28:7 Al-Qasas (The Stories)

وكان في وقت تلك المخافة العظيمة، التي يذبحون بها الأبناء، أوحى إلى أمه أن ترضعه، ويمكث عندها.{ فَإِذَا خِفْتِ عَلَيْهِ } بأن أحسست أحدا تخافين عليه منه أن يوصله إليهم، { فَأَلْقِيهِ فِي الْيَمِّ } أي نيل مصر، في وسط تابوت مغلق، { وَلَا تَخَافِي وَلَا تَحْزَنِي إِنَّا رَادُّوهُ إِلَيْكِ وَجَاعِلُوهُ مِنَ الْمُرْسَلِينَ } فبشرها بأنه سيرده عليها، وأنه سيكبر ويسلم من كيدهم، ويجعله اللّه رسولا.وهذا من أعظم البشائر الجليلة، وتقديم هذه البشارة لأم موسى، ليطمئن قلبها، ويسكن روعها، فإنها خافت عليه، وفعلت ما أمرت به، ألقته في اليم، فساقه اللّه تعالى.

ذكروا أن فرعون لما أكثر من قتل ذكور بني إسرائيل خافت القبط أن يفني بني إسرائيل فيلون هم ما كانوا يلونه من الأعمال الشاقة فقالوا لفرعون إنه يوشك إن استمر هذا الحال أن يموت شيوخهم وغلمانهم يقتلون ونساؤهم لا يمكن أن تقمن بما تقوم به رجالهم من الأعمال فيخلص إلينا ذلك فأمر بقتل الولدان عاما وتركهم عاما فولد هارون عليه السلام في السنة التي يتركون فيها الولدان وولد موسى في السنة التي يقتلون فيها الولدان وكان لفرعون ناس موكلون بذلك وقوابل يدورون على النساء فمن رأينها قد حملت أحصوا اسمها فإذا كان وقت ولادتها لا يقبلها إلا نساء القبط فإن ولدت المرأة جارية تركنها وذهبن وإن ولدت غلاما دخل أولئك الذباحون بأيديهم الشفار المرهفة فقتلوه ومضوا قبحهم الله تعالى. فلما حملت أم موسى به عليه السلام لم يظهر عليها مخايل الحمل كغيرها ولم تفطن لها الدايات ولكن لما وضعته ذكرا ضافت به ذرعا وخافت عليه خوفا شديدا وأحبته حبا زائدا وكان موسى عليه السلام لا يراه أحد إلا أحبه فالسعيد من أحبه طبعا وشرعا قال الله تعالى: "وألقيت عليك محبة مني" فلما ضاقت به ذرعا ألهمت في سرها وألقي في خلدها وأنفث في روعها كما قال تعالى: "وأوحينا إلى أم موسى أن أرضعيه فإذا خفت عليه فألقيه في اليم ولا تخافي ولا تحزني إنا رادوه إليك وجاعلوه من المرسلين" وذلك أنه كانت دارها على حافة النيل فاتخذت تابوتا ومهدت فيه مهدا وجعلت ترضع ولدها فإذا دخل عليها أحد ممن تخافه ذهبت فوضعته في ذلك التابوت وسيرته في البحر وربطته بحبل عندها فلما كان ذات يوم دخل عليها من تخافه فذهبت فوضعته في ذلك التابوت وأرسلته في البحر وذهلت أن تربطه فذهب مع الماء واحتمله حتى مر به على دار فرعون فالتقطه الجواري فاحتملنه فذهبن به إلى امرأة فرعون ولا يدرين ما فيه وخشين أن يفتتن عليها في فتحه دونها فلما كشفت عنه إذا هو غلام من أحسن الخلق وأجمله وأحلاه وأبهاه فأوقع الله محبته في قلبها حين نظرت إليه وذلك لسعادتها وما أراد الله من كرامتها وشقاوة بعلها.

How Musa's Mother was inspired and shown what to do

It was mentioned that when Fir`awn killed so many of the males of the Children of Israel, the Copts were scared that the Children of Israel would die out, and they themselves would have to do the heavy labor that the Children of Israel used to do. So they said to Fir`awn, "If this continues, and their old men die and the young men are killed, their women will not be able to do the work that the men are doing, and we will end up having to do it." So Fir`awn issued orders that the boys should be killed one year, and left alone the following year. Harun, peace be upon him, was born in a year when the boys were not killed, and Musa was born in a year when the boys were being killed. Fir`awn had people who were entrusted with this task. There were midwives who would go around and check on the women, and if they noticed that any woman was pregnant, they would write her name down. When the time came for her to give birth, no one was allowed to attend her except for Coptic women. If the woman gave birth to a girl, they would leave her alone and go away, but if she gave birth to a boy, the killers would come in with their sharp knives and kill the child, then they would go away; may Allah curse them. When the mother of Musa became pregnant with him, she did not show any signs of pregnancy as other women did, and none of the midwives noticed. But when she gave birth to a boy, she became very distressed and did not know what to do with him. She was extremely scared for him, because she loved him very much. No one ever saw Musa, peace be upon him, but they loved him, and the blessed ones were those who loved him both as a natural feeling and because he was a Prophet. Allah says:

