سورة القصص   

Surah Name: Al-Qasas Meaning: The Narratives

  • Revealed at Makkah
  • Total Number of Rukū / Sections 9
  • Total Number of Āyāt / Parts 88
  • Sūrah / Chapter number 28
  • Rukū / Section 3 contains Āyāt / Parts 7
  • Siparah/ Volume 20

bismillah

وَلَمَّا تَوَجَّهَ تِلْقَاء مَدْيَنَ قَالَ عَسَى رَبِّي أَن يَهْدِيَنِي سَوَاء السَّبِيلِ

Walamma tawajjaha tilqaa madyana qala AAasa rabbee an yahdiyanee sawaa a(l)ssabeel(i)

And when he-AS betook himself towards Madyan, he-AS said: Perchance my Rabb-SWT will guide me even way.

(28:22)

وَلَمَّا وَرَدَ مَاء مَدْيَنَ وَجَدَ عَلَيْهِ أُمَّةً مِّنَ النَّاسِ يَسْقُونَ وَوَجَدَ مِن دُونِهِمُ امْرَأتَيْنِ تَذُودَانِ قَالَ مَا خَطْبُكُمَا قَالَتَا لَا نَسْقِي حَتَّى يُصْدِرَ الرِّعَاء وَأَبُونَا شَيْخٌ كَبِيرٌ

Walamma warada maa madyana wajada AAalayhi ommatan mina a(l)nnasi yasqoona wawajada min doonihimu imraatayni tathoodani qala ma khatbukuma qalata la nasqee hatta yusdira a(l)rriAAao waaboona shaykhun kabeer(un)

Then when he-AS arrived at the waters of Madyan he-AS found there a community of people watering. And he found, apart from them, two women, keeping back their flocks. He-AS said: What is the matter with you two? They said: We do not draw water until the shepherds have driven away their flocks, and our father is a very old man.

(28:23)

فَسَقَى لَهُمَا ثُمَّ تَوَلَّى إِلَى الظِّلِّ فَقَالَ رَبِّ إِنِّي لِمَا أَنزَلْتَ إِلَيَّ مِنْ خَيْرٍ فَقِيرٌ

Fasaqa lahuma thumma tawalla ila a(l)ththilli faqala rabbi innee lima anzalta ilayya min khayrin faqeer(un)

Then he-AS watered their flocks for the twain. Then he-AS turned aside into the shade, and said: Rabb-SWT ! I have need of the good which You-SWT may send down for me.

(28:24)

فَجَاءتْهُ إِحْدَاهُمَا تَمْشِي عَلَى اسْتِحْيَاء قَالَتْ إِنَّ أَبِي يَدْعُوكَ لِيَجْزِيَكَ أَجْرَ مَا سَقَيْتَ لَنَا فَلَمَّا جَاءهُ وَقَصَّ عَلَيْهِ الْقَصَصَ قَالَ لَا تَخَفْ نَجَوْتَ مِنَ الْقَوْمِ الظَّالِمِينَ

Fajaathu ihdahuma tamshee AAala istihyain qalat inna abee yadAAooka liyajziyaka ajra ma saqayta lana falamma jaahu waqassa AAalayhi alqasasa qala la takhaf najawta mina alqawmi a(l)ththalimeen(a)

Then one of the two came to him walking bashfully, and said: My father invites you that he-AS may recompense you-AS with a wage for that you-AS did water the flocks for us. Then when he-AS had come to him-AS and recounted to him-AS the whole story, he-AS said: Have no fear, you have escaped from the wrong-doing people.

(28:25)

قَالَتْ إِحْدَاهُمَا يَا أَبَتِ اسْتَأْجِرْهُ إِنَّ خَيْرَ مَنِ اسْتَأْجَرْتَ الْقَوِيُّ الْأَمِينُ

Qalat ihdahuma ya abati istajirhu inna khayra mani istajarta alqawiyyu alameen(u)

And said one of them; Father! Hire him-AS, for the best that you-AS can hire is a strong and reliable person.

(28:26)

قَالَ إِنِّي أُرِيدُ أَنْ أُنكِحَكَ إِحْدَى ابْنَتَيَّ هَاتَيْنِ عَلَى أَن تَأْجُرَنِي ثَمَانِيَ حِجَجٍ فَإِنْ أَتْمَمْتَ عَشْرًا فَمِنْ عِندِكَ وَمَا أُرِيدُ أَنْ أَشُقَّ عَلَيْكَ سَتَجِدُنِي إِن شَاء اللَّهُ مِنَ الصَّالِحِينَ

Qala innee oreedu an onkihaka ihda ibnatayya hatayni AAala an tajuranee thamaniya hijajin fain atmamta AAashran famin AAindika wama oreedu an ashuqqa AAalayka satajidunee in shaa Allahu mina a(l)ssaliheen(a)

He-AS said: I wish I would marry one of these two daughters of mine provided that you-AS hire yourself to me for eight years, then if you-AS complete ten it will be of your-AS own accord, and I would not make it hard for you-AS; you-AS shall find me, Allaah-SWT willing, of the righteous.

