The water of Madyan is their water from which they draw. It was a well according to what has been narrated. Its coming refers to its arrival and reaching. He found upon its edge and watering place a community, a large group of people from different individuals below them in a lower place than theirs. The driving away refers to expelling and pushing back. They were driving away because there was someone stronger than them at the water, so they could not manage to water. It was said that they disliked competition for the water. It was also said that it was so their flocks would not mix with their flocks. It was said they were driving away from their faces the gaze of the onlooker to cover them. What is your affair? What is your matter? Its reality is: what is sought from you regarding driving away. Thus, what is sought is called a 'khabar', just as what is done is called a 'sha'n' in your saying: what is your matter? It is said: I intended his intention. And it is read as 'we do not water.' And 'the shepherds' is pronounced with a damma on the noon and the ya and the ra. 'The shepherds' is a collective noun like 'rukhāl' and 'thunā'. As for 'the shepherds' with a kasra, it is the norm, like 'sawm' and 'qiyām'. 'Kabīr' means of great age. He watered for them, so he watered their flock for their sake. It has been narrated that the shepherds would place a stone on the head of the well that only seven men could lift.

Ten. And it was said: forty. And it was said: a hundred, so the least is one. It is narrated that he asked them for a bucket of water, and they gave him their bucket and said: 'Draw with it.' It could not be drawn except by forty. So he drew with it and poured it into the trough and prayed for blessings. He watered their sheep and sent them back. It is narrated that he kept them away from the water until he watered for them. It was said: there was another well upon a rock. He did this out of a desire for kindness and relief for the distressed. The meaning is that he reached that water while a crowd of people was gathered around it, and he saw the two weak women behind them with their flock, waiting for them to finish. His determination for the sake of Allah did not miss that opportunity, despite his fatigue, the falling of his foot, and hunger. However, he had mercy on them, so he helped them, and he took care of the matter of watering them in such a crowd with the strength of his heart and the strength of his arm, and what Allah granted him of virtue in the firmness of his nature and the soundness of his disposition. In it, along with the intention of pursuing his own matter and what he was given of strength and power, and what he did not neglect, was a seizing of the opportunity for seeking reward, encouragement for good, and seizing its opportunities, and a call to emulate the righteous in that and to follow their paths and ways. If you say: why is the object not mentioned in his saying 'they water' and 'you drive away' and 'we do not water'? I say: because the purpose is the action, not the object. Do you not see that he only had mercy on them because they were the ones driving away while they were the ones watering? He did not have mercy on them because their herd was sheep and their waterers were camels, for example. Similarly, in their saying 'we do not water until the shepherds return,' the focus is on watering, not what is watered. If you say: how did their answer match his question? I say: he asked them about the reason for driving away, and they said: the reason for that is that we are two weak women who are modest and cannot compete with men and push through them, so we must delay watering until they finish, and we have no man to do that, and our father is an old man weakened by age, so he is not fit to do it: they presented their excuse to him for taking care of watering themselves. If you say: how could it be permissible for the Prophet of Allah, who is Shu'ayb, blessings and peace be upon him, to allow his daughters to water the livestock? I say: the matter in itself is not prohibited, for religion does not reject it. As for manliness, people differ in that, and customs vary in it. The conditions of the Arabs differ from those of the non-Arabs, and the way of the Bedouins in it is different from that of the townspeople, especially when the situation is one of necessity. 'Indeed, I am poor for whatever You have sent down to me, little or much, lean or fat.' The word 'poor' is preceded by the preposition 'for,' because it implies the meaning of a beggar and a seeker. It is said that he mentioned this even though the greenery of the herbs was visible in his stomach from emaciation, for he asked Allah only for a morsel. It is possible that he meant: I am poor in this world because of what You have sent down to me of the good of religion, which is salvation from the oppressors, for he was with Pharaoh in kingship and wealth. He said this in contentment with the noble exchange, and joy in it, and gratitude for it. And the shade was the shade of a dark complexion, upon modesty in the state of being, meaning: modest and shy. And it was said: she covered herself with her armor. It is narrated that when they returned to their father with the people and their sheep, he said to them: what made you hurry?

