Quran 20:40 — Surah Taa-Haa Ayah 40 | Arabic, Translation & Tafsir

أَنِ ٱقْذِفِيهِ فِى ٱلتَّابُوتِ فَٱقْذِفِيهِ فِى ٱ...

20:40

Taa-Haa

إِذْ تَمْشِىٓ أُخْتُكَ فَتَقُولُ هَلْ أَدُلُّكُمْ عَلَىٰ مَن يَكْفُلُهُۥ ۖ فَرَجَعْنَٰكَ إِلَىٰٓ أُمِّكَ كَىْ تَقَرَّ عَيْنُهَا وَلَا تَحْزَنَ ۚ وَقَتَلْتَ نَفْسًۭا فَنَجَّيْنَٰكَ مِنَ ٱلْغَمِّ وَفَتَنَّٰكَ فُتُونًۭا ۚ فَلَبِثْتَ سِنِينَ فِىٓ أَهْلِ مَدْيَنَ ثُمَّ جِئْتَ عَلَىٰ قَدَرٍۢ يَٰمُوسَىٰ

Iz tamsheee ukhtuka fataqoolu hal adullukum 'alaa mai yakfuluhoo faraja 'naaka ilaaa ummika kai taqarra 'ainuhaa wa laa tahzan; wa qatalta nafsan fanajjainaaka minal ghammi wa fatannaaka futoonaa; falabista sineena feee ahli Madyana summa ji'ta 'alaa qadariny yaa Moosa

[And We favored you] when your sister went and said, 'Shall I direct you to someone who will be responsible for him?' So We restored you to your mother that she might be content and not grieve. And you killed someone, but We saved you from retaliation and tried you with a [severe] trial. And you remained [some] years among the people of Madyan. Then you came [here] at the decreed time, O Moses.

Related Tafsir

Ibn Kathir

Choosing Musa to go to Fir`awn and to be Soft and Gentle in His Invitation

Allah, the Exalted, says in His address to Musa that he had lived among the people of Madyan, avoiding Fir`awn and his chiefs. He worked as a shepherd for his father-in-law until the appointed time for his work ended. Then he met the decree of Allah and His predetermined will, without him having any set appointment. This entire situation was under the control of Allah, Blessed be He, the Most High. He compels His servants and His creatures to whatever end He wills. This is why Allah says,

ثُمَّ جِئْتَ عَلَى قَدَرٍ يمُوسَى

(Then You came here according to the fixed term which I ordained (for you), O Musa!) Mujahid said, "For a set appointment." `Abdur-Razzaq recorded that Ma`mar reported from Qatadah that he said,

ثُمَّ جِئْتَ عَلَى قَدَرٍ يمُوسَى

(Then You came here according to the fixed term which I ordained (for you), O Musa!) "For the decree of messengership and prophethood." Concerning Allah's statement,

وَاصْطَنَعْتُكَ لِنَفْسِى

(And I have chosen you for Myself.) This means, "I have chosen you and selected you to be a Messenger for Myself. This is as I wish and according to My will." Concerning the Tafsir of this Ayah, Al-Bukhari recorded that Abu Hurayrah said that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said,

«الْتَقَى آدَمُ وَمُوسَى فَقَالَ مُوسَى: أَنْتَ الَّذِي أَشْقَيْتَ النَّاسَ وَأَخْرَجْتَهُمْ مِنَ الْجَنَّةِ، فَقَالَ آدَمُ: وَأَنْتَ الَّذِي اصْطَفَاكَ اللهُ بِرِسَالَتِهِ وَاصْطَفَاكَ لِنَفْسِهِ، وَأَنْزَلَ عَلَيْكَ التَّوْرَاةَ؟ قَالَ: نَعَمْ، قَالَ: فَوَجَدْتَهُ مَكْتُوبًا عَلَيَّ قَبْلَ أَنْ يَخْلُقَنِي؟ قَالَ: نَعَمْ، فَحَجَّ آدَمُ مُوسَى»

(Adam and Musa met, and Musa said, "You are the one who made things difficult for mankind and you caused them to be evicted from Paradise." Adam said, "Are you the one whom Allah chose for His Message, and He selected you for Himself and He revealed the Tawrah to you" Musa replied, "Yes." Then Adam said, "Did you find that it was preordained upon me before He (Allah) created me" Musa replied, "Yes." Therefore, Adam defeated Musa's argument.) Both Al-Bukhari and Muslim recorded this narration. Concerning Allah's statement,

اذْهَبْ أَنتَ وَأَخُوكَ بِـَايَـتِى

(Go you and your brother with My Ayat,) This means with My proofs, evidences and miracles.

