سُوْرَةُ الشُّعَرَآءِ
Surah Ash-Shu'araa (26) — Ayah 63
فَأَوْحَيْنَآ إِلَىٰ مُوسَىٰٓ أَنِ ٱضْرِب بِّعَصَاكَ ٱلْبَحْرَ ۖ فَٱنفَلَقَ فَكَانَ كُلُّ فِرْقٍ كَٱلطَّوْدِ ٱلْعَظِيمِ ﴿63﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
Then We revealed to Mûsâ (Moses) (saying): "Strike the sea with your stick." And it parted, and each separate part (of that sea water) became like huge mountain.
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
فَأَوْحَيْنَآ
fa-awḥaynā
Then We inspired
إِلَىٰ
ilā
to
مُوسَىٰٓ
mūsā
Musa
أَنِ
ani
[that]
ٱضْرِب
iḍ'rib
Strike
بِّعَصَاكَ
biʿaṣāka
with your staff
ٱلْبَحْرَ ۖ
l-baḥra
the sea
فَٱنفَلَقَ
fa-infalaqa
So it parted
فَكَانَ
fakāna
and became
كُلُّ
kullu
each
فِرْقٍۢ
fir'qin
part
كَٱلطَّوْدِ
kal-ṭawdi
like the mountain
ٱلْعَظِيمِ
l-ʿaẓīmi
[the] great
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran — Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran (Facilitation of the Quran) is a comprehensive Quran commentary by Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar from Pakistan. Known for his eloquent and accessible writing style, Kilani authored this tafsir with a focus on clarity — making Quranic meanings understandable to the common reader. The tafsir provides detailed historical context for verses related to battles and expeditions, and firmly refutes modernist ideologies using strong scriptural evidence. It is widely regarded as an invaluable resource for understanding the Quran and countering deviant interpretations. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
63. So We revealed to Moses, "Strike the sea with your staff." So it parted, and each part [44] became like a huge, solid mountain.
[44]
The Formation of Twelve Paths in the Sea by Striking with the Staff:
Apparently, it seems that when Prophet Musa ؑ, according to divine revelation, struck his staff upon the sea, it split into two parts and a sufficiently wide path was formed in between. And the path also immediately became dry. There was no marshy ground beneath. The water on one side stood still, remaining as firm as a mountain, and so did the water on the other side. However, from some narrations quoted by the commentators, it is understood that not just one dry path, but twelve paths were formed, and the words of ﴿كُلُّ فِرْقٍ﴾ also support these narrations, because the word "kul" is not used for two. According to the narrations, twelve paths were formed in the sea, and there were exactly twelve tribes of Bani Israel, and each tribe had approximately twelve thousand individuals who had migrated, so the number of these migrants becomes one hundred and forty-four thousand, and according to some narrations, this number was one hundred and twenty thousand. Whereas the number of Pharaoh's army was much greater than this.
[44]
The Formation of Twelve Paths in the Sea by Striking with the Staff:
Apparently, it seems that when Prophet Musa ؑ, according to divine revelation, struck his staff upon the sea, it split into two parts and a sufficiently wide path was formed in between. And the path also immediately became dry. There was no marshy ground beneath. The water on one side stood still, remaining as firm as a mountain, and so did the water on the other side. However, from some narrations quoted by the commentators, it is understood that not just one dry path, but twelve paths were formed, and the words of ﴿كُلُّ فِرْقٍ﴾ also support these narrations, because the word "kul" is not used for two. According to the narrations, twelve paths were formed in the sea, and there were exactly twelve tribes of Bani Israel, and each tribe had approximately twelve thousand individuals who had migrated, so the number of these migrants becomes one hundred and forty-four thousand, and according to some narrations, this number was one hundred and twenty thousand. Whereas the number of Pharaoh's army was much greater than this.
