Surah Taa-Haa (20) — Ayah 39

(Ayah 39) ➊ { اَنِ اقْذِفِيْهِ فِي التَّابُوْتِ …:} That is, your task is only this much: to put (the child) in a box and cast it into the river (Nile). After that, Our command to the river is that instead of stopping it on the way or carrying it to the sea, it should bring it right to the shore near Pharaoh’s palace. The full detail of this incident is in Surah Al-Qasas (7 to 13).

➋ {وَ اَلْقَيْتُ عَلَيْكَ مَحَبَّةً مِّنِّيْ … :} That is, We made your appearance in such a way and placed such unique charm from Ourselves in it that whoever saw you would be compelled to love you. {’’ وَ لِتُصْنَعَ عَلٰى عَيْنِيْ ‘‘} is connected to the meaning derived from {’’ وَ اَلْقَيْتُ عَلَيْكَ مَحَبَّةً مِّنِّيْ ‘‘}, whose implied wording would be: { ’’وَ أَلْقَيْتُ عَلَيْكَ مَحَبَّةً مِّنِّيْ لِتُحَبَّ وَلِتُصْنَعَ عَلٰي عَيْنِيْ ‘‘} “And I cast upon you a unique love, so that you may be loved and so that you may be brought up under My (watchful) eye.” Further explanations of this connection can be seen in detailed books. In {’’ مَحَبَّةً ‘‘}, the tanween is for indefiniteness, that is why it is translated as “a unique love,” meaning it was not due to any causes, but rather, without any means, it was especially from Allah Almighty.

39. 1. The reference is to Pharaoh, who was both an enemy of Allah and of Musa (Moses) (AS). That is, when the wooden chest floated and reached the edge of the royal palace, it was taken out and opened, and inside was an innocent child. At the request of Pharaoh’s wife, he was kept in the royal palace for upbringing.

39. 2. That is, love for you was placed in Pharaoh’s heart or in the hearts of the common people.

39. 3. Thus, observe the perfection and marvel of Allah’s power and His protection and guardianship: the very child for whose sake Pharaoh had countless children killed so that he would not survive, Allah is having that child raised in his own lap, and the mother is nursing her child, but is also receiving wages from that same enemy of Musa (AS).

39. "Place this child (Moses) in a chest, then cast the chest into the river [22]. The river will throw it onto the shore, and an enemy of Mine and an enemy of his will pick him up. And (O Moses) I cast upon you love from Myself (so that whoever saw you would love you), and this was so that you would be brought up under My watchful eye [23]."

[22]
The Birth of Sayyiduna Musa and Placing Him in the Chest:

What happened was that Pharaoh had a frightening dream, the interpretation of which his court astrologers told him was that a person would be born among the Children of Israel who would overturn your kingdom and become the cause of your destruction. To counter this, Pharaoh decided that all boys born to the Children of Israel in the future should be killed as soon as they were born, and he issued instructions to all his officials for the implementation of this order. The midwives were given the responsibility that whenever a boy was born to any individual of the Children of Israel or a Sabti, they should immediately inform the authorities.

The Failure of Planning Before Destiny:

In reality, Pharaoh’s plan to save his kingdom by killing every newborn boy among the Children of Israel was based on his foolishness and lack of foresight. The reason is that regarding the interpretation given by the astrologers, there were only two possibilities. One, that the interpretation was wrong. In that case, there was no need for any plan. The second, that the interpretation was correct. Even in that case, Pharaoh’s planning would be of no use. Because if planning could change that interpretation, then how could the interpretation be considered correct? This second case is what happened to Pharaoh. Despite his cruel plan, destiny prevailed, and whatever was in Allah’s will came to pass. This barbaric order of Pharaoh was inflicted upon the Children of Israel for a long time. When Sayyiduna Musaؑ was born, his mother became deeply saddened at the thought of what would happen to the child. Suddenly, Allah put the thought into her heart that before the news of the child’s birth reached the authorities, she should place him in a chest. Then that chest should be entrusted to the waves of the Nile River. In this way, she would be spared the agony of witnessing her child being killed before her eyes, and perhaps Allah would create another way for the child’s life.

[23]
The Chest is Presented Before Pharaoh:

The task of entrusting the chest to the waves of the river was carried out by Sayyiduna Musa’sؑ mother. All the subsequent events were Allah’s own actions and favors upon Sayyiduna Musaؑ. The waves of the river pushed the chest towards the branch of the Nile on which Pharaoh’s palace was situated. At that spot, a wave rose and threw the chest onto the shore near Pharaoh’s palace. Then, it so happened that, this chest was presented before Pharaoh, who, O Musa! was also my enemy and your enemy. He was my enemy in that he was disobedient to me and claimed divinity in opposition to me, and your enemy in that he wanted to destroy you completely. Then I made your appearance so lovable that whoever saw you began to love you, and their heart became filled with affection for you. This very thing became the means of your survival, and all of this was happening under my supervision and by my will.