فَٱلْتَقَطَهُۥٓ ءَالُ فِرْعَوْنَ لِيَكُونَ لَهُمْ عَدُوًّا وَحَزَنًا ۗ إِنَّ فِرْعَوْنَ وَهَـٰمَـٰنَ وَجُنُودَهُمَا كَانُوا۟ خَـٰطِـِٔينَ 8
Translations
And the family of Pharaoh picked him up [out of the river] so that he would become to them an enemy and a [cause of] grief. Indeed, Pharaoh and Hāmān and their soldiers were deliberate sinners.
Transliteration
Wal-taqatahu ālu fir'awna liyakūna lahum 'aduwwan wa hazanan. Inna fir'awna wa Hāmāna wa junūdahumā kānū khāti'īn.
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah describes how the family of Pharaoh picked up the baby Musa from the river, intending to raise him as their own, yet Allah decreed that he would become their enemy and source of grief. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir note the profound irony: Pharaoh's own household became the means of nurturing the one who would destroy his kingdom. The verse emphasizes that Pharaoh, Haman, and their soldiers were transgressors whose sinful plotting was ultimately futile against Allah's divine plan.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears within the narrative of Musa's birth and early life in Surah Al-Qasas (a Meccan surah). It contextualizes the miraculous preservation of Musa and illustrates the theme of Allah's protection of His messengers despite the plans of their enemies. The surah presents these stories as a consolation to the Prophet Muhammad during Meccan persecution.
Related Hadiths
While no specific hadith directly comments on this verse, the story is referenced in various hadith collections discussing the biography of Musa. See related discussions in Tafsir Ibn Kathir regarding the narrative of Musa's mother and the preservation of the prophets.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches us that Allah's plans transcend human understanding and schemes; what appears as a victory for the arrogant (Pharaoh gaining a child) becomes their ultimate downfall, reminding believers to trust in Allah's wisdom even when circumstances seem adverse.
Related Ayahs
وَأَتْبَعْنَـٰهُمْ فِى هَـٰذِهِ ٱلدُّنْيَا لَعْنَةً ۖ وَيَوْمَ ٱلْقِيَـٰمَةِ هُم مِّنَ ٱلْمَقْبُوحِينَ
And We caused to overtake them in this world a curse, and on the Day of Resurrection they will be of the despised.
فَلَمَّآ أَنْ أَرَادَ أَن يَبْطِشَ بِٱلَّذِى هُوَ عَدُوٌّ لَّهُمَا قَالَ يَـٰمُوسَىٰٓ أَتُرِيدُ أَن تَقْتُلَنِى كَمَا قَتَلْتَ نَفْسًۢا بِٱلْأَمْسِ ۖ إِن تُرِيدُ إِلَّآ أَن تَكُونَ جَبَّارًا فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ وَمَا تُرِيدُ أَن تَكُونَ مِنَ ٱلْمُصْلِحِينَ
And when he wanted to strike the one who was an enemy to both of them, he said, "O Moses, do you intend to kill me as you killed someone yesterday? You only want to be a tyrant in the land and do not want to be of the amenders."
وَأَوْحَيْنَآ إِلَىٰٓ أُمِّ مُوسَىٰٓ أَنْ أَرْضِعِيهِ ۖ فَإِذَا خِفْتِ عَلَيْهِ فَأَلْقِيهِ فِى ٱلْيَمِّ وَلَا تَخَافِى وَلَا تَحْزَنِىٓ ۖ إِنَّا رَآدُّوهُ إِلَيْكِ وَجَاعِلُوهُ مِنَ ٱلْمُرْسَلِينَ
And We inspired to the mother of Moses, "Suckle him; but when you fear for him, cast him into the river and do not fear and do not grieve. Indeed, We will return him to you and will make him [one] of the messengers."
وَمَا كُنتَ بِجَانِبِ ٱلْغَرْبِىِّ إِذْ قَضَيْنَآ إِلَىٰ مُوسَى ٱلْأَمْرَ وَمَا كُنتَ مِنَ ٱلشَّـٰهِدِينَ
And you, [O Muḥammad], were not on the western side [of the mount] when We revealed to Moses the command, and you were not among the witnesses [to that].