Why Did Moses’s Mother Fear for Her Son That She Threw Him in the River?
ما سبب خوف أم موسى على ابنها حتى أنها ألهمت الحيلة في إلقائه في النهر الجاري؟
The Egyptian ruler Pharaoh, called “Al-Waleed ibn Ar-Rayyan,” was a tyrant who claimed to be the supreme lord and god of the Egyptians. He became arrogant, oppressive and tyrannical. He intended to turn the people in Egypt into sects; some of whom are weakened and humiliated, they are the Children of Israel, while the other sects enjoyed their lives. (Note: Pharaoh said, “I am your lord, the most high” (An-Nazi’at 79:24); the earlier published wording said “the lord of the worlds”. Ibn Kathir reports that the Pharaoh of Moses’ time is said to have been named Al-Waleed ibn Mus’ab ibn Ar-Rayyan.)
The way they were weakened: He used to slaughter the sons of that sect at the time of their birth, and he used to keep the girls to grow up and become servants. The reason for slaughtering the male children was that his priests and politicians informed him that his kingdom would be threatened by the great number of the powerful Children of Israel in the country, so he reduced their number by slaughtering the male children among them and keeping the female children alive (a policy similar to birth control).
Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated that Pharaoh and his companions mentioned the promise of Allah to His Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham), peace be upon him, that Allah would make kings among his offspring. The Children of Israel had thought that the king was Joseph, son of Jacob, and when he died, they said, “This is not the promise given to Ibrahim, peace be upon him.”
Pharaoh said, “What do you think?” They agreed that he would send men with blades to go among the Children of Israel, and whenever they found a male child, they would slaughter him. They did so, and when they saw that the old men of the Children of Israel used to die at their appointed time, and the young ones were slaughtered, they said, “You are about to wipe out the Children of Israel, and then you will have to do yourselves the work and service they spare you. So kill every newborn boy one year and leave their daughters, and leave them one year without killing any of them, so that the young grow up in place of the old who die. They will never outnumber you, since you kill their young one year and leave them the next, and at the same time they will not perish.”
So they agreed to commit this evil plot, and Moses’s mother became pregnant with Harun in the year in which boys were not supposed to be slaughtered, and she gave birth to him safely in public. The following year she became pregnant with Moses, and worry and grief filled her heart.
Allah the Almighty wanted to save the Children of Israel from that state of weakness and to save them from the rule of Pharaoh who oppressed and persecuted them, and to give them the rule of the land and the management of its affairs. The mother of Moses was the starting point in overthrowing that tyranny. She gave birth to her son who was supposed to be slaughtered by the blades of Pharaoh’s men, so she threw him into the river to save him from being killed.
This is a sign of Allah’s Ability and the Enforcement of His Command, for Pharaoh wanted to be saved from Moses, the boy who would destroy the kingdom of Pharaoh. Hence, his plots and power were useless in comparison with the Power of the Great Deity Whose Decree and Command can never be undone. His Command was enforced and His Will and Decree took place, so the destruction of Pharaoh was at the hands of that boy whom Pharaoh was afraid of.
