Surah 28. Al-Qasas

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Verses [Section]: 1-13[1], 14-21 [2], 22-28 [3], 29-42 [4], 43-50 [5], 51-60 [6], 61-75 [7], 76-82 [8], 83-88 [9]

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Quran Text of Verse 22-2828. Al-Qasas Page 388وَ لَمَّاAnd whenتَوَجَّهَhe turned his faceتِلْقَآءَtowardsمَدْیَنَMadyanقَالَhe saidعَسٰیPerhapsرَبِّیْۤmy Lordاَنْ[that]یَّهْدِیَنِیْwill guide meسَوَآءَ(to the) soundالسَّبِیْلِ way وَ لَمَّاAnd whenوَرَدَhe cameمَآءَ(to the) waterمَدْیَنَ(of) Madyanوَجَدَhe foundعَلَیْهِon itاُمَّةًa groupمِّنَofالنَّاسِmenیَسْقُوْنَ ؗ۬wateringوَ وَجَدَand he foundمِنْbesides themدُوْنِهِمُbesides themامْرَاَتَیْنِtwo womenتَذُوْدٰنِ ۚkeeping backقَالَHe saidمَاWhatخَطْبُكُمَا ؕ(is the) matter with both of youقَالَتَاThey saidلَاWe cannot waterنَسْقِیْWe cannot waterحَتّٰیuntilیُصْدِرَtake awayالرِّعَآءُ ٚthe shepherdsوَ اَبُوْنَاand our fatherشَیْخٌ(is) a very old manكَبِیْرٌ (is) a very old man فَسَقٰیSo he wateredلَهُمَاfor themثُمَّThenتَوَلّٰۤیhe turned backاِلَیtoالظِّلِّthe shadeفَقَالَand saidرَبِّMy Lord!اِنِّیْIndeed I amلِمَاۤof whateverاَنْزَلْتَYou sendاِلَیَّto meمِنْofخَیْرٍgoodفَقِیْرٌ (in) need فَجَآءَتْهُThen came to himاِحْدٰىهُمَاone of the two womenتَمْشِیْwalkingعَلَیwithاسْتِحْیَآءٍ ؗshynessقَالَتْShe saidاِنَّIndeedاَبِیْmy fatherیَدْعُوْكَcalls youلِیَجْزِیَكَthat he may reward youاَجْرَ(the) rewardمَا(for) whatسَقَیْتَyou wateredلَنَا ؕfor usفَلَمَّاSo whenجَآءَهٗhe came to himوَ قَصَّand narratedعَلَیْهِto himالْقَصَصَ ۙthe storyقَالَhe saidلَا(Do) notتَخَفْ ۫ۥfearنَجَوْتَYou have escapedمِنَfromالْقَوْمِthe peopleالظّٰلِمِیْنَ the wrongdoers قَالَتْSaidاِحْدٰىهُمَاone of themیٰۤاَبَتِO my father!اسْتَاْجِرْهُ ؗHire himاِنَّIndeedخَیْرَ(the) bestمَنِwhomاسْتَاْجَرْتَyou (can) hireالْقَوِیُّ(is) the strongالْاَمِیْنُ the trustworthy قَالَHe saidاِنِّیْۤIndeed, Iاُرِیْدُ[I] wishاَنْtoاُنْكِحَكَmarry you toاِحْدَیoneابْنَتَیَّ(of) my daughtersهٰتَیْنِ(of) these twoعَلٰۤیonاَنْthatتَاْجُرَنِیْyou serve meثَمٰنِیَ(for) eightحِجَجٍ ۚyearsفَاِنْbut ifاَتْمَمْتَyou completeعَشْرًاtenفَمِنْthen fromعِنْدِكَ ۚyouوَ مَاۤAnd notاُرِیْدُI wishاَنْtoاَشُقَّmake it difficultعَلَیْكَ ؕfor youسَتَجِدُنِیْۤYou will find meاِنْifشَآءَAllah willsاللّٰهُAllah willsمِنَofالصّٰلِحِیْنَ the righteous قَالَHe saidذٰلِكَThatبَیْنِیْ(is) between meوَ بَیْنَكَ ؕand between youاَیَّمَاWhicheverالْاَجَلَیْنِ(of) the two termsقَضَیْتُI completeفَلَاthen noعُدْوَانَinjusticeعَلَیَّ ؕto meوَ اللّٰهُand Allahعَلٰیoverمَاwhatنَقُوْلُwe sayوَكِیْلٌ۠(is) a Witness

