When he saw a fire, he said to his family, “Stay here. I have spotted a fire; I may bring you a flaming brand from it, or find some guidance at the fire[3].”
[3] They lost their way in the dark while traveling from Midian to Egypt.
Put your hand under your armpit; it will come out shining white without blemish, as another sign[7],
[7] Moses had dark skin, so putting his hand under his armpit and then taking it out shining white without blemish or disease was a real miraculous sign.
[8] When Moses (ﷺ) was being tested by Pharaoh, he took an amber and put it in his mouth, which hindered his speech when he grew up. So, he asked Allah to help him overcome this hurdle, and Allah answered his prayer.
‘Put him into the casket, then cast it into the river. The river will carry it to the shore, and he will be picked up by one who is an enemy to Me and enemy to him.’ I bestowed upon you love from Myself[9] so that you would be brought up under My [watchful] Eye.
[9] Allah put his love into the hearts of people, so Pharaoh and his wife accepted to keep him or adopt him as a son when he was still a baby.
When your sister was going along and said, ‘Shall I show you someone who will nurse him?’ Thus We brought you back to your mother, so that she may rejoice and not grieve[10]. Then you killed a man [by mistake][11], but We saved you from distress, and We put you through several trials. You stayed among the people of Midian for several years, then you came [here] at a destined time, O Moses.
[10] Because Moses had refused all wet-nurses who were brought to nurse him beforehand.
[11] The Coptic person died after Moses struck him.
So go to him and say, ‘We are both messengers from your Lord, so let the Children of Israel go with us and do not oppress them. We have come to you with a sign from your Lord, and peace[12] be upon he who follows the true guidance.
It is He Who spread out the earth for you and made therein pathways for you, and sent down rain from the sky; and We brought forth thereby various types of plants.
Moses said to them, “Woe to you, do not fabricate lies against Allah[16], lest He exterminate you with a punishment. Those who fabricate lies are bound to fail.”
Throw what is in your right hand; it will swallow up what they have contrived. They have only contrived a magic trick, and the magician will never prosper, wherever he goes.”
Pharaoh said, “How dare you believe in him before I give you permission! He must be your master who taught you magic! I will surely cut off your hands and feet on opposite sides, and I will crucify you on the trunks of palm trees; you will surely know whose punishment is more severe and more lasting!”
They said, “We will never prefer you over the clear signs that have come to us, or over the One Who created us[18]. So decide whatever you will. You can only make a decision about the life of this world.
[18] It can also be interpreted as an oath, i.e., “By the One Who created us, we will never prefer you over...”.
We surely believe in our Lord so that He may forgive us our sins and the magic that you have compelled us to practice, for Allah is best [in reward] and more lasting [in punishment].”
We inspired Moses, “Travel by night with My slaves, and strike for them a dry path across the sea. Have no fear of being overtaken, nor be afraid [of drowning].”
O Children of Israel, We rescued you from your enemy, and made an appointment with you[22] on the right side of Mount Tūr [in Sinai], and sent down for you manna and quails[23],
[22] i.e., with your prophet to talk to him and receive the Tablets for your guidance.
[23] They were provided with manna (bread or honey-like food) and quails in the wilderness after they left Egypt.
[saying], “Eat from the good things We have provided for you, but do not exceed the limits therein, or My wrath will befall you, for anyone upon whom My wrath befalls is perished.
[Allah asked], “What made you hasten from your people, O Moses?”[24]
[24] Moses chose a delegation of seventy people from the Children of Israel to go to Mount Tūr to receive the Tablets. He was in haste to meet his Lord, so he rushed to the appointment and arrived before his people, leaving them behind. See (7:143-145)
So Moses returned to his people, angry and sorrowful. He said, “O my people, did your Lord not promise you a good promise[26]? Was my absence too long for you, or did you want the wrath from your Lord to befall you, so you broke your promise to me[27]?”
[26] To send down the Torah for your guidance.
[27] Of worshiping Allah alone until Moses comes back to them.