Go and call him for me. So Moses followed her, and the wind stuck her garment to her body, and she described him. He said to her: Walk behind me and describe the way to me. When she recounted her story to him, he said to her: Do not fear, for Pharaoh has no authority in our land. If you say: How could it be permissible for Moses to act upon the words of a woman, and to walk with her while she is a stranger? I say: As for acting upon the words of a woman, it is like acting upon the words of any individual, whether free or enslaved, male or female, in news. She was only informing him about her father that he is calling him so that he may reward him. And as for the fact that she was a foreign woman, there is no harm in that in similar situations, with that caution and piety. If you say: How is it permissible for him to take a wage for good deeds and kindness? I say: It is possible that he did that for the sake of Allah and as an act of goodness and kindness. It is said that the feeding and kindness of Shu'ayb was not for the sake of taking a wage, but for the acceptance of an initial good deed. How could it be otherwise when he recounted his stories to him and made him aware that he is from the house of prophethood, from the children of Jacob? Someone like him is worthy of hospitality and honor, especially in the house of a prophet of Allah. It is not strange that he would do that out of necessity due to poverty and need in search of a reward. It has been narrated that supports both statements: It was narrated that when she said: So that he may reward you, he disliked that. And when food was presented to him, he refrained and said: We are a family that does not sell our religion for the weight of the earth in gold, nor do we take a price for kindness. Until Shu'ayb said: This is our custom with everyone who comes to us. And from 'Ata ibn al-Sa'ib: He raised his voice in his supplication so that they could hear him, and that is why it was said to him: So that he may reward you for what you watered, meaning, the reward for your watering. And the stories are a source like the causes, named after what is recounted. The elder of them was called Safra, and the younger: Safira. And Safra is the one who took him and requested from her father to hire him, and she is the one he married. And from Ibn Abbas: That Shu'ayb was overcome by jealousy, so he said: And what do you know of his strength and trustworthiness? She mentioned the lifting of the stone and drawing the bucket, and that he directed his head when the message reached him and commanded her to walk behind him. And her saying: Indeed, the best of those you may hire is the strong and trustworthy is wise and comprehensive speech that cannot be added to, for when these two qualities, namely capability and trustworthiness, are combined in the one who is in charge of your affairs, then you have achieved your goal and your desire has been fulfilled. And this saying, which is framed as a proverb, is wise in that it says to hire him for his strength and trustworthiness. It was said by Mahmoud: This is wise and comprehensive speech that cannot be added to, for when strength and trustworthiness are combined in the one who is in charge of your affairs, then you have achieved your goal. And it suffices to send this saying, which is framed as a proverb and wisdom, without saying: For he is strong and trustworthy. Ahmad said: It is also more beautiful in praising women to men than specific praise and more preserving of modesty, especially if she understood that her father's intention was to marry her to him. How well the Farooq, may Allah be pleased with him, took this meaning when he said: I complain to Allah of the weakness of the trustworthy and the betrayal of the strong. In the essence of this complaint is a request from Allah to grant him one who possesses both descriptions, so that he may be strong and trustworthy to assist him in what he was facing, may Allah be pleased with him. And this ambiguity from the daughter of Shu'ayb, peace be upon him, was also taken by Zuleikha with Joseph, peace be upon him. But there is a vast difference between innate and practiced modesty. Not applying kohl to the eyes is not like kohl, where she said to her master: What is the reward for one who intends evil against you except to be imprisoned or a painful punishment, meaning: What is the reward for Joseph for what he intended against me except to imprison him or punish him with a painful punishment? But she hinted to her husband with modesty and shyness that she would not speak of innocence while being attributed to immorality, indicating that this modesty from her, which prevents her from speaking of this matter, also prevents her from enticing Joseph in a more appropriate and primary manner. And Allah knows best.

