Overview (Verses 37 - 41)

Reminder of Past Favours
 
God responded by saying that all Moses’ requests were granted. This was an act of grace by the One who is Most Merciful. But with this he is also given a reminder of God’s past favours. Such a reminder is certain to reassure Moses that with God’s support he can face any power or dictator. “And indeed We bestowed Our favour upon you in a time gone by.” (Verse 37) The One who granted him all this protection and support will not let him down now. In the past, His favours were continuous, so it is unlikely that they will stop now after Moses has been assigned a mission by God. The favour mentioned first is that given to his mother which any woman in her condition would have needed. Her inspiration then told her: “Place [your child] in a chest and throw it into the river. The river will cast him ashore.” (Verse 39)
 
We note here that the text describes rough and violent actions: a child being pushed into a wooden chest, and the chest thrown into the river. Then the river casts the box and the child inside onto the shore. But what then? To whose care will this child be entrusted? The answer is: “One who is an enemy to Me and an enemy to him will pick him up.” (Verse 39) Amidst all this Moses is also told: “I lavished My love on you, so that you may be reared under My watchful eye.” (Verse 39)
 
All this is an aspect of divine providence which transforms love and compassion into a shield to protect the child from all the blows, waves and currents. None of the powers of evil is able to harm the recipient of such love, even though he is no more than an infant of only a few days who cannot indicate his needs or express his feelings.
 
We have in this image a rare contrast between the great tyrannical forces lying in wait for the tiny infant and the hard circumstances engulfing him on the one hand and, on the other, the flowing compassion guarding him from all fears and protecting him against all dangers. His protection comes about as tender love, without the need for fighting or confrontation: “I lavished My love on you, so that you may be reared under My watchful eye.” (Verse 39) Nothing further can be added to explain such gentle, loving tenderness than this most perfect Qur’ānic expression of how Moses was reared under God’s watchful eye. How can human expression describe a creature reared under such care? The most that we can do is contemplate the situation and what it meant for Moses’ development. It is a great honour for any human being to have direct divine care for just a moment in his life. What honour is then bestowed on one who is reared under such care? Perhaps this is what made Moses able to receive this address direct from God.
 
Thus Moses is reared under God’s protection right under Pharaoh’s nose, and Pharaoh is the enemy of both God and Moses. Thus, as a young child, he is always within an arm’s reach of Pharaoh, without any human guard or protector. Nevertheless, Pharaoh’s evil hand is restrained by the fact that God has lavished His love on Moses, the child, so that he attracts love by all who see him. Needless to say, with Moses being reared under God’s watchful eye, no harm could come to him from Pharaoh or anyone else.
 
But this is not all. Not only was Moses taken care of, but his mother could not be left at home worrying about her child. The two were soon reunited. “Then your sister went forth and said [to Pharaoh’s people]: ‘Shall I direct you to one who might take care of him?’ Thus did We restore you to your mother, so that her mind might be set at ease and that she might not grieve.” (Verse 40) That was part of God’s design. He prevented the little baby from taking just any woman’s breast. No wet nurse would breast-feed him. Pharaoh and his wife, who had adopted the baby cast to them by the river, were searching for a wet nurse, and this became well known. On instructions from her mother, Moses’ sister went to them saying that she knew the best woman to take care of the baby. [All this is described in detail in Sūrah 28.] She brought them the baby’s own mother and he took her breast immediately. Thus, God’s design for mother and child was accomplished, for the mother had done as she was told, throwing her baby into a wooden chest in the Nile. This action brought the baby to the enemy who was killing all Israelite children. Thus, the safety of this child was accomplished by giving him to his enemies to remain with them, with no other support or guardianship.
 
The next favour Moses is reminded of is his escape after having killed a man: “And you killed a man; but We saved you from all grief although We tested you with various trials. You then stayed for years among the people of Madyan; and now you have come here, Moses, as ordained [by Me]; for I have chosen you for Myself” (Verses 40-41)
 
The killing of this man took place some time during Moses’ early adult years, having grown up in Pharaoh’s palace. He had gone to the market one day and found two people quarrelling, one an Israelite the other an Egyptian. The Israelite appealed to him for help, and Moses pushed the Egyptian, but rather too strongly for the latter fell and was killed. Moses did not intend to kill the man, but simply to push him away. When he saw him dead, he was full of grief. It is good to remember here that Moses was brought up under God’s own care, right from his early childhood. Hence, it was only natural that he was filled with remorse, blaming himself for over- reacting. God reminds him here of His favour, as He directed him to seek forgiveness, which alleviated his sorrow.
 
However, God did not let him simply get away with this without a lesson to learn and benefit from in his future task. Hence, He set him the test of fearing the consequences of his offence and his subsequent attempt to escape punishment. The test took then another form, forcing him to flee the land where he was born and brought up, departing alone without friend or companion. Moreover, having been brought up in the palace of the greatest ruler of the time, enjoying every comfort and luxury, he now had to earn a living. Thus, he had to serve others, and work as a shepherd.
 
At the appointed time, when he attained maturity, after passing the tests to which God subjected him, and when circumstances in Egypt were most suited, with the Israelites subjected to much oppression, Moses was brought in from Madyan. He might have thought that he had chosen to travel at that time himself, but the fact of the matter was that stated in the Qur’ānic verse: “Now you have come here, Moses, as ordained (by Me].” (Verse 40) So his return was at a time God had determined as most suitable.
 
“I have chosen you for Myself” (Verse 41) Thus, Moses was trained and prepared so as to be completely devoted to God’s message and to serving His cause. He was purged of all the temptations of this worldly life, so as to be purely dedicated to the task God appointed for him. All that had passed in his life was part of his training to fulfil the mission that was about to be entrusted to him. Here God tells him that neither himself, nor his family, nor anyone else had any claim on his time or services. He was chosen by God for whatever God wanted him to do.