Exodus - Eyewitness account

From Egypt to At-Tur [Mount in Sinai] by crossing over Gulf of Suez

Contents

1. Introduction

2. Qur’ān Narrative as a System of Cognitive Visualization

3 Orientation: The Bani Iesraa'eel in Egypt under Pharaoh

4. The Exodus

5. The Complication

6. From Complication to Resolution - the Exodus

7. Pharaoh’s Submission to Islam at the Moment of Drowning

8. Mummy identified as of Ramses II is not of Pharaoh of Day of Exodus

9. The Most Ill-Fated End of Pharaoh

10. The Number of People Accompanying Mūsā (alai'his'slaam)

Introduction

This paper demonstrates, through linguistic, geographical, and rhetorical analysis of the Qur’ān, that the Exodus crossing occurred at the Gulf of Suez via an emergent reef passage, and that the mummy of Ramses II cannot be the Pharaoh of Exodus, since the Ayah of preservation refers to his armour, not his corpse.

The Exodus of Bani Iesra'eal —بَنِىٓ إِسْرَٟٓءِيلَ, the sons of Iesra'eal (Jacob, peace is upon him), from Egypt to the Peninsula of Sinai is one of the most discussed and yet most misunderstood events in the history of the Bani Iesra'eal. Over time, this monumental episode has been obscured by conjectural, hypothetical, and imaginative storytelling.

1.2. However, the Grand Qur’ān narrates this event with such vivid pictorial precision that it allows the reader to see it unfold — as though watching a recorded footage of history. The Qur’ān’s discourse transforms what might otherwise be a distant legend into an immediate, visual, and lived experience.

1.3. Allah the Exalted has narrated certain historical episodes with special attention — particularly those about which human minds were, or could be, rendered perplexed and confused through what may be termed as the Epistemology of Testimony: the distortions introduced by generations of hearsay and manipulative narration. It is well known that psychological manipulators — individuals or institutions seeking control over collective memory — often distort historical truth and weave conjectural myths to influence thought.

1.4. One such narrative, frequently mythologized, is the Exodus — the migration of Bani Iesra'eal from Egypt to the Sinai Peninsula. Yet, in its true sense, Narrative is not myth; it is factual recounting — a discourse rooted in real-world events and time. The purposes of narrative in revelation are to inform, to persuade, and above all, to correct the record — to rectify the falsities accumulated through the epistemology of testimony.

1.5. Narrative writing operates upon time as its deep structural axis. Its linguistic features are distinctive:

• Use of adverbs of time,

• Past tense constructions,

• Temporal conjunctions such as when, then, thereat, suddenly, etc.,

• Specific characterization, not generalization,

• Action verbs to convey movement and transformation,

• Direct speech, rendering the scene immediate and alive.

2. Qur’ān Narrative as a System of Cognitive Visualization

2.1. The Qur’ān, when we approach through the eye of the mind, unfolds not merely as a scripture of words but as a dynamic system of cognitive visualization. Its discourse architecture transforms language into movement, and narrative into spectacle. Each event, particularly those drawn from sacred history, is not told in abstraction; it is shown in a sequence of visual-mental frames that the human consciousness re-enacts internally. The Qur’ān narrative operates as a system that converts the movement of events (ḥarakat al-waqiʿah) into an experiential film within the theatre of human perception.

2.2. In Arabic, the word for such narrative or real-life recount is ٱلْقَصَصُ (al-qaṣaṣ).
It stems from the root ق ص ص, whose basic semantic perception, as explained by Ibn Fāris (d. 1005 CE), is to follow or trace step by step. Lane’s Lexicon reinforces this sense: “to follow after one’s track or footprints in pursuit; to endeavour to trace or track someone.”

2.3. Thus, ٱلْقَصَصُ signifies a compilation of sequential happenings in the past — a part of history that stands out with distinct significance from the greater whole. Each segment of this compilation represents a unitary event, a motion-image, much like a footprint on the path of time. Every movement leaves behind consecutive visual traces — static yet sequential — that together reconstruct the dynamic flow of the event.

2.4. The motion may apparently vanish, but if its imprints — whether in human memory or recorded form — remain preserved, the movement can be re-experienced. As in modern visual media, where a series of still frames replayed in sequence recreates motion, so too does ٱلْقَصَصُ evoke the original movement of reality through a sequence of linguistic images.

2.5. Therefore, ٱلْقَصَصُ in the Qur’ānic sense denotes narrating an episode in the exact manner of its actual occurrence — displaying it clip by clip, image by image — the footage of divine history, enabling the reader or listener to visualize the truth as it truly unfolded.

2.6. Within the root قَصَص, three dimensions converge —
the testimony of time and space, the permanence of motion, and the embodiment of memory.
It is not mere history; it is the re-visioning of history.

When the Qur’ān presents its narratives,
it does not merely remind us of events — it projects their reality anew,
so that human consciousness awakens,
and within the corridors of past time recognizes the orientation of its present and future.

The Qur’ān’s expressive method is not a linear sequence of words,
but a visual system of consciousness formation.
It activates within the human being the perception of motion,
translating thought into image, meaning into scene, and word into event.

Thus, when the Qur’ān narrates,
it constructs within the listener’s mind a living panorama —
a synthesis of movement, sound, time, and atmosphere.
The reader does not merely understand — he witnesses.

This is what we call Cognitive Visualization:
the pictorial embodiment of thought,
the visual architecture of consciousness.
The reader’s mind becomes the focal point within the scene —
no longer a passive listener,
but a participant in the unfolding reality.

2.7. The main structural components of a Qur’ānic narrative, as in all narrative discourse, include:

1. Orientation — introducing context, characters, and setting;

2. Complication — the crisis or confrontation;

3. Resolution — the outcome and divine intervention;

4. Concluding insight — the moral or theological summation that anchors the message in consciousness

3. Orientation: The Bani Iesraa'eel in Egypt under Pharaoh

from the Qur’ān Exodus Narrative

3.1. The Qur’ān sketches the Bani Iesra'eal in Egypt as a community crushed under the Pharaohic system—a population stripped of agency, reduced to servitude, and rendered fearful of annihilation. The revelation does not open with sentimental lament but with moral exposure: the anatomy of tyranny and the corrosion of faith under oppression.

