20 Sura Taha

The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:

إِذْ أَوْحَيْنَا إِلَى أُمِّكَ مَا يُوحَى ﴿٣٨﴾

20: 38.  "Behold! We sent to thy mother, by inspiration, the message:

C2557. The story is not told, but only those salient points recapitulated which bear on the upbringing and work of Moses.

Long after the age of Joseph, who had been a Wazir to one of the Pharaohs, there came on the throne ofEgypt a Pharaoh who hated the Israelites and wanted them annihilated. He ordered Israelite male children to be killed when they were born.

Moses' mother hid him for a time, but when further concealment was impossible, a thought came into her mind that she should put her child into a chest and send the chest floating down the Nile. This was not merely a foolish fancy of hers. It was Allah's Plan to bring up Moses in all the learning of the Egyptians, in order that that learning itself should be used to expose what was wrong in it and to advance the glory of Allah.

The chest was floated into the river Nile. It flowed on into a stream that passed through Pharaoh's Garden. It was picked up by Pharaoh's people and the child was adopted by Pharaoh's wife.

See 28:4-13.

أَنِ اقْذِفِيهِ فِي التَّابُوتِ فَاقْذِفِيهِ فِي الْيَمِّ فَلْيُلْقِهِ الْيَمُّ...   

20: 39.  "'Throw (the child) into the chest, and throw (the chest) into the river:

...بِالسَّاحِلِ يَأْخُذْهُ عَدُوٌّ لِّي وَعَدُوٌّ لَّهُ...

the river will cast him up on the bank, and he will be taken up by one who is an enemy to Me and an enemy to him':

C2558. Pharaoh was an enemy to Allah, because he was puffed up and he blasphemed, claiming to be God himself.

He was an enemy to the child Moses, because he hated the Israelites and wanted to have their male children killed; also because Moses stood for Allah's revelation to come.

...وَأَلْقَيْتُ عَلَيْكَ مَحَبَّةً مِّنِّي ...

but I cast (the garment of) love over thee from Me:

C2559. Allah made the child comely and lovable, and he attracted the love of the very people who, on general grounds, would have killed him.

... وَلِتُصْنَعَ عَلَى عَيْنِي ﴿٣٩﴾

and (this) in order that thou mayest be reared under Mine eye.

C2560. See n. 2558 above.

By making the child Moses so attractive as to be adopted into Pharaoh's household, not only was Moses brought up in the best way possible from an earthly point of view, but Allah's special Providence looked after him in bringing his mother to him, as stated in the next verse, and thus nourishing him on his mother's milk and keeping him in touch, in his inner growth, with the feelings and sentiments of his people Israel.

Other versions:

Pharaoh is an enemy of God

(20:38) when We inspired thy mother with this inspiration: (20:39) 'Place him in a chest and throw it into the river, and thereupon the river will cast him ashore, [and] one who is an enemy unto Me and an enemy unto him will adopt him." 21

"And [thus early] I spread Mine Own love over thee - and [this] in order that thou might be formed under Mine eye. 22

20:39 [Ta’ha, Mecca 45]