Verses 22–28
This is the third section of the story of Moses in this sūrah. This section describes his departure from Egypt towards Midian subsequent to his killing the Copt, and in fear of the Pharaoh, as well as his marriage there with a daughter of a great, elderly man who is not mentioned by name in the Qur’an; however the transmitted reports of the Imams of the Ahl al-Bayt and some of the transmitted reports in the corpus of Sunni traditions mention that he was the prophet Shuʿayb sent to the people of Midian.
Commentary
وَلَمَّا تَوَجَّهَ تِلْقَاءَ مَدْيَنَ قَالَ عَسَىٰ رَبِّي أَنْ يَهْدِيَنِي سَوَاءَ السَّبِيلِ ٢٢
(28:22) And when he turned his face towards Midian, he said: Maybe my Lord will guide me to the right path.
Majmaʿ al-Bayān defines the word tilqāʾa by saying:
The phrase tilqāʾu al-shay means “facing something,” “something being opposite to something else,” or “face to face with something.” In Arabic, faʿala dhālika min tilqāʾi nafsihi means “he carried out that deed of his own accord,” that is, from the direction of his own self or from his own self or due to the suggestion of his own self. The phrase sawāʾa al-sabīl that occurs in this verse means “the middle path” or “the median path.”
As for Midian, it was a city of the people of Shuʿayb in the direction of Tabūk. It was located on the Red Sea and separated from Tabūk in distance by six stages. This is according to Marāṣid al-Iṭṭilāʿ.
It was a place bigger than Tabūk where there existed a well from which Moses drew water for Shuʿayb’s sheep.
It is also suggested that the distance between these two places [that is, Tabūk or Midian on the one hand] and Egypt [on the other] was that of eight nights and that Midian lay beyond the dominion of the Pharaoh, which was the reason Moses headed for it.
Thus the meaning obtained for this verse is that when Moses turned his face in the direction of, or towards Midian, on leaving Egypt, he uttered the following words of prayer: “I hope and pray to my Lord that He will guide me to the median path so that I will not lose my way by deviating from it and leaving it for another path.” Hence the context, as you can observe, suggests that Moses intended to go towards Midian, although he did not know the road leading to it and therefore he prayed to God and anticipated God would guide him.
وَلَمَّا وَرَدَ مَاءَ مَدْيَنَ وَجَدَ عَلَيْهِ أُمَّةً مِنَ النَّاسِ يَسْقُونَ وَوَجَدَ مِنْ دُونِهِمُ امْرَأَتَيْنِ تَذُودَانِ ۖ قَالَ مَا خَطْبُكُمَا ۖ قَالَتَا لَا نَسْقِي حَتَّىٰ يُصْدِرَ الرِّعَاءُ ۖ وَأَبُونَا شَيْخٌ كَبِيرٌ ٢٣
(28:23) And when he came to the water of Midian, he found at it a group of men watering, and he found besides them two women keeping back [their flocks] (tadhūdāni, from al-dhawd). He said: What is the matter with you? They said: We cannot water until the shepherds take away [their sheep] from the water, and our father is a very old man.
The noun al-dhawd means: “to restrain,” “to bar,” “to keep off or away or back.” Hence the meaning of two women keeping back [their flocks] is that “the two women were preventing their sheep from going to the water or from mixing with the sheep of the people,” just as the meaning of a group of men watering means “the men were watering or giving their sheep and livestock water to drink.” As for the term al-riʿāʾu that occurs in this verse, it is the plural of al-rāʿiy, which refers to the one who looks after or guards or watches over sheep and livestock—that is, a shepherd.
Thus the meaning obtained for this verse is that when Moses arrived at the watering place of Midian, he found there a group of men watering their sheep and close by but at a distance, he found two women restraining and keeping back their sheep from going to the watering place, whereupon he inquired from them when he found them thus, that is, in a state where they were keeping back their sheep while he did not see any man with their sheep: “What do you want here? What is your business here?” and they replied: “We wish to water our sheep but we do not water our sheep”—meaning, that is our norm and custom—“till the male shepherds leave after watering their sheep and drive them away from the watering place. This is because our father is an elderly man unable to personally undertake the chore of watering the sheep and hence we have taken over the responsibility.”
فَسَقَىٰ لَهُمَا ثُمَّ تَوَلَّىٰ إِلَى الظِّلِّ فَقَالَ رَبِّ إِنِّي لِمَا أَنْزَلْتَ إِلَيَّ مِنْ خَيْرٍ فَقِيرٌ٢٤
(28:24) So he watered [their sheep] for them, then went back to the shade and said: My Lord! Surely I stand in need of the good Thou hast sent down to me.
