Surah Qasas ayat 22 Tafsir Quran 28:22

﴿وَلَمَّا تَوَجَّهَ تِلْقَاءَ مَدْيَنَ قَالَ عَسَىٰ رَبِّي أَن يَهْدِيَنِي سَوَاءَ السَّبِيلِ﴾
[ القصص: 22]

28:22 And when he directed himself toward Madyan, he said, "Perhaps my Lord will guide me to the sound way."

And when he turned his face towards Midian in the direction thereof — and this Midian was the town of the prophet Shu‘ayb eight day’s journeying from Egypt so named after Midian son of Abraham; he Moses did not know the route to it — he said ‘Perhaps my Lord will show me the right way’ that is to say which route to follow in other words the simplest route to it. God thus sent forth to him an angel with a goat which he Moses set off following towards it the town.

Journeying toward Madyan he said to himself: Perhaps Allah, my Creator will guide me out of this fearful country into the path of truth and safety

Musa, peace be upon him, in Madyan, and how He watered the Flocks of the Two Women When the man told Musa about how Fir`awn and his chiefs were conspiring against him, he left Egypt on his own.
He was not used to being alone, because before that he had been living a life of luxury and ease, in a position of leadership. فَخَرَجَ مِنْهَا خَآئِفاً يَتَرَقَّبُ ( So he escaped from there, looking about in a state of fear. ) meaning, turning around and watching. قَالَ رَبِّ نَجِّنِى مِنَ الْقَوْمِ الظَّـلِمِينَ ( My Lord! Save me from the people who are wrongdoers! ) means, from Fir`awn and his chiefs.
It was mentioned that Allah sent to him an angel riding a horse, who showed him the way.
And Allah knows best. وَلَمَّا تَوَجَّهَ تِلْقَآءَ مَدْيَنَ ( And when he went towards (the land of ) Madyan,) means, he took a smooth and easy route -- and he rejoiced because of that. قَالَ عَسَى رَبِّى أَن يَهْدِيَنِى سَوَآءَ السَّبِيلِ ( he said: "It may be that my Lord guides me to the right way." ) meaning, the most straight route.
And Allah did indeed do that, for He guided him to the straight path in this world and the Hereafter, and caused him to be guided and to guide others. وَلَمَّا وَرَدَ مَآءَ مَدْيَنَ ( And when he arrived at the water (a well ) of Madyan,) means, when he reached Madyan and went to drink from its water, for it had a well where shepherds used to water their flocks, وَجَدَ عَلَيْهِ أُمَّةً مِّنَ النَّاسِ يَسْقُونَ وَوَجَدَ مِن دُونِهِمُ امْرَأَتَينِ تَذُودَانِ ( he found there a group of men watering, and besides them he found two women who were keeping back. ) means, they were stopping their sheep from drinking with the sheep of those shepherds, lest some harm come to them.
When Musa, peace be upon him, saw them, he felt sorry for them and took pity on them. قَالَ مَا خَطْبُكُمَا ( He said: "What is the matter with you" ) meaning, `why do you not water your flocks with these people' قَالَتَا لاَ نَسْقِى حَتَّى يُصْدِرَ الرِّعَآءُ ( They said: "We cannot water until the shepherds take..." ) meaning, `we cannot water our flocks until they finish.' وَأَبُونَا شَيْخٌ كَبِيرٌ ( And our father is a very old man. ) means, `this is what has driven us to what you see.' فَسَقَى لَهُمَا ( So he watered (their flocks ) for them, ) ثُمَّ تَوَلَّى إِلَى الظِّلِّ فَقَالَ رَبِّ إِنِّى لِمَآ أَنزَلْتَ إِلَىَّ مِنْ خَيْرٍ فَقِيرٌ ( then he turned back to shade, and said: "My Lord! Truly, I am in need of whatever good that You bestow on me!" ) إِلَى الظِّلِّ ( to shade, ) Ibn `Abbas, Ibn Mas`ud and As-Suddi said: "He sat beneath a tree." `Ata' bin As-Sa'ib said: "When Musa said: رَبِّ إِنِّى لِمَآ أَنزَلْتَ إِلَىَّ مِنْ خَيْرٍ فَقِيرٌ ( "My Lord! Truly, I am in need of whatever good that You bestow on me!" ) the women heard him."