Indeed, the best of people, alive and dead, is the captive of Thaqif among them in chains. By my life, if you have entered the prison of Khalid, and you have made him tread upon it like the tread of the heavy-laden. He was quick to rise to every calamity, and a giver of gifts, abundant in supererogatory deeds. This is about Abu al-Shaghb al-Absi, who mourned for Khalid ibn Abdullah al-Qasri when he was captured by Yusuf ibn Amr. The best of people is a comparative form, added to the definite article, and it is the subject of the sentence. Alive and dead, and it has been narrated as 'halaka' (perished): these are two states of it. And 'captive' is the predicate of the sentence added to Thaqif, the name of the tribe. The proper noun is more specific than the definite article, so the predicate of the added noun is more specific than its subject added to the definite article, and there is no objection to this with the unity of what is meant by the report. 'Among them in chains' is a state or a predicate after a predicate. 'By my life' is an oath. 'If you have entered' means you have brought in and settled Khalid in the prison. 'And you have made him tread' means you have made him tread with his foot upon the ground like the tread of the heavy-laden: the one carrying something heavy, to make the chain on his legs, so it is a metaphor for that. He was quick to rise, which is the response to the oath, and the response to the condition is omitted, meaning: he was quick to rise to every heavy calamity, and he was a giver of gifts—'al-lahwa' (the flesh) in the mouth's corner, but here it means the mouth itself. The more appropriate meaning is that it is in the plural form, meaning a gift of any kind, abundant: meaning a lot of gifts, and he was abundant in increases in gifts, and 'giver' is treated as if it were in the nominative case for the sake of the meter. In that care is the reason for the preference, and it has been affirmed until it has what is more deserving to be a predicate than a subject. The use of the past tense indicates that it is a matter that has been experienced and known. From it is their saying: 'The least I have done is to speak.' And from Ibn Mas'ud, may Allah be pleased with him: the most insightful of people are three: the daughter of Shu'ayb, the companion of Yusuf, in his saying: 'Perhaps it will benefit us,' and Abu Bakr in 'Umar. It has been narrated that he married a woman of yellow complexion. And his saying: 'These two' indicates that he had others besides them. 'You will hire me as a hired worker' is like saying: 'I have made him a father to me,' and 'eight years' is its time frame. Or from his hire, if you establish it for him. And from it is the condolence of the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him: 'May Allah reward you and have mercy on you.'

Eight years of shepherding. If you say: How is it correct that he marries one of his two daughters without distinction? I say: That was not a marriage contract, but a promise and a description of a matter that has been resolved. If it had been a contract, he would have said: I have married you, and he did not say: I intend to marry you. If you say: How is it correct that he gives her a dowry by renting himself for the shepherding of sheep, and it is necessary to deliver what is property? Do you not see how Abu Hanifa prohibited marrying a woman by serving her for a year? It was said: 'Mawood' [UNTRANSLATED-LATIN: mawood] from the opinion of Abu Hanifa prohibits marriage on the same service as his, and allows it on the service of his slave for a year, distinguishing that in the first he has delivered himself and it is not property, while in the second he has delivered his slave and he is property. And it was reported from Al-Shafi'i that marriage on known benefits is permitted in general. Ahmad said: The opinion of the king is on three views: prohibition, dislike, and permissibility. The wonder is from Abu Hanifa's allowance of marriage on the benefits of the slave, unlike the benefits of the husband, while the verse permitted marriage on the benefits of the husband and did not address others. This is only to favor the meaning that Al-Zamakhshari pointed to, or deriving from the fact that there is no evidence in the law of those before us, or something else, and Allah knows best. And he allowed that he marries her by having his slave serve her for a year, or by housing her in his house for a year, because in the first: he is delivering himself and it is not property, and in the second: he is delivering property which is the slave or the house. I said: The matter according to the opinion of Abu Hanifa is as you mentioned. As for Al-Shafi'i: he permitted marriage on the rental of some works and services, if the rented or served matter is known, and perhaps that was permissible in that law. It is possible that the dowry is something else, and he only intended to be the shepherd of his sheep for this period, and he intended to marry his daughter, so he mentioned to him the two intended matters, and he conditioned the marriage on the shepherding in the sense: I will do this if you do that in a manner of agreement, not in a manner of contract. And it is permissible for him to hire him for shepherding for eight years for a known amount and then marry his daughter to him with it, and he makes his saying 'on the condition that you hire me for eight years' an expression of what transpired between them. If you complete the work of ten years, then it is from you, meaning: it is from you not from me, I do not impose it on you nor do I obligate you, but if you do it, it is a favor and a donation from you, otherwise there is no obligation on you. And I do not want to make it difficult for you by imposing the completion of the two terms and making it obligatory. If you say: What is the reality of their saying: I made it difficult for him, and the matter was difficult for him? I say: Its reality is that when the matter becomes overwhelming for you, it is as if it is difficult for you, you sometimes say: I can bear it, and sometimes: I cannot bear it. Or he promised him ease and leniency from himself, and that he would not make it difficult for him regarding what he hired him for in shepherding his sheep, nor would he do like what the difficult ones do from the hired ones, from arguing about observing times, and being meticulous in fulfilling works, and burdening the shepherds with tasks outside the limits of the condition. And thus were the prophets, peace be upon them, taking the easier path in dealings with people. From it is the hadith: 'The Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, was my partner, and he was the best partner, he did not argue nor was he argumentative.' And his saying: 'You will find me, if Allah wills, among the righteous' indicates that, meaning by righteousness: good treatment and gentleness of character. And it is possible that he means righteousness in general.