Thus Moses understood from their speech that the reason for their holding back and delaying watering their sheep was due to a kind of chastity, modesty, and veiling on their part, as well as a sort of encroachment and infringement of their rights by the men. Consequently, he took the initiative and watered their sheep for them.
Then went back to the shade and said: My Lord! Surely I stand in need of the good Thou hast sent down to me means he moved off to the shade in order to rest there, for the heat was intense, which is when he uttered these words of prayer. The majority of the commentators have interpreted and understood this speech—My Lord! Surely I stand in need of the good Thou hast sent down to me—as referring to his wish and prayer for food by which he could assuage his hunger. Hence it would be more fitting that the meaning of Moses’ statement of the good Thou hast sent down to me refers to or implies “bodily strength” by which he used to perform good deeds which qualified for God’s satisfaction and pleasure such as defending the Israelite, fleeing towards Midian and away from the Pharaoh, and watering the sheep of Shuʿayb. Thus, Moses’ manifesting his need for this strength and power which God had favored him with from Himself with such lavish abundance carries the sense of manifesting his need for some sustenance by which this strength and power that had been bestowed and granted him could be retained and augmented.
It appears that Moses was a person who kept a strict watch over his deeds and would not do a thing or intend a thing, even if his human nature desired it, save that which involved seeking the pleasure and satisfaction of God and striving in that regard. This is evident on carefully contemplating the foregoing narrative. Thus he uttered the following words when he struck the Copt with his entire fist: He said: My Lord! Because Thou hast bestowed a favor on me, I shall never be a backer of the guilty (). Then he uttered the following words of prayer when he left Egypt, in fear and dread of the Pharaoh’s reprisal: My Lord! Deliver me from the unjust people (). Thereafter he uttered the following words when he undertook the journey towards Midian: Maybe my Lord will guide me to the right path (). Then he uttered these words when he had watered the sheep and moved off towards the shade: My Lord! Surely I stand in need of the good Thou hast sent down to me (). Finally, he said the following words when he hired out himself to Shuʿayb and married his daughter: And Allah is a witness of what we say ().
However, what is reported from some of the commentators with respect to the letter lām [prefixed to the particle mā] which is that it serves to indicate purpose and objective is far from correct and falls short of what the context suggests. Likewise is what some of the commentators have said in interpretation of the word khayr (translated as: “good”), which occurs in this verse, to mean “the good of religion,” which refers to being rescued from the tyrannical, is far from correct and falls short of what the context suggests.
فَجَاءَتْهُ إِحْدَاهُمَا تَمْشِي عَلَى اسْتِحْيَاءٍ قَالَتْ إِنَّ أَبِي يَدْعُوكَ لِيَجْزِيَكَ أَجْرَ مَا سَقَيْتَ لَنَا ۚ فَلَمَّا جَاءَهُ وَقَصَّ عَلَيْهِ الْقَصَصَ قَالَ لَا تَخَفْ ۖ نَجَوْتَ مِنَ الْقَوْمِ الظَّالِمِينَ ٢٥
(28:25) Then one of the two women came to him walking bashfully. She said: My father invites you that he may give you the reward of your having watered for us. So when he came to him and gave him the account, he said: Fear not, you are secure from the unjust people.
The dual pronoun humā refers to the two women, while the occurrence of the verbal noun istiḥyāʾ (“bashfully”) in an indefinite form is for the sake of emphasis and honor. The intent of describing her walking style as one that was done bashfully is in order to express and highlight the virtue of chastity demonstrated by her walking style. As for So when he came to him and gave him the account, he said: Fear not, you are secure from the unjust people, it suggests that Shuʿayb asked him about his situation whereupon Moses narrated to him his ordeal and consequently Shuʿayb attempted to raise his spirits and cheer him up by assuring him that he had escaped the Pharaoh and his people since the Pharaoh and his people had no power or dominion over Midian.
With this, God’s response to Moses’ three invocations became complete. This is because Moses had asked God, at the moment of his fleeing Egypt, that He rescue him from the unjust people and so Shuʿayb informed him of his deliverance. Moses had also requested God to guide him to a median path, which was in the meaning of an invocation, and consequently, he arrived at Midian. Finally, he had asked God for sustenance, and Shuʿayb called him in order to reward or recompense him for helping his daughters water his sheep. In addition to all the above, God increased His favors on him in that He sufficed him by providing him sustenance for ten years and gifted him a spouse with whom he lived and with whom he found peace and tranquility.