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Translation of Verse 22-28

(28:22) When (after his departure from Egypt) Moses headed towards Midian,³¹ he said: "I hope my Lord will show me the right Path."³²

(28:23) When he arrived at the spring of Midian,³³ he found there a crowd of people watering their flocks, and he found apart from them two women holding their flocks back. He asked the women: "What is it that troubles you?" They said: "We cannot water our flocks until the shepherds take their flocks away, and our father is a very old man."³⁴

(28:24) On hearing this Moses watered their flocks for them, and then returned in a shaded place and said: "My Lord, I am truly in great need of any good that You might send down to me."

(28:25) Soon thereafter one of the two women came to him, walking bashfully,³⁵ and said: "My father invites you that he may reward you for your having watered our flocks for us.³⁶" When Moses came to him and narrated to him the whole of his story, he said: "Have no fear. You are now safe from the iniquitous people."

(28:26) One of the two women said: "Father, employ this man in your service. The best whom you might employ is he who is strong and trustworthy."³⁷

(28:27) Her father said to Moses:³⁸ "I want to marry one of these two daughters of mine to you if you serve me for eight years. But if you complete ten years, that will be of your own accord (but not an obligation). I do not intend to treat you harshly. If Allah wills, you will find me an upright man."

(28:28) Moses replied: "So that is agreed between me and you. Whichever of the two terms I fulfil, I trust that I shall not be wronged. Allah is a witness over the covenant we are committing ourselves to."³⁹

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Commentary

31. Here the Biblical account is in agreement with the Qur’anic one in that both state that after leaving Egypt, Moses proceeded to Midian. The Talmud, however, relates the absurd story of Moses fleeing to Abyssinia and becoming a great favorite of the king there. After the death of that king, Moses took over his mantle and was further given the hand of the late king’s widow in marriage. Moses ruled there for 40 years but never consummated his marriage with the king’s widow.

After 40 years, she complained to her nobles that Moses had not had conjugal relations with her and that he did not worship their gods. Upon this the nobles dethroned him and sent him away honorably with a great many presents and an abundance of wealth. Moses then proceeded to Midian from Abyssinia where after the events narrated in the following verses took place. Moses was then 67 years old. (See H. Polano, The Talmud Selection 8, pp. 129-33. But the Talmud does not mention his age. See also The Jewish Encyclopedia, Vol. 9, p. 48.)* The absurdity of this account is evident by virtue of the fact that it mentions that Assyria (northern Iraq) at that time was under the suzerainty of Abyssinia.

* The learned author probably worked out the age in the light of the Jewish tradition which says that Moses was in Jethro’s captivity for 10 years and when Jethro released him (Moses) his age _ was 77 - Ed.

It also mentions that both Moses and the King of Assyria prior to Moses’s, kingship carried out military campaigns to suppress the rebellious Assyrians.

Now anyone who has even a smattering conversance with history or geography can look at the map and see that Abyssinian rule over Assyria and military campaigns by the Abyssinians against Assyria were only possible if Ethiopia also ruled over Egypt, Palestine and Syria, or if the whole of Arabia was under their dominion; or else, if the Abyssinian navy was so powerful that it could cross the Indian Ocean and the Persian Gulf to conquer Iraq. History, however, does not tell us that this was the case at all.

- The Abyssinians never controlled these countries and their navy was never so powerful. This only shows how distorted and inaccurate. the Israelites’ knowledge of their own history really was. The Qur’an corrects their mistakes and presents the true picture of things. Notwithstanding this, Christian and Jewish Orientalists do not hesitate to claim that the Qur’an took its historical accounts from Israelite traditions.

