First: The purpose of sending the Prophet Moses, peace be upon him, to the Children of Israel was to save them from Pharaoh and his followers and to relieve them from the painful torment they were suffering from. When Moses defeated Pharaoh on the Day of the Festival, he was preparing his people to save them from the oppression of Pharaoh, and Moses, peace be upon him, was waiting for the Revelation to get out.
Second: After that great victory, the Children of Israel began to take the side of Moses against the Pharaoh, hoping to find with Moses an independent place through which it would be easy for them to get out of Egypt. At that time Allah the Almighty commanded them to make their homes facing each other in order to know who entered their neighborhood and who left it, and in order to pray in their houses the way they would do in Masjid, because they were prevented from going to Masjid unjustly. Those procedures were the preparation steps for the Great Exodus. “We revealed to Moses and his brother, “Appoint houses for your people in Egypt. Turn these houses into places of worship, establish prayer, and give good news to the believers!”.” (Yunus 7: 87)
Third: The Almighty revealed to His Prophet Moses: Go out with your people, the Children of Israel, at night, for Pharaoh and his soldiers will pursue you.
Fourth: Pharaoh knew about the exodus of Moses with the Children of Israel, so he sent to the cities that were under his rule urging their people to go out after Moses, and that was a general mobilization. Pharaoh justified that the mobilization was meant as a warner against Moses and his few followers who outraged him and his followers by leaving their homeland (Egypt), so that they had to be cautious about their actions.
Fifth: The people responded to Pharaoh’s call and warning and left their rich homes, luxurious dwellings, fruitful crops, and the gold and silver they had treasured and buried in the dirt, and they did not return to them again, so their wealth was inherited by other people.
Sixth: The Children of Israel headed towards the east – towards the Red Sea, east of Egypt -. The Children of Israel, Pharaoh and his soldiers spent nights walking. They could not see each other until the time of sunrise after nights of traveling.
Seventh: “When the two groups came face to face, the companions of Moses cried out, “We are overtaken for sure.” (Ash-Shu’ara’ 26: 61)
Pharaoh and his soldiers came close to the place of the gathering of the Children of Israel, so each group saw the other. Those who were with Moses- the Children of Israel- said in fear and despair of salvation: Pharaoh will overtake us, and we will be doomed.
At that moment, the commander who was confident in the victory of his Lord, may His Glory be gloried, reassured his people that they would not be overtaken, because Allah, Exalted and Sublime be He, was with them, as if he told them: Whom Allah is with should never fear anything.
Eighth: As soon as Moses finished saying those words, the Revelation came directly to him revealing to him to strike the sea with his staff. He struck it in compliance with the Command of his Lord, so the sea was split, and each part was like a huge mountain. In the meantime, Pharaoh and his soldiers approached, and Moses and his followers crossed between those two parts that were like two mountains. Thus, Moses and the Children of Israel escaped from the oppression of Pharaoh.
Ninth: The land dried up and Moses entered with the Children of Israel, led by Gabriel, peace be upon him, on a horse until they crossed the sea to the other shore. Pharaoh came on his horse followed by thousands of soldiers, and they followed Moses and the Children of Israel, and they entered the sea till they reached the middle, where Allah the Almighty caused the sea to close in on them and drowned them all.
Allah the Almighty revealed to His Prophet Moses: “And leave the sea parted”, as it was when Moses entered it with the Children of Israel. Allah the Almighty says: “Leave with My servants at night, for you will surely be pursued . And leave the sea parted, for they are certainly an army bound to drown.” (Ad-Dukhan 44: 23-24)
Tenth: In the last moments of his life, Pharaoh realized that he was dying, and he began moving from the worldly life to the Hereafter. Therefore, he announced his repentance, saying: “I believe that there is no god except that in whom the Children of Israel believe, and I am ˹now˺ one of those who submit.” (Yunus 10: 90) Allah did not accept his repentance, and he was made an example of injustice, arrogance and immorality.