قَالَتْ إِحْدَاهُمَا يَا أَبَتِ اسْتَأْجِرْهُ ۖ إِنَّ خَيْرَ مَنِ اسْتَأْجَرْتَ الْقَوِيُّ الْأَمِينُ٢٦
(28:26) Said one of them: O my father! Employ him (istaʾjirhu), the best of those that you can employ is the strong man, the faithful one.
The choice of the verbal noun istījār here suggests that the intent was of employing Moses for the generality of Shuʿayb’s needs and requirements—needs and requirements which would demand the attention of whoever would occupy that role even if the responsibility on the basis of the context was merely watching over sheep. This is while the best of those that you can employ is the strong man, the faithful one occurs in the sense of explaining the purpose and justification (al-taʿlīl) for the imperative verb istaʾjir (“employing”). The latter part of this verse is an example of citing the cause [that is, a reference to a strong and faithful man] in place of the effect [that is, strength and reliability or trustworthiness]. Hence the implication is: “Employ Moses because he is strong and faithful, for the best of those that you can employ is the strong, faithful man.”
As for the daughter’s judgment that Moses was strong and faithful, it connotes that she had witnessed his efforts at watering the sheep which proved his character to her and from which she deduced his strength. Similarly, the manifestation of his chastity and modesty during his conversation with them both and while watering their sheep, and the manner in which he behaved in her company when he accompanied her to Shuʿayb till he reached the latter’s presence, proved his character to her; from it, she concluded that he was reliable and trustworthy. This also proves that the daughter who uttered these words: O my father! Employ him… () is the same one who came over to Moses and informed him of her father’s invitation to him. This is also transmitted in the reports of the Imams of the Ahl al-Bayt as well as being the preferred understanding of a multitude of commentators.
قَالَ إِنِّي أُرِيدُ أَنْ أُنْكِحَكَ إِحْدَى ابْنَتَيَّ هَاتَيْنِ عَلَىٰ أَنْ تَأْجُرَنِي ثَمَانِيَ حِجَجٍ ۖ فَإِنْ أَتْمَمْتَ عَشْرًا فَمِنْ عِنْدِكَ ۖ وَمَا أُرِيدُ أَنْ أَشُقَّ عَلَيْكَ ۚ سَتَجِدُنِي إِنْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ مِنَ الصَّالِحِينَ ٢٧
(28:27) He said: I desire to marry one of these two daughters of mine to you on condition that you should serve me for eight years; but if you complete ten, it will be of your own free will, and I do not wish to be hard on you; if Allah pleases, you will find me one of the good.
This speech represents Shuʿayb’s proposal to Moses to hire himself out to him for eight or ten years in exchange for Shuʿayb’s marrying one of his daughters to him. This proposal of Shuʿayb which is contained in this verse does not denote a definitive marriage contract and the evidence for that is the absence of the specification of the daughter to be given away in marriage to Moses in Shuʿayb’s speech. Shuʿayb’s statement one of these two daughters of mine serves as evidence that both of them were present at that time and in that place. Shuʿayb’s statement in this verse on condition that you should serve me for eight years means “on the condition that you hire yourself out to me”—meaning that he should serve him as an employee—“for eight years,” where the term al-ḥijaj (“years”) that occurs in this verse is the plural of the word ḥijjatun. The word ḥijjatun means “a year” on the basis that every year there comes about an opportunity for the people to perform a pilgrimage (ḥijjatun) to the Sacred House of God. From this, it becomes clear that the pilgrimage to the House of God—which is part of the law code (shariʿah) of Abraham—was practiced by them too.
Shuʿayb’s statement but if you complete ten, it will be of your own free will means: “If you complete ten years of service, that decision will be from yourself and due to your own free choice without your being coerced by me,” while Shuʿayb’s statement and I do not wish to be hard on you serves as information on the type of service he intends from him, which is that it will be an employment not characterized by hardship and toil, meaning that Shuʿayb would be a virtuous employer. Shuʿayb’s statement if Allah pleases, you will find me one of the good means: “I am from the good and virtuous people, and you will find me from among them if God wishes and pleases.” Thus the phrase “if God pleases” that occurs here relates to Shuʿayb’s hope that Moses would find Shuʿayb to be from among the good and virtuous people, and not that Shuʿayb would realize himself to be from among them.