Indeed, this very boy, whose existence Pharaoh guarded against and because of whom he killed thousands of souls, was raised and brought up on Pharaoh’s own bed and in his house, eating his food, while Pharaoh raised and pampered him, and your death, your destruction and the destruction of your soldiers would be at his hands, so that you may know that the Lord of the high heavens is the Subduer, the Prevailing, the Great, the Strong, the Mighty, Severe in strength, the One for Whom whatever He wills happens and whatever He does not will does not happen. This is what the opening verses of Surah Al-Qasas point to. Allah the Almighty says:
(We narrate to you ˹O Prophet˺ part of the story of Moses and Pharaoh in truth for people who believe. Indeed, Pharaoh ˹arrogantly˺ elevated himself in the land and divided its people into ˹subservient˺ groups, one of which he persecuted, slaughtering their sons and keeping their women. He was truly one of the corruptors. But it was Our Will to favour those who were oppressed in the land, making them models ˹of faith˺ as well as successors; and to establish them in the land; and through them show Pharaoh, Hamân, and their soldiers ˹the fulfilment of˺ what they feared.) Al-Qasas 28:3-6
(We inspired the mother of Moses: “Nurse him, but when you fear for him, put him then into the river, and do not fear or grieve. We will certainly return him to you, and make him one of the messengers.”) Al-Qasas 28:7
إن فرعون الحاكم المصري المسمى بـ”الوليد بن الريان” كان طاغية يدعي أنه الرب الأعلى وإله المصريين، فطغى وتكبر وتسلط، وجعل أهل البلاد المصرية طوائف، بعضها مستضعف مهان ذليل، وهم بنو إسرائيل، وبعضهم ينعم بالخيرات. (ملاحظة: قال فرعون: أنا ربكم الأعلى، النازعات 79:24، وكان النص المنشور سابقا: رب العالمين. ويذكر ابن كثير أنه يقال إن اسم فرعون موسى الوليد بن مصعب بن الريان.)
كيفية استضعافهم: كان يذبح أبناء تلك الطائفة ساعة ولادتهم، ويبقي البنات ليكبرن للخدمة. سبب ذبحه للأولاد أن كهانه وسياسييه أعلموه أن ملكه مهدد بوجود بني إسرائيل أقوياء كثر في البلاد فاستعمل طريقة تقليلهم والحد من كثرتهم بذبح الأولاد الذكور منهم وإبقاء الإناث منهم (سياسة تشبه تحديد النسل).
وروى ابن عباس-رضي الله عنه- أن فرعون وجلساءه ذكروا وعد نبي الله الخليل إبراهيم -عليه السلام- أن الله سيجعل في ذريته ملوكا. وكانت بنو إسرائيل تظن أنه يوسف بن يعقوب، فلما هلك قالوا: ليس هكذا كان وعد إبراهيم عليه السلام.
فقال فرعون: كيف ترون؟ فاتفقوا على أن يبعث رجالا معهم الشفار (جمع شفرة) يطوفون في بني إسرائيل، فلا يجدون مولودا ذكرا إلا ذبحوه، ففعلوا ذلك، فلما رأوا أن الكبار من بني إسرائيل يموتون بآجالهم، والصغار يذبحون، قالوا: ليوشكن أن تفنوا بني إسرائيل، فتصيروا إلى أن تباشروا من الأعمال والخدمة التي يكفونكم، فاقتلوا عاما كل مولود ذكر واتركوا بناتهم، ودعوا عاما فلا تقتلوا منهم أحدا، فيشب الصغار مكان من يموت من الكبار، فإنهم لن يكونوا أكثر منكم وأنتم تقتلون صغارهم عاما وتتركونهم عامًا، كما أنهم لن يفنوا.
فاتفقوا على هذه الحيلة الشيطانية، وحملت أم موسى بهارون في العام الذي لا يذبح فيه الغلمان، فولدته علانية آمنة، فلما كان من قابل حملت بموسى عليه السلام فوقع في قلبها الهم والحزن.
أراد الله أن يخلص بني إسرائيل من هذه الحالة من الاستضعاف وأن يخلصهم من حكم فرعون الذي ظلمهم واضطهدهم، وأن يجعل لهم حكم البلاد وأمر سياستها، فكانت أم موسى هي نقطة الانطلاقة في إسقاط ذلك الطغيان، فحيث إنها ولدت ابنها وكان عرضة لشفار فرعون فألقته في اليم هربا من أن يقتل.
وفي ذلك علامة على قدرة الله وإنفاذه لأمره-جل وعلا-، فإن فرعون أراد أن ينجو من موسى، الغلام الذي يكون هلاك مملكته على يديه، فما نفعه تدبيره وقدرته مع قدرة الإله العظيم الذي لا يخالف أمره ولا يغلب، بل نفذ حكمه-جل جلاله- ووقع قضاؤه وقدره أن يكون هلاك فرعون على يد ذلك الغلام الذي كان يحذره.
