﷽
الحمد لله والصلاة والسلام على رسول الله
وعلى آله وصحبه أجمعين ومن تبعهم بإحسان إلى يوم الدين
اللهم اجعلنا منهم
We begin by mentioning the Name of The One True God, Allāh, The Infinitely Caring, Eternally Compassionate. We sincerely praise and thank God to the highest extent, and ask Him to bless, protect, honor, and compliment our Prophet and Messenger Muḥammad, his family, his companions, and those that diligently follow them until the end of times. Dear God, please include us from amongst them.
I had no intention of discussing the opening of Sūrah Al-Dukhān (#44). I actually wanted to talk about Sūrah Al-Dukhān 44:29, “فَمَا بَكَتْ عَلَيْهِمُ السَّمَاءُ وَالأرْضُ - The skies and the earth did not cry over the the drowned Pharaoh and his army.”[4] But that would require a brief backstory of Prophet Mūsā ﷺ given in this Sūrah, which meant it would be nice to briefly explain the opening of the Sūrah! Of course, it is always appropriate to go through the opening of a Sūrah to get the context in which Allāh ﷻ[5] speaks about something. Below is a very brief timeline of Prophet Mūsā ﷺ before the drowning of Firʿawn (Pharaoh)
The above is what proceeds - implicitly and/or explicitly - the passage in Sūrah Al-Dukhān (#44).
فَدَعَا رَبَّهُ أَنَّ هَؤُلاءِ قَوْمٌ مُجْرِمُونَ (٢٢) فَأَسْرِ بِعِبَادِي لَيْلا إِنَّكُمْ مُتَّبَعُونَ (٢٣) وَاتْرُكِ الْبَحْرَ رَهْوًا إِنَّهُمْ جُنْدٌ مُغْرَقُونَ (٢٤) كَمْ تَرَكُوا مِنْ جَنَّاتٍ وَعُيُونٍ (٢٥) وَزُرُوعٍ وَمَقَامٍ كَرِيمٍ (٢٦) وَنَعْمَةٍ كَانُوا فِيهَا فَاكِهِينَ (٢٧) كَذَلِكَ وَأَوْرَثْنَاهَا قَوْمًا آخَرِينَ (٢٨) فَمَا بَكَتْ عَلَيْهِمُ السَّمَاءُ وَالأرْضُ وَمَا كَانُوا مُنْظَرِينَ (٢٩)
“So he (Mūsā) prayed to his Master, ‘These people (Pharaoh and his army) are criminals!’ (So his Master answered his prayer and said,) ‘Take My slaves at night (and leave Egypt); all of you will be pursed.’ (... Once they get to the sea, and the sea splits, and Prophet Mūsā ﷺ and the believers make it across... Allāh says,) ‘and leave the sea as is; they (Pharaoh and his army) are a drowned army.’ ... How many gardens and rivers did they leave behind? How many crops!? How much great land!? How many luxuries and delights that they used to indulge in did they leave behind!? That is how we hand it (all of those luxuries) over to another community. The sky, nor the earth cried for them. They (Pharaoh and his army) were not given any extra time.’”
