Who Were the Two Nations Whom Allah Drowned?
من هم الأقوام الذين أغرقهم الله؟
They are the people of Nuh (Noah), just as Allah the Almighty drowned Fir'awn (Pharaoh) and his army. 1) The people of Nuh: "And ˹remember˺ when Noah had cried out to Us earlier, so We responded to him and delivered him and his family from the great distress. And We made him prevail over those who had rejected Our signs. They were truly an evil people, so We drowned them all" (Surah Al-Anbiya 21:76-77). 2) Fir'awn and his army: "Then Pharaoh pursued them with his soldiers, but how overwhelming were the waters that submerged them!" (Surah Ta-Ha 20:78). "So We seized him and his soldiers, casting them into the sea. See then what was the end of the wrongdoers!" (Surah Al-Qasas 28:40). "And in ˹the story of˺ Moses ˹was another lesson,˺ when We sent him to Pharaoh with compelling proof, but Pharaoh was carried away by his power, saying ˹of Moses˺, 'A magician or a madman!' So We seized him and his soldiers, casting them into the sea while he was blameworthy" (Surah Adh-Dhariyat 51:38-40).
هم قوم نوح، كما أغرق الله تعالى فرعون وجنوده. قوم نوح: وَنُوحًا إِذْ نَادَىٰ مِن قَبْلُ فَاسْتَجَبْنَا لَهُ فَنَجَّيْنَاهُ وَأَهْلَهُ مِنَ الْكَرْبِ الْعَظِيمِ وَنَصَرْنَاهُ مِنَ الْقَوْمِ الَّذِينَ كَذَّبُوا بِآيَاتِنَا ۚ إِنَّهُمْ كَانُوا قَوْمَ سَوْءٍ فَأَغْرَقْنَاهُمْ أَجْمَعِينَ (سورة الأنبياء: 76-77). وفرعون وجنوده: فَأَتْبَعَهُمْ فِرْعَوْنُ بِجُنُودِهِ فَغَشِيَهُم مِّنَ الْيَمِّ مَا غَشِيَهُمْ (سورة طه: 78). فَأَخَذْنَاهُ وَجُنُودَهُ فَنَبَذْنَاهُمْ فِي الْيَمِّ فَانظُرْ كَيْفَ كَانَ عَاقِبَةُ الظَّالِمِينَ (سورة القصص: 40). وَفِي مُوسَىٰ إِذْ أَرْسَلْنَاهُ إِلَىٰ فِرْعَوْنَ بِسُلْطَانٍ مُّبِينٍ فَتَوَلَّىٰ بِرُكْنِهِ وَقَالَ سَاحِرٌ أَوْ مَجْنُونٌ فَأَخَذْنَاهُ وَجُنُودَهُ فَنَبَذْنَاهُمْ فِي الْيَمِّ وَهُوَ مُلِيمٌ (سورة الذاريات: 38-40).
1. The People of Nuh | قوم نوح
Nuh preached to his people for centuries, and when they persisted in rejecting him, Allah answered his prayer and drowned them in the Flood while saving Nuh and the believers with him. Surah Al-Anbiya 21:76-77 frames this as Allah's direct response to a Messenger's sincere invocation after prolonged patience.
دعا نوح قومه قرونا، وحين أصروا على رفضه، استجاب الله دعاءه وأغرقهم في الطوفان بينما أنجى نوحا والمؤمنين معه. وتصور سورة الأنبياء 21:76-77 هذا بوصفه استجابة مباشرة من الله لدعاء رسول صادق بعد صبر طويل.
2. Pharaoh and His Army | فرعون وجنوده
Fir'awn pursued Musa (peace be upon him) and the Children of Israel as they fled Egypt, and his entire army was drowned in the sea. This event was significant enough that the Quran repeats it across several surahs, including Ta-Ha 20:78, Al-Qasas 28:40, and Adh-Dhariyat 51:38-40, each highlighting a different angle: the pursuit itself, the outcome for the wrongdoers, and Fir'awn's arrogant dismissal of Musa.
طارد فرعون موسى وبني إسرائيل وهم يفرون من مصر، فأُغرق جيشه بأكمله في البحر. وكان هذا الحدث بالغ الأهمية لدرجة أن القرآن يكرره عبر عدة سور، منها طه 20:78، والقصص 28:40، والذاريات 51:38-40، وكل سورة تُبرز جانبا مختلفا: المطاردة نفسها، ومصير الظالمين، وتكبر فرعون في تسفيه موسى.
3. Why This Story Recurs Across So Many Surahs | لماذا تتكرر هذه القصة في سور عديدة
Repetition with variation also appears within Surah Ash-Shu'ara, where five Messengers each tell their people that they ask for no reward, covered in What Reward Did All the Messengers Ask From Their People? Each retelling of Fir'awn's drowning serves a different lesson depending on the surah's broader theme, whether emphasizing Allah's justice, the futility of arrogance, or the certainty of Allah's support for His Messengers.
ويظهر التكرار مع التنويع أيضا في سورة الشعراء، حيث يقول كل واحد من الرسل الخمسة لقومه إنه لا يسألهم أجرا، كما تناولنا في مقال ما هو الأجر الذي طلبه الرسل من أقوامهم مقابل دعوتهم إلى الله؟ وكل إعادة سرد لإغراق فرعون تخدم درسا مختلفا بحسب الموضوع العام للسورة، سواء كان التأكيد على عدل الله، أو عبثية الكبر، أو يقين نصرة الله لرسله.
Frequently Asked Questions | الأسئلة الشائعة
Which two nations did Allah drown?
The people of Nuh (Noah) and Fir'awn (Pharaoh) with his army.
Why were the people of Nuh drowned?
They persistently rejected his message over a long period, and Allah answered Nuh's prayer by drowning them while saving him and the believers with him.
Why does Pharaoh's drowning appear in multiple surahs?
Each surah retells it to highlight a different lesson, such as Allah's justice, the futility of arrogance, or His support for His Messengers.
Where in the Quran is Pharaoh's drowning mentioned?
Among other places, in Surah Ta-Ha 20:78, Surah Al-Qasas 28:40, and Surah Adh-Dhariyat 51:38-40.