They said, “We did not break our promise to you out of our own free will, but we were made to carry loads of the people’s jewelry, so we threw them [into the fire], and so did the Sāmiri throw.”[28]
[28] They carried loads of jewelry of the people of the Pharaoh that they had with them, so they threw them into the fire in order to get rid of them. As for the Sāmiri, he threw the dust that he collected from the hoof-print of Gabriel’s horse.
Aaron said, “O son of my mother, do not seize me by my beard or by my head! I feared that you would say, ‘You have caused division among the Children of Israel, and did not heed my words.’”
He said, “I saw something they did not see, so I took a handful [of dust] from the hoof-print of the horse of the messenger [Gabriel] and cast it [into the fire][30]. This is what my mind prompted me.”
[30] While Moses and the Children of Israel were crossing the sea, the Sāmiri saw Gabriel on a horse leading the way, so he took a handful of dust from the hoof-prints of his horse and later threw it at the calf that was made out of the melted ornaments so it started making a bellowing sound.
Moses said, “Begone then! Your [punishment] in this life will be to say, ‘Do not touch me,’[31] but there awaits you an appointed time for your reckoning that you cannot escape[32]. Now look at your so-called god which you kept worshiping; We will surely burn it and then scatter it in the sea.
[31] So he was completely shunned by all people, alienated in the desert.
[32] On the Day of Judgment.
On that day, they will follow the summoner[36]; none will dare to deviate. All voices will be hushed in awe before the Most Compassionate; you will hear nothing except a whisper[37].
[36] To the gathering for reckoning.
[37] Or the sound of footsteps.
So Exalted is Allah, the True Sovereign[41]. Do not hasten to [recite] the Qur’an before its revelation to you is concluded[42], and say, “My Lord, increase me in knowledge.”
[41] Of everything in existence.
[42] Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) was eager to recite the Qur’an while it was being revealed, so Allah Almighty told him to avoid being in haste in order to learn them before the verses are properly delivered; rather, listen to them attentively.
So they both ate from the tree, then their nakedness was revealed to each other, and they began to put together leaves from Paradise to cover themselves. Thus Adam disobeyed his Lord and fell into error[45].
[45] Unlike the Bible, the Qur’an does not put the blame on Eve for Adam’s sin, for which they were ousted from the Garden and sent down to the earth. See: (Genesis 3).
Allah said, “Get down, both of you, from here altogether [with Satan] as enemies to one another. Then when there comes to you guidance from Me, whoever follows My guidance will neither go astray nor fall into misery[46].
[46] Neither go astray (in this life) nor fall into misery (in the Hereafter).
This is how We recompense those who transgress the limits and do not believe in the verses of his Lord; and the punishment of the Hereafter is more severe and more lasting[48].
Is it not yet clear to them how many generations We destroyed before them, in whose dwellings they still walk about? There are signs in this for people of sound intellect.
Were it not for a prior decree from your Lord[49] [O Prophet] and a time already set, they would have already been punished[50].
[49] That He will not punish until the argument is established on them on the Day of Judgment.
[50] He would have punished the disbelievers in the life of this world as He did with the destroyed nations of the past.
So be patient with what they say, and glorify your Lord with praise before sunrise and before sunset, and glorify Him during the night and at both ends of the day, so that you may be pleased [with the reward].
Do not turn your eyes covetously towards the various forms of splendor of this life that We have given some of the [disbelievers] to enjoy, as a trial for them. But the provision of your Lord is far better and more lasting.
Enjoin your household to perform prayer and adhere to it firmly. We ask no provision from you; rather, it is We Who give you provision. And the best outcome is for those who fear Allah.
They say, “Why does he not bring us a sign from his Lord?” Has there not come to them [the Qur’an as] a confirmation of what is in the earlier Scriptures[51]?
[51] Concerning Muhammad’s prophethood and the Qur'an as a lasting miracle.
If We had destroyed them with a punishment before this[52], they would have said, “Our Lord, if only You had sent us a messenger so that we would have followed Your verses before being humiliated and disgraced.”
[52] Before sending Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) or before sending the Qur’an.
