Al-Qasas: 21

Ayah

Word by Word

فَخَرَجَ

So he left

مِنۡهَا

from it

خَآئِفٗا

fearing

يَتَرَقَّبُۖ

(and) vigilant

قَالَ

He said

رَبِّ

My Lord!

نَجِّنِي

Save me

مِنَ

from

ٱلۡقَوۡمِ

the people

ٱلظَّـٰلِمِينَ

the wrongdoers

Translation

He therefore got away therefrom, looking about, in a state of fear. He prayed "O my Lord! save me from people given to wrong-doing."

Tafsir

Musa, peace be upon him, in Madyan, and how He watered the Flocks of the Two Women

When the man told Musa about how Fir`awn and his chiefs were conspiring against him, he left Egypt on his own. He was not used to being alone, because before that he had been living a life of luxury and ease, in a position of leadership.

Allah tells:

فَخَرَجَ مِنۡهَا خَايِفًا يَتَرَقَّبُ

So he escaped from there, looking about in a state of fear.

meaning, turning around and watching.

قَالَ

He said:

رَبِّ نَجِّنِي مِنَ الۡقَوۡمِ الظَّالِمِينَ

My Lord! Save me from the people who are wrongdoers!

means, from Fir`awn and his chiefs.

It was mentioned that Allah sent to him an angel riding a horse, who showed him the way. And Allah knows best

وَلَمَّا تَوَجَّهَ تِلۡقَاء مَدۡيَنَ

And when he went towards (the land of) Madyan,

means, he took a smooth and easy route -- and he rejoiced because of that.

قَالَ

he said:

عَسَى رَبِّي أَن يَهۡدِيَنِي سَوَاء السَّبِيلِ

It may be that my Lord guides me to the right way.

meaning, the most straight route.

And Allah did indeed do that, for He guided him to the straight path in this world and the Hereafter, and caused him to be guided and to guide others

وَلَمَّا وَرَدَ مَاء مَدۡيَنَ

And when he arrived at the water (a well) of Madyan,

means, when he reached Madyan and went to drink from its water, for it had a well where shepherds used to water their flocks,

وَجَدَ عَلَيۡهِ أُمَّةً مِّنَ النَّاسِ يَسۡقُونَ وَوَجَدَ مِن دُونِهِمُ امۡرَأتَيۡنِ تَذُودَانِ

he found there a group of men watering, and besides them he found two women who were keeping back.

means, they were stopping their sheep from drinking with the sheep of those shepherds, lest some harm come to them. When Musa, peace be upon him, ﷺ them, he felt sorry for them and took pity on them.

قَالَ مَا خَطۡبُكُمَا

He said:What is the matter with you?

meaning, `why do you not water your flocks with these people?'

قَالَتَا لَاا نَسۡقِي حَتَّى يُصۡدِرَ الرِّعَاء

They said:We cannot water until the shepherds take...

meaning, `we cannot water our flocks until they finish.'

وَأَبُونَا شَيۡخٌ كَبِيرٌ

And our father is a very old man.

means, `this is what has driven us to what you see.

فَسَقَى لَهُمَا

So he watered (their flocks) for them,

ثُمَّ تَوَلَّى إِلَى الظِّلِّ فَقَالَ

then he turned back to shade, and said:

رَبِّ إِنِّي لِمَا أَنزَلۡتَ إِلَيَّ مِنۡ خَيۡرٍ فَقِيرٌ

My Lord! Truly, I am in need of whatever good that You bestow on me!

إِلَى الظِّلِّ

(to shade, Ibn Abbas, Ibn Mas`ud and As-Suddi said:

He sat beneath a tree.

Ata' bin As-Sa'ib said:

When Musa said:

رَبِّ إِنِّي لِمَا أَنزَلۡتَ إِلَيَّ مِنۡ خَيۡرٍ فَقِيرٌ

(My Lord! Truly, I am in need of whatever good that You bestow on me!') the women heard him.

Musa, the Father of the Two Women, and His Marriage to One of Them

When the two women came back quickly with the sheep, their father was surprised that they returned so soon. He asked them what had happened, and they told him what Musa, peace be upon him, had done. So he sent one of them to call him to meet her father.

Allah says:

فَجَاءتۡهُ إِحۡدَاهُمَا تَمۡشِي عَلَى اسۡتِحۡيَاء

Then there came to him one of them, walking shyly.

meaning, she was walking like a free woman, as it was narrated from the Commander of the faithful, Umar, may Allah be pleased with him:

She was covering herself from them with the folds of her garment.

Ibn Abi Hatim recorded that `Amr bin Maymun said, Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, said:

She came walking shyly, putting her garment over her face. She was not one of those audacious women who come and go as they please.

This chain of narrators is Sahih.

قَالَتۡ إِنَّ أَبِي يَدۡعُوكَ لِيَجۡزِيَكَ أَجۡرَ مَا سَقَيۡتَ لَنَا

She said:Verily, my father calls you that he may reward you for having watered (our flocks) for us.

This is an example of good manners:she did not invite him directly lest he have some suspicious thoughts about her. Rather she said:My father is inviting you so that he may reward you for watering our sheep, i.e., give you some payment for that.

فَلَمَّا جَاءهُ وَقَصَّ عَلَيۡهِ الۡقَصَصَ

So when he came to him and narrated the story,

means, he told him about his story and why he had to leave his country.

قَالَ لَاا تَخَفۡ نَجَوۡتَ مِنَ الۡقَوۡمِ الظَّالِمِينَ

he said:Fear you not. You have escaped from the people who are wrongdoers.

He was saying:`calm down and relax, for you have left their kingdom and they have no authority in our land.' So he said:

نَجَوۡتَ مِنَ الۡقَوۡمِ الظَّالِمِينَ

(You have escaped from the people who are wrongdoers).

