: 35) and {And We tested them with good things and bad things} (Al-A‘rāf: 168). Balwā applies to both types. A favor is called balā’, and a severe affliction is also called balā’. Usually, iblā’ is used for good, and balā’ for evil, though they can sometimes overlap. Zuhayr said:

May Allāh reward with goodness what they have done to you, And He tested them with the best test that tests.

Knowing this, we say: The balā’ here refers to the affliction if the demonstrative pronoun {ذَلِكُمْ} (that) refers to Pharaoh’s actions. However, it refers to the favor if it refers to the deliverance. Interpreting it as the favor is more appropriate because it originated from the Lord, the Exalted, and because the basis of the argument against the Jews is Allāh’s favor upon their ancestors.

Verse 50: {وَإِذْ فَرَقْنَا بِكُمُ الْبَحْرَ فَأَنْجَيْنَاكُمْ وَأَغْرَقْنَا آلَ فِرْعَوْنَ وَأَنْتُمْ تَنْظُرُونَ} (And [recall] when We split the sea for you, and We saved you, and We drowned the people of Pharaoh while you were watching.)