وَأَلْقَيْتُ عَلَيْكَ مَحَبَّةً مِّنِّى

(And I endued you with love from Me) (20:39).

Musa, peace be upon him, in the House of Fir`awn

When Musa's mother became so worried and confused, it was inspired into her heart and mind what she should do, as Allah says:

وَأَوْحَيْنَآ إِلَى أُمِّ مُوسَى أَنْ أَرْضِعِيهِ فَإِذَا خِفْتِ عَلَيْهِ فَأَلْقِيهِ فِى اليَمِّ وَلاَ تَخَافِى وَلاَ تَحْزَنِى إِنَّا رَآدُّوهُ إِلَيْكِ وَجَـعِلُوهُ مِنَ الْمُرْسَلِينَ

(And We inspired the mother of Musa (telling): "Suckle him, but when you fear for him, then cast him into the river and fear not, nor grieve. Verily, We shall bring him back to you, and shall make him one of (Our) Messengers.") Her house was on the banks of the Nile, so she took a box and made it into a cradle, and started to nurse her child. When someone came to her that she was afraid of, she would go and put him in that box and put it in the river, and she would tie it with a rope. One day someone that she was afraid of came to the house, so she went and put the child in that box and put it in the river, but she forgot to tie it. The water carried him away, past the house of Fir`awn, where some servant women picked the box up and took it to Fir`awn's wife. They did not know what was inside, and they were afraid that they would be in trouble if they opened it without her. When the box was opened, they saw it was a child with the most beautiful features. Allah filled her heart with love for him when she saw him; this was because she was blessed and because Allah wanted to honor her and cause her husband's doom. Allah says:

فَالْتَقَطَهُ ءَالُ فِرْعَوْنَ لِيَكُونَ لَهُمْ عَدُوّاً وَحَزَناً

(Then the household of Fir`awn picked him up, that he might become for them an enemy and a (cause of) grief.) Allah says:

إِنَّ فِرْعَوْنَ وَهَـمَـنَ وَجُنُودَهُمَا كَانُواْ خَـطِئِينَ

(Verily, Fir`awn, Haman and their armies were sinners.)

وَقَالَتِ امْرَأَتُ فِرْعَوْنَ قُرَّةُ عَيْنٍ لِّى وَلَكَ

(And the wife of Fir`awn said: "A comfort of the eye for me and for you...") means, when Fir`awn saw him, he wanted to kill him, fearing that he was one of the Children of Israel. But his wife Asiyah bint Muzahim came to the child's defence and tried to endear him to Fir`awn, saying,

قُرَّةُ عَيْنٍ لِّى وَلَكَ

(A comfort of the eye for me and for you.) Fir`awn said: "For you he may be, but not for me. And this was indeed the case: Allah guided her because of him, and destroyed him at his hands.

عَسَى أَن يَنفَعَنَآ

(perhaps he may be of benefit to us,) This is indeed what happened in her case, for Allah guided her through him and caused her to dwell in Paradise because of him.

أَوْ نَتَّخِذَهُ وَلَدًا

(or we may adopt him as a son.) She wanted to take him and adopt him as a son, because she had no children from Fir`awn.

وَهُمْ لاَ يَشْعُرُونَ

(And they perceived not.) means, they did not know what Allah planned for them when they picked him up, by His great wisdom and definitive proof.

And We revealed by inspiration or in a dream to the mother of Moses — who was the said new-born; his sister was the only other person aware of his birth — ‘Suckle him then when you fear for him cast him into the waters namely the Nile and do not fear that he should drown or grieve for being separated from him for We will restore him to you and make him one of the messengers’. She suckled him for three months during which he never cried. She then began to fear for him and so she placed him in a basket coated with pitch and made as a cradle for him on the inside. She then closed it and cast it into the waters of the Nile at night.

وَأَوْحَيْنَا إِلَىٰ أُمِّ مُوسَىٰ (28:7) The word Wahy (inspiration) is used here in its literal meaning. It does not mean the Wahy that is peculiar to prophets. This point has already been explained under Surah Taha.