قَالَتۡ إِحۡدَاهُمَا يَا أَبَتِ اسۡتَأۡجِرۡهُ إِنَّ خَيۡرَ مَنِ اسۡتَأۡجَرۡتَ الۡقَوِيُّ الاۡاَمِينُ

And said one of them:O my father! Hire him! Verily, the best of men for you to hire is the strong, the trustworthy.

One of the two daughters of the man said this, and it was said that she was the one who had walked behind Musa, peace be upon him. She said to her father:

يَا أَبَتِ اسۡتَأۡجِرۡهُ

(O my father! Hire him!) as a shepherd to look after the sheep.

Umar, Ibn Abbas, Shurayh Al-Qadi, Abu Malik, Qatadah, Muhammad bin Ishaq and others said:

When she said:

إِنَّ خَيۡرَ مَنِ اسۡتَأۡجَرۡتَ الۡقَوِيُّ الاَۡمِينُ

(Verily, the best of men for you to hire is the strong, the trustworthy), her father said to her, `What do you know about that?'

She said to him, `He lifted a rock which could only be lifted by ten men, and when I came back with him, I walked ahead of him, but he said to me, walk behind me, and if I get confused about the route, throw a pebble so that I will know which way to go.'

Abdullah (Ibn Mas`ud) said,

The people who had the most discernment were three:

Abu Bakr's intuition about Umar;

the companion of Yusuf when he said, `Make his stay comfortable'; and

the companion of Musa, when she said:

يَا أَبَتِ اسۡتَأۡجِرۡهُ إِنَّ خَيۡرَ مَنِ اسۡتَأۡجَرۡتَ الۡقَوِيُّ الاۡاَمِينُ

(O my father! Hire him! Verily, the best of men for you to hire is the strong, the trustworthy).

قَالَ إِنِّي أُرِيدُ أَنۡ أُنكِحَكَ إِحۡدَى ابۡنَتَيَّ هَاتَيۡنِ

He said:I intend to wed one of these two daughters of mine to you,

means, this old man asked him to take care of his flocks, then he would marry one of his two daughters to him.

عَلَى أَن تَأۡجُرَنِي ثَمَانِيَ حِجَجٍ فَإِنۡ أَتۡمَمۡتَ عَشۡرًا فَمِنۡ عِندِكَ

on condition that you serve me for eight years; but if you complete ten years, it will be (a favor) from you.

meaning, `on the condition that you tend my flocks for eight years, and if you want to give me two extra years, that is up to you, but if you do not want to, then eight years is enough.'

وَمَا أُرِيدُ أَنۡ أَشُقَّ عَلَيۡكَ سَتَجِدُنِي إِن شَاء اللَّهُ مِنَ الصَّالِحِينَ

But I intend not to place you under a difficulty. If Allah wills, you will find me one of the righteous.

means, `I do not want to put pressure on you or cause you any inconvenience or argue with you.'

Ibn Abi Hatim recorded that Ali bin Rabah Al-Lakhmi said,

I heard Utbah bin An-Nadar As-Sulami, the Companion of the Messenger of Allah narrating that the Messenger of Allah said:

إِنَّ مُوسَى عَلَيۡهِ السَّلَمُ اجَرَ نَفۡسَهُ بِعِفَّةِ فَرۡجِهِ وَطُعۡمَةِ بَطۡنِه

Musa, peace be upon him, hired himself out for the purpose of keeping chaste and to feed himself.

And Allah tells us about Musa, peace be upon him:

قَالَ ذَلِكَ بَيۡنِي وَبَيۡنَكَ أَيَّمَا الاۡاَجَلَيۡنِ قَضَيۡتُ فَلَا عُدۡوَانَ عَلَيَّ وَاللَّهُ عَلَى مَا نَقُولُ وَكِيلٌ

He said:That (is settled) between me and you:whichever of the two terms I fulfill, there will be no injustice to me, and Allah is Surety over what we say.

Musa said to his father-in-law,

The matter is as you say. You have hired me for eight years, and if I complete ten years, that is my choice, but if I do the lesser amount, I will still have fulfilled the covenant and met the conditions.

So he said:

أَيَّمَا الاَۡجَلَيۡنِ قَضَيۡتُ فَلَ عُدۡوَانَ عَلَيَّ

(whichever of the two terms I fulfill, there will be no injustice to me),

meaning, `there will be no blame on me. The complete term is permissible but it is still regarded as something extra.'

This is like the Ayah,

فَمَن تَعَجَّلَ فِى يَوۡمَيۡنِ فَلَ إِثۡمَ عَلَيۡهِ وَمَن تَأَخَّرَ فَل إِثۡمَ عَلَيۡهِ

But whosoever hastens to leave in two days, there is no sin on him and whosoever stays on, there is no sin on him. (2:203)

And the Messenger of Allah said to Hamzah bin Amr Al-Aslami, may Allah be pleased with him, who used to fast a great deal and who asked him about fasting while traveling:

إِنۡ شِيۡتَ فَصُمۡ وَإِنۡ شِيۡتَ فَأَفۡطِر

If you wish, then fast, and if you wish, do not fast.

even though it is better to fast, according to the evidence of other reports.

And there is evidence which indicates that Musa, peace be upon him, fulfilled the longer of the two terms.

Al-Bukhari recorded that Sa`id bin Jubayr said:

A Jew from the people of Hirah asked me; `Which of the two terms did Musa fulfill?'

I said, `I do not know until I go to the scholar of the Arabs and ask him.'

So I went to Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, and asked him. He said:

`He fulfilled the longer and better of them, for when a Messenger of Allah said he would do a thing, he did it.'

This is how it was recorded by Al-Bukhari.