• [Reverting from parenthetic to favour of exodus from Egypt] Moreover, recall when Our Majesty delivered you from the ranks and files of Pharaoh — they were always seeking to mark you people for inflicting the horrible torment —
  They remained in search for slaughtering your newly born sons. However, they had consciously and purposely decided to leave your wives alive —
  Of course, a hard trial was inherent therein that your Sustainer Lord let persist for a while for you. [2:49]

3.2. Here the Qur’ān reconstructs not a legend but a social condition. Āl Firʿawn (ءَالِ فِرْعَوْنَ) designates not merely the household of a monarch but the bureaucratic caste that carried out a sustained program of subjugation. The verb يَسُومُونَكُمْ (yasūmūnakum, “they imposed upon you”) evokes an image of systematic humiliation—pricing human life like livestock. The slaughter of sons and sparing of women was not random cruelty; it was demographic engineering, a control of lineage and memory.

This oppression is recalled again in Sūrat al-Aʿrāf:

• Moreover, recall when Our Majesty caused your deliverance from the ranks and files of Pharaoh — they were always seeking to mark you people for inflicting the horrible torment — they remained in search to assassinate your newly born sons. However, they had consciously and purposely decided to leave your wives alive —
  Of course, a hard trial was inherent therein that your Sustainer Lord let persist for a while for you. [7:141]

3.3. In Sūrat Ibrāhīm, the Messenger Mūsā [alai'his'slaam] recalls this same ordeal to his people as a reminder of divine fidelity:

وَإِذْ قَالَ مُوسَـىٰ لِقَوْمِهِ  ٱذْكُرُوا۟ نِعْمَةَ ٱللَّهِ عَلَيْكُـمْ إِذْ أَنجَىٰكُـم مِّنْ ءَالِ فِرْعَوْنَ يَسُومُونَكُـمْ سُوٓءَ ٱلْعَذَابِ وَيُذَبِّحُونَ أَبْنَآءَكُمْ وَيَسْتَحْيُونَ نِسَآءَكُمْۚ
 وَفِـى ذَٟلـِكُـم بَلَآءٚ مِّن رَّبَّكُـمْ عَظِيـمٚ ٦

• Recollect the history; When Mūsā [alai'his'slaam] said to his nation: "Recall the Specific Favour of Allah, the one which was bestowed upon you people as achievement award in the circumstances, — when He the Exalted delivered you people from the ranks and files of Pharaoh — they were always seeking to mark you people for inflicting the horrible torment — they remained in search for slaughtering your newly born sons. However, they had consciously and purposely decided to leave your wives alive —
  Of course, a hard trial was inherent therein that your Sustainer Lord let persist for a while for you. (Cf. 2:49; 7:141) [14:06] 

Here niʿmat Allāh—the grace of God—is intertwined with the memory of persecution, implying that gratitude itself must arise from the ashes of ordeal. Mūsā’s command “Udhkurū niʿmata Allāh ʿalaykum” does not call for nostalgia but for moral awareness: to remember oppression is to remember responsibility.

3.4. The verbatim repetition establishes a deliberate Qur’ān echo—memory made liturgical. In three instances, the phrase بَلَآءٞ مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ عَظِيمٞ reframes victim-hood as divine testing: the Bani Iesra'eal’ endurance becomes an index of their moral formation. Deliverance is not yet granted; it is prepared through suffering.

• Keep proceeding in knowing history; indeed Our Majesty had done obliging favour upon Mūsā and Ha'roon [alai'hum'slaam] — [37:114]

• And Our Majesty delivered both and their nation from great distress — [37:115]

3.5. The System of Pharaoh

The Qur’ān anatomizes Pharaoh’s regime with psychological precision. In Sūrat al-Qaṣaṣ, it lays bare the inner logic of autocracy:

The Ayah compresses a complete political sociology: عَلَا فِي ٱلْأَرْضِ—he rose in arrogance; جَعَلَ أَهْلَهَا شِيَعًا—he fractured the population into sects, dissolving unity to maintain control; يَسْتَضْعِفُ—he institutionalized weakness as policy. The Pharaohic order thus thrives on division, fear, and selective violence.

3.6. Against this backdrop, divine will intervenes with the quiet inevitability of justice:

• And Our Majesty decided to oblige those people who had been oppressed in the Land [Egypt]—And that Our Majesty may render them their own masters and leaders; and that We may render them inheritors (remaining populace of Egypt.44:28)— [28:05]

• And so that Our Majesty may provide for them a Land to reside —And that Our Majesty may cause, for Fir'aoun (Pharaoh) and Ha'maan and troops of both to watch some of that about which they were apprehensively cautious. [28:06]

Here the Qur’ān shifts the lens from oppression to divine strategy: history as reversal. Those rendered powerless are appointed leaders; the very dread of the tyrants becomes their doom. The diction نُرِيدُ (We intend) signals premeditated providence—Divine deliberation against human arrogance.

3.7. Orientation Defined

Thus the orientation phase of the Exodus narrative is not an escape scene but a revelation of context. It defines the world from which deliverance must emerge: a civilization radiant with power yet rotting with injustice, a people whose faith flickers beneath generations of coercion, and a Messenger raised within the enemy’s palace yet chosen to awaken the downtrodden.

3.8. The Qur’ān’s cinematic method—frame by frame of anguish, decree, and hope—renders this orientation not as background exposition but as pre-motion: the spiritual physics that precedes the emerging of dried passage on the surface of the sea. The camera of revelation lingers on Egypt’s soil, where the cries of the enslaved vibrate beneath monumental architecture, until divine intention moves again in history.

4. The Exodus

4.1. There are three ways to translate and express the meaning of a text composed of linguistic words.

• The first is to rewrite the original text in its own language but in a new form (re-write / intralingual).

