Commentary
Then he mentioned the context of the action and said: "When your sister walks," meaning in the place where they placed you, so that they could look for a wet nurse for you. "Then she says," after she sees you, to the family of Pharaoh: "Shall I guide you to someone who will take care of him?" meaning who will attend to his needs of nursing and service, being sincere to him. They said: "Yes!" So she came with your mother, and you accepted her breast. "Then we returned you," meaning as a result of her saying this, we returned you "to your mother" when she guided them to her, "so that her eye may be comforted," meaning to cool and be at peace, "and she may raise you safely without fear, openly and not hidden. "And do not grieve" over your separation from her or over her not raising you, and her exerting effort for your benefit. "And you killed a soul," meaning after you became a man from the Copts, defending a man from your people, and you were sought for it, and they wanted to kill you. "So we saved you" by what we have of greatness "from the distress" that had befallen you due to killing him, out of fear of the consequence of it, by bringing you out as a refugee to their land towards Midian. "And we tested you with trials," meaning we saved you from calamity after calamity, time after time, (p-289) as it is the plural of trials or a trial, [UNTRANSLATED-LATIN: 'ala tarki al-i'tidad bi al-ta'i -], and it may be a source like 'shakur.' Thus, the trials include your birth in the year of the slaughter, and your being kept in the sea, then your being prevented from nursing from the breast of your mother, then your being pulled by the beard of Pharaoh, then your taking the ember instead of the pearl, then your killing the Copt, then your fleeing to Midian on the way, fearful and watchful, then your renting yourself for ten years, then your losing your way, then your sheep scattering on a dark night. "So you remained for many years" among the people of Midian, residing with our Prophet Shu'ayb, blessings and peace be upon him, who raised you with his manners, and you married his daughter. "Then you came" meaning now "at a predetermined time," meaning at a time I had decreed for you in the past to speak to you, which is reaching maturity and being upright, and sending you to Pharaoh to fulfill my decree which had slaughtered the sons of the Children of Israel out of fear of him. So you came without advancing or delaying. "O Musa."
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