فَأَرْسَلْنَا عَلَيْهِمُ الطُّوفَانَ وَالْجَرَادَ وَالْقُمَّلَ وَالضَّفَادِعَ وَالدَّمَ آيَاتٍ مُفَصَّلَاتٍ فَاسْتَكْبَرُوا وَكَانُوا قَوْمًا مُجْرِمِينَ ﴿۱۳۳﴾ وَلَمَّا وَقَعَ عَلَيْهِمُ الرِّجْزُ قَالُوا يَا مُوسَى ادْعُ لَنَا رَبَّكَ بِمَا عَهِدَ عِنْدَكَ لَئِنْ كَشَفْتَ عَنَّا الرِّجْزَ لَنُؤْمِنَنَّ لَكَ وَلَنُرْسِلَنَّ مَعَكَ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ ﴿۱۳۴﴾ فَلَمَّا كَشَفْنَا عَنْهُمُ الرِّجْزَ إِلَى أَجَلٍ هُمْ بَالِغُوهُ إِذَا هُمْ يَنْكُثُونَ ﴿۱۳۵﴾ فَانْتَقَمْنَا مِنْهُمْ فَأَغْرَقْنَاهُمْ فِي الْيَمِّ بِأَنَّهُمْ كَذَّبُوا بِآيَاتِنَا وَكَانُوا عَنْهَا غَافِلِينَ ﴿۱۳۶﴾

﴾133﴿ Fa arsalnaa 'alaihimut toofaana waljaraada walqum mala waddafaadi'a waddama Aayaatim mufassalaatin fastakbaroo wa kaanoo qawmam mujrimeen
﴾134﴿ Wa lammaa waqa'a 'alaihimur rijzu qaaloo ya Moosad-u lanaa rabbaka bimaa 'ahida 'indaka la'in kashafta 'annar rijza lanu 'minanna laka wa lanursilanna ma'aka Banee Israaa'eel
﴾135﴿ Falammaa kashafnaa 'anhumur rijza ilaaa ajalin hum baalighoohu izaa hum yankusoon
﴾136﴿ Fantaqamnaa minhum fa'aghraqnaahum Fil'yammi Bi Annahum kazzaboo bi Aayaatinaa wa kaanoo 'anhaa ghaafileen

﴾133﴿ So We sent upon them the flood, and the locusts, and the lice, and the frogs, and the blood—signs that were sent separately. Yet they remained arrogant and were a community of sinners.
﴾134﴿ And whenever a punishment would descend upon them (from these punishments), they would say, “O Moses, pray to your Lord for us by the covenant He has made with you. If you remove this punishment from us, we will surely believe in you, and we will certainly send the Children of Israel with you.”
﴾135﴿ But when We removed the punishment from them for a term which they were to reach, they would break their promise at that very moment.
﴾136﴿ So We took retribution from them, and We drowned them in the sea because they denied Our signs and were heedless of them.

[133] Some commentators have written that Musa (peace be upon him) made a supplication against them, and then these punishments began to descend upon them.
(فَأَرْسَلْنَا) – This indicates that the punishments were numerous, and it became clear that they were from heavenly causes.
The term ṭūfān (flood) refers to anything that causes widespread destruction—whether it be heavy rain or a widespread epidemic. Some commentators here have mentioned it was a disease like measles. Thus, this punishment affected both their bodies and their wealth.
(وَالْجَرَادَ) – This refers to locusts, which destroyed all their crops and fruits. It was a financial punishment and a clear sign of famine. Locusts can be eaten without slaughtering, regardless of type. However, according to a hadith in Abu Dawud, the Prophet (May Allah bless him and give him peace) did not eat them, as he personally disliked them—just as he disliked ḍabb (desert lizard).
(وَالْقُمَّلَ) – This has three interpretations:
1. A type that eats stored grains (known as grain pests or mites).
2. A type that lives on the body and in hair and bites (i.e., lice).
3. A type that clings to animals' bodies (i.e., ticks).
All of these are included here, making it both a physical and financial punishment.
(وَالضَّفَادِعَ) – Frogs would enter their food and drink and even crawl onto their heads and bodies.
(وَالدَّمَ) – Blood would appear in their food and drink.
(مُفَصَّلَاتٍ) – These punishments were sent one after another, separately. According to one narration, there were gaps of seven or eight days between each punishment, or it means that each punishment was clearly and obviously a sign from Allah the Exalted.
[134] This verse is proof that the people of Pharaoh acknowledged Allah the Exalted and would supplicate to Him during times of hardship.
The verse also makes it clear that Musa (peace be upon him) had two objectives: one was the message of Tawheed (the oneness of Allah), and the other was to free the monotheists.
(بِمَا عَهِدَ عِنْدَكَ) – This phrase either refers to the covenant of prophethood, or it refers to the promise of answered prayers.
[135] In this verse, their stubbornness and opposition are mentioned.
(إِلَى أَجَلٍ) refers to the seven or eight days that Allah the Exalted had appointed for each punishment.
A similar expression is also found in verse (50) of Surah Az-Zukhruf.
[136] In this verse, the final punishment—their drowning—is mentioned, along with two reasons for it.
(فَانْتَقَمْنَا) – Naqmah originally means the removal of blessings through punishment.
(الْيَمِّ) refers to the depths or surface of the sea. According to Az-Zahri, yam can refer to both salty and fresh bodies of water.
Two causes for their punishment are mentioned: denial and heedlessness, even though they committed other sins as well—these two were the root of all their wrongdoing.