قَالَ ذَٰلِكَ بَيْنِي وَبَيْنَكَ ۖ أَيَّمَا الْأَجَلَيْنِ قَضَيْتُ فَلَا عُدْوَانَ عَلَيَّ ۖ وَاللَّهُ عَلَىٰ مَا نَقُولُ وَكِيلٌ ٢٨
(28:28) He said: This shall be [an agreement] between me and you; whichever of the two terms I fulfil, there shall be no wrongdoing on me; and Allah is a guardian-witness of what we say.
The pronoun “he” refers to Moses. As for Moses’ statement, This shall be [an agreement] between me and you, he meant: “What you suggested and determined of the arrangement and agreement and which you proposed to me is confirmed between us. None of us shall infringe what we have agreed upon mutually.” Moses’ statement in whichever of the two terms I fulfil, there shall be no wrongdoing on me serves as a clarification of the two choices of time suggested in Shuʿayb’s statement, which statement was eight years; but if you complete ten, it will be of your own free will (). Moses meant to clarify: now it rests on me to choose whichever of the two terms I wish. Therefore, if I choose eight years, then it is not on you to infringe my right and to compel me for more, and if I choose the latter term and serve you for ten years then it is not for you to infringe on my right and prohibit me from serving you the additional term.
Moses’ concluding statement in this verse says and Allah is a guardian-witness of what we say. His entrusting God as a guardian and as protector for what they had arranged and agreed upon included his calling God to attest to what they had agreed, as well as including the right to refer any potential dispute and the judgment thereof to Him if they ever disagreed. It is for this reason that he chose to entrust God as a guardian and as a protector, putting God in charge of the affair, choosing and preferring that in addition to calling for His attestation since testimony and judgment both belong to God. This is similar to Jacob’s statement when he took a covenant from his sons to return to him his son described by God in: And when they gave him their covenant, he said: Allah is a guardian-witness for what we say (falammā atawhu mawthiqahum qāla Allāhu ʿalā mā naqūlu wakīl, ).
Examining Narrations
- Imam al-Ṣādiq said the following in an extended discussion regarding and a man came running from the farthest part of the city…he said: O Moses! Surely the chiefs are consulting together to slay you, therefore depart [at once]; I am of those who wish well to you. So he went forth therefrom, fearing, awaiting… ():
This means that he left Egypt without a riding animal or a servant, the land at times pulling him down [into valleys and low lands] and at others raising him up [over hills and high lands] till he arrived at the land of Midian, where he arrived at the bottom of a tree to which he descended. There he found a well, whereat he found a group of people watering their animals, and there he also found two frail and powerless girls accompanied with their sheep. He asked them: “What do you want here?”
They replied: “Our father is an old and feeble man while we are two powerless girls unable to vie with the men [to water our animals at the same time as they do]. Thus when the men have finished watering their animals, we water ours.”
Consequently, Moses felt compassion for them and took their bucket, saying: “Bring forth your sheep,” and watered their sheep for them. As a result, they returned home early before the men did. Then Moses turned away and betook himself to the tree and sat down under it, saying My Lord! Surely I stand in need of whatever good Thou hast sent down to me (). It is narrated that he uttered these words at a time when he was in need of half a date.
When they returned to their father, he asked: “What has made you return so early at this time?”
They replied: “We came across a virtuous man who took pity on us and watered our animals for us.”
So he said to one of them: “Go and call him to me,” and so one of them went to him, walking bashfully. She said: My father invites you that he may give you the reward of your having watered [our animals] for us ().
It is narrated that Moses said to her: “Point out to me the path and walk behind me, for we, the children of Jacob, do not look at the back sides of women.” When he reached Shuʿayb and narrated to him his ordeal, he said: Fear not, you are secure from the unjust people (). He said: I desire to marry one of these two daughters of mine to you on condition that you should serve me for eight years; but if you complete ten, it will be of your own free will (). Thus it is narrated that Moses served Shuʿayb for the longer of the two terms, and that is because the prophets only undertake what is favorable, gracious, and complete.
Author’s comment: Al-Qummī has transmitted content in his commentary which is similar to the above in meaning.
- Imam al-Ṣādiq commented as follows with respect to the verse that relates the following about Moses: My Lord! Surely I stand in need of whatever good Thou hast sent down to me ().
He asked for food.