• The second is to transfer it into another language (interlingual translation).

• And the third is to express it through non-verbal means (intersemiotic translation), such as through audio-visual or pictorial forms.

4.2. For this third type, there exists the art of photography — a term borrowed from Greek, meaning "writing with light." It refers to the composition or arrangement of visual elements in an image that brings its story to life. It determines where each element should be placed, the spacing between them, and which component should be larger or brighter.

4.3. Its purpose is not only to make the image aesthetically pleasing but also to serve as a visual roadmap for the viewer — guiding the sequence in which the embedded idea should be perceived and understood.

4.4. In photography, composition plays a role similar to that of a high-quality written text, where the choice and order of words naturally lead the reader into the author’s thoughts.
And at the highest level of mastery is that form of text which, while retaining the acoustic resonance of speech, simultaneously composes photography within the reader’s mind.

4.5. No other non-Arabic language can even be compared to Arabic in terms of its comprehensiveness and integrative capacity.
It is the only language that inherently possesses the element of photographic or reflective imagery within its structure.
In view of this unique quality, a syntactic and morphological analysis of the Arabic text becomes the first essential step before attempting to visualize or render its scene in any other language.

4.6. In the magnificent Qur’ān, the Exodus of the Children of Iesraa'eel from Egypt and the drowning of Pharaoh’s people are narrated in such a vivid manner that it conveys the perspective of an eyewitness — as if the speaker were present during the very event. The composition is crafted in a way that gives the reader the impression of both hearing the audio and seeing the visuals unfold. Indeed, if one were to picturise it, the complete film script and prompts are already embedded within the Qur’ān narration itself.

• Moreover, recall when Our Majesty set apart the waters of the Gulf of Suez to enable your safe escape. Since the dried passage had emerged on the surface of the Gulf, Our Majesty rescued you people to safety, beyond the reach of the water, across to the opposite shore (Cf. 20:77; 20:80; 26:63) — And Our Majesty caused the drowning of the chasing Pharaoh's pursuing hosts—fully equipped and in battle array—before your very eyes, as you stood watching from the other shore. [2:50]

4.7. Grand Qur’ān has succinctly described the entire episode covering its orientation, complication and resolution in just thirty four words of two ayahs 2:49-50  addressed to the posterity of Iesraa'eel alai'his'slaam. It also mentioned how were they rescued through Gulf of Suez.

4.8. Yet before this moment of miraculous deliverance dawned, the Children of Iesraa'eel had endured a long night of fear, oppression, and impossible pursuit—when the might of Pharaoh’s empire closed in upon them, and the promise of freedom seemed lost beneath the weight of tyranny.

5. The Complication

5.1. The story of Exodus does not begin with the parting of the Gulf of Suez but with a command — simple in words, immense in consequence.
Mūsā and Hārūn (عليهما السلام) were appointed as Messengers and sent forth to Pharaoh and his powerful chieftains with one brief, decisive proclamation:
It was a demand not of politics but of truth — that a nation enslaved for centuries be freed to worship their Lord alone.

We will skip other details of history and restrict to the theme of paper, i.e. moving of Bani Iesraa'eel from Egypt. Pharaoh was told about the message and direction of Allah the Exalted to let Bani Iesraa'eel go with the Messengers out of his kingdom:

• Know it, Mūsā [alai'his'slaam] reached Egypt and stood in the royal court, he said:: "O Fir'aoun [Pharaoh]! Be informed and take note of this reality: I am the Messenger sent by the Sustainer and Lord of all worlds — encompassing all that exists, visible and unseen. [7:104]
  I have been made inherently bound to truthfulness in every circumstance, such that I shall never ascribe to Allah anything but the infallible, undeniable reality. I have come to you people with a manifest proof, a clear and extraordinary sign from your Lord — one that surpasses ordinary perception, beyond your prior experience, expectation, or empirical understanding, a proof whose existence demonstrates the authority and sovereignty of your Lord. —
  Therefore, in response to this incontrovertible evidence, arrange to send Bani Iesraa'eel along with me." [7:105]

• Therefore, you both go straight to Fir'aoun/Pharaoh, whereupon both tell him, "Indeed we are Messenger of the Sustainer Lord of the Worlds—all that exists — [26:16] The message is that you send with us Bani Iesraa'eel." [26:17]

5.2. Confrontation and False Promises

In the court of Pharaoh, signs were displayed — radiant proofs that split through illusion: the staff that turned into a serpent, the hand shining white with light, and the years of drought and loss that struck Egypt. (Cf. 7:130–133; 17:101)

• Thereupon, when Our unprecedented Signs came to them —that were luminous, eye openers— they responded with a dismissive verdict: "It is evident visual illusion". [27:13]

• Yet, they repudiated those Signs — though their inner selves had attained firm conviction of their Divine origin — out of wrongdoing and self-exaltation. Therefore, to ease your sense of sorrow, observe how disastrous was the ultimate fate of those who were the architects of corruption, distortion, and moral perversion in society. [27:14]

Each time a sign appeared and calamity pressed upon them, Pharaoh would request Mūsā and promised:

وَلَمَّا وَقَعَ عَلَيْـهِـمُ ٱلـرِّجْزُ قَالُوا۟ يٟمُوسَـىٰ ٱدْعُ لَنَا رَبَّكَ بِمَا عَهِدَ عِندَكَۖ
لَئِن كَشَفْتَ عَنَّا ٱلـرِّجْزَ لَنُؤْمِنَنَّ لَكَ وَلَنُرْسِلَنَّ مَعَكَ بَنِىٓ إِسْرَٟٓءِيلَ ١٣٤

• And when certain irritating troublesome phenomenon occurred upon them —they said: "O Mūsā! O Moses, intercede with your Lord on our behalf according to the assurance held with you —
  if you lift this scourge from us, we will certainly embrace belief in you and we will without fail send the Children of Iesraa'eel with you." [7:134]

Yet each time the relief came, arrogance returned — and promise turned into denial. Thus the heart of Pharaoh hardened even more, while the Children of Iesraa'eel remained under the yoke of bondage and despair.