Prophet Mūsā ﷺ preached and preached, showed them miracle after miracle, yet experienced too many broken promises of “we will believe if ...” from Pharaoh. As Allāh ﷻ says, “وَلَمَّا وَقَعَ عَلَيْهِمُ الرِّجْزُ قَالُوا يَا مُوسَى ادْعُ لَنَا رَبَّكَ بِمَا عَهِدَ عِنْدَكَ لَئِنْ كَشَفْتَ عَنَّا الرِّجْزَ لَنُؤْمِنَنَّ لَكَ وَلَنُرْسِلَنَّ مَعَكَ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ - Ever time a miraculous calamaty befell them (Pharaoh and his council), they would say, ‘O Moses! Pray to your Master for us (or on our behalf)! If you save us from this calamity, will will totally believe, and we will free Banū Isrāʾīl and let them go with you!’”[21] Decades have gone by. Promises have been broken. Pharaoh has repeatedly lied. The believers still undergo mockery and torture. At this point - after decades of beautiful patience and perseverance - Mūsā ﷺ begged Allāh ﷻ to put an end to Pharaoh and his evil people.[22] The āyah here simply states that Mūsā ﷺ said, “أَنَّ هَؤُلاءِ قَوْمٌ مُجْرِمُونَ - they are criminals!” So he did not “ask” for anything. Perhaps we can infer his desire to leave Pharaoh, to be free of his tyranny and torture, to be relieved of his duty of preaching to him because - in Mūsā ﷺ’s best judgment - Pharaoh will not believe. We see that verbalized in Sūrah Yūnus (#10), “وَقَالَ مُوسَى رَبَّنَا إِنَّكَ آتَيْتَ فِرْعَوْنَ وَمَلأَهُ زِينَةً وَأَمْوَالا فِي الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا رَبَّنَا لِيُضِلُّوا عَنْ سَبِيلِكَ رَبَّنَا اطْمِسْ عَلَى أَمْوَالِهِمْ وَاشْدُدْ عَلَى قُلُوبِهِمْ فَلا يُؤْمِنُوا حَتَّى يَرَوُا الْعَذَابَ الأَلِيمَ - Moses said, ‘Our Master! You gave Pharaoh and his council wealth and luxuries in this life so would (as a test) drive humanity away from Your Path![23] Our Lord! Destroy their wealth! Harden and seal their hearts so that they do not believe until they see the painful punishment (of their drowning).[24]’”[25]
Allāh ﷻ responded to his prayer. Allāh ﷻ addresses Mūsā, “فَأَسْرِ بِعِبَادِي - Take My slaves at night (and leave Egypt),”[26] which is the response to Mūsā ﷺ’s duʿāʾ.[27] The verb “asrā”[28] means to travel at night and the same word is used for night journey of the Prophet Muḥammad ﷺ,[29] and the same word is used in every occurrence of this event mentioned in The Qurʾān.[30] The addition of “لَيْلا - at night” is only mentioned in this Sūrah (Al-Dukhān #44). — May Allāh ﷻ open up my heart and mind to know why this detail is only mentioned here, āmīn[31].[32]
Allāh ﷻ does tell Mūsā ﷺ that it will not be an easy escape - “إِنَّكُم مُّتَّبَعُونَ - you will be pursed,”[33] meaning Pharaoh and his army will chase after you. The details of the chase are mentioned in Sūrah Al-Shuʿarāʾ (#26).[34]
فَأَرْسَلَ فِرْعَوْنُ فِي الْمَدَائِنِ حَاشِرِينَ (٥٣) إِنَّ هَؤُلاءِ 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 (٦٠) فَلَمَّا تَرَاءَى الْجَمْعَانِ قَالَ أَصْحَابُ مُوسَى إِنَّا لَمُدْرَكُونَ (٦١) قَالَ كَلا إِنَّ مَعِيَ رَبِّي سَيَهْدِينِ (٦٢) فَأَوْحَيْنَا إِلَى مُوسَى أَنِ اضْرِبْ بِعَصَاكَ الْبَحْرَ فَانْفَلَقَ فَكَانَ كُلُّ فِرْقٍ كَالطَّوْدِ الْعَظِيمِ (٦٣) وَأَزْلَفْنَا ثَمَّ الآخَرِينَ (٦٤) وَأَنْجَيْنَا مُوسَى وَمَنْ مَعَهُ أَجْمَعِينَ (٦٥)
“(Once Pharaoh got word of the escape of Moses and Banū Isrāʾīl) Pharaoh calls out to gather an army from the surrounding lands (under his reign). (Pharaoh incites them by saying,) ‘(These Israelites) are just a small group of bandits! They have done nothing but infuriate us! We are and have been on alert to save ourselves from their evil plans.’ (Allāh comments,) ‘(As a result) We drove Pharaoh and his council out of Egypt. We drove them out of their gardens and rivers; out and away from their treasures and fertile land. And as easily as that, We (will) let Banū Isrāʾīl take over those lands.’ [Back to the chase.] Pharaoh and his army caught up to Moses and his followers in the morning. (Moses and the believers have reached a large body of water and cannot go any further.) When the two groups (Banū Isrāʾīl and Pharaoh’s army) see each other, the followers of Moses exclaim, ‘We have been caught (and captured)!’ Moses responds by proclaiming, ‘Not a chance! My Master is with me, and He WILL guide me!’ (At that point,) We (Allāh) inspired Moses, ‘Hit the body of water with your staff, O Moses!’ (When Moses did that) The body of water split (into two) and each half was like a giant mountain. And We (Allāh) gathered (each of the groups) together. (We - Allāh - got all of Moses’ followers together in preparation to pass through the split of the body of water, and We - Allāh - gathered and regrouped Pharaoh’s army together as they approached Moses and his people.) We (Allāh) saved Moses and his followers (by allowing all of them to safely pass across the body of water).”