32. That is, the path that would safely take him to Midian. In those days, Midian was not a part of Pharaoh’s kingdom. Egypt did not have control | over the entire Sinai Peninsula but only over its western and southern parts.

The eastern and western shores of the Gulf of ‘Aqabah, where the Midianites lived, were not under Egyptian control. Hence why Moses (peace be on him) headed towards Midian, which was the nearest territory independent of Egyptian control. But to get there, he had to pass through Egyptian territory and cross various police and military check posts. He, therefore, prayed to Allah to lead him to the path which would safely take him to Midian.

33. According to Arab traditions, the place where Moses (peace be on him) arrived was a few miles to the south of Maqni on the western coast of the Gulf of ‘Aqabah. It is presently called al-Bad, which is a small town. I visited it in December 1959 on my way to ‘Aqabah from Tabuk. The residents of the town told me that they had heard from their elders that this is where ancient Midian was located. All modern and ancient explorers and geographers from Josephus to Burton also agree that this is the place where Midian was located. (The only person worthy of being called a historian by the name of Josephus is Josephus Flavius. See, art. “Josephus Flavius”, The New Encyclopedia Britannica, Micropaedia, Vol. 6, pp. 623-4.) (See also art “Sir Richard (Francis) Burton”, ibid, Vol. 2, pp. 667-9 — Ed.) Nearby is a place presently called Magha’i r Shu‘ayb or Magharat Shu‘ayb where there are a few monuments in the Thamudic style of architecture. About a mile or a mile and a half away, there are a few ruins among which we saw two dry wells. The locals told us, though with some uncertainty, that one of the two wells was located at the spot where Moses (peace be on him) had watered the goats. Abu al-Fida’ (d. 732 A.H./1331 C.E.) in his Taqwim al-Buldan and Yaqut al-Hamawi (d. 626 A.H./1229 C.E.) in his Mu‘jam al-Buldan have written on the authority of Abu Zayd al-Ansari (d. 216 A.H./831 C.E.), that the locals do identify the place where Moses’ well was located. (See Abu al-Fida’, Taqwim al-Buldan, p. 87. See also Yaqut al-Hamawi, Mu ‘jam al-Buldan, Vol. 5, pp. 77-8 — Ed.) This indicates that the tradition about the well was transmitted across the centuries and, therefore, one can say, with a reasonable degree of confidence, that this is the place mentioned in the Qur’an.

34. Those women told Moses that being women they could not be aggressive with the shepherds in securing water for their animals. Furthermore. their father was too old to water the animals and there was no male member in the family who could do so. Hence, women, willy-nilly, had to undertake that task, obliged as they were to wait until the shepherds had left before they could water their animals. All this was stated very succinctly, and is indicative of the customary female modesty which prevented them from saying much to a male stranger. They said all this in order to prevent the stranger from forming an ill opinion of their family, as one in which the menfolk stayed at home and sent their womenfolk outdoors different errands.

" There are many popular traditions which identify the father of these women with the Prophet Shu‘ayb (peace be on him). However, there is nothing in the Qur'an. directly or indirectly, which would justify such an identification. Shu ‘ayb (peace be on him) for sure is mentioned many times in the Qur’an. Now, had the father of these women been Shu'ayb, there is no reason why he should not have been mentioned here as such. True we find his name used in connection with this verse in some ahadith. But both Ibn Jarir al-Tabari and Ibn Kathir concur that none of those ahadith is sound.

(Ibn Kathir categorically states that the traditions which mention Shu ‘ayb in Prophet Musa’s story are not sound: As for Tabari, he merely mentions that the traditions are so diverse that his personal Opinion is that one should go by the famous saying that their father was Prophet Shu ‘ayb. (peace be on him) until one comes across any evidence that would prompt him to forsake this opinion — Ed.) Hence why the Qur’anic commentators of the stature of ‘Abd Allah ibn ‘Abbas, Hasan al-Basri, Abu ‘Ubaydah and Sa ‘id ibn Jubayr have mentioned, in this regard the names of those used in the Talmud and other Israelite sources. Had the Prophet (peace be on him) clearly mentioned Shu ‘ayb’s (peace be on him) name, these eminent scholars could not have mentioned any other names.