• Acceding their request as soon Our Majesty removed away from them the irritating-abominable trouble — a reprieve for a term they were reaching its terminating point —at that time they used to twist away from their sworn promise — [7:135]

5.3. Voices of Resistance

The difficult situation for Bani Iesraa'eel worsened. The text of Sūrat al-Aʿrāf expands this orientation with a dialogue between despair and faith.

• He (Mūsā alai'his'slaam) gave counsel to his people: "Seek assistance of Allah the Exalted, and remain steadfast — exercising serene perseverance.
  Indeed, the ownership of the Earth belongs exclusively to Allah the Exalted. He grants its inheritance to whomever among His subjects — when He so ordains. Remain cognizant, the ultimate accomplishment is exclusively for those who sincerely endeavour to attain salvation."(Cf. 11:49; 28:83) [7:128]

• They said: "We were afflicted with torment before your coming to us, and again after you have come back among us"
  He said consoling: "May be your Sustainer Lord annihilates your enemy in near future and might like to make you rulers in the Earth— [resultantly they exercised patience and it did happen-7:137]
  Whereat He the Exalted would watch how you people conduct." [7:129]

Between the complaint of the oppressed and the response of the Messenger lies the entire moral geometry of history. The Bani Iesraa'eel lament is temporal—before and after; Messenger’s answer is teleological—toward what comes next. The Pharaohic system has not merely enslaved bodies; it has eroded hope. The Messenger's voice therefore must first re-orient consciousness, re-educate perception toward divine purpose.

• Learn further about the history of that era: Mūsā [alai'his'slaam in Egypt] said: "O my people! If you truly believe in Allah, then this is the moment to demonstrate the firmness of your faith — by placing your trust and reliance upon Him, with hope for the best outcome and the right time — if indeed you are committed to the divine code of life, Islam." [10:84]
  In response, they said,: "We rely and place our trust in Allah, acting upon the dictates of reason and sound judgment, seeking the best results.۔ Our Sustainer Lord; Kindly do not render us as an object of trial for the people who adhere to false beliefs and practices opposed to truth. [10:85]
  And O our Lord! By Your mercy, deliver us from the oppression and exploitation of the people who deny Your Messenger." [10:86]

Allah Almighty observes a person’s conduct and behaviour both in times of subjugation and in times of power. It thus becomes clear that life is a continuous test. In a state of weakness, patience serves as one’s weapon and strength; and when one attains dominance, justice becomes the weapon, the strength, and the guarantee for the endurance of that ascendancy.

5.4. Complication: Pharaoh’s Final Defiance and the Threat of Renewed Persecution

Despite witnessing nine manifest signs and repeatedly pledging to release the Bani Iesra'eal, Pharaoh and his council remained obstinate After a prolonged period of dialogue, miraculous displays, and broken promises, the confrontation between Mūsā (عليه السلام) and Pharaoh reached its boiling point. The Qur’ān records this final exchange with striking brevity and force— a terse yet momentous passage marking the tipping point.

• Know the history; Our Majesty had indeed given to Mūsā [alai'his'slaam] nine unprecedented displays - seemingly supernatural — generally referred as miracles, which were explicit. Therefore, you ask Bani Iesraa'eel to recall those days, when he (Mūsā alai'his'slaam) had came to them. Responding to the message Fir'aoun [Pharaoh] said to him —"Indeed I certainly think you, O Mūsā, a man effected by illusion." [17:101]

• He (Mūsā alai'his'slaam) replied, "You have indeed understood that these Multiple Signs have not been sent except by the Sustainer Lord of the Skies and the Earth,  as luminous insights —and take note that indeed I certainly think, O Fir'aoun, that you are a man prevented to behave rationally having been held guilty." [17:102]

• Thereat, he decided to take measures aiming at perturbing and destabilizing them in the Land —Subsequently, Our Majesty drowned him (Fir'aoun) and whoever was accompanying him, all collectively. [17:103]

• Know it, Our Majesty had said for the Bani Iesraa'eel after his death, "Dwell in the land —then, when the promise of Hereafter comes to pass, Our Majesty shall bring you all forth, as a grouped community." [17:104]

6. From Complication to Resolution - the Exodus

6.1. The command was unequivocal — “Let the Children of Iesraa'eel go with Us.” But Pharaoh, consumed by arrogance and blinded by his own illusion of power, refused to comply. Yet the Word of Allah, once pronounced, is never left unfulfilled; it inevitably executes its own decree in due measure and appointed time.

• Consequently, upon expiry of respite period, Our Majesty took account of them. Thereat, Our Majesty drowned them by a cause in the Gulf of Suez. This was their upshot because they persistently contradicted evident signs of Our Majesty —And because they remained indifferent and unmindful of them. [7:136]

• And Our Majesty caused those people, who had been deliberately oppressed, to inherit the area stretching in eastward regions of the land —Egypt — and westward of that Land, the one wherein We have implanted endurance, stability and features of becoming more and more prominent and obvious. [for the peoples: Mecca Cf. 21:71].
  Take note, thus the excellent word of your Sustainer Lord — O you the Messenger — was accomplished upon Bani Iesraa'eel in acknowledgement of their endurance and perseverance.
  And Our Majesty destroyed the glamour of what Fir'aoun (Pharaoh) and his nation used to artfully fabricate, and what lofty structures they kept raising. [7:137]

6.3. From Complication to Resolution — The Completion of Divine Justice.

Thus, divine justice reached its consummation: the oppressed became inheritors, while the oppressors turned into an everlasting sign of warning. What now unfolds is the Resolution — the exact materialization of Allah’s decree in the historic Exodus — how His command translated into the parting of the sea, the deliverance of an enslaved nation, and the destruction of a militarized empire.

