Which Messenger Was Placed in a Basket and Cast Into the River as a Baby?
من الرسول الذي وُضع في التابوت وأُلقي في اليمّ وهو رضيع؟
Musa (Moses), peace be upon him.
هو موسى عليه السلام.
1. A Command Given to a Frightened Mother | وحيٌ إلى أمٍّ 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 زمنٍ كان فرعون يقتل فيه المواليد من أبناء بني إسرائيل، أوحى الله تعالى إلى أم موسى: (وَأَوْحَيْنَا إِلَىٰ أُمِّ مُوسَىٰ أَنْ أَرْضِعِيهِ ۖ فَإِذَا خِفْتِ عَلَيْهِ فَأَلْقِيهِ فِي الْيَمِّ) (القصص 28: 7). ولم يكن ذلك تخلّيًا عنه، بل أمرًا من الله لإنجائه، امتثلته أمٌّ واثقة بوعد ربها. وقد جمعت هذه الآية أمرين ونهيين وبشارتين، كما بيّنا في جواب الآية التي جمعت أمرين ونهيين وبشارتين.
2. Raised in the Very House That Threatened Him | نشأ في بيت عدوّه
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.
فحمل اليمّ التابوت إلى بيت فرعون، فالتقطه آل فرعون، وسألت امرأته أن يُستبقى ويُربّى عندهم (القصص 28: 8-9)، وهم لا يشعرون أن هذا الطفل هو ما كان فرعون يحذره (القصص 28: 6). فنشأ موسى عليه السلام في بيت فرعون، ثم بُعث إليه رسولًا، وقد بيّن القرآن أن ذلك كله جرى بتدبير الله تعالى.
3. The First Chapter in the Life of the Most-Named Prophet | أول قصة موسى عليه السلام
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.
وقصة طفولته هذه أول خبر موسى عليه السلام، وهو أكثر الأنبياء ذِكرًا باسمه في القرآن، كما بيّنا في جواب: ما السور التي ورد فيها اسم موسى عليه السلام أكثر من سواها؟ وفيها تمهيد لنشأته في بيت فرعون قبل أن يبعثه الله نبيًّا.
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.