وَلاَ تَنِيَا فِى ذِكْرِى

(And do not, you both, slacken and become weak in My remembrance.) `Ali bin Abi Talhah related from Ibn `Abbas that he said, "This means do not be slow." Mujahid reported that Ibn `Abbas said, "This means do not be weak." The meaning here is that they should not slacken in the remembrance of Allah. Rather, they both should remember Allah during their meeting with Fir`awn so that the remembrance of Allah can be an aid for them against him. The remembrance of Allah would be their strength and their power that would defeat him. Allah's statement;

اذْهَبَآ إِلَى فِرْعَوْنَ إِنَّهُ طَغَى

(Go both of you to Fir`awn, Verily, he has transgressed.) means that he has rebelled and become haughty and insolent against Allah and he has disobeyed Him.

فَقُولاَ لَهُ قَوْلاً لَّيِّناً لَّعَلَّهُ يَتَذَكَّرُ أَوْ يَخْشَى

(And speak to him mildly, perhaps he may accept admonition or fear (Allah).) This Ayah contains a great lesson. Even though Fir`awn was the most insolent and arrogant of people and Musa was the friend of Allah among His creation at that time, Musa was still commanded to speak to Fir`awn with mildness and softness. Therefore, their invitation to him was with gentle, soft and easy speech that is used by one who is a close friend. This is so that the message may have more effect on the souls, and so it would have deeper and more beneficial results. This is as Allah, the Exalted, says,

ادْعُ إِلِى سَبِيلِ رَبِّكَ بِالْحِكْمَةِ وَالْمَوْعِظَةِ الْحَسَنَةِ وَجَـدِلْهُم بِالَّتِى هِىَ أَحْسَنُ

(Invite (mankind) to the way of your Lord with wisdom and fair preaching, and argue with them in a way that is better.) 16:125 Concerning Allah's statement,

لَّعَلَّهُ يَتَذَكَّرُ أَوْ يَخْشَى

(perhaps he may accept admonition or fear (Allah). ) This means that perhaps he will recant from that which he is in of misguidance and destruction,

أَوْ يَخْشَى

(or he will fear) meaning that he will become obedient due to fear of Allah. This is as Allah says,

لِّمَنْ أَرَادَ أَن يَذَّكَّرَ أَوْ أَرَادَ شُكُوراً

(For such who desires to remember or desires to show his gratitude.) 25:62 Thus, to remember means to recant from that which is dangerous, and fear means to attain obedience.

View Full Tafsir: Choosing Musa to go to Fir`awn and to be Soft and Gentle in His InvitationAyahs 40–44

You sent me to a servant. who did not want to die. Allah restored his eye to its proper place (and revived his eyesight), and then said: Go back to him and tell him that if he wants life he must place his hand on the back of an ox, and he would be granted as many years of life as the number of hair covered by his hand. He (Moses) said: My Lord what would happen then He said: Then you must court death. He said: Let it be now. And he supplicated Allah to bring him close to the sacred land. Thereupon Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said: If I were there, I would have shown you his grave beside the road at the red mound.

Sahih Muslim #5452Mughira b. Shu'ba reported:

When I came to Najran, they (the Christians of Najran) asked me: You read" O sister of Harun" (i. e. Hadrat Maryam) in the Qur'an, whereas Moses was born much before Jesus. When I came back to Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) I asked him about that, whereupon he said: The (people of the old age) used to give names (to their persons) after the names of Apostles and pious persons who had gone before them.

Sahih al-Bukhari #4191Narrated Abu Musa:

My brother and I came from Yemen (to Medina) and remained for some time, thinking that Ibn Masud and his mother belonged to the family of the Prophet (ﷺ) because of their frequent entrance (upon the Prophet) and their being attached to him.

Sahih al-Bukhari #5751Narrated Asma':

"My mother who was a Mushrikah (pagan, etc.), came with her father during the period of peace pact between the Muslims and the Quraish infidels. I went to seek the advice of the Prophet (ﷺ) saying, "My mother has arrived and she is hoping (for my favor)." The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Yes, be good to your mother."

Sunan Abu Dawud #5168Hilal b. Yasaf said :

We were staying in the house of Suwaid b. Muqarrin. There was among us an old man who was hot-tempered. He had a slave-girl with him. He gave a slap on her face. I never saw Suwaid more angry than on that day. He said: there is no alternative for you except to free her. I was the seventh child in order of Muqarrin and we had only a female servant. The youngest of us gave a slap on her face. The prophet (May peace be upon him) commanded us to set her free.