• Moreover, recall when Our Majesty set apart the waters of the Gulf of Suez to enable your safe escape. Since the dried passage had emerged on the surface of the Gulf, Our Majesty rescued you people to safety, beyond the reach of the water, across to the opposite shore (Cf. 20:77; 20:80; 26:63) — And Our Majesty caused the drowning of the Pharaoh's pursuing hosts—fully equipped and in battle array—before your very eyes, as you stood watching from the other shore. [2:50]

This event was not a coincidence of nature but a direct enactment of kalimatullāh — the irrevocable decree of Allah that always finds completion.

وَتَمَّتْ كَلِمَتُ رَبِّكَ صِدْقٙا وَعَدْلٙاۚ

• And the word of your Lord was fulfilled in truth and in justice.  (Refer 6:115)

The word that had once been proclaimed to Pharaoh — “Send with me the Children of Iesraa'eel” — was now being executed by force of divine command. Pharaoh’s defiance led his entire trained army — accustomed to land–river–sea warfare — into a trap that defied their own military logic. Between the two seas and the river valley, their mastery of terrain became irrelevant, for the battlefield itself turned against them.

6.4. Meanings and imagery of Key words

نَجَّيْنَٟكُـم; فَأَنجَيْنَٟكُـمْ; أَنجَيْنَٟكُـم' أَنجَىٰكُـم ; ٱلْبَحْرَ; فَرَقْنَا

فَرَقْنَا— The Act of Divinely Orchestrated Separation

The verb فَرَقْنَا derives from the triliteral root ف ر ق. Etymological Core (as per Ibn Fāris)

الفاء والراء والقاف أُصَيلٌ صحيحٌ يدلُّ على تمييز وتزييلٍ بين شيئين.
“The basic and authentic sense of the root ف ر ق is to distinguish, to separate, or to create a division between two things.”

The imagery underlying this root is separation for the sake of clarity — not destruction, but differentiation that makes each side distinct and visible.
Hence the archetypal analogy:

فرق الشعر — “to part the hair,”
where the act of dividing produces a visible line — a manifestation of distinction.

The phrase فَرْق الشعر means a clear middle visible line that separates and shows two distinct sides — and الفُرْقان means that which clarifies reality by exposing contrast.

Hence, فَرَقَ does not merely mean “to split” but to separate - alienate one thing from the other with the purpose of clarification — to disclose a boundary, a truth, or a way through contrast. Ibn Fāris’ principle, that the root denotes “to make distinct one thing from another, such that they become as visibly separate as the parting of hair,” aligns perfectly with this imagery. The act of farq is meaningful only when the result is visibility and distinction — not chaos or loss.

The Qur’an’s precision in using فَرَقْنَا  instead of شَقَقْنَا (We split apart) eliminates the myth of a theatrical sea-splitting and affirms the grandeur of measured divine control over natural systems.

The verb فَرَقْنَا here conveys much more than “split.” The sea, unlike a river, is not a single-directional flow; it is a vast body held in equilibrium. To split a river would merely relocate its waters in two directions or stopped by a dam/barrier placed across; but to فَرَقْنَا البحر is to create a visible passage over an otherwise vast body of water — a miracle of revelation and salvation. The waters stood continuous medium, retaining its unity and identity, separated by the emergence of  what was underneath the waters before: a dried pathway.

To understand the mechanism of this divine separation, other Qur’anic passages provide the key:

• Know the fact, Our Majesty had communicated to Mūsā [alai'his'slaam in Egypt] that —"You travel by night with My subjects —Thereupon, reaching there [and because of chase by enemy-26:52], you strike to emerge a submerged passage in the Gulf of Suez for them. The characteristic of this passage is that it is dried up: skeleton - Fringing reef.
  You will not have fear of being overtaken, nor you will dread." [20:77]

The directive contains remarkable physical and linguistic precision. The command فَٱضْـرِبْ (“strike”) is a second-person masculine imperative, prefixed with فَ indicating sequence: it was to be carried out after reaching the shore. The object طَرِيقٙا (a passage) stems from the root ط ر ق, meaning to strike repeatedly until something becomes flattened, firm, and traversable — as one beats a path into visibility. Hence, طَرِيقٙا in this context denotes an already existing submerged ridge, whose surface was to be revealed or rendered visible.

The phrase فِـى ٱلْبَحْرِ يَبَسٙا  specifies its location and condition — “a path within the sea, dried and firm.” The term يَبَسًا is a verbal noun signifying dryness and solidity, the condition of a surface capable of supporting weight. The instruction, therefore, implies that the path existed beneath the waters of the Gulf, concealed yet stable — a natural formation (the fringing reef or ridge) which divine command brought forth into view.

The verb ٱضْـرِبْ here, from the root ض ر ب, does not connote violence but contact and exposure. Lane notes: “It signifies the making of a thing to fall upon another; to cause something to appear, to strike light upon it.” Thus, “strike a path” means “make the submerged passage manifest” — to bring the hidden ridge to light, exposing it as the safe corridor for crossing.

This divine instruction is reinforced by the complementary revelation:

The verb ٱتْرُكِ — leave it as it is — conveys that after the crossing, Mūsā (alai'him'slaam) was not to attempt to restore the sea’s level. The word رَهْوًا, from root ر هـ و, signifies a state of elevation and depression — a natural ridge alternating between shallow and deep contours. The instruction “leave the sea in its ridged form” thus indicates that the raised passage (reef) was to remain undisturbed so that the pursuers, Pharaoh’s army, would follow — to their own destruction.

The assurance لَّا تَخَٟفُ دَرَكٙا وَلَا تَخْشَىٰ  eliminated all fear of being overtaken or of the path failing. The first negation removes anxiety from pursuit, the second removes apprehension about the stability of the crossing itself. It was an emphatic guarantee: the divine system sustaining that exposed ridge would hold until deliverance was complete.