(28:27)

قَالَ ذَلِكَ بَيْنِي وَبَيْنَكَ أَيَّمَا الْأَجَلَيْنِ قَضَيْتُ فَلَا عُدْوَانَ عَلَيَّ وَاللَّهُ عَلَى مَا نَقُولُ وَكِيلٌ

Qala thalika baynee wabaynaka ayyama alajalayni qadaytu fala AAudwana AAalayya wa(A)llahu AAala ma naqoolu wakeel(un)

Musa-AS said: Be it then between me and you-AS: Whichever of the two terms I fulfil, it shall be no harshness to me; and Allaah-SWT is Witness of what we say.

(28:28)
In The Name of Allah-SWT the Most Gracious, The Most Merciful
SECRETS OF REVELATION:

When Musa-AS escaped from Egypt he-AS headed for Madyan. He-AS prayed hoping that his-AS Munificent Rabb-SWT shall guide him-AS to a safe destination. After a long journey, he-AS finally arrived at a well in Madyan, as a stranger. He-AS saw many shepherds watering their flocks while two young ladies stood aside restraining their herds. Curious, he-AS approached them and asked why were they standing aside. They said that they were waiting for their turn, until all the men had left as they could not intermingle with them. They added that they would not have stepped outdoors had their father not been so old. And there was no other male member in the family to do the job.

 

The Way Women Should Work

Where required, the women can work without mixing freely with the men, separately and independently as recommended by the Hanafi School of Fiqh. Musa-AS drew water from the well for their goats and the girls left for their home in good time. He-AS retired to a shade and prayed: “O’Allah-SWT !I have need of good that You-SWT would send to me". His-AS invocation, made in a state of destitution, weariness from a long journey and exile was accepted by Allaah-SWT . As the girls reached home their father enquired after their quick return. They told him the story. He was Prophet Shu'aib-AS aged as well as blind. He-AS sent one of the girls to summon Musa-AS and she arrived displaying immense modesty in her gait.

 

A Woman With Modesty Is Indeed A Blessing Of Allah-SWT

This was the answer to Musa-AS’s invocation; indeed a modest woman is a great blessing of Allaah-SWT . Because of her, he-AS was blessed with a home, a family and a caring company. She came to tell him-AS that her father wished to see him-AS and pay him-AS the wages for the services he-AS had rendered.

 

The Commentators assert that Musa-AS walked ahead of her, bidding her to follow and to indicate the path from behind, to spare himself the glance of a female stranger. He-AS recounted his-AS ordeal to Prophet Shu’aib-AS who comforted him-AS saying that there was nothing to worry anymore as he-AS was outside the jurisdiction of a cruel nation. The daughter requested her father to hire Musa-AS as a helper for they did need one, and he-AS had drawn the water with strength and was also honest and trustworthy in his-AS dealings with them.

 

Merit And Honesty Pre-Requisites For A Job

It is established here that a candidate for any job or office must fulfil two conditions. He must have the merit, and must be trustworthy and dedicated. Prophet Shu'aib-AS said that he-AS wanted to marry one of his-AS daughters to him-AS but with the condition that he-AS would serve him-AS for eight years.

 

A question arises here whether service to a wife can be counted as her Mehr? The jurists suggest that it cannot be so for a personal service extended to her. However, the wages for looking after her business or any other work like an animal farm etc, can be diverted to the payment of Mehr. Or as in this ease where Musa-AS was to serve the entire household, it was permissible to work for the father on the condition that the wages will be diverted to his-AS daughter as Mehr. It is then the daughter's right to forego the payment by her father if she wants to. So Prophet Shu’aib-AS told Musa-AS to serve them for eight years and if he-AS could extend it to ten it would be taken as a favour. However, whichever term he-AS could complete would be fine with him-AS as he-AS had no intentions to overburden Musa-AS by extending the term or asking him-AS to undertake any task beyond his-AS capacity. He-AS added that Musa-AS would find him-AS a devoted servant of Allaah-SWT in the years they would spend together. Certainly the integrity of a person can only be endorsed by his-AS conduct. Musa-AS accepted that he-AS would complete any one of the terms, and both sought Allah-SWT, a witness to the contract.

 

A Daughter's Nikah

It is indicated here as appropriate that the guardian should arrange the Nikah of a daughter with her permission However, if she arranges it herself observing the Shari'ah, it will be valid.

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