۞ وَحَرَّمْنَا عَلَيْهِ ٱلْمَرَاضِعَ مِن قَبْلُ فَقَالَتْ هَلْ أَدُلُّكُمْ عَلَىٰٓ أَهْلِ بَيْتٍ يَكْفُلُونَهُۥ لَكُمْ وَهُمْ لَهُۥ نَـٰصِحُونَ 12
Translations
And We had prevented from him [all] wet nurses before, so she said, "Shall I direct you to a household that will be responsible for him for you while they are to him [for his upbringing] sincere?"
Transliteration
Wa-harramna alayhi al-marada'i min qablu faqalat hal adullukum ala ahli baytin yakfulunahu lakum wa hum lahu nasihun
Tafsir (Explanation)
Allah prevented the wet nurses from nursing Prophet Musa (Moses), and his sister Maryam then offered to guide Pharaoh's household to a trustworthy family who could care for the infant—her own mother and family. This divine intervention ensured that Musa would be returned to his own mother, fulfilling Allah's promise and demonstrating His perfect plan. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir note this as a miraculous provision (rizq) where Allah closed the doors of nursing to all except through His ordained means, highlighting the ingenious role of Maryam in reuniting mother and child.
Revelation Context
This ayah continues the narrative of Prophet Musa's birth and early life during Pharaoh's reign, when he ordered the killing of male children from the Israelites. Musa's mother cast him into the river following divine inspiration, and he was found by Pharaoh's household. This specific moment describes how Allah preserved Musa and orchestrated his return to his biological mother through seemingly natural events—revealing Allah's wisdom in His decree.
Related Hadiths
While no specific hadith directly narrates this event, Surah Al-Qasas 28:7-13 itself is a hadith qudsi narrative of Musa's story. Related to themes of divine providence and mothers' rights: Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) emphasized the rights and honor of mothers in numerous hadiths, including in Sahih Bukhari and Muslim regarding kindness to parents.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches us that Allah's plans often work through natural means and the actions of righteous people; we should trust in His wisdom even when we cannot see the full picture. It also demonstrates the power of wisdom and intelligence (symbolized by young Maryam) in resolving difficult situations while remaining obedient to Allah's guidance.
Related Ayahs
وَأَصْبَحَ ٱلَّذِينَ تَمَنَّوْا۟ مَكَانَهُۥ بِٱلْأَمْسِ يَقُولُونَ وَيْكَأَنَّ ٱللَّهَ يَبْسُطُ ٱلرِّزْقَ لِمَن يَشَآءُ مِنْ عِبَادِهِۦ وَيَقْدِرُ ۖ لَوْلَآ أَن مَّنَّ ٱللَّهُ عَلَيْنَا لَخَسَفَ بِنَا ۖ وَيْكَأَنَّهُۥ لَا يُفْلِحُ ٱلْكَـٰفِرُونَ
And those who had wished for his position the previous day began to say, "Oh, how Allāh extends provision to whom He wills of His servants and restricts it! If not that Allāh had conferred favor on us, He would have caused it to swallow us. Oh, how the disbelievers do not succeed!"
وَنَزَعْنَا مِن كُلِّ أُمَّةٍ شَهِيدًا فَقُلْنَا هَاتُوا۟ بُرْهَـٰنَكُمْ فَعَلِمُوٓا۟ أَنَّ ٱلْحَقَّ لِلَّهِ وَضَلَّ عَنْهُم مَّا كَانُوا۟ يَفْتَرُونَ
And We will extract from every nation a witness and say, "Produce your proof," and they will know that the truth belongs to Allāh, and lost from them is that which they used to invent.
وَقَالَ مُوسَىٰ رَبِّىٓ أَعْلَمُ بِمَن جَآءَ بِٱلْهُدَىٰ مِنْ عِندِهِۦ وَمَن تَكُونُ لَهُۥ عَـٰقِبَةُ ٱلدَّارِ ۖ إِنَّهُۥ لَا يُفْلِحُ ٱلظَّـٰلِمُونَ
And Moses said, "My Lord is more knowing [than we or you] of who has come with guidance from Him and to whom will be succession in the home. Indeed, wrongdoers do not succeed."
فَرَدَدْنَـٰهُ إِلَىٰٓ أُمِّهِۦ كَىْ تَقَرَّ عَيْنُهَا وَلَا تَحْزَنَ وَلِتَعْلَمَ أَنَّ وَعْدَ ٱللَّهِ حَقٌّ وَلَـٰكِنَّ أَكْثَرَهُمْ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ
So We restored him to his mother that she might be content and not grieve and that she would know that the promise of Allāh is true. But most of them [i.e., the people] do not know.