Red sea

When God commanded Moses to lead his people out of Egypt at night, their escape route brought them directly to the edge of the sea, pinning them between the water and Pharaoh’s approaching military. Across seven specific verses, the Quran details this confrontation not as an extended geographical history, but as a massive physical intervention where the water itself divided into towering walls. The event marks the precise moment of salvation for the Israelites and the abrupt, devastating end of Pharaoh’s reign.

Striking a dry path at night

The sequence began with a specific divine instruction regarding the escape. God revealed to Moses, "Go out at night with My servants and strike a dry path for them across the sea" (20:77). The Israelites were burdened by the immediate terror of the Egyptian forces closing in behind them, yet God’s command carried a direct reassurance: Moses was instructed to "have no fear of being overtaken and do not be dismayed."

Upon reaching the water's edge, the revelation instructed Moses to strike the sea directly with his staff (26:63). Classical exegetes highlighted the anticipation built into the natural elements before this moment. According to Qatadah, as recorded by Ibn Kathir (Tafsir Ibn Kathir, 5/626), God had already sent a command to the sea that night, ordering it to listen and obey the moment Moses struck it. Qatadah noted that the sea spent the night in an agitated state, waiting for the staff. When the physical strike occurred, the water immediately parted. The Quran describes the sheer scale of the displaced water, stating that each divided side stood "like a mighty mountain" (26:63), exposing a completely dry seabed for the fleeing Israelites to cross.

The pursuit and the overwhelming waters

The temporary path created a safe passage for Moses and his companions, but it also served as the mechanism to draw the pursuing Egyptian forces into the seabed. As the Israelites moved across, God "brought the others to that place" (26:64). Pharaoh, unwilling to abandon his pursuit, drove his armies forward into the open corridor between the towering walls of water.

The Quran frames the conclusion of this pursuit as a simultaneous, instantaneous act of rescue and judgment. God states, "We saved Moses and all his companions, and drowned the rest" (26:65-66). This destruction was not an unseen event happening at a distance. The revelation emphasizes the visual reality of the victory for the fleeing believers, reminding the Israelites that God parted the sea, saving them while "drowning Pharaoh’s people right before your eyes" (2:50).

The physical landscape of the sea returned to its natural state the moment the Israelites reached safety. Pharaoh, despite his massive military strength and relentless pursuit, was entirely "overwhelmed by the sea" (20:78). The classical commentator Zamakhshari notes that the water ultimately rejected the Egyptian ruler, violently throwing his body onto the coast as a physical remnant of the event (Al-Kashshaf, 2/368). The mighty, mountain-like walls of water that had just provided a dry path for the believers collapsed completely upon the pursuers, drowning Pharaoh’s people right before their eyes.