Back to Sūrah Al-Dukhān (#44).
Allāh ﷻ gave Mūsā ﷺ the command - as has come in Sūrah Al-Shuʿarāʾ - “اضْرِبْ بِعَصَاكَ الْبَحْرَ - Hit the body of water with your staff, O Moses!” After Mūsā ﷺ struck the water with his staff, “فَانْفَلَقَ - the body of water split”[36] and “فَكَانَ كُلُّ فِرْقٍ كَالطَّوْدِ الْعَظِيمِ - each split section was like a towering mountain”[37] with a dry walkable patch of earth in between. After the believers from Banū Isrāʾīl crossed, Allāh ﷻ told Mūsā ﷺ to “وَاتْرُكِ الْبَحْرَ رَهْوًا - leave the sea as is.” - Why? What does this mean? The scenario is as follows.
Mūsā ﷺ and the believers just crossed through a dry patch (yabas[38])[39] between the towering “mountains” of water. All the believers have made it across. Now they see Pharaoh and his army about to enter the water. It is most likely at this point when Allāh ﷻ tells Mūsā ﷺ to leave the sea as is. There is an athar[40] “quote” from Qatādah[41] (d. 118 AH - raḥimahu Allāh[42]) that when Mūsā ﷺ and the believers crossed the sea,[43] Mūsā ﷺ[44] did not want to pathway in the sea to remain, fearing that Pharaoh would be able to “cross the sea” just like they did.[45],[46] That is why Allāh ﷻ told him to leave the water as is, and to not strike the body of water with his staff again so that is does NOT “re-form” just yet, so that Pharaoh and his army could be drowned.
What a beautiful thing to note about the perfect limitless divine wisdom of Allāh ﷻ. Any human would think, “I hope the sea goes back to normal so that Pharaoh cannot cross it and is thus unable to catch up to us.” We would want Pharaoh to be stuck on the other side of the sea while we escape. But Allāh ﷻ is Allāh - How Perfectly Perfect is He! This was the prime opportunity to let Pharaoh be fully deluded in his arrogance, to destroy Pharaoh and his army, AND to show the believers that they have been destroyed, drowned, and killed in front of their very own eyes! If the water re-formed, Pharaoh would not have crossed. But, he could have come up with some other plan to go after the Muslims. He could have built ships. He could have swam. He could have, and probably would, have tried something. And some believers would always have the looming thought of “Pharaoh and his army are still out there searching for us,” filling their lives with fear and endless paranoia.