بل يكون هذا الغلام الذي احترز من وجوده وقتل ألوفًا من النفوس بسببه، إنما منشؤه ومرباه على فراش فرعون، وفي داره، ويتغذى من طعامه، وهو يربي ويدلل ذلك الغلام، وموتك وهلاكك وهلاك جنودك على يديه، لتعلم أن رب السماوات العلا هو القاهر الغالب العظيم، القوي العزيز الشديد المحال، الذي ما شاء كان وما لم يشأ لم يكن. وهذا الذي أشارت إليه صدر الآيات في سورة القصص. قال الله تعالى:
(نَتْلُو عَلَيْكَ مِنْ نَبَأِ مُوسَى وَفِرْعَوْنَ بِالْحَقِّ لِقَوْمٍ يُؤْمِنُونَ إِنَّ فِرْعَوْنَ عَلا فِي الْأَرْضِ وَجَعَلَ أَهْلَهَا شِيَعاً يَسْتَضْعِفُ طَائِفَةً مِنْهُمْ يُذَبِّحُ أَبْنَاءَهُمْ وَيَسْتَحْيِي نِسَاءَهُمْ إِنَّهُ كَانَ مِنَ الْمُفْسِدِينَ وَنُرِيدُ أَنْ نَمُنَّ عَلَى الَّذِينَ اسْتُضْعِفُوا فِي الْأَرْضِ وَنَجْعَلَهُمْ أَئِمَّةً وَنَجْعَلَهُمُ الْوَارِثِينَ وَنُمَكِّنَ لَهُمْ فِي الْأَرْضِ وَنُرِيَ فِرْعَوْنَ وَهَامَانَ وَجُنُودَهُمَا مِنْهُمْ مَا كَانُوا يَحْذَرُونَ) القصص 28: 3-6
(وَأَوْحَيْنَآ إِلَىٰ أُمِّ مُوسَىٰ أَنْ أَرْضِعِيهِ فَإِذَا خِفْتِ عَلَيْهِ فَأَلْقِيهِ فِي الْيَمِّ وَلاَ تَخَافِي وَلاَ تَحْزَنِيۤ إِنَّا رَآدُّوهُ إِلَيْكِ وَجَاعِلُوهُ مِنَ الْمُرْسَلِين) القصص 28: 7
1. A Tyrant Who Divided His People Into Classes | طاغيةٌ قسّم شعبه إلى طوائف
Surah Al-Qasas 28:4 describes Pharaoh as having exalted himself and divided Egypt’s people into factions, deliberately weakening one group, the Children of Israel, while others lived comfortably. This structural oppression, not a single cruel act, is the setting the whole story of Musa’s birth unfolds within.
تصف سورة القصص 28: 4 فرعون بأنه علا في الأرض وقسّم أهل مصر إلى فئات، مستضعفا فئة واحدة عمدا، بني إسرائيل، بينما عاشت فئات أخرى برفاهية. وهذا الاضطهاد البنيوي، لا فعلا قاسيا واحدا، هو الإطار الذي تتكشف داخله قصة ولادة موسى بأكملها.
2. A Fear Rooted in a Prophecy About Ibrahim’s Offspring | خوفٌ متجذر في وعد إبراهيم بالملك في ذريته
According to the narration from Ibn Abbas, Pharaoh’s fear traces back to Allah’s promise to Ibrahim (peace be upon him) that kings would come from his descendants; once the Israelites realized Yusuf’s rule had not been the promise’s fulfillment, Pharaoh’s own circle grew alarmed that a future king was still to come from among them. This is what drove the decision to begin systematically killing male infants.
وفقا لرواية ابن عباس، يعود خوف فرعون إلى وعد الله لإبراهيم بأن ملوكا سيأتون من ذريته؛ وحين أدرك بنو إسرائيل أن ملك يوسف لم يكن تحقيق ذلك الوعد، ازداد قلق حاشية فرعون من أن ملكا مقبلا سيأتي منهم لا محالة. وهذا ما دفع القرار ببدء قتل الذكور الرضع بشكل منهجي.