“And We inspired Moses, ˹saying,˺ “Leave with My servants at night, for you will surely be pursued.”* Then Pharaoh sent mobilizers to all cities* ˹and said,˺ “These ˹outcasts˺ are just a handful of people* who have really enraged us*but we are all on the alert.”* So We lured the tyrants out of ˹their˺ gardens, springs* treasures, and splendid residences* So it was. And We awarded it ˹all˺ to the Children of Israel* And so they pursued them at sunrise* When the two groups came face to face, the companions of Moses cried out, “We are overtaken for sure.”* Moses reassured ˹them˺, “Absolutely not! My Lord is certainly with me—He will guide me.”*So We inspired Moses: “Strike the sea with your staff,” and the sea was split, each part was like a huge mountain* We drew the pursuers to that place* and delivered Moses and those with him all together* Then We drowned the others* Surely in this is a sign. Yet most of them would not believe* And your Lord is certainly the Almighty, Most Merciful. (Ash-Shu’ara’ 26: 52-68)
“We brought the Children of Israel across the sea. Then Pharaoh and his soldiers pursued them unjustly and oppressively. But as Pharaoh was drowning, he cried out, “I believe that there is no god except that in whom the Children of Israel believe, and I am ˹now˺ one of those who submit.”* ˹He was told,˺ “Now ˹you believe˺? But you always disobeyed and were one of the corruptors* Today We will preserve your corpse so that you may become an example1 for those who come after you. And surely most people are heedless of Our examples!” (Yunus 10: 90-92)
أولاً: مقصد إرسال نبي الله موسى-عليه السلام-إلى بني إسرائيل هو إنجاؤهم من فرعون وزبانيته وإخراجهم من العذاب الأليم الذي كانوا يعانون منه، فلما انتصر موسى على فرعون في ميدان المناظرة والمباراة في يوم الزينة ابتدأ التحضير لعملية الخروج من بطش فرعون، وكان موسى عليه السلام ينتظر الوحي للخروج.
ثانيًا: وبعد ذلك الانتصار الساحق بدأ بنو إسرائيل بالانحياز من مجتمع فرعون ليكون لهم حيًّا مستقلا يسهل معه خروجهم من أرض مصر، وحينئذ أمرهم الله -عز وجل- أن يجعلوا بيوتهم متقابلة ليعرفوا من يدخل عليهم ومن يخرج منهم، وليصلوا فيها كالمساجد-حيث منعوا من المساجد ظلمًا وعدواناً-، وكان ذلك هو الاستعداد للخروج العظيم. “وَأَوْحَيْنَا إِلَى مُوسَى وَأَخِيهِ أَنْ تَبَوَّآ لِقَوْمِكُمَا بِمِصْرَ بُيُوتًا وَاجْعَلُوا بُيُوتَكُمْ قِبْلَةً وَأَقِيمُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَبَشِّرِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ ” (يونس 7: 87)
ثالثًا: أوحى تعالى إلى نبيه موسى أن اخرج وقومك بني إسرائيل ليلاً، فإن فرعون وجنوده ملاحقكم
رابعًا: علم فرعون بخروج موسى ببني إسرائيل فأرسل في المدن التي تحت حكمه يحث الناس على الخروج خلف موسى، وكان ذلك بمثابة التعبئة العامة، وقد علل ذلك الخطاب والتعبئة العامة بأنها: موسى ومن معه قلة من الناس، وأنهم قد أغضبوا فرعون ومن معه بخروجهم من الديار، وإن علينا الحذر من أفعالهم
خامسًا: استجاب القوم لنداء فرعون وتحذيره وخرجوا من ديارهم الغنية والمساكن الفارهة ومن الزروع المثمرة، والذهب والفضة التي كانوا قد كنزوها وأخفوها ودفنوها في التراب، ولم يرجعوا إليها ثانية فكانت تلك الأموال إرثًا لقوم آخرين