6.5. The Pursuit and Its Direction

In Egypt he was already told: فَٱضْـرِبْ لَـهُـمْ طَرِيقٙا فِـى ٱلْبَحْرِ يَبَسٙا, therefore, its repetition would have been waste of words. Only the instrument was mentioned with the help of which the submerged passage would emerge. The next verbal sentence is a subordinate clause beginning with conjunction particle "Fa-فَ " signifying cause and effect relationship with the preceding and subsequent clause. The act of striking with his stalk resulted in: فَٱنفَلَقَ. — an emergence that unfolded naturally by divine control. The verb ٱنفَلَقَ (Form VII) carries a passive nuance, implying that the act occurred without a visible agent. It derives from a root that denotes a fissure, a separation, an emergence, or something becoming manifest after concealment.

The sequence of verbs and nouns employed in this Qur’ānic account—فَرَقْنَا, أَنجَيْنَا, أَزْلَفْنَا, and أَغْرَقْنَا—contain no semantic indication whatsoever of a passage carved within the bed of the sea. Rather, they collectively signify emergence, elevation, and exposure above the surface — an act of revelation, not excavation.

The Qur’ān’s lexicon here points toward a structure raised out of the water, not a trench formed within it. The imagery conveys dryness, firmness, and elevation — as if the seabed’s skeleton was lifted to the surface. Intriguingly, the Greek root of the English word skeleton (from skel- “to dry, desiccate”) corresponds precisely with the Arabic sense of يَبَسٙا  — “that which was moist, now dried and rigid.”

The verb فَنَبَذْنَٟهُـمْ (“We threw them”) — from نَبْذٌ — denotes flinging something as worthless or discarded. The image is one of a mass hurled from height into the sea — precisely the motion from the elevated, bone-like structure (yabasā) into the engulfing waters below.

The preceding seizure (فَأَخَذْنَٟهُ) is elaborated in:

Ibn Fāris (d. 1005 CE) defines the nucleus of this root as revolving around two primary perceptual ideas:

1. كَشْطٌ وكَشْفٌ — scratching off, uncovering, or bringing to visibility; and

2. سَتْرٌ وإِخْفَاءٌ — covering, sheltering, or hiding from danger.

From these arise two distinct yet interconnected semantic streams:

1. Deliverance and rescue — movement from peril to safety, from engulfment to exposure; and

2. Seclusion and secrecy — movement from openness to concealment, as in private counsel (najwā).

This dual polarity — of revealing and shielding — explains why Qur’ānic diction applies the same root both to rescue from drowning and to secret conversation. In both, something is withdrawn from exposure and brought into protection.

Ibn Fāris further observes:

النَّجاةُ والنَّجْوةُ من الأرض، وهي التي لا يَعْلُوها سَيْلٌ
An-najāt and an-najwah of the land denote a height or elevation which the floodwaters cannot reach.

Thus, when deliverance occurs in the context of a water reservoir or sea, the term نَجَّى / أَنجَى can signify nothing other than crossing safely above the water — a raised or emergent passage that remains beyond the reach of submersion. Semantically, it is not possible to relate it to a place in the bed of sea that is many many meters deep Earth.

6.12. The Direction and Destination of the Exodus: Identification of ٱلْبَحْرَ as the Gulf of Suez

The Qur’ān repeatedly mentions that the Israelites were commanded to traverse ٱلْبَحْرَ, a term conventionally translated as “the sea.” However, a close linguistic, geographical, and contextual examination reveals that this term in the Exodus narrative most precisely designates the Gulf of Suez, not the entire Red Sea.

The noun ٱلْبَحْرَ derives from the triliteral root ب ح ر, whose primary sense is to cleave, slit, or trench lengthwise. The semantic nucleus of the root suggests a natural longitudinal depression in the earth’s surface that becomes a channel or reservoir for water. From this, baḥr came to denote both rivers and seas — that is, extended water bodies, whether linear or expansive, connected through a network of trenches. Thus, the term baḥr linguistically connotes an interconnected global trench system that carries or contains waters, encompassing rivers, gulfs, and seas alike.

In the Exodus context, the verb فَرَقْنَا (We cleaved apart) in the expression:

وَإِذْ فَرَقْنَا بِكُـمُ ٱلْبَحْرَ "Moreover, recall when Our Majesty set apart the waters of the Gulf of Suez to enable your safe escape." [2:50]

It unequivocally requires a water body of substantial breadth, making river unlikely. Yet the Gulf of Suez, a narrow sea-arm with a natural submarine ridge and fringing reef structure, fully satisfies both the linguistic and physical criteria of a “cleft trench.”

The verb جَاوَزْنَا (We enabled them to cross over) further clarifies the nature of the event:

وَجَٟوَزْنَا بِبَنِىٓ إِسْرَٟٓءِيلَ ٱلْبَحْرَ

• Know it; Our Majesty helped them safely cross over the [dried passage-fringing Reef] Gulf of Suez along with Bani Iesraa'eel —[Refer 7:138 and 10:90]

جَٟوَزْنَا: — an act of traversing from one side to the other. The grammatical object ٱلْبَحْرَ  thus points to a geographically bounded body of water with a definable opposite shore, not an open ocean. Verb: Perfect; First person; Plural/Sovereign Singular; Masculine; [Form-III]. It stems from Root ج و ز. that signifies crossing over a place, a passage which is crossed from one side to other. Its object is Gulf of Suez. The travellers on the passage over the Water of the Gulf of Suez were the Messengers along with Bani Iesraa'eel.  

Why the object of verb: ٱلْبَحْرَbe taken as Gulf of Suez? Because they travelled towards the East of Egypt where Gulf of Suez is located.

• Thereupon, [on gathering in response to Pharaoh's call], they (Pharaoh and gathered troops) purposely chased them, they were heading towards East. [26:60] Thereby, as soon when the two groups saw each other—The companions of Mūsā [alai'him'slaam] said, "Indeed We will certainly be overtaken." [26:61] He (Mūsā alai'him'slaam) said, "No, We will never be over taken [he was told this in Egypt-20:77] —Indeed my Sustainer Lord is with me; He the Exalted will soon show me the way." [how to make dry passage evident which He asked me in Egypt-20:77] [26:62]

This explicit orientation rules out the Gulf of Aqabah, which lies to the southeast, and confirms the Gulf of Suez — directly east of Egypt — as the intended crossing point.

