23:49 Al-Muminoon (The Believers)

{ وَلَقَدْ آتَيْنَا مُوسَى } بعدما أهلك الله فرعون، وخلص الشعب الإسرائيلي مع موسى، وتمكن حينئذ من إقامة أمر الله فيهم، وإظهار شعائره، وعده الله أن ينزل عليه التوراة أربعين ليلة، فذهب لميقات ربه، قال الله تعالى { وَكَتَبْنَا لَهُ فِي الْأَلْوَاحِ مِنْ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ مَوْعِظَةً وَتَفْصِيلًا لِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ } ولهذا قال هنا: { لَعَلَّهُمْ يَهْتَدُونَ } أي: بمعرفة تفاصيل الأمر والنهي، والثواب والعقاب، ويعرفون ربهم بأسمائه وصفاته.

وأنزل على موسى الكتاب وهو التوراة فيها أحكامه وأوامره ونواهيه وذلك بعد أن قصم الله فرعون والقبط وأخذهم أخذ عزيز مقتدر وبعد أن أنزل الله التوراة لم يهلك أما بعامة بل أمر المؤمنين بقتال الكافرين كما قال تعالى " ولقد آتينا موسى الكتاب من بعد ما أهلكنا القرون الأولى بصائر للناس وهدى ورحمة لعلهم يتذكرون ".

The Story of Musa, Peace be upon Him; and Fir`awn

Allah tells us that He sent Musa, peace be upon him, and his brother Harun to Fir`awn and his chiefs with decisive evidence and definitive proof, but Fir`awn and his people were too arrogant to follow them and obey their commands because they were human beings, just as previous nations had denied the Message of the human Messengers. They were of a similar mentality, so Allah destroyed Fir`awn and his chiefs, drowning them all in one day. He revealed the Book to Musa, i.e., the Tawrah, in which were rulings, commands and prohibitions, after He had destroyed Fir`awn and the Egyptians and seized them with a punishment of the All-Mighty, All-Capable to carry out what He wills. After Allah revealed the Tawrah, Allah did not destroy any nation with an overwhelming calamity; instead, He commanded the believers to fight the disbelievers, as He says:

وَلَقَدْ ءَاتَيْنَا مُوسَى الْكِتَـبَ مِن بَعْدِ مَآ أَهْلَكْنَا الْقُرُونَ الاٍّولَى بَصَآئِرَ لِلنَّاسِ وَهُدًى وَرَحْمَةً لَّعَلَّهُمْ يَتَذَكَّرُونَ

(And indeed We gave Musa -- after We had destroyed the generations of old -- the Scripture as an enlightenment for mankind, and a guidance and a mercy, that they might remember.) 28:43

And verily We gave Moses the Scripture the Torah that perhaps they his people the Children of Israel might be guided thereby from error — he Moses was given it the Scripture after the destruction of Pharaoh and his folk all at once.

Commentary

وَآوَيْنَاهُمَا إِلَىٰ رَبْوَةٍ ذَاتِ قَرَارٍ وَمَعِينٍ (and We gave them shelter on a height, a place of rest and running springs). According to Bayan-ul-Qur’ an, this verse refers to the event that a tyrant was resolute to kill Sayyidna ` Isa and his mother (علیہما السلام) right from his childhood. They escaped from him and, with Allah's grace, found a place on a height where they enjoyed a peaceful life until Sayyidna ` Isa (علیہ السلام) attained maturity and was entrusted with prophethood. (This commentary is taken from Khulasa-e-tafsir of Ma` ariful-Qur’ an).