And good treatment falls under this. What is meant by conditioning Allah's will regarding what He has promised of righteousness is reliance on His success in it and His assistance, not that he practices righteousness if Allah wills, and if He wills, he practices the opposite. That is the beginning, and between me and you is its news. This is a reference to what Shu'ayb had promised him. He means: that which I said and you promised me and you conditioned upon me is established between us both, and neither of us will depart from it, neither I from what you conditioned upon me nor you from what you conditioned upon yourself. Then he said: Which of the two terms have you fulfilled? The longer one, which is ten, or the shorter one, which is eight? There shall be no transgression against me, meaning no one shall transgress against me in seeking an increase beyond it. If you say: The concept of transgression is only in one of the two terms, which is the shorter, and that is the demand for the completion of the ten, what is the meaning of linking transgression to both? I say: Its meaning is that if I am demanded an increase beyond the ten, it is certainly transgression, and likewise if I am demanded an increase beyond the eight. He intended by this to affirm the matter of choice, and that it is established and settled, and that the two terms are equal: either this or that without difference between them in fulfillment. As for the completion, it is left to my discretion: if I wish, I will bring it, and if not, I will not be compelled to it. It is said: Its meaning is that I will not be transgressing, and it is in negating transgression from himself, like saying: there is no sin upon me, and there is no liability upon me. And in the reading of Ibn Mas'ud: which of the two terms did you fulfill? And it was read: whichever, with the yā silent, like his saying: I awaited victory and the two constellations, which of them... upon me from the rain its clouds began to pour. And the two constellations refer to the two stars: the 'Aldebaran and the 'Alnilam. And whichever of them is originally stressed, it was made silent for necessity, and it is possible that it is in the accusative as a substitute for what preceded it, and that it is governed by an omitted phrase: meaning I do not know which of them, and it is connected. It is also possible that it is a question, and on that it is raised as a subject, and the pronoun refers to victory and the two constellations, meaning: I awaited victory and the two constellations, which of them began to pour its clouds upon whom, and the clouds began to pour heavily. The clouds are the rain clouds. And in the conjunction of victory with the two constellations is an indication of likening him to them in goodness and on the inquiry, so it is from the category of feigning ignorance. And likewise in negating knowledge.

It was nothing but a stick from a tree that obstructed it. And according to Al-Kalbi: the tree from which he was called is the tree of the wild olive, and from it was his staff. And when morning came, Shu'ayb said to him: When you reach the fork in the road, do not take to your right, for although the pasture is greater there, there is a dragon in it, which I fear for you and for the sheep. So the sheep went to the right, and he could not stop them. He followed them, and then he saw grass and greenery like he had never seen before. He slept, and then the dragon came. The stick fought it until it killed it and returned to Moses, bloody. When he saw it bloody and the dragon killed, he was relieved by that. And when he returned to Shu'ayb, he touched the sheep and found them full in their bellies and abundant in milk. Moses informed him, and he rejoiced and knew that Moses and the stick had a matter. He said to him: I have gifted you from the offspring of my sheep this year all the rams and ewes. Then it was revealed to him in a dream: Strike with your stick the watering place of the sheep. He did so, and then he watered them, and not one missed except that it gave birth to a ram or ewe, and he fulfilled his condition.