The Benefits of the Verse: “And when We parted the sea for you and saved you, and drowned the family of Pharaoh while you were looking on”

Among the benefits of this noble verse is the reminder to the Children of Israel of the favor Allah the Exalted bestowed upon them when He parted the sea for them. The reason the address is directed to those who were present in the time of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) is that Allah’s favor upon the community in its beginning is a favor upon it in its end. This is one aspect. Another aspect, which I will mention now and which applies to what came before, is that these people who are present are the descendants of those who came before; had the predecessors perished, the successors would not have existed. Therefore, the saving of the first group is, in reality, a saving of them, though not directly. Thus, the address to these people regarding the previous favors—whether the rescue from drowning or from the killing by Pharaoh—has two aspects: The first aspect is that what happened to the first of the community is for the last of them. The second aspect is that these people are the descendants of the predecessors; had the predecessors perished, these people would not have remained. So in their remaining, there is the remaining of these people...