Al-A'raf (The Heights): (136) So We took revenge upon them and drowned them...

Know that the meaning is that when Allah (Exalted is He) removed the punishment from them multiple times, yet they did not refrain from their disbelief and ignorance, and then they reached the appointed term, He took revenge upon them by destroying them with drowning.

Revenge (Intiqām) in language means depriving of blessings through punishment.

Al-Yamm (اليم) means the sea. The author of Al-Kashshāf said: Al-Yamm is the sea whose bottom cannot be reached, or it is the deep part and the majority of the water of the sea. Its derivation is from al-Tayamum (intending/seeking), because those who seek water head towards it.

Allah (Exalted and Majestic is He) clarified by saying: "So We took revenge upon them and drowned them" that this revenge was due to that denial (of the signs).

Regarding His saying: "and they were heedless of Us" (وكانوا عنا غافلين), there is a difference of opinion concerning the pronoun (kunya) in "of Us" (عنا).

1. It is said that it refers back to the vengeance (النقمة) indicated by His saying: "We took revenge" (انتقمنا). The meaning is: They were heedless of the vengeance before it befell them.
2. It is said that the pronoun refers back to the signs (الآيات), which is the choice of Al-Zajjāj. He said: Because they did not take heed of the signs that afflicted them.

If it is asked: Heedlessness (Ghaflah) is not an action of man and does not occur by his choice, so how did the warning come concerning heedlessness?

We reply: What is meant by heedlessness here is turning away from the signs and not paying attention to them. They turned away from them until they became like those who are heedless of them.

If it is asked: Did they not combine many sins with denial and heedlessness? So why is the revenge specifically for these two and not others?

We reply: The verse does not state that Allah took revenge upon them for both of these in a way that indicates the negation of anything else. Rather, the verse indicates that it is obligatory to contemplate the signs, which is why they were blamed for being heedless of them. This indicates that following tradition blindly (al-taqlīd) is a blameworthy path.

< {And We bequeathed to the people who were being oppressed the eastern and western parts of the land which We had blessed. And the best word of your Lord was fulfilled for the Children of Israel because they were patient, and We destroyed what Pharaoh and his people were making and what they used to build.} >