Recitation surah al-Qasas, ayat 1 -ayat 31, by Shaykh Tawfique as-Sayegh :
The following episodes from the history of Moses and the Israelites narrated in this surah were not covered in the previous two. These are :
1. The birth of Moses and the difficulties he encountered during his early life.
And We inspired the mother of Moses, saying: Suckle him and, when thou fearest for him, then cast him into the river and fear not nor grieve. Lo! We shall bring him back unto thee and shall make him (one) of Our messengers. (7)
Needless to say, for a mother to place her baby in a river is not an easy thing to do, but with much trepidation Moses' mother obeyed the instruction given to her because she had faith and trust in God:
And the heart of the mother of Moses became void, and she would have betrayed him if We had not fortified her heart, that she might be of the believers. (10)
2. The reception Moses was given when he was picked up from the river by the Pharaoh's household. Moses had enough charm and promise to beguile the Pharaoh's wife who took an immediate liking to him, saying to her husband: " (He will be) a consolation for me and for thee. Kill him not. Peradventure he may be of use to us, or we may choose him for a son "(9)
Thus Moses was spared, and as soon as his sister, who was following the news of his progress, found out that he had been picked up, alive and well, by the Pharaoh's household, she offered to find him a suitable nurse to look after him. It came to pass that as Moses refused the breasts of the palace nurses a suitable nurse was found for him, who, by the will of God, happened to be his natural mother. Moses' secret remained intact.
3. Moses grew up amongst the Pharaoh's household. Not only had his life been spared, but he had also been brought up in the comfort and freedom, to prepare him for the the hard task that lay ahead. "And when he reached his full strength and was ripe, We gave him wisdom and knowledge. Thus do We reward the good. "(14)
At this stage in his life, Moses had an unfortunate experience which made his existence in Egypt very difficult. One day, as he entered the town, he saw an Israelite being forced by an Egyptian to carry a load which was far too heavy for him. A quarrel ensued between them, and: "....and he who was of his caste asked him for help against him who was of his enemies. So Moses struck him with his fist and killed him....."(15)
Moses was a strong man, but had not intended to kill the Egyptian. He realized his mistake and appealed to God, saying, "'My Lord! Lo! I have wronged my soul, so forgive me.'" Then He forgave him. Lo! He is the Forgiving, the Merciful. "(16). When Moses felt that God had forgiven him, he was grateful and vowed to fight tyranny and defend the oppressed.
It appeared that the Pharaoh's men came to know of the incident and began to hatch aplot to kill Mises in revenge for the death of the Egyptian. However, he was informed of the plan by a symphathizer and, realizing his life was in danger, decided to flee Egypt to travel to Madyan in north west Arabia.
4. In Madyan, Moses met with a hospitable man who, on learning of his ordeal, gave him a place to stay and said to him: "' Fear not! Thou hast escaped from the wrongdoing folk." (25). He offered Moses employment and gave him his daughter's hand in marriage. The Israelites have yet to forgive Moses for marrying a non-Hebrew woman.
The identity of Moses' host has not been revealed, and I do not believe, as has been suggessted by others, that he was prophet Shu'ayb. The man said to Moses:
"Lo! I fain would marry thee to one of these two daughters of mine on condition that thou hirest thyself to me for (the term of) eight pilgrimages. Then if thou completest ten it will be of thine own accord, for I would not make it hard for thee. Allah willing, thou wilt find me of the righteous. "(27)
From a young man growing up in a Pharaoh's palace, Moses ended up as a shepherd in the Arabian desert. But such tribulations did nothing to diminish his stature. Great men are never affected by material or social status; their integrity, honor, magnanimity and quality od character are established by their actions and behavior rather than by their position. The years Moses worked as a shepherd must have given him a chance to think and reflect on what he had been through. They must have enabled him to think about his people and what would become of them. It was a period of mental preparation for the task that lay ahead. the surah tells us that:
Then, when Moses had fulfilled the term, and was travelling with his housefolk, he saw in the distance a fire and said unto his housefolk:" Bide ye (here). Lo! I see in the distance a fire; peradventure I shall bring you tidings thence, or a brand from the fire that ye may warm yourselves." (29)
" A Thematic Commentary On The Qur'an "
Shaykh Muhammad al-Ghazali
[ 1917 - 1998 ]
Commentary and reflection of Shaykh Arafat Elashi, at Umar Mosque, Hamilton, Canada
Part 4 :
10:30 Pharaoh's wife later became a believer and was killed subsequently by her husband.
Part 5 :
06:15 world's despots and tyrants also 'plan' their downfalls as Pharaoh's did...Mashaallah!
08:35 whoever worship Muhammad, Muhammad has died, but whoever worship Allah, He never die.
Part 6 :
05:10 [ brader! tie your camel first, and only then, do your doa....]
Part 7 :
02:27 Prophethood has levels and stages......
05:20 Everyone sins but the difference is , believers always remember Allah and repent...
Part 8 :
06:39 use the qur'anic verses in time of crisis.....
Part 9 :
03:33 Love story in the Qur'an: Moses and his wife....[.the other one, more epic and somewhat tragic was in surah Yusuf..... Yusuf's and Zuleikha's was a 'monumental' love story, the beautiful, romantic and somewhat tragic detail down below I assume must either originate from a 'Talmudic' source or an early biblical one. Muffasirin of the Qur'an would term this as being from an 'Israelite' source, if added to the tafseer.......allahualam ]
Perhaps at this juncture; in 2012 when Muslims of Palestine are currently bivouked in small pockets of 'islands' surrounded by belligerent grandchildren of Yusuf and Jacob; post 911 and all, with the present day 'misguided' followers and ex-followers of prophet Isa [ Jesus ], in cohort with the grandchildren of Yusuf, Moses and Jacob, having covert and non-covert plans and design on Muslim lands; I think, it would be appropriate to end the saga of prophet Yusuf with a Talmudic and Biblical contribution, to underline that despite all these, the close proximity of these three great 'nations' on earth, indeed once exist:
Once Yusuf, riding with his retinue, happened to pass by the place where Zulaikha in her utter misery was spending her days. On hearing the sound of horses' hoofs many people ran to see the company passing, and all called out, 'It is Yusuf, Yusuf!' On hearing this, Zulaikha desired to look at him once again. When Yusuf saw her he did not recognize her, but he halted, seeing that some woman wished to speak with him. He was moved to see a person in such misery, and asked her, 'What desirest thou of me?' She said, 'Zulaikha has still the same desire, O Yusuf, and it will continue here and in the hereafter. I have desired thee, and thee alone I will desire.' Yusuf became very convinced of her constant love, and was moved by her state of misery. He kissed her on the forehead, and took her in his arms and prayed to God. The prayer of the prophet and the appeal of long-continued love attracted the blessing of God, and Zulaikha regained her youth and beauty. Yusuf said to Zulaikha, 'From this day thou becomest my beloved queen.' They were then married and lived in happiness. 'Verily God hearkens attentively to the cry of every wretched heart.'
For us Muslims, the current tide may not seem to favor us, but we are always reminded that "In their history verily there is a lesson for men of understanding. It is no invented story but a confirmation of the existing (Scripture) and a detailed explanation of everything, and a guidance and a mercy for folk who believe" (Yusuf: 111). We are urged by God to have patience and to persevere.
Like prophet Yusuf, those on the side of truth will finally prevail. It is just a matter of time. If it is not to be in this world, then the next. A matter of time........
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