Instead, Allāh ﷻ gave Pharaoh and his army an opening: a chance to cross. Why Pharaoh still rejected Allāh ﷻ after seeing the water split is a sign of his own ignorance and arrogance. Pharaoh choosing to cross is only out of his ignorance and arrogance. So he crossed - and when him and his entire army were in between the towering mountains of water - the water collapsed on all of them, “ثُمَّ أَغْرَقْنَا الآخَرِينَ - Then, We (Allāh), drowned those who were left (Pharaoh and his army).”[47] All of this is happening as the believers are watching safe and dry. They are eye witnesses to the literal death, drowning, and destruction of their oppressors, and the oppressors of believers and generations before. They saw their dead corpses floating on the surface of the sea. Lifeless. With no chance of life like what could be seen by someone who has physically killed their enemy on the battlefield; the enemy may have a few breaths, they might be able to be bandaged up. But for Pharaoh and his army, they were clearly dead. Even though Pharaoh did utter that he was a believer on his dying breath, “حَتَّى إِذَا أَدْرَكَهُ الْغَرَقُ قَالَ آمَنْتُ أَنَّهُ لا إِلَهَ إِلا الَّذِي آمَنَتْ بِهِ بَنُو إِسْرَائِيلَ وَأَنَا مِنَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ - Then, as Pharaoh was drowning, he said, ‘I believe that nothing is worthy of worship except for The One Whom Banū Isrāʾīl in, and I am a Muslim!’”[48] Pharaoh’s “statement of belief” did not matter because he said it as he was dying (gharghar): as the unseen realm (al-ghayb) became the seen realm (al-shahādah) for him. That is because the Prophet Muḥammad ﷺ said, “إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَقْبَلُ تَوْبَةَ الْعَبْدِ مَا لَمْ يُغَرْغِرْ - Allāh will accept a person's repentance as long as they repent before their soul starts to leave their body (gharghar).”[49]
For these believers that underwent such generational oppression, Allāh ﷻ brought a level of ease to their hearts in this world through their witnessing of the death of Pharaoh and his army. That was, no doubt, from the infinitely wise and divine plan of Allāh ﷻ. However, seeing the death of oppressors is not always a part of the perfectly wise and perfect plan of Allāh ﷻ. As Allāh ﷻ tells His beloved Prophet Muḥammad ﷺ in Sūrah Al-Zukhruf, “فَإِمَّا نَذۡهَبَنَّ بِكَفَإِمَّا نَذْهَبَنَّ بِكَ فَإِنَّا مِنْهُمْ مُنْتَقِمُونَ أَوْ نُرِيَنَّكَ الَّذِي وَعَدْنَاهُمْ فَإِنَّا عَلَيْهِمْ مُقْتَدِرُونَ - Either We (Allāh) will take you (O Prophet) away (by taking your soul). If so, know that We are fully capable of taking revenge against them (the disbelievers of your people). Or We will show you what we have in store for them (lit. what We have threateningly promised them). If so, know that We are fully capable of carrying it out against them.”[50] The Prophet Muḥammad ﷺ did teach us a duʿāʾ (prayer) in which he ﷺ asked Allāh ﷻ to allow him to see the death of his oppressors. He ﷺ said, “اللَّهُمَّ أَصْلِحْ لِي سَمْعِي وَبَصَرِي وَاجْعَلْهُمَا الْوَارِثَيْنِ مِنِّي وَانْصُرْنِي عَلَى مَنْ ظَلَمَنِي وَأَرِنِي مِنْهُ ثَأْرِي - O Allāh, keep my sight and hearing sound and strong, and allow them to always be healthy and well. Help me and support me against those who have wronged me. Allow me to and let me live to see the day I get them back, avenge myself, get revenge, and see their downfall.”[51]
We pray that Allāh ﷻ grants us all the ability to see the end of Zionism, CCP, Hindutva, and all other oppressive powers with our own two eyes, and that He saves us from having anything to do with - let alone promote - any evil or oppression, āmīn.
Back to the āyāt at hand...
This could have been said by Allāh ﷻ to Mūsā ﷺ, or it could be Allāh ﷻ’s commentary after the fact to us. If Allāh ﷻ told it to Mūsā ﷺ at that time, He ﷻ is explaining why, and perhaps also comforting Mūsā ﷺ that, “leave the sea as is, but do not worry, they are not going to reach you.”