Author’s comment: Al-ʿAyyāshī has transmitted a report similar to the one above, related from Ḥafṣ from the Imam. In this report, the words attributed to the Imam as commentary for this verse are: “What he meant was food.” A similar report has been transmitted by al-ʿAyyāshī from Layth from Imam al-Bāqir, while content similar to the one above has been reported in Nahj al-Balāgha where his words are: “By God, he [that is, Moses] did not ask save for bread which he could eat.”
- The Messenger of God: “When Moses had watered the animals for the two girls, he turned to the shade and said My Lord! Surely I stand in need of whatever good Thou hast sent down to me (). He said: “On that day he was in need of a handful of dates.”
- ʿAlī b. Ibrāhīm al-Qummī relates:
Said one of them: O my father! Employ him, the best of those that you can employ is the strong man, the faithful one (). At this, Shuʿayb asked her: “As for his strength, you have apprised me of it in that he single-handedly drew water by means of the bucket; however, how did you learn of his trustworthiness?”
She replied: “That was when he said to me: Walk behind me and point out to me the path, for we are from a people who do not look at the posteriors of women. That is when I learnt that he was not of those who looked at the backsides of women, and this is proof of his trustworthiness.”
Author’s comment: A similar report has been transmitted in Majmaʿ al-Bayān from Imam ʿAlī.
- It is narrated:
Imam al-Ṣādiq was asked: “Which of the two daughters of Shuʿayb said: My father invites you that he may give you the reward of your having watered for us ()?”
The Imam replied: “The one whom Moses married.”
He was asked: “Which of the two terms did he serve?”
The Imam replied: “The more complete and longer one, which was ten years.”
He was asked: “Did he consummate the marriage with her before or after the expiry and fulfilment of the entire condition?”
The Imam replied: “He consummated the marriage before the expiry of the condition.”
He was asked: “So if a man marries a woman and contracts a term of employment with her father for two months, would that be allowed?”
The Imam replied: “Moses knew that he would complete and fulfil the condition for him (for Shuʿayb).”
He was asked: “How?”
The Imam replied: “He knew that he would stay till he had honored the entirety of the condition.”
Author’s comment: The fulfilment of ten years has also been reported in al-Durr al-Manthūr, transmitted from the Prophet by means of several chains.
- It is narrated: Imam al-Ṣādiq was asked about the House of God: “Was it visited in pilgrimage before the Prophet was commissioned to the office of prophethood?”
He replied in the affirmative and added: “Attestation in its favor is found in the Qur’an, in the speech of Shuʿayb when he said to Moses when the latter married: He said: …that you should serve me for eight years (thamāniya ḥijajin)… () Thus he used the term ḥijaj (lit. “pilgrimage years”) rather than the term sinīn (“years”).”
Thus it has the meaning of “a specific direction or facing a specific direction.” (Trans.) ↩︎
The letter lām that occurs as pre-fixed to the particle mā carries the sense of the preposition ilā (“to” or “towards”). (Auth.)
Thus this part of the verse is suggested to be understood as saying: “My Lord, to the good You have sent down to me—which is bodily strength, which You have favored me with—is what I stand in need of.” That is, “I stand in need of bodily strength which You have favored me with.” (Trans.) ↩︎
That is known as lām al-taʿlīl and has the meaning of “for the sake of.” That would render the verse as: “My Lord, for the sake of the good You have sent down to me—which is bodily strength, which You have bestowed me with—is what I stand in need of.” (Trans.) ↩︎
In that he may give you the reward of your having watered for us… (), the particle mā is identified as mā maṣdariyya (gerundival mā). (Auth.)
The gerundival mā has the grammatical effect of rendering the perfect or imperfect verb following it into the meaning of a verbal noun. Hence the sentence is supposed to be read and understood as follows: li yajziyaka ajra saqyika lanā—“that he may give you the reward of your watering the animals for us.” (Trans.) ↩︎
Kamāl al-Dīn, via its chain of narration on the authority of Sudayr al-Ṣayrafi. ↩︎
Al-Kāfi, on the authority of ʿAli b. Ibrāhīm, on the authority of his father, on the authority of Ibn Abī ʿUmayr, on the authority of one who narrated it to him. ↩︎
Al-Durr al-Manthūr, on the authority of Ibn al-Mardawayh, from Anas b. Mālik. ↩︎
Tafsīr al-Qummī. ↩︎
Majmaʿ al-Bayān, on the authority of al-Ḥusayn b. Saʿīd, on the authority of Ṣafwān b. Yaḥya. ↩︎
Tafsīr al-ʿAyyāshī, on the authority of al-Ḥalabi. ↩︎