'He said, 'You have been granted your request, O Musa.' 'And indeed, We have bestowed favor upon you another time.' 'When We inspired to your mother what is inspired.' 'Saying, 'Cast him into the chest, then cast him into the sea; the sea will throw him onto the shore, and an enemy to Me and an enemy to him will take him. And I have cast upon you a love from Me, and so that you may be brought up under My watch.' The meaning: Allah, glorified and exalted is He, said: 'You have been given, O Musa, your request in the expansion of the breast, the facilitation of the matter, and the removal of the knot, either completely or according to the need in actions. The granting of this request is a favor from Allah, glorified and exalted is He, and He has coupled it with a previous favor He has upon him in the regard of stopping upon it, so that his effort may be great and his insight may be pious.'

And it was from the story of Musa, blessings and peace be upon him, as it has been narrated, that Fir'aun was informed that the destruction of his kingdom would be at the hands of a boy from Bani Israel. So he ordered the killing of every boy born to Bani Israel. Then he saw with the people of his kingdom that the annihilation of Bani Israel would return harm to the Copts, as they were the laborers of the land and craftsmen, and so on. He resolved to kill the boys one year and spare them the next year. Thus, Harun, blessings be upon him, was born in the year of sparing, and his mother was safe. Then Musa, blessings and peace be upon him, was born in the fourth year of the year of killing. His mother feared for him from being slaughtered, so she remained concerned. Allah inspired her; it was said, by an angel who came to her and informed her and commanded her. Some of those who narrated this said that she was not a prophetess, for we find in the Shari'ah and its narrations that the angels spoke to those who were not prophets. Others said that the mother of Musa, the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, was a prophetess by this revelation. Some said that this revelation was a vision she saw in her sleep. A group said that it was rather a revelation of inspiration and guidance like Allah's revelation to the bees and others. So Allah, glorified and exalted is He, inspired her to take a chest and place Musa, while he was sleeping in a cradle, in it. Then she cast him into the Nile. Fir'aun was sitting in a place overlooking the Nile when he saw the chest. He ordered it to be brought to him, and his wife was with him. He opened it and saw him. His wife had compassion for him and requested him to take him as a son, and he permitted her that. It has been narrated that the chest came in the water to the place where the women of Fir'aun used to draw water, and they took the chest and carried it to her. She took him out and informed Fir'aun and requested him from him. Then she presented him for nursing, but he did not accept any woman. So she began to call out about him in the city, and he was paraded to be offered to wet nurses. Whenever a woman was presented to him, he rejected her. His mother, when he was taken away from her in the Nile, remained distressed, her heart empty except for her concern for him. She said to his sister, 'Seek his trace in the city, perhaps we may receive news of him.' While the sister was going around, she saw him and understood his matter. She said to them, 'I can guide you to a household that will care for him for you, and they are sincere to him.' So they clung to her and said to her, 'You know this boy.' She said, 'No, but I know that the people of this household are keen to get close to the queen and diligent in serving her and pleasing her.' So they left her and asked her for guidance. She came with the mother of Musa, and when she brought him close to her, he suckled from her breast. Asia, the wife of Fir'aun, was pleased with her and said to her, 'Be with me in the palace.' She said to her, 'I would not leave my house and my child, but he will be with me.' So she treated the people of that household with utmost kindness, and the children of Israel were honored by this nursing, and the reason was from the queen. Musa remained until he completed his nursing. Asia sent to her to bring my son on such and such day, and she commanded her servants and those with her to meet him with gifts, presents, and clothing. He arrived to her in that state, in good condition and the most beautiful of youth. She was pleased with him and entered upon Fir'aun to show him to him and for him to love him. He saw him and admired him and brought him close. Musa, blessings and peace be upon him, took Fir'aun's beard and pulled it. Fir'aun became enraged and said, 'This is an enemy to me.' He ordered for him to be killed. His wife pleaded with him regarding him and said, 'Indeed, he does not understand.' Fir'aun said, 'Rather, he understands.' They agreed on a test with a burning coal and a jewel, as we mentioned earlier in the resolution of the knot. Allah saved him from Fir'aun and returned him to his mother, and he grew up with her until he reached maturity. He was a strong and virtuous young man, and the children of Israel took pride in him due to that nursing. He would protect them and be their ally, knowing within himself that he was one of them and from their essence. His insight was in their protection, and the notable ones of Bani Israel recognized that.

Then indeed, the story of the Egyptian who fought with the Israelite was revealed, and its mention in its place is comprehensive. So Moses, peace be upon him, left Egypt until he reached Midian. What occurred with him regarding Shu'ayb, the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, is what is comprehensive in its place. He married his younger daughter while tending to the flock of sheep for ten years. Then he intended to depart with his wife to the land of Egypt. On his way, he became lost on a dark night and saw the fire as previously mentioned. Allah, glorified and exalted is He, enumerated for Moses in this verse what this story contains of Allah's kindness towards him in every virtue. He saved him from one story to another, and these trials which He tested him with, meaning He tested him and saved him until he was fit for prophethood and was prepared for it.

And His saying, glorified and exalted is He: "What is revealed" implies the greatness of the matter and its majesty in blessings. This is similar to His saying, glorified is He: "When the lote tree was covered by that which covered it" [An-Najm: 16]. This is abundant in the Qur'an and speech. And "to cast it" is a substitute for "what," and the first pronoun in "cast it" refers back to Moses, while the second refers to the chest. It is permissible for it to return to Moses, peace be upon him. And His saying, glorified and exalted is He: "Then let the sea cast it" is a report that came in the form of a command in exaggeration, as the command is the most decisive of actions and is obligatory. From it is the saying of the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him: "Stand up, so I may pray for you." Thus, the report was given in the form of a command for himself in exaggeration. This is common, and as the action was given, the answer to the command is likewise good. And the "enemy" who was against Allah, glorified and exalted is He, and against Moses, peace be upon him, is Pharaoh. However, Moses' mother was informed of him in a suggestive manner.

For this reason, she said to his sister: "Follow him," while she did not know where.

Then Allah, glorified and exalted is He, informed Moses, peace be upon him, that He cast upon him love from Him. Some people said: He meant the love of Asiya, for she was from Allah and was the reason for his life. A group said: He meant the acceptance that Allah places in the hearts of His chosen servants, and Moses, peace be upon him, had a great share of it. A group said: He granted him a reverence that made everyone who saw him love him. Another group said: He granted him beauty of the eyes.

Qadi Abu Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, said: These two sayings have weaknesses, and the strongest of the sayings is that it is acceptance.

And the majority read: "And let it be made under My watch" with the lam broken and the ta' pronounced with a dammah, meaning: and let it be nourished and fed and raised. Abu Nuhaik read: "And let it be made" with the ta' opened. Tha'lab said: Its meaning is: Let your movement and action be under My watch. Abu Ja'far ibn al-Qaqa' read: "And let it be made" with a ya' and the lam broken in the imperative for the absent, and that is plausible. And His saying: "Under My watch" means: in sight of Me and a matter that is perceived and observed.