The Bible calls this person Reu’el at one place, and Jethro at another (Exodus 2:16—18; 3:1; 18:5) and states that he was the priest of Midian. In the Talmud he is variously called Re’uel, Jethro and Hobab. The opinion of contemporary Jewish scholars is that Jethro was a synonym for “his excellency”, and that the real name of these women’s father was Re’ uel or Hobab. Likewise, there is disagreement about the meaning of “Kohen Midian”; some say it means priest, while others contend that it means prince. See The Jewish Encyclopaedia, Vol. 7, pp. 173-4,

According to the Talmud, Re’ uel used to visit Pharaoh from time to time before Moses* birth, and Pharaoh had confidence in his knowledge. When the royal council started its deliberations about how to suppress the Israelites and it was decided to kill new-born male babies, Re’uel tried to prevent Pharaoh from doing so. He warned him against the consequences of such an evil deed and suggested that, if he felt that the Israelites were such a burden to him, then he should let them go to Canaan, the land of their ancestors. This infuriated Pharaoh to the extent that he turned Re‘uel out in disgrace. As a result, Re’uel returned to his homeland Midian, and settled there.

As for Re‘uel’s religion, the commonly held belief is that, like Moses, he was a follower of Abraham’s Faith. For exactly like Moses, who was a descendant of Isaac (peace be on him), Re’uel was a descendant of Midyan, the son of Abraham (peace be on him). Perhaps it was because of this lineage - that Re’uel tried to prevent Pharaoh killing the Israelites and so provoked his wrath. Nizam al-Din al-Hasan ibn Husayn al-Qummi al-Nisabiari (d. 728 A.H./1328 C.E.) quoting Hasan al-Basri, says the following about Re’uel: “He was a Muslim; he had embraced the Religion of the Prophet Shu ‘ayb.” (See Nizam al-Din al-Nisaburi, Tafsir Ghara'‘ib al-Qur’an wa Raghda’ib al- Furqan, See comments on Surah al-Shu‘ara’, Vol. 23. Beirut, Dar al-Kutub al-‘Ilmiyyah. Vol. 5, p. 338 — Ed.) The Talmud says that Re’uel used to publicly condemn the idolatry of the Midianites and it was for this reason that they turned against him.

35. ‘Umar explained this sentence in the following manner: “She came, walking modestly, with her face covered with a part of her outer garment, unlike immodest women who are prone to loiter at night, who unabashedly find their way everywhere, and who are ever ready to go out.” See Alusi, Ruh al-Ma‘ani, his comments on Surah al-Qasas 28: verse 25. Several traditions, which say substantively the same, have been quoted by Sa ‘id ibn al-Mansur, Ibn Jarir al- Tabari, Ibn Abi Hatim, and Ibn al-Mundhir on the authority of ‘Umar and are supported by authentic chains of transmission. This throws light on the Islamic concept of modesty, which was derived by the Companions of the Prophet (peace be on him) from the teachings of the Qur’an, and from the training and instruction they had received at the hands of the Prophet (peace be on him). This concept of modesty was opposed to a woman’s exposure of her face before men who were unrelated: to her. It was also opposed to the unabashed wandering around of women in public. Significantly, ‘Urmar's words clearly link modesty with women’s covering of their face and immodesty with exposing it.

36. She also said this out of modesty. It seems that she considered it necessary to explain why she came alone to an unrelated male. Otherwise, if a gentleman had helped a woman in distress, it was not at all appropriate for her to offer him a reward. But the willingness to follow her by a man of Moses’s stature even after hearing about the promised reward, throws light on another aspect of the situation. It shows Moses’ state of desperation at that time. He had left Egypt suddenly and without any provisions. It must also have taken him eight days to get to Midian. He would, therefore, have been hungry, thirsty and quite worn out. He must also have been quite concerned about finding shelter in a city where he was a stranger.He must also have been in need of a compassionate and sympathetic person who would provide him with protection. Hence why Moses did not hesitate to go to that lady’s father even after hearing that he would receive some reward for the little service that he had rendered. He might have thought that this offer of reward was, in fact, in answer to his supplication to God a little while previously and that if he did not accept the invitation merely so as to make a show of his self-respect, this would essentially amount to turning down a God-sent hospitality.

