“When the two hosts came within sight of one another, the companions of Moses said, ‘We are surely overtaken!’ He said, ‘No indeed! My Lord is with me; He will guide me.’ Then We revealed to Moses: ‘Strike the sea with your staff.’ So it parted, and each part was like a great towering mountain.” (61–63)

“Thus”—as We have described—“We caused the Children of Israel to inherit them,” through the destruction of Pharaoh and his people. This was because Allah Most High returned the Children of Israel to Egypt after He drowned Pharaoh and his people, and gave them all the wealth and dwellings that had belonged to Pharaoh and his people.

“Then they pursued them at sunrise,” meaning, they caught up with them at the time when the sun was shining forth—that is, Pharaoh’s people caught up with Moses and his companions at sunrise.

“When the two hosts came within sight of one another,” that is, they confronted one another such that each party could see the other. Hamzah recited the r in tarā’ā with a kasrah, whereas the others recited it with a fathah.

“The companions of Moses said, ‘We are surely overtaken!’” That is, Pharaoh’s people will catch up with us, and we have no strength to withstand them.

He—Moses—said, trusting in Allah’s promise to him: “No indeed!” They will not catch us. “My Lord is with me; He will guide me,” meaning, He will show me the way to safety.

“Then We revealed to Moses: ‘Strike the sea with your staff.’ So it parted,” meaning, he struck it and it split apart. “And each part” of the water “was like a great towering mountain,” like a massive mountain.

Ibn Jurayj and others said: (1) When Moses reached the sea, the wind became turbulent, and the sea was casting up waves like mountains. Joshua said, “O one to whom Allah spoke, where have you been commanded to go? Pharaoh has caught up with us, and the sea lies before us!” Moses replied, “Here.” So Joshua entered the water and crossed the sea; the water did not even cover his mount’s hoof.

Then the man who concealed his faith said, “O one to whom Allah spoke, where have you been commanded to go?” He replied, “Here.” So he reined in his horse with its bridle until foam flew from the corners of its mouth. Then he drove it into the sea, and it sank into the water. The people began to do the same, but they were unable to do so. Moses did not know what to do, so Allah revealed to him: “Strike the sea with your staff.” He struck it, and it parted; and there was the man standing upon his horse, with neither his saddle nor its pad having become wet.