فَلَمّا آسَفونَا انتَقَمنا مِنهُم فَأَغرَقناهُم أَجمَعينَ

So when they roused Our wrath, We took vengeance on them and drowned them all.

EXEGESIS

Āsafūnā (they roused our wrath) comes from the infinitive asaf which according to Rāghib, is a combination of grief and anger, though each of these emotions may also be referred to individually depending on the context. Its essence lies in the boiling of the heart’s blood due to the desire for revenge. When this feeling is directed toward someone inferior, it spreads outward and becomes anger. When it is directed toward someone superior, it contracts inward and becomes grief.^{‎[1]Raghib, 1/75.} Others have added that it refers to a higher degree of anger.^{‎[2]Daqaiq, 12/77.} The current verse specifically refers to anger, as has been attributed to Ibn Abbas, Mujāhid, Qatādah, Suddī, and Ibn Zayd.^{‎[3]Tabari, 20/617-8.}

Intaqamnā (we took revenge) is from the root verb naqama which means to disapprove something either verbally or through punitive action.^{‎[4]Raghib, p. 822.} According to Abū Hilāl al-ʿAskarī, there is a slight difference between naqama and ankara. The latter indicates mere disapproval whereas the former indicates disapproval with the intent of punishment, as used in the story of the Men of the Ditch: They were vindictive (naqamū) towards them only because they had faith in Allah (85:8). This indicates that they disapproved of their monotheism and punished them for it. This is why punishment is called niqmah.^{‎[5]Abū Hilāl al-ʿAskarī, al-Furūq fī al-Lughah, p. 83.}

EXPOSITION

So when they roused Our wrath: a theological conundrum that many exegetes have attempted to respond to, is how God can become angry when anger is an emotion, thus implying a change in the internal state? Many exegetes, in light of the narrations of the Ahl al-Bayt, state that God’s anger is nothing but His will to punish just as His pleasure is nothing but His will to reward.

In other words, although the apparent meaning of the verse attributes anger to God, what is actually intended is His decree to send down punishment.^{‎[6]Tabrisi, 9/80; Amthal, 16/76; Tibyan, 9/208; Munyah, 25/222.} This linguistic nuance preserves divine transcendence while conveying the seriousness of the transgression. By describing the Pharaoh and his people as the ones who aroused God’s wrath, what is intended is that they performed actions that necessitated punishment.^{‎[7]Furqan, 26/344.}

Other exegetes add that God’s anger signifies a situation that inherently calls for anger, and that God does what an angry person would appropriately do – administer justice and retribution.^{‎[8]Mudarrisi, 12/496; Ibn Ashur, 25/272.}

We took vengeance on them and drowned them all: of all the possible ways of punishing them, God specifically chose to drown them in the sea. Them all refers to Pharaoh, his army, and the elite of the society that were constantly with Pharaoh and would advise him. This is because it was not the case that all the people of Egypt came out with Pharaoh to chase Prophet Moses (a) and his followers. Furthermore, other verses explicitly mention that God drowned Pharaoh and his army (other verses that discuss this include 2:50, 7:136, 8:54, 10:90, 17:102-3, 28:40, 44:23-24, and 51:40).^{‎[9]Hadi, 3/238.}

Prophet Muhammad (s) is reported to have recited this verse after saying: ‘When you see that God gives a person what he wants even though he persists in sin, it means that God is enticing him into destruction (istidrāj).’^{‎[10] Suyuti, 6/19.}

INSIGHTS FROM HADITH

1. Regarding So when they roused Our wrath, We took vengeance on them, it has been reported from Imam al-Ṣādiq (a): ‘Indeed, Allah, the exalted, does not become angry as we do. However, He has created friends (awliyāʾ) for Himself who become angry and pleased, and they are created beings, nurtured [by Him]. Thus, He has made their pleasure His own pleasure and their displeasure His own displeasure, because He has appointed them as callers to Him and guides towards Him. For this reason, they have become as such. This does not mean that such emotions reach Allah as they reach His creation. Rather, it is in line with His words: “Whoever dishonours a friend of mine has declared war against Me.” And His words, Whoever obeys the Apostle certainly obeys Allah [4:80], and, Indeed those who swear allegiance to you, swear allegiance only to Allah: the hand of Allah is above their hands [48:10]. All of this and similar [verses] are as I have explained to you. Similarly, pleasure, anger, and other such things are of this nature. If sadness and anguish could reach Allah – He who created and originated them – then it would be permissible for someone to say that the Creator might perish one day. For if anger and anguish could affect Him, change would enter Him, and if change entered Him, His annihilation could not be ruled out. Then, the One who shapes would not be distinguished from what is shaped, the All-Powerful would not be distinguished from the one under His power, and the Creator would not be distinguished from the creation. Exalted is Allah far above such statements, with a great exaltation! Rather, He is the Creator of all things, not out of need. Since He is not in need, limits and attributes are impossible for Him. So understand this, if Allah, the exalted, wills.’^{‎[11] Kafi, 1/144, h. 6.}
2. It has been reported that Muhammad ibn ʿAmārah al-Kindī once asked Imam al-Ṣādiq (a): ‘O son of the Prophet of Allah, inform me about Allah, the exalted. Does He have pleasure and anger?’ He said: ‘Yes, but not the way it is found in the creatures. Rather, His anger is His punishment, and His pleasure is His reward.’^{‎[12] Tawhid, p. 170.}
3. A man asked Imam al-Ṣādiq (a) about Allah, the exalted: ‘Does He have pleasure and anger?’ The Imam replied: ‘Yes, but it is not like what is found among the created beings. This is because pleasure and anger for created beings are internal states that occur to them and cause them to shift from one state to another. They are compound and subject to change, and external things can influence them. However, our Creator has no such influence from external things. He is One in His essence and One in His meaning. His pleasure is His reward, and His anger is His punishment, without anything entering Him to provoke Him or causing Him to shift from one state to another. Such changes are attributes of created beings, who are weak and in need. But He, exalted and glorified, is the All-Powerful, the Almighty, who has no need for anything He has created. All of His creation is in need of Him. He created all things without any need or cause, purely out of innovation and origination.’^{‎[13] Tawhid, pp. 169-170.}

[1] Raghib, 1/75.
[2] Daqaiq, 12/77.
[3] Tabari, 20/617-8.
[4] Raghib, p. 822.
[5] Abū Hilāl al-ʿAskarī, al-Furūq fī al-Lughah, p. 83.
[6] Tabrisi, 9/80; Amthal, 16/76; Tibyan, 9/208; Munyah, 25/222.
[7] Furqan, 26/344.
[8] Mudarrisi, 12/496; Ibn Ashur, 25/272.
[9] Hadi, 3/238.
[10] Suyuti, 6/19.
[11] Kafi, 1/144, h. 6.
[12] Tawhid, p. 170.
[13] Tawhid, pp. 169-170.