سادسًا: توجه بنو إسرائيل جهة الشرق-جهة البحر الأحمر شرق مصر-، وقد قضى بنو إسرائيل وفرعون وجنوده ليلة أو ليالي مشيا، فما بصر بعضهم ببعض، حتى وقت شروق الشمس بعد ليال من السفر
سابعًا: “فلما تراءى الجمعان” بلغ فرعون وجنوده قريبا من مكان جموع بني إسرائيل بحيث يرى كل فريق منهما الفريق الآخر، قال من كان مع موسى -وهم بنو إسرائيل- خوفًا ويأسًا من النجاة: سيدركنا فرعون وسيكون هنالك حتفنا،
وهناك طمأن القائد النبي المكلم الواثق بنصر ربه-جل جلاله- طمأن قومه بأنهم لن يدركوا لأن معهم الله عز وجل، وكأنه يقول لهم: من كان معه ربه فإنه لن يخشى شيئًا
ثامنًا: فور خروج هذه الكلمة من فم موسى: جاءه الوحي مباشرة بأن يضرب البحر بعصاه، فضربه امتثالاً لأمر ربه فانشق البحر وصار كل شق كأنه جبل، وفي هذه الأثناء اقترب فرعون وجنوده، وتجاوز موسى ومن معه هذا البحر بين هاتين الفرقتين اللاتان تشبهان الجبلين فنجا موسى وبني إسرائيل من بطش فرعون
تاسعًا: يبِسَت الأرض ودخل موسى مع بني إسرائيل يتقدمهم جبريل عليه السلام على فرس حتى تجاوزوا البحر إلى الشاطئ الآخر، وجاء فرعون على فرسه ومعه ألوف من الجنود فتبعوا موسى وبني إسرائيل، فدخلوا البحر فلما توسطوه أطبق الله تعالى عليهم البحر فغرقوا أجمعين
وقد أوحى الله إلى نبيه موسى: “إذا اجتزت أنت وقومك البحر فاتركه “رهواً”: ساكناً كما هو حين دخلته مع بني إسرائيل، كما قال تعالى:” فَأَسْرِ بِعِبَادِي لَيْلاً إِنَّكُمْ مُتَّبَعُونَ (23) وَاتْرُكِ الْبَحْرَ رَهْواً إِنَّهُمْ جُنْدٌ مُغْرَقُونَ (24)” (الدخان 44: 23-24)
عاشرًا: فرعون في اللحظات الأخيرة من حياته وقد رأى الموت وبدأ بالانتقال من الحياة الدنيا إلى الحياة الآخرة أعلن توبته قائلاً: إلا ما كان من فرعون فإنه قال: “آمنت أنه لا إله إلا الذي آمنت به بنو إسرائيل وأنا من المسلمين” (يونس 10: 90)، فلم يقبل الله توبته، بل كان مثالاً للظلم والكبر والفجور
” وَأَوْحَيْنَا إِلَى مُوسَى أَنْ أَسْرِ بِعِبَادِي إِنَّكُمْ مُتَّبَعُونَ (٥٢) فَأَرْسَلَ فِرْعَوْنُ فِي الْمَدَائِنِ حَاشِرِينَ (٥٣) إِنَّ هَؤُلَاءِ لَشِرْذِمَةٌ قَلِيلُونَ (٥٤) وَإِنَّهُمْ لَنَا لَغَائِظُونَ (٥٥) وَإِنَّا لَجَمِيعٌ حَاذِرُونَ (٥٦) فَأَخْرَجْنَاهُمْ مِنْ جَنَّاتٍ وَعُيُونٍ (٥٧) وَكُنُوزٍ وَمَقَامٍ كَرِيمٍ (٥٨) كَذَلِكَ وَأَوْرَثْنَاهَا بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ (٥٩) فَأَتْبَعُوهُمْ مُشْرِقِينَ (60) فَلَمَّا تَرَاءَى الْجَمْعَانِ قَالَ أَصْحَابُ مُوسَى إِنَّا لَمُدْرَكُونَ (٦١) قَالَ كَلَّا إِنَّ مَعِيَ رَبِّي سَيَهْدِينِ (٦٢) فَأَوْحَيْنَا إِلَى مُوسَى أَنِ اضْرِبْ بِعَصَاكَ الْبَحْرَ فَانْفَلَقَ فَكَانَ كُلُّ فِرْقٍ كَالطَّوْدِ الْعَظِيمِ (٦٣) وَأَزْلَفْنَا ثَمَّ الْآخَرِينَ (٦٤) وَأَنْجَيْنَا مُوسَى وَمَنْ مَعَهُ أَجْمَعِينَ (٦٥) ثُمَّ أَغْرَقْنَا الْآخَرِينَ (٦٦) إِنَّ فِي ذَلِكَ لَآيَةً وَمَا كَانَ أَكْثَرُهُمْ مُؤْمِنِينَ (٦٧) وَإِنَّ رَبَّكَ لَهُوَ الْعَزِيزُ الرَّحِيمُ” (الشعراء 26: 52-68)
“وَجَاوَزْنَا بِبَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ الْبَحْرَ فَأَتْبَعَهُمْ فِرْعَوْنُ وَجُنُودُهُ بَغْيًا وَعَدْوًا حَتَّى إِذَا أَدْرَكَهُ الْغَرَقُ قَالَ آمَنْتُ أَنَّهُ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا الَّذِي آمَنَتْ بِهِ بَنُو إِسْرَائِيلَ وَأَنَا مِنَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ (٩٠) آلْآنَ وَقَدْ عَصَيْتَ قَبْلُ وَكُنْتَ مِنَ الْمُفْسِدِينَ (٩١) فَالْيَوْمَ نُنَجِّيكَ بِبَدَنِكَ لِتَكُونَ لِمَنْ خَلْفَكَ آيَةً وَإِنَّ كَثِيرًا مِنَ النَّاسِ عَنْ آيَاتِنَا لَغَافِلُونَ” (يونس 10: 90-92)