The Holy Quran, as the Book of Guidance and Light, invites humanity to reflect on the fate of previous nations and individuals through the narration of their stories, so that by drawing lessons from them, one may find the path to felicity. One such narrative is the story of Pharaoh and the Children of Israel, beautifully depicted in verses 90 to 92 of Surah Yunus. These verses, by describing the moment of Pharaohs drowning and his declaration of faith at the brink of death, offer profound lessons regarding pride, arrogance, humility, and heedlessness of divine signs.
This treatise endeavours, through a deep examination of these verses and reflections from religious scholars, to present the lofty Quranic concepts in a coherent manner and with eloquent, lucid language to the readers. It invites the individual to self-assessment, reconsideration of spiritual priorities, and avoidance of egocentrism, so as to be humble like earth, receptive to divine grace, and to keep distant from the fiery destiny of Pharaoh and Satan.
وَجَاوَزْنَا بِبَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ الْبَحْرَ فَأَتْبَعَهُمْ فِرْعَوْنُ وَجُنُودُهُ بَغْيًا وَعَدْوًا ۖ حَتَّىٰ إِذَا أَدْرَكَهُ الْغَرَقُ قَالَ آمَنتُ أَنَّهُ لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا الَّذِي آمَنَتْ بِهِ بَنُو إِسْرَائِيلَ وَأَنَا مِنَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ
آلْآنَ وَقَدْ عَصَيْتَ قَبْلُ وَكُنتَ مِنَ الْمُفْسِدِينَ
فَالْيَوْمَ نُنَجِّيكَ بِبَدَنِكَ لِتَكُونَ لِمَنْ خَلْفَكَ آيَةً ۖ وَإِنَّ كَثِيرًا مِّنَ النَّاسِ عَنْ آيَاتِنَا لَغَافِلُونَ
And We caused the Children of Israel to cross the sea; then Pharaoh and his troops pursued them in arrogance and enmity. When the drowning overtook him, he said, I believe that there is no deity except He in whom the Children of Israel have believed, and I am of the Muslims.
Now? And you disobeyed [Him] before and were of the corrupters!
So today We will save you in your body so that you may be a sign to those who come after you. And indeed, many among mankind are heedless of Our signs.
Verses 90 to 92 of Surah Yunus depict a decisive moment in the story of Pharaoh and the Children of Israel. God facilitated the passage of the Children of Israel through the Nile Sea, while Pharaoh, steeped in pride and oppression, pursued them. When the raging waves engulfed him, in a moment of desperation and helplessness, he professed faith and claimed submission. However, this faitharising not from sincerity but from the fear of deathwas not accepted. God reminded him with the words, Now? And you disobeyed before and were of the corrupters, thus recalling his prior disobedience and corruption, and rejected his acceptance of faith. Then, as a sign of admonition, His body was raised from the water so that future generations might learn from his fate. This event is a warning to humanity that pride and arrogance block the path of guidance, and faith uttered at the moment of death profits one not.
Pharaoh, with the claim I am your most exalted lord (An Rabbukum al-Al, Surah An-Nzit, verse 24), and Satan, with the claim I am better than him (An khayrun minhu, Surah d, verse 12), represent two conspicuous examples of pride and self-superiority. Pharaoh, in his arrogance, proclaimed himself as the supreme deity and rejected acceptance of the truth. Satan also, by asserting the superiority of fire over clay, refused to prostrate to Adam and was doomed to eternal misguidance. Both were deprived of recognising God and accepting the truth due to their egocentrism and were thus doomed to a tragic fate.
An Rabbukum al-Al
I am your most exalted lord.
Arrogance, like a consuming fire, distances a person from humility and acceptance of truth. Pharaoh, through pride, elevated himself above God and even in the moment of death could not relinquish egocentrism. Satan, through his prideful pursuit of superiority, demeaned clay and ignored divine wisdom. This arrogance not only led them to destruction but also invites posterity to reflect on this fate. Arrogance, like a high wall, deprives a person of the light of guidance and plunges them into the darkness of egocentrism.
Earth, in contrast to fire, symbolizes humility and perseverance. Earth, blended with straw and clay, constructs edifices that endure for centuries. This endurance, like a humble heart, is receptive to divine grace. In contrast, fire, which blazes and extinguishes swiftly, symbolizes arrogance and instability. Satan, by asserting the superiority of fire over earth, neglected the truth of humility and was condemned to eternal loss. Pharaoh, too, through his fiery arrogance, remained oblivious to the earthliness of his existence and was led to ruin.
In ancient culture, straw-claya mixture of earth, water, and strawsymbolizes strength and humility. This material, through the expulsion of air, yields constructions stronger even than modern concrete. This metaphor invites humans to humility; those who, like earth, accept truth and renounce egocentrism achieve endurance and felicity. Unlike fire, which burns and destroys, earth combined correctly produces monumental edifices that last for centuries.
The Holy Quran, in verse 92 of Surah Yunus, states: And indeed, many among mankind are heedless of Our signs. This heedlessness results from attachment to materialism, power, and egocentrism. A heedless person, like a traveller in darkness, remains unaware of guiding signs and treads a path of misguidance. Pharaoh, in his heedlessness of divine signs, turned to the Children of Israel instead of God and remained distant from the truth.