37. The girl did not necessarily say this to her father during the first meeting between him and Moses. Most probably, her father would have asked the stranger to stay with them for a day or two and it was possibly during this stay that the daughter suggested this to her father. The suggestion meant that because of their father’s old age, the womenfolk had to go out on various errands as they had no brother who could relieve them. The hint to the father was that he should employ Moses because he was strong and hardworking as well as trustworthy and honest. It was obviously out of his goodness that Moses had helped them earlier, and while he did so he kept his gaze away from them.

38. It is also not necessary that the father would have said this to Moses immediately after hearing his daughter’s suggestion. Most probably he would have thought about it for some time and eventually have arrived at the conclusion that although he might be a person of good character, it was not appropriate to keep him in the house where his grown-up daughters were living. If he was an upright, cultured and educated person who hailed from a known and respectable family and he must have inferred this from Moses’ story why should he not stay and become his son-in-law? After arriving at this conclusion, he must have talked to Moses at some appropriate moment.

Here again the Israelites have done woeful injustice to their most illustrious Prophet, their greatest benefactor and hero. The Talmud says: “And Moses lived with Re’uel, and he looked with favor upon Zipporah, the daughter of his host, and married her.” See H. Polano, The Talmud Selections, p.133. According to another Jewish tradition, mentioned in The Jewish Encyclopedia: On his arrival at Midian Moses told his whole story to Jethro, who recognized him as the man destined to destroy the Egyptians. He therefore took Moses prisoner in order to deliver him to Pharoah ... Moses was imprisoned in a deep dungeon in Jethro’s house, and received as food only small portions of bread and water. He would have died of hunger had not Zipporah, to whom Moses had before this captivity made an offer of marriage by the well, devised a plan by which she no longer went out to pasture the sheep, but remained at home to attend to the household, being thereby enabled to supply Moses with food without her father’s knowledge.

After ten (or seven) years Zipporah reminded her father that he had at one time cast a man into the dungeon who must have died long ago, but if he were still living he must be a just man whom God had kept alive by a miracle. Jethro went to the dungeon and called Moses, who answered immediately. As Jethro found Moses praying, he really believed that he had been saved by a miracle, and liberated him. ... and gave him the virtuous Zipporah as his wife. The Jewish Encyclopedia, Vol. 9, pp. 48-9.

The question one inevitably asks then is: Are the Western Orientalists, who are ever on the look-out for Qur’anic “sources” blind to the vast difference between the Qur’anic and Israelite narrations of this incident?

39. Some scholars have interpreted this conversation between Moses and his would-be father-in-law as an offer and acceptance of a marriage contract. They have also initiated a meaningless debate about whether rendering service to the father-in-law could be considered as the dower for his daughter's marriage and whether or not such conditions could legitimately form part of the marriage contract.

The fact, however, is that the Qur’anic verses in question are quite clear that this was not a marriage contract. It was rather an initial discussion, the type that takes place anywhere in the world in connection with a marriage proposal. How could it be a marriage contract when it had not been decided which one of the two daughters was to be given in marriage? The gist of the conversation is that the father expressed his readiness to ‘give one of -his daughters in marriage to Moses on condition that Moses lived with him and helped him with his household duties. This for eight or ten years because the father was an old man without any male issue who ‘could manage his affairs. All that he had were his daughters whom he had to send outdoors to manage his various affairs. He desired. therefore. that Moses should become his son-in-law and his right hand. If Moses could undertake this responsibility and affirm that he had no plans to depart with his wife immediately after the marriage, then Re‘uel would be willing to give one of his daughters in marriage. Moses, in need of refuge, accepted the suggestion.

It is quite obvious that this was a premarital agreement between the two parties. Thereafter. the real marriage contract would have been worked out according to the prevailing customs and in which there would have been.

some provision for a dower. There is, thus, no reason to conclude that Moses was prepared to stay in his service as a part of the dower contract.