Al-A'raaf (The Heights)

136. “So We took vengeance on them and drowned them in the sea, because they belied Our Signs and were heedless of them.”

The Arabic term /’intiqām/ with the meaning of ‘vengeance’, in this verse, means ‘punishment’, and it does not mean ‘grudge’ or ‘rancour’ here.

The word /yam/ in the old Egyptian language was used for a sea or a river. Since the story here refers to Egypt, the same old word has been used in this verse of the Qur’ān.¹

However, it should be noted that Allah is also ‘taker of vengeance’. The verse says:

“So We took vengeance on them and drowned them in the sea, because they belied Our Signs…”

Another point is that the main source of misfortunes and calamities is inside the entities of ourselves, and negligence brings a heavy compensation for us. The holy verse continues saying:

“…and were heedless of them.”