7:137

وَأَوۡرَثۡنَا ٱلۡقَوۡمَ ٱلَّذِينَ كَانُواْ يُسۡتَضۡعَفُونَ مَشَٰرِقَ ٱلۡأَرۡضِ وَمَغَٰرِبَهَا ٱلَّتِي بَٰرَكۡنَا فِيهَاۖ وَتَمَّتۡ كَلِمَتُ رَبِّكَ ٱلۡحُسۡنَىٰ عَلَىٰ بَنِيٓ إِسۡرَـٰٓءِيلَ بِمَا صَبَرُواْۖ وَدَمَّرۡنَا مَا كَانَ يَصۡنَعُ فِرۡعَوۡنُ وَقَوۡمُهُۥ وَمَا كَانُواْ يَعۡرِشُونَ

Waawrathna alqawma allatheena kanoo yustadAAafoona mashariqa alardi wamagharibaha allatee barakna feeha watammat kalimatu rabbika alhusna AAala banee israeela bima sabaroo wadammarna ma kana yasnaAAu firAAawnu waqawmuhu wama kanoo yaAArishoona

And We caused the people who had been oppressed to inherit the eastern regions of the land and the western ones, which We had blessed. And the good word of your Lord was fulfilled for the Children of Israel because of what they had patiently endured. And We destroyed [all] that Pharaoh and his people were producing and what they had been building.

Word by word
  1. وَأَوۡرَثۡنَاAnd We made inheritors
  2. ٱلۡقَوۡمَthe people
  3. ٱلَّذِينَthose who
  4. كَانُواْwere
  5. يُسۡتَضۡعَفُونَconsidered weak
  6. مَشَٰرِقَ(the) eastern (parts)
  7. ٱلۡأَرۡضِ(of) the land
  8. وَمَغَٰرِبَهَاand the western (parts) of it
  9. ٱلَّتِيwhich
  10. بَٰرَكۡنَاWe blessed
  11. فِيهَاۖ[in it]
  12. وَتَمَّتۡAnd was fulfilled
  13. كَلِمَتُ(the) word
  14. رَبِّكَ(of) your Lord
  15. ٱلۡحُسۡنَىٰthe best
  16. عَلَىٰfor
  17. بَنِيٓ(the) Children
  18. إِسۡرَـٰٓءِيلَ(of) Israel
  19. بِمَاbecause
  20. صَبَرُواْۖthey were patient
  21. وَدَمَّرۡنَاAnd We destroyed
  22. مَاwhat
  23. كَانَused to
  24. يَصۡنَعُmake
  25. فِرۡعَوۡنُFiraun
  26. وَقَوۡمُهُۥand his people
  27. وَمَاand what
  28. كَانُواْthey used to
  29. يَعۡرِشُونَerect
Al-A'raf · 7:137Makkah

The oppressed inherited the land because they endured.

Patience fulfilled a promise; pride lost its buildings


The reversal
the weakenslaved Bani Isra'il
inherit
the blessed landeast and west of it
while
Fir'awn's worksfarms and buildings destroyed
What decided it
power and buildingswhat Fir'awn had
patiencewhat they had

Allah gave the people who were considered weak the blessed land, which Al-Hasan and Qatadah said was Sham. The good word of your Lord was fulfilled because of their endurance. Ibn Kathir links this to 28:5-6. And all that Fir'awn built and grew was destroyed.

You are the junior at work who does honest work while others take shortcuts and get noticed. You stay patient for years. Patience is not doing nothing. It is holding steady while Allah's promise ripens.

The strong always win in the end.

Allah's promise is fulfilled for those who endure, and pride's buildings do not last.

Try this

Name one situation where you are holding on patiently. Ask Allah today to accept your sabr.

Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir (shared passage from 7:136)

So We took retribution from them. We drowned them in the sea, because they belied Our Ayat and were heedless with them (136)And We made the people who were considered weak to inherit the eastern parts of the land and the western parts thereof which We have blessed. And the fair Word of your Lord was fulfilled for the Children of Israel, because of their endurance. And We destroyed what Fir'awn and his people produced, and what they erected (137)

The People of Fir'awn drown in the Sea; the Children of Israel inherit the Holy Land

Allah states that when the people of Fir'awn rebelled and transgressed, even though He inflicted them with consecutive signs, one after another, He took retribution from them by drowning them in the sea that Musa parted by Allah's power, and he and the Children of Israel passed through. In their pursuit, Fir'awn and his soldiers went in the sea chasing Musa and his people. When they all had gone inside the water, the sea closed in on them and they all drowned, because they belied the Ayat of Allah and were heedless of them. Allah said that He has granted the people who were considered weak, the Children of Israel, to inherit the eastern and western parts of the land.

Al-Hasan Al-Basri and Qatadah commented that Allah's statement,

مَشَارِقَ الْأَرْضِ وَمَغَارِبَهَا الَّتِي بَارَكْنَا فِيهَا

(...the eastern parts of the land and the western parts thereof which We have blessed.) refers to the Sham area (Greater Syria). Also, Mujahid and Ibn Jarir said that Allah's statement,

وَتَمَّتْ كَلِمَتُ رَبِّكَ الْحُسْنَىٰ عَلَىٰ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ بِمَا صَبَرُوا

(And the fair Word of your Lord was fulfilled for the Children of Israel, because of their endurance.) is explained by Allah's other statement,

وَنُرِيدُ أَن نَّمُنَّ عَلَى الَّذِينَ اسْتُضْعِفُوا فِي الْأَرْضِ وَنَجْعَلَهُمْ أَئِمَّةً وَنَجْعَلَهُمُ الْوَارِثِينَ - وَنُمَكِّنَ لَهُمْ فِي الْأَرْضِ وَنُرِيَ فِرْعَوْنَ وَهَامَانَ وَجُنُودَهُمَا مِنْهُم مَّا كَانُوا يَحْذَرُونَ

(And We wished to do a favor to those who were weak (and oppressed) in the land, and to make them rulers and to make them the inheritors. And to establish them in the land, and We let Fir'awn and Haman and their hosts receive from them that which they feared)[28:5-6]. Further, Allah's statement,

وَدَمَّرْنَا مَا كَانَ يَصْنَعُ فِرْعَوْنُ وَقَوْمُهُ

(And We destroyed what Fir'awn and his people produced,) meaning, We destroyed what Fir'awn and his people produced, such as agriculture and buildings.

وَمَا كَانُوا يَعْرِشُونَ

(and what they erected.) Ibn 'Abbas and Mujahid said that

يَعْرِشُونَ

(they erected) means, they built.