Next, Allāh ﷻ moves on to discuss the entire pharaoh-kingdom left behind. He ﷻ also briefly talks about this before their drowning in Sūrah Al-Shuʿarāʾ.[52] Look at what they left behind! “كَمْ تَرَكُوا” How many things did they leave behind? The implied meaning is that they “left” behind so many things. So many great wonderful things. They did not choose to leave them there, but they left their homes and riches, hoping to return after tasting sweet “revenge” — even though it cannot be considered revenge since Mūsā ﷺ and Hārūn ﷺ never intended to harm them, rather they (Mūsā ﷺ and Hārūn ﷺ) were harmed for their attempts to try and save pharaoh and his people from Hell! What did Allāh ﷻ chose to highlight? They left behind:
Allāh ﷻ mentions that this is the process that He ﷻ uses to give ownership and control of land, resources, and luxuries to other people. People reject and disobey Allāh ﷻ, as a result they are given time to get their act together. If they persist in their disbelief and oppression, they can be destroyed. After their destruction, Allāh ﷻ can hand over - as “inheritance”[54] - the land, resources, and luxuries to others who are deserving of it. In this case, it is most likely referring to Banū Isrāʾīl.[55],[56]
Now... The āyah that was the reason for writing these articles...
This is Allāh ﷻ’s comment after Pharaoh and his army were drowned. What does it mean that, “The sky, nor the earth cried for them.”? Al-Shaykh Ṣiddīq Ḥasan Khan Al-Qinnawjī (d. 1307 AH / 1890 CE - raḥimahu Allāh) summarizes the lengthy discussions into three main points:[57]
This is the main concept I wanted to write about, and is the reason this article and the previous article were written. What follows is, for the most part, a summary of Shaykh Al-Mufassirīn (Senior Exegete) Al-Imām Al-Ṭabarī (d. 310 AH - raḥimahuAllāh) discussion on this āyah in his legendary Tafsīr, work Jāmiʿ Al-Bayān.[59],[60]
Firstly, the “crying” (bukāʾ[61]) of the sky refers to the reddish horizon. Secondly, the sky and earth “cry” for 40 days after the death of a pious believer. The sky cries because every human has a gate (bāb[62]) through which his or her dhikr (remembrance and mention of Allāh) and good deeds (ʿamal ṣāliḥ[63]) goes up through, and their sustenance (rizq[64]) comes down through that very gate. So when a pious believer dies, that gate is closed, and thus the sky begins to cry because all the beautiful good deeds that would pass through it have come to an end.
This is related to the āyah from Sūrah Fāṭir, “إِلَيْهِ يَصْعَدُ الْكَلِمُ الطَّيِّبُ وَالْعَمَلُ الصَّالِحُ يَرْفَعُهُ - good words (i.e., dhikr) (try to) go up to Allāh whereas good deeds carry them up (to Allāh).”[65] As such, when we remember and mention Allāh ﷻ on our tongues (dhikr[66]), we can understand that it “tries/wants”[67] to go up (yaṣʿad[68]) to Allāh, but it cannot. But when a formal complete good deed is done, for example ṣalāh[69] (the ritual prayer), that ṣalāh will carry (yarfaʿ[70]) the dhikr up to Allāh ﷻ. It has also said that angels (Malāʾikah[71]) carry up the dhikr.[72]
The great companion (ṣaḥābī), ʿAbd Allāh ibn Masʿūd (raḍiya Allāh ʿanh[73]), said that as our actions and adhkār[74] are being taken up by an angel, other angels look at it and inquire about it; if it is good - and it will be good because it is on its way up - they pray for the “sender” (aka doer) of those words and actions. They are then taken all the way up to (ilayh[75]) Allāh ﷻ, and presented to Him ﷻ. Kaʿb adds on and says that the dhikr remains there around the ʿarsh (throne of God)[76] and it buzzes around the ʿarsh like the buzzing of bees, while the good deeds are stored away and saved (as khazāʾin[77]).[78]
Subḥān-Allāh! We may often wonder “how” our adhkār and good deeds “function”, how they are recorded, and/or how they will be shown and presented. But our dhikr will keep “playing” and will continue to be audible as it continues to hum and buzz the beautiful praises and perfection of Allāh ﷻ! Hopefully forever! So I say:
سُبْحَانَ اللهِ وَبِحَمْدِهِ! الْحَمْدُ لِلهِ! لَا إِلهَ إِلَّا اللهُ! وَاللهُ أَكْبَرُ! تَبَارَكَ اللهُ! سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ وَبِحَمْدِهِ سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ الْعَظِيمِ
How far beyond perfect is Allāh because all praise and thanks belongs to Him! All praise and thanks belongs to Allāh. Nothing is worthy of worship except The One True God, Allāh! Allāh is Far Greater! How blessed is Allāh! How far beyond perfect is Allāh because all praise and thanks belongs to Him! How far beyond perfect is Allāh, The Perfectly Supreme!
