﴾40﴿ when your sister walked along, saying, “Shall I guide you to one who will care for him?” So We returned you to your mother that her eye may find comfort and not grieve. [59]And you killed a soul, but We delivered you from distress[60] and tried you with severe trials.[61] Then you stayed for years among the people of Midian,[62] and thereafter you came ˹here˺ according to ˹My˺ Decree, O Mūsā.[63]
[59] This is yet another great favour; to have been saved from being punished for manslaughter. The mention of Moses’ act of killing was placed before his deliverance from distress to emphasize the magnitude of Divine Favour. The narrative begins with a serious transgression—taking a life, an act carrying severe consequences—so that when the statement, “So We delivered you” follows, it underscores the greatness of God’s Mercy. This highlights how Moses was saved from a punishment that someone in his position would typically be unable to avoid. The slain man was an Egyptian from Pharaoh’s people, engaged in a dispute with an Israelite in the city. When the Israelite called upon Moses for help, he struck the Egyptian, unintentionally causing his death, as told in Sura al-Qaṣaṣ (cf. Ibn ʿĀshūr). [60] He experienced distress when the people of Pharaoh sought to kill him in retribution for the Egyptian, so he fled from them in fear to Madian (cf. al-Ṭabarī, al-Qurṭubī, Ibn Kathīr). [61] God Almighty subjected Moses (عليه السلام) to trials, placing him in hardships and then rescuing him from them (cf. al-Wāḥidī, al-Rasʿanī, al-ʿUlaymī). Ibn ʿAṭiyyah notes that most exegetes interpret this as: ‘We purified you completely,’ akin to how gold is refined through fitnah by being exposed to fire (cf. also al-Rāzī).
Ibn ʿĀshūr further expounds: “The mention of trials amidst the enumeration of Divine favours underscores that Allah did not disregard the life of the Egyptian whom Moses had killed. That soul was protected, as no Divine command had yet been revealed to justify his killing. Thus, when Allah spared Moses from accountability under Pharaoh’s law, He simultaneously subjected him to fear and exile as a means of discipline for taking a life. This is reflected in the Qur’anic ayas: “He said: This is from Satan’s doing; he is indeed an open misleader.” (28: 15), and “He said: My Lord, I have wronged myself, so forgive me. Then He forgave him.” (28: 16)
Allah’s chosen servants—those whom He intends for great good and envelops in His care—are refined and elevated through the trials they encounter, a process known as ibtilā’ (الابتلاء). One key lesson from Moses’ trial involving the Egyptian was that it led him to Madian, where he developed self-discipline, strengthened his resolve to endure hardships, and received moral refinement under the mentorship of his father-in-law, the Prophet Shuʿayb (عليه السلام). This theme is reinforced in the aya: “Then you stayed for years among the people of Midian, and thereafter you came ˹here˺ according to ˹My˺ Decree, O Mūsā” (20: 40), affirming how these trials were instrumental in shaping his destiny. [62] The mention of his prolonged stay rather than his arrival highlights the many hardships and adversities he endured over those ten years—each being a severe trial in itself (cf. Abū al-Suʿūd). [63] Mūsā reached the sanctified valley at the appointed time that God Almighty had Decreed, where he was bestowed with Prophethood and entrusted with delivering the Message to Pharaoh, precisely as ordained (cf. al-Ṭabarī, al-Qurṭubī, Ibn Kathīr).
al-Saʿdī opines that this means: “Your arrival occurred by Divine Decree, predetermined, known, and willed by Allah at this precise time, era, and place. It was not a coincidence, nor without intention or design on Our part. This highlights the profound care and attention that Allah bestowed upon His chosen servant.”
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លទ្ធផលស្វែងរក:
API specs
Endpoints:
Sura translation
GET / https://quranenc.com/api/v1/translation/sura/{translation_key}/{sura_number} description: get the specified translation (by its translation_key) for the speicified sura (by its number)
Parameters: translation_key: (the key of the currently selected translation) sura_number: [1-114] (Sura number in the mosshaf which should be between 1 and 114)
Returns:
json object containing array of objects, each object contains the "sura", "aya", "translation" and "footnotes".
GET / https://quranenc.com/api/v1/translation/aya/{translation_key}/{sura_number}/{aya_number} description: get the specified translation (by its translation_key) for the speicified aya (by its number sura_number and aya_number)
Parameters: translation_key: (the key of the currently selected translation) sura_number: [1-114] (Sura number in the mosshaf which should be between 1 and 114) aya_number: [1-...] (Aya number in the sura)
Returns:
json object containing the "sura", "aya", "translation" and "footnotes".