They were rescued to a place which is located on other side of the Gulf of Suez. It is explicitly mentioned:

• They were reminded: "O you the posterity of Iesraa'eel! Our Majesty has delivered—rescued you in the recent past from your enemy —And Our Majesty have committed you people the right side of At-Tur: Mountain Range of Sinai —And Our Majesty have intermittently sent upon you people fully prepared meal "al-Munna and As-salwa": excellent food. [20:80]

This location At Tur is identifiable only on the eastern shore of the Gulf of Suez, opposite Ras Shukeir, where the Sinai mountain range begins. The width of Gulf is 12 to 20 miles. The width between Ras Shukeir and right side of At Tur seems on shorter side in the Google Map.

Furthermore, 7:137 situates the outcome of this migration within the eastern regions of the land once ruled by Pharaoh:

• And Our Majesty caused those people, who had been deliberately oppressed, to inherit the area stretching in eastward regions of the land —Egypt — and westward of that Land, the one wherein We have implanted endurance, stability and features of becoming more and more prominent and obvious. [for the peoples: Mecca Cf. 21:71].
  Take note, thus the excellent word of your Sustainer Lord — O you the Messenger — was accomplished upon Bani Iesraa'eel in acknowledgement of their endurance and perseverance.
  And Our Majesty destroyed the glamour of what Fir'aoun and his nation used to artfully fabricate, and what lofty structures they kept raising. [7:137]

Therefore, through a synthesis of root semantics (ب ح ر), verbs of action (فَرَقَ, جَاوَزَ), directional indicators (مشرقين), and post-crossing localization (جانب الطور الأيمن), it becomes linguistically and geographically precise to identify the Qur’ānic ٱلْبَحْرَ in the Exodus episode as the Gulf of Suez, not the Red Sea in its entirety nor any inland river.

7. Pharaoh’s Submission to Islām at the Moment of Drowning

The climax of the Exodus narrative unfolds as Bani Iesraa'eel complete their crossing over the dried-passage fringing reef of the Gulf of Suez, while Pharaoh, blinded by rage and defiance, rushes in pursuit.

• Know it; Our Majesty helped them safely cross over the [dried passage-fringing Reef] Gulf of Suez along with Bani Iesraa'eel —Thereat, encouraged by having seen Bani Iesraa'eel cross over safely to other side, Fir'aoun/ Pharaoh and his armed troops followed them in a mindset of rebellion and enmity  —
  Until when the imminent drowning had given him realization — He (Pharaoh) said: "I have believed, indeed there is none at all iela'aha: godhead who is living and is sustainer lord except He in Whom have believed Bani Iesraa'eel  —And I have now become part of the Muslims." [10:90]

In this final moment, the Qur’ān records a unique confession of faith, made not in repentance but in desperation. Pharaoh, who had denied every sign and mocked every warning, now acknowledges the very reality he had defied. The Ayah verbatim records the declaration with reference to “the God in whom Bani Iesraa'eel have believed,” underscoring that Pharaoh’s submission is not from enlightenment but from recognition of defeat and of a truth publicly vindicated before his eyes.

Yet divine response is immediate and final:

• He was rebuked: "Now — at this very moment — you are choosing to believe? while you had rebelled before, and you were indeed among those who spread corruption and disequilibrium." [10:91]

The interjection ءَآلْـَٔـٟنَ (“Now, at this instant!”) conveys divine censure mixed with irony. Faith born of compulsion lacks sincerity; its utterance at the edge of extinction carries no salvific weight. The statement seals Pharaoh’s moral destiny and becomes a universal admonition against recognition without repentance.

Structurally, this episode also marks the mirror reversal of earlier claims to divinity. The one who had proclaimed, “I am your highest lord” (79:24), now pronounces, “I believe in the Lord of Bani Iesraa'eel.” Thus the sea that opened for deliverance becomes the very instrument of his humbling, completing the rhetorical justice embedded in the narrative.

8. Mummy identified as of Ramses II is not of Pharaoh of Day of Exodus

The final scene of the Exodus unfolds amid the roaring waters of the Gulf of Suez. Pharaoh, once the supreme lord of Egypt, now finds himself powerless and engulfed in terror. The towering waves that once parted to let the Children of Israel cross are now closing upon him. In that moment of despair, he utters a cry of belief—but it is too late. His plea is rejected, and a voice of divine judgment echoes through time:

• Since sufficient time and opportunities were given to you for submission which you availed not, thereby, today is the end of your respite period, therefore, Our Majesty will today render you rescued and relieved of fears and inner cowardice; in the state of wearing your scale armour - your protective shield. It will make you a symbol for him who succeeds you".
  However, fact remains that most of people are indeed neglectful and heedless of Our Aa'ya'at: eye opening existents. [10:92]

After repeatedly rejecting the opportunities granted to him, Pharaoh’s time of respite had come to an end. Hence, this statement marked not a promise of life but the announcement of his final fate. The statement فَٱلْيَوْمَ نُنَجِّيكَ بِبَدَنِكَ  has drawn immense attention, particularly since the discovery of the royal mummy identified as that of Ramses II. However, a closer linguistic and contextual analysis of this Ayah clarifies the misunderstanding that this mummy is the Pharaoh of the Exodus.