3. An Alternating Policy, Not Total Extermination | سياسة متناوبة لا إبادة كاملة
According to the same report, which Ibn Kathir says Ibn Abbas probably took from Israelite sources, when the killing began to threaten the Israelites’ survival entirely, and with it their usefulness as forced labor, Pharaoh’s advisors proposed killing newborn boys only in alternating years, calculated to keep the population controlled without extinguishing it. Harun was born in a spared year, safely and openly; his mother carried Musa (peace be upon him) the following year, precisely the year marked for killing, which is why his mother’s fear was immediate and specific.
وفي الرواية نفسها، التي يرى ابن كثير أن ابن عباس تلقاها على الأرجح من الإسرائيليات، أنه حين بدأ القتل يهدد بقاء بني إسرائيل بأكمله، ومعه فائدتهم كأيدٍ عاملة قسرية، اقترح مستشارو فرعون قتل الذكور المولودين في سنوات متناوبة فقط، محسوبة لإبقاء عددهم تحت السيطرة دون إفنائهم. وُلد هارون في سنة معفاة، بأمان وعلانية؛ وحملت أمه بموسى في العام التالي، وهو تحديدا العام المحدد للقتل، وهو سبب خوف أمه الفوري والمحدد.
4. A Command That Looks Like Loss but Is Rescue | أمرٌ يبدو فقدانًا وهو نجاة
Allah’s inspiration to Musa’s mother, recorded in Al-Qasas 28:7, instructs her to place her son in the river specifically when she fears for him, paired with a promise that he would be returned to her and made one of the messengers. What appears on the surface as abandoning a newborn to the water is, in the Ayah’s own framing, the mechanism of his survival, since remaining with her placed him directly in the path of Pharaoh’s men. The same verse holds two commands, two prohibitions and two glad tidings, as explained in which verse holds two commands, two prohibitions and two glad tidings.
يوجهها وحي الله إلى أم موسى، المسجل في القصص 28: 7، أن تضع ابنها في النهر تحديدا حين تخاف عليه، مقرونا بوعد بأنه سيُرد إليها ويُجعل من المرسلين. وما يبدو ظاهريا تخليا عن رضيع للماء هو، في تأطير الآية نفسها، آلية نجاته، إذ إن بقاءه معها كان يضعه مباشرة في طريق رجال فرعون.
5. Raised in the House of the Very Man Who Feared Him | تربيته في بيت من كان يخشاه
The boy Pharaoh ordered killed to prevent his own downfall would, in the end, be raised inside Pharaoh’s own household. This outcome is presented as a direct demonstration of Allah’s power over even the most determined human plotting, since neither Pharaoh’s authority nor his precautions could override what had already been decreed.
الصبي الذي أمر فرعون بقتله ليمنع سقوطه سيُربى في النهاية داخل بيت فرعون نفسه. وتُقدَّم هذه النتيجة برهانا مباشرا على قدرة الله فوق أشد التدبير البشري إصرارا، إذ لم تستطع سلطة فرعون ولا احترازاته تجاوز ما سبق أن قُدِّر.
Frequently Asked Questions | الأسئلة الشائعة
Why did Moses’s mother fear for her son?
According to a report narrated from Ibn Abbas, Pharaoh’s men killed every newborn boy of the Children of Israel in alternating years, and Musa’s mother carried him in one of the killing years.
Why did Pharaoh order male infants killed?
According to a report narrated from Ibn Abbas, Pharaoh and his advisors feared that a king promised to Ibrahim’s descendants would arise from the Children of Israel.
Why was Harun born safely but not Musa?
According to a report narrated from Ibn Abbas, the killing policy alternated by year: Harun (peace be upon him) was born in a spared year, and his mother carried Musa in a killing year.
What did Allah instruct Musa’s mother to do?
To nurse him, then place him in the river when she feared for him, with a promise he would be returned to her and made a messenger.
What is the irony in how Musa was raised?
He grew up inside Pharaoh’s own household, the very man who had feared him and ordered his killing.