وَإِذْ فَرَقْنَا بِكُمُ الْبَحْرَ فَأَنْجَيْنَاكُمْ وَأَغْرَقْنَا آلَ فِرْعَوْنَ وَأَنْتُمْ تَنْظُرُونَ ﴿50﴾ وَإِذْ وَاعَدْنَا مُوسَى أَرْبَعِينَ لَيْلَةً ثُمَّ اتَّخَذْتُمُ الْعِجْلَ مِنْ بَعْدِهِ وَأَنْتُمْ ظَالِمُونَ ﴿51﴾ ثُمَّ عَفَوْنَا عَنْكُمْ مِنْ بَعْدِ ذَلِكَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ ﴿52﴾

﴾50﴿ Wa iz faraqnaa bikumul bahra fa anjainaakum wa agh-raqnaaa Aala Fir'awna wa antum tanzuroon
﴾51﴿ Wa iz waa'adnaa Moosaaa arba'eena lailatan summattakhaztumul 'ijla mim ba'dihee wa antum zaalimoon
﴾52﴿ Summa 'afawnaa 'ankum mim ba'di zaalika la'allakum tashkuroon

﴾50﴿ And when We parted the sea for you, and thus saved you, and drowned the followers of Pharaoh while you were looking on
﴾51﴿ And when We appointed for Musa (peace be upon him) forty nights, you took the calf (as a god) after he had departed, and you were wrongdoers (by committing shirk)
﴾52﴿ Then We forgave you after that (because of your repentance) so that you might be grateful

[50] In (the followers of Pharaoh), Pharaoh himself is also included, because in Arabic grammar the possessive (Al) includes what is attached to it, and the Qur’an explicitly states that Pharaoh was drowned, such as in verse 103 of Surah Isra, verse 40 of Surah Dhariyat, and verse 25 of Surah Nazi‘at. In this verse, the second blessing is mentioned, which is the rescue of the Children of Israel from drowning. Deliverance from the Pharaoh’s people was gradual, so in that context the word “Najjayna” (We saved) is used, while deliverance from drowning happened all at once, so here the word “Anjayna” (We rescued) is used. The name of the sea was the Sea of Qulzum, which is also called the Red Sea.
[51] The details of this incident are mentioned in verse 102 of Surah Al-A‘raf, and this serves as an introduction to the third blessing. (Wa antum zalimoon)—here, “zulm” (wrongdoing) also means shirk (associating partners with Allah). Among the Jews, there was a belief in incarnation, which is why they worshipped the calf, and they had learned this act of worship from the Egyptians.
[52] This third blessing is the forgiveness of shirk (associating partners with Allah) because of repentance. The words of repentance are mentioned in verse 149 of Surah Al-A‘raf and in the next verse (fa-tāba ‘alaykum). (La‘allakum tashkuroon)—being saved from the punishment of shirk is a great blessing, which is why gratitude is mentioned here. Linguistically, “shukr” means for the effect to become apparent, and in Islamic law, it means expressing the blessings of Allah verbally through praise, with the limbs through acts of worship, and in the heart through belief and veneration.