Quran Universe
7:141

وَإِذۡ أَنجَيۡنَٰكُم مِّنۡ ءَالِ فِرۡعَوۡنَ يَسُومُونَكُمۡ سُوٓءَ ٱلۡعَذَابِ يُقَتِّلُونَ أَبۡنَآءَكُمۡ وَيَسۡتَحۡيُونَ نِسَآءَكُمۡۚ وَفِي ذَٰلِكُم بَلَآءٞ مِّن رَّبِّكُمۡ عَظِيمٞ

Waith anjaynakum min ali firAAawna yasoomoonakum sooa alAAathabi yuqattiloona abnaakum wayastahyoona nisaakum wafee thalikum balaon min rabbikum AAatheemun

And [recall, O Children of Israel], when We saved you from the people of Pharaoh, [who were] afflicting you with the worst torment - killing your sons and keeping your women alive. And in that was a great trial from your Lord.

Word by word
  1. وَإِذۡAnd when
  2. أَنجَيۡنَٰكُمWe saved you
  3. مِّنۡfrom
  4. ءَالِ(the) people
  5. فِرۡعَوۡنَ(of) Firaun
  6. يَسُومُونَكُمۡwho were afflicting you
  7. سُوٓءَ(with) worst
  8. ٱلۡعَذَابِ(of) torment
  9. يُقَتِّلُونَthey were killing
  10. أَبۡنَآءَكُمۡyour sons
  11. وَيَسۡتَحۡيُونَand letting live
  12. نِسَآءَكُمۡۚyour women
  13. وَفِيAnd in
  14. ذَٰلِكُمthat
  15. بَلَآءٞ(was) a trial
  16. مِّنfrom
  17. رَّبِّكُمۡyour Lord
  18. عَظِيمٞgreat
Al-A'raf · 7:141Makkah

Remember the worst days He brought you out of.

Rescue from Fir'awn, and the trial within it

What they lived through
Fir'awn's peoplethe worst torment
sons killedwomen kept alive
then
savedby Allah
How to see the past
only painsomething to forget
a great trialand a great rescue

Allah reminds the Children of Israel how He saved them from Fir'awn's people, who killed their sons and kept their women alive. Ibn Kathir says Musa reminded them of this to show what Allah had done, and the verse calls it a great trial from your Lord.

You forget the year you could not pay rent, the night in the emergency room, the season of feeling completely alone. Life is easier now and you grumble about small things. Remembering the rescue puts today in its place.

The hard years are behind me, better not to think about them.

Remembering where Allah brought me from keeps me grateful and humble.

Try this

Think of one hard time Allah brought you through. Say alhamdulillah for it specifically.

Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir (shared passage from 7:140)

He said: "Shall I seek for you an ilah (a god) other than Allah, while He has given you superiority over the nations. (140)And (remember) when We rescued you from Fir'awn's people, who were afflicting you with the worst torment, killing your sons and letting your women live. And in that was a great trial from your Lord (141)

Reminding the Children of Israel of Allah's Blessings for Them

Musa reminded the Children of Israel of Allah's blessings, such as saving them from Fir'awn, his tyranny and the humiliation and disgrace they suffered. He reminded them of the glory and revenge against their enemy, when they watched them suffering in disgrace, destroyed by drowning and meeting utter demise. We mentioned this subject in the Tafsir of Surat Al-Baqarah.