Why Did Pharaoh Not Kill Baby Moses (PBUH) When His Men Found Him in the Basket?
لماذا لم يقتل فرعون موسى عليه السلام لما وجدوه طفلا رضيعا في النهر، علما بأن فرعون أمر أن يقتل كل الأطفال الذكور في ذلك العام؟
He did not do that for two reasons:
1. Because when Pharaoh’s wife saw baby Moses, she asked her husband not to kill him as he may grow and become helpful to them, or they may adopt him as their child. (Pharaoh’s wife said ˹to him˺, “˹This baby is˺ a source of joy for me and you. Do not kill him. Perhaps he may be useful to us or we may adopt him as a son.” They were unaware ˹of what was to come˺.) Al-Qasas 28:9
2. Because Allah the Almighty endued him with love from Him, so whoever saw him loved him. (And I endeared you with love from Me ˹O Moses˺ so that you would be brought up under My ˹watchful˺ Eye.) Ta-Ha 20:39
لسببين
لأن زوجة فرعون طلبت منه أن لا يقتله وقالت إنه يمكن أن يكون نافعا أو أن يتبنوه. (وَقَالَتِ امْرَأَتُ فِرْعَوْنَ قُرَّتُ عَيْنٍ لِّي وَلَكَ لَا تَقْتُلُوهُ عَسَىٰ أَن يَنفَعَنَا أَوْ نَتَّخِذَهُ وَلَدًا وَهُمْ لَا يَشْعُرُونَ) القصص 28: 9
لأن الله ألقى على وجه موسى محبة فلا يراه أحد إلا أحبه. (وَأَلْقَيْتُ عَلَيْكَ مَحَبَّةً مِّنِّي وَلِتُصْنَعَ عَلَىٰ عَيْنِي) طه 20: 39
1. A Wife’s Plea That Changed Everything | توسّل الزوجة الذي غيّر كل شيء
Pharaoh’s wife calls the infant “a source of joy for me and you” before asking her husband directly not to kill him (28:9). This immediate, personal response, from the household that had just been described as picking him up from the river, is what stops the standing order to kill every newborn boy from being carried out in this one case. More about her is in the pious woman who was married to a disbeliever.
تصف زوجة فرعون الرضيع بأنه “قرة عين لي ولك” قبل أن تطلب من زوجها مباشرة ألا يقتله. وهذا الرد الفوري والشخصي، من الأسرة التي وُصفت للتو بأنها التقطته من النهر، هو ما يمنع تنفيذ الأمر القائم بقتل كل مولود ذكر في هذه الحالة الواحدة.
2. A Practical Argument Alongside the Emotional One | حجةٌ عملية إلى جانب العاطفية
She does not rely on affection alone; she adds that he might prove useful to them, or that they could adopt him as a son. Her words paired affection with a practical reason, presenting the child’s life as a potential benefit to the household rather than simply an emotional wish.
لا تعتمد على العاطفة وحدها؛ بل تضيف أنه قد ينفعهم، أو أنهم قد يتبنونه ولدا. فقد قرنت العاطفة بمبرر عملي، إذ قدمت استبقاء الطفل بوصفه فائدة محتملة للأسرة لا مجرد رغبة عاطفية.
3. “They Were Unaware” | “وهم لا يشعرون”
The Ayah closes this scene with a pointed remark: they had no idea what was to come. This directly echoes the earlier statement that Musa would become their enemy and a source of grief; the household’s own words of affection in this moment are placed right beside the Quran’s own reminder that their understanding of the situation was entirely incomplete.
تختتم الآية هذا المشهد بملاحظة لاذعة: أنهم لم يكونوا يشعرون بما هو آتٍ. ويردد هذا مباشرة العبارة السابقة بأن موسى سيصبح عدوهم وحزنهم، فكلمات الأسرة نفسها في هذه اللحظة تُوضع مباشرة إلى جانب تذكير القرآن بأن فهمهم للموقف كان ناقصا تماما.
4. A Love Placed by Allah Himself | محبة وضعها الله بنفسه
Surah Ta-Ha 20:39 gives the second reason directly from Allah’s own address to Musa: “I endeared you with love from Me.” Ibn Kathir explains it as Allah making even Musa’s enemy love him, and Salamah ibn Kuhayl said it means: I made you beloved to My servants.
تقدم سورة طه 20: 39 السبب الثاني مباشرة من خطاب الله نفسه لموسى: “وألقيت عليك محبة مني”. ويفسره ابن كثير بقوله: أي عند عدوك جعلته يحبك، وقال سلمة بن كهيل: حببتك إلى عبادي.
5. Human Compassion as the Outworking of Divine Protection | رحمة بشرية هي أثر الحماية الإلهية
Read together, the two reasons are not separate coincidences but one process: the love Allah placed upon Musa in Ta-Ha 20:39 is what produces the human compassion expressed by Pharaoh’s wife in Al-Qasas 28:9. His survival did not depend on chance sentiment within a hostile household; Allah brought it about through that very household. The same care reached his mother, whose heart Allah made firm (28:10), as told in how the mother of Moses endured losing her child.
وإذا قُرئ السببان معا، فهما ليسا مصادفتين منفصلتين بل عملية واحدة: فالمحبة التي وضعها الله على موسى في طه 20: 39 هي ما أنتج الرحمة البشرية التي عبّرت عنها زوجة فرعون في القصص 28: 9. فلم تعتمد نجاته على عاطفة عرضية داخل أسرة معادية، بل أجراها الله على يد تلك الأسرة نفسها. وشملت العناية نفسها أمه، إذ ربط الله على قلبها (القصص: 10).
Frequently Asked Questions | الأسئلة الشائعة
Why did Pharaoh not kill baby Moses?
His wife pleaded for the child’s life, and Allah had placed a special love for him in the hearts of all who saw him.
What did Pharaoh’s wife say to persuade him?
That the child was a source of joy for them both, and that he might prove useful or be adopted as a son.
What does “they were unaware” refer to at the end of the verse?
That Pharaoh’s household had no idea Musa would eventually become their enemy and a source of grief.
What does Surah Ta-Ha reveal as the deeper reason?
That Allah Himself placed a love for Musa upon him, so that everyone who saw him loved him.
How do these two reasons relate to each other?
The human compassion shown by Pharaoh’s wife is presented as an outworking of the love Allah had already placed upon Musa.