Which Messenger Was Placed in a Basket and Cast Into the River as a Baby?
من هو الرسول الذي وُضع في سلة وأُلقي في النهر وهو طفل رضيع؟
Musa (Moses), peace be upon him.
موسى عليه السلام.
1. A Command Given to a Frightened Mother | أمر لأم خائفة
At a time when Fir'awn was killing the newborn sons of the Israelites, Allah inspired Musa's mother directly: "We inspired the mother of Musa, 'Nurse him, but when you fear for him, cast him into the river'" (Surah Al-Qasas 28:7). This was not an act of abandonment but a divine instruction meant to save his life, carried out by a mother acting purely on trust in Allah's promise. This verse joins two commands, two prohibitions and two glad tidings, as explained in the verse with two commands, two prohibitions and two glad tidings.
وَأَوْحَيْنَا إِلَىٰ أُمِّ مُوسَىٰ أَنْ أَرْضِعِيهِ ۖ فَإِذَا خِفْتِ عَلَيْهِ فَأَلْقِيهِ فِي الْيَمِّ (سورة القصص: 7)
في وقتٍ كان فيه فرعون يقتل أبناء بني إسرائيل حديثي الولادة، أوحى الله إلى أم موسى مباشرة: "وأوحينا إلى أم موسى أن أرضعيه، فإذا خفت عليه فألقيه في اليم" (سورة القصص: 7). لم يكن هذا فعل تخلٍّ، بل توجيهاً إلهياً يهدف لإنقاذ حياته، نفذته أم بثقة كاملة بوعد الله.
2. Raised in the Very House That Threatened Him | تربى في البيت الذي هدده
The river carried the chest to Fir'awn's own household, who picked him up, and his wife asked that he be spared and raised in their home (28:8-9), unaware that this child would become the very thing Fir'awn feared (28:6). Musa grew up under Fir'awn's own roof, only to later become the Messenger sent to confront him, a reversal the Quran presents as entirely by Allah's design.
حمل اليم التابوت إلى بيت فرعون نفسه، فالتقطه آل فرعون، وطلبت زوجته الإبقاء عليه وتربيته في بيتهم (القصص: 8-9)، من دون أن يدركوا أن هذا الطفل سيكون هو ما كان فرعون يحذره (القصص: 6). نشأ موسى تحت سقف فرعون نفسه، ليصبح لاحقاً الرسول الذي أُرسل لمواجهته، وهو تحول يعرضه القرآن على أنه بتدبير إلهي كامل.
3. The First Chapter in the Life of the Most-Named Prophet | أول فصل في حياة أكثر الأنبياء ذكرا
This infancy story is the opening chapter of the same Musa whose name is mentioned more than any other Prophet in the Quran, covered in In Which Surahs Is Musa's Name Mentioned Most? It sets up the same household in which he would later be raised alongside Fir'awn before Allah called him to Prophethood.
تُعد قصة الطفولة هذه الفصل الافتتاحي لنفس موسى الذي ذُكر اسمه في القرآن أكثر من أي نبي آخر. وهي تمهد للبيت نفسه الذي سيُربى فيه لاحقاً إلى جانب فرعون قبل أن يدعوه الله إلى النبوة.
Frequently Asked Questions | الأسئلة الشائعة
Which prophet was placed in a basket as a baby?
Prophet Musa (Moses), peace be upon him, as recorded in Surah Ta-Ha 20:39, where the Quran calls it a chest (tabut).
Why was Musa cast into the river?
Allah inspired his mother to do so to protect him from Fir'awn's killing of the Israelites' newborn sons.
Who found baby Musa after the river carried him away?
He was found by Fir'awn's own household, and his wife asked for him to be raised there.