Chapter 2: The Childhood of Moses

“And We revealed to Musa’s mother saying: Give him suck, then when thou fearest for him, cast him into the river and do not fear nor grieve; surely We will restore him to thee and make him one of the apostles.” (28:7)

In another place the same incident is expressed in these Words:

“Call to mind the Occasion when Vie revealed to thy mother: Put him into a chest, then, cast it down into the river, then the river shall throw him on the shore, then shall take him up one who is an enemy to Me and enemy to him and I cast down upon thee love from Me and that thou mightest be brought up before My eyes.” (20:38-39).

Moses was born at a time when Pharaoh had commanded all male children born to the Israelites to be thrown into the Nile: Moses’s mother kept him concealed for three months and at last unable to hide him any longer threw him into the river in an ark of bulrushes whence he was picked up by Pharaoh’s Wife.

“And Fir’aun’s followers took rum up that he might be an enemy and a grief for them, Surely Fir’aun and Haman and their hosts were wrong-doers. And Fir’aun’s wife said: Joy of the eye to me and to thee: do not slay him; maybe he will be useful to us or we may take him for a son. But they knew not what they did. And the heart of Musa mother was free from anxiety; she would have almost disclosed it had We not strengthened her heart so that she might be of the believers. And she said to his sister: Follow him up. So she watched him from a distance while they did not perceive. And We caused him to refuse the nurses his sister came and said: Shall I point to you the people of a house who will take care of him for you and they will be benevolent to him. So We restored him to Ids mother that her eyes might be refreshed and that she might not grieve and that she might know that the promise of Allah is true, but most of them do not know.” (28:8-13).

So Moses was brought up in the house of Pharaoh like a prince; a reference of this is given in another place in the Qur’an in these words:

“So Pharaoh said: Did we not bring thee up as a child among us for many years of thy life.” (26:18)