The particle “فَ” indicates an immediate consequence: the divine response followed Pharaoh’s desperate declaration of faith at the moment of drowning. The adverb “ٱلْيَوْمَ” (today) directly relates to the “Day of Exodus.”
Scholars and general public have taken interest and referred much this Ayah of Grand Qur’ān ever since the find of a Mummy stated to be that of Pharaoh named Ramses II. Following Verbal sentence along with elided circumstantial clause indicated by prepositional phrase coupled with possessive phrase is cause of interest and finding linkage with the find of Mummy: فَٱلْيَوْمَ نُنَجِّيكَ بِبَدَنِكَ

Linguistic and Rhetorical Analysis of نُنَجِّيكَ

The verbal clause نُنَجِّيكَ consists of an imperfect verb (present-future tense), first person singular (expressing divine sovereignty), masculine, indicative mood, derived from Form II (تفعيل) of the root ن ج و. The subject pronoun is implicit (“We,” referring to Divine Majesty), while the suffixed object pronoun “ـكَ” addresses the second person masculine singular — Pharaoh. Its verbal noun (maṣdar) is تَنْجِيَةٌ.

The essential semantic core of this root and form conveys rescuing someone from danger or distress into a state of safety and relief. The Form II pattern introduces an attributive or declarative nuance — to regard or render someone as rescued — often implying formal declaration or marked consequence.

Pharaoh’s final moment was not one of salvation but of relief — the end of his lifelong inner torment. From the time Mūsā (عليه السلام) had confronted him with divine truth, he had lived in perpetual fear of losing his throne and authority. Thus, the divine declaration carries a tone of majestic irony:

فَٱلْيَوْمَ نُنَجِّيكَ بِبَدَنِكَ
“So today, Our Majesty will render you rescued and relieved — freed from your fears and inner cowardice — in the state of wearing your scale armour, your protective shield.”

The relief promised here is not that of survival, but of cessation: he is “rescued” only through death, released from the anxiety that had consumed him. The phrase بِبَدَنِكَ evokes an image of the Pharaoh still encased in his gleaming armour — the very emblem of his false security — now rendered meaningless in the waters of his defeat.

This divine utterance is thus the finest example of Qur’ānic irony: a proclamation of “rescue” that in reality seals the end of a tyrant, transforming his once-feared body into a mere relic — preserved only as a warning to posterity.

The Ayah nowhere explicitly or implicitly suggests that Pharaoh’s corpse would be saved intact. The circumstantial clause بِبَدَنِكَ is crucial here. The inseparable preposition بِـ is used for accompaniment — in Arabic لِلمُصَاحَبَةِ — and its object بَدَنِ is the head noun of a possessive phrase, with the suffix كَ (second person masculine pronoun) referring to the addressee, Pharaoh. Literally, the verbal sentence would mean:

“Today We will render you rescued — in the state wherein your بَدَنِ accompanies you.”

The noun بَدَنِ is derived from the root ب د ن, which classical lexicons define as follows:

• مقاييس اللغة: “The bāʾ, dāl, and nūn form one root, denoting the main mass or trunk of a thing apart from its extremities.”

• لسان العرب: “The بَدَنُ الإنسان is the body excluding the head and limbs.” It also states, البدنُ الدرعُ القصيرة — “al-badan is a short coat of mail.”

Thus, بَدَن signifies the torso or trunk — the visible form excluding head and limbs — and, by figurative extension, a coat of mail or body armour. It does not denote the entire human body, for which the Qur’ān uses the term جَسَد.

It is evident from the imagery of scene that it does not refer to torso of Pharaoh but to his precious scale armour on his torso, which was distinction and recognizing symbol when crowded by people. The pharaohs often wore scale armour with inlaid precious stones. Often the use of scale armour was symbolical or for ostentation.

Consequently, the Ayah does not describe the preservation of Pharaoh’s physical corpse but rather his bodily armour, the symbol of his pride and kingship. In the dramatic imagery of the scene, what was rendered visible and left as an āyah (sign) was not his fleshly remains but his distinctive scale armour, ornate and recognizably royal, now floating as a humiliated relic — a public testimony to divine justice.

This information explicitly negates the belief of considering the embalmed mummy discovered from a royal cache, tagged as that of Ramses II, to be of that Pharaoh who was drowned while pursuing Mūsā [alai'his'slaam] on the day of Exodus. Only that dead body would be considered of that Pharaoh whose immediate cause of death is determined as by drowning wearing armour. He was drowned in the gulf of Suez.

9. The Most Ill-Fated End of Pharaoh

None could be more ill-fated than Pharaoh and his hosts. The Qur’ān declares in chilling brevity:

Here the rhetorical symmetry is perfect: humiliation replaces preservation. The Children of Iesraa'eel are rescued from degradation; Pharaoh is consigned to irredeemable disgrace. No tears, no rites, no posthumous dignity — only the silence of a world unmoved.

This portrayal completes the Qur’ānic irony first introduced in نُنَجِّيكَ بِبَدَنِكَ: Pharaoh was “relieved” not into safety, but into exposure; he was “rescued” only to become a sign of ruin. His “badan” — once his shield of pride — became a floating relic of defeat.

10. The Number of People Accompanying Mūsā (alai'his'slaam)

There are many popular myths regarding the number of those who accompanied Mūsā (عليه السلام) in the Exodus — some exaggerated claims even extend to millions. However, the Qur’ān itself preserves a firsthand testimony from Pharaoh, who had the most direct knowledge of the exodus population:

The expression لَشِـرْذِمَةٚ is strikingly precise. The noun shirẓimah (شِرْذِمَة) denotes a small and fragmented group detached from the larger community, while the adjective qalīlūn (قَلِيلُونَ) further reinforces their small number and limited size. The Qur’ān thus explicitly portrays the followers of Mūsā (عليه السلام) as a minority, not a nation-sized multitude.

This characterization aligns perfectly with another statement of the Qur’ān:

• Sequel to threatening announcements, none believed in Mūsā [alai'his'slaam]— except a small group from among his own people — while they were under fear of Pharaoh and his chiefs, lest he should persecute them. —
  For indeed, Pharaoh was ever a self-exalting tyrant in the land, and surely he was certainly the worst among those who transgressed bounds. [10:83]

Hence, the Qur’ānic record itself invalidates later embellishments and popular legends.
The Exodus was not a mass migration of millions, but rather the departure of a small, faithful band of believers — young, courageous individuals who defied imperial terror and followed their Messenger in the face of persecution.