Al-Imām Al-Ṭabarī (raḥimahhu Allāh) continues to say and quote that the earth also cries because that pious believer would do good deeds: good deeds that the earth witnessed, and was the place from which the good deeds ascended into the sky.[79] We often think about people crying over us when we die. However, some people cry out of human nature. Not everyone cries over the death of someone because that person was a great individual. Also, people do not know the sincerity (or lack thereof) of others. So someone may cry over a relative that always took care of their finances, but in reality that charity was out of arrogance. But, perhaps, the sky and earth - like angels - can see a little beyond that (not that they know our thoughts and deepest intentions, but perhaps they have some insight into one’s true intentions). Just imagine and internalize: the place you used to pray will cry over you. That piece of earth and carpet will miss you and your worship. Your muṣḥaf (physical copy of the Qurʾān) will miss being read by you. The walls will miss hearing your duʿāʾ (supplication and prayers). Your phone will miss the kind words you would tell your family. Your sink will miss your wuḍūʾ (purificatory ablution). The transistors in the server farms that processed your donations will cry because you are no longer alive to donate!
There are a number of stories about ʿAlī ibn Al-Ḥusayn ibn ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib (d. 94 AH - raḥimahu Allāh wa raḍiya ʿan abīh wa jaddih[80]) - the great-grandson of the Prophet Muḥammad ﷺ - and the people of Al-Madīnah. People used to think he was stingy. Separate from that, there were a number of households in Al-Madīnah that were very poor and could not afford food. But every morning, those poor households would find food outside of their house. That was a daily occurrence for years, yet they never knew who brought the food there. But when ʿAlī ibn Al-Ḥusayn (raḥimahu Allāh) passed away, the “daily delivery” of food on their doorstep stopped, and they realized it was him who used to drop off that food every night for years.[81]. It is said that he himself (raḥimahu Allāh) would carry bags of bread on his back to deliver, and that the morning he died, over a 100 homes did not have bread in the morning.[82] We can imagine those families crying. But what about the sand of Al-Madīnah, the walls of those homes, the moon that saw him, the sandals he walked in as he would walk at night, the clothes he wore, the mill he used, the oven he used... All crying over him because they no longer get to see and take part in his sincere charity (ṣadaqah). Raḥimahu Allāh.
Pharaoh and his army were not given any more time than what Allāh ﷻ had already allotted for them. There is no, “if only we had more time;” we only get what we are going to get. No injustice was done. No second chances. They were not given a second more - nor less - of life than they were predetermined to have, not even to make tawbah[83] (turning back to Allāh); they missed their chance. Rather, when the divinely decreed scheduled time of punishment and death came, it came.
اللهم فهمنا
ربنا زدنا علما
اللهم فقهنا في الدين وعلمنا التأويل
اللهم معلم آدم وإبراهيم ومحمد علمنا مما علمتهم
اللهم ارزقنا علما نافعا وحكمة بالغة
اللهم افتح علينا فتوح العارفين
يا فتاح يا عليم
اللهم صل وسلم على رسولك المصطفى الكريم
وعلى آله وصحبه أجمعين ومن تبعهم بإحسان إلى يوم الدين
اللهم اجعلنا منهم
Written primarily on the 22nd of Ramaḍān 1445 AH.
May Allāh ﷻ reward those who helped write and edit this, including, but not limited to, Shaykhah Ayesha Syed Hussain.