(28:22) (Leaving Egypt) when Moses set his direction towards Madyan *31 he said "I expect that my Lord will guide me to the right path. " *32

And when he directed himself toward Madyan, meaning

*31) Both the Bible and the Qur'an agree that after leaving Egypt the Prophet Moses had gone to live in Madyan ( Midian ).
But the Talmud tells the absurd story that Moses fled to Ethiopia and became a great favourite with the king there.
After the king's death the people made Moses their king and leader and gave him the widow of the king for a wife, but during the 40 years of his reign there he never had intercourse with his negro wife.
Then the queen of Ethiopia, who was a wife to Moses in name only, said to the people, " Why should this stranger continue to rule over you '? He has never worshipped the gods of Ethiopia. " At this the people of Ethiopia deposed him and made him many rich presents and dismissed him with great honours.
Then he came to Midian and met with the events being mentioned below.
At this time he was 67 years old.
A clear proof of this story's being absurd is that according to it Assyria ( northern Iraq ) in those days was under Ethiopia, and the Prophet Moses and the Ethiopian king, his predecessor, had led military campaigns to crush the Assyrian revolts.
Now anybody who has a little acquaintance with the history and geography can have a look at the map and see things for himself.
Assyria could be under Ethiopian domination and have been attacked by the Ethiopian army only in case Egypt and Palestine and Syria had been under its subjugation, or the whole of Arabia under its sway, or, at least the Ethiopian navy so powerful as to have conquered 'Iraq across the Indian ocean and the Persian Gulf.
History, however, does not support the view that the Ethiopians ever held sway over these countries, or their naval force was ever so powerful.
This indicates how imperfect was the Israelites' knowledge of their own history, and how the Qur'an corrects their errors and presents thetrue facts in their pure form.
Nevertheless, the Christian and the Jewish orientalists are never ashamed of asserting that the Qur'an has plagiarized the Israelite traditions for its narratives.

*32) The right path: " The path that may take me to Midian safely. " It should be borne in mind that Midian in those days was outside Pharaoh's empire.
Egypt did not have control over the whole of the Sinai Peninsula but only on its western and southern parts.
The Midianites who inhabited the eastern and western coasts of the Gulf of 'Agabah were free from Egyptian influence and authority.
That is why the Prophet Moses had headed for Midian after leaving Egypt, because that was the nearest free and inhabited land.
But to reach Midian he had to pass through Egyptian territories; avoiding the Egyptian police and military posts on the way.
That is why he prayed to God to put him on the right track which should take him to Midian safely.

 

Musa, peace be upon him, in Madyan, and how He watered the Flocks of the Two Women When the man told Musa about how Fir`awn and his chiefs were conspiring against him, he left Egypt on his own.
He was not used to being alone, because before that he had been living a life of luxury and ease, in a position of leadership. فَخَرَجَ مِنْهَا خَآئِفاً يَتَرَقَّبُ ( So he escaped from there, looking about in a state of fear. ) meaning, turning around and watching. قَالَ رَبِّ نَجِّنِى مِنَ الْقَوْمِ الظَّـلِمِينَ ( My Lord! Save me from the people who are wrongdoers! ) means, from Fir`awn and his chiefs.
It was mentioned that Allah sent to him an angel riding a horse, who showed him the way.
And Allah knows best. وَلَمَّا تَوَجَّهَ تِلْقَآءَ مَدْيَنَ ( And when he went towards (the land of ) Madyan,) means, he took a smooth and easy route -- and he rejoiced because of that. قَالَ عَسَى رَبِّى أَن يَهْدِيَنِى سَوَآءَ السَّبِيلِ ( he said: "It may be that my Lord guides me to the right way." ) meaning, the most straight route.
And Allah did indeed do that, for He guided him to the straight path in this world and the Hereafter, and caused him to be guided and to guide others. وَلَمَّا وَرَدَ مَآءَ مَدْيَنَ ( And when he arrived at the water (a well ) of Madyan,) means, when he reached Madyan and went to drink from its water, for it had a well where shepherds used to water their flocks, وَجَدَ عَلَيْهِ أُمَّةً مِّنَ النَّاسِ يَسْقُونَ وَوَجَدَ مِن دُونِهِمُ امْرَأَتَينِ تَذُودَانِ ( he found there a group of men watering, and besides them he found two women who were keeping back. ) means, they were stopping their sheep from drinking with the sheep of those shepherds, lest some harm come to them.
When Musa, peace be upon him, saw them, he felt sorry for them and took pity on them. قَالَ مَا خَطْبُكُمَا ( He said: "What is the matter with you" ) meaning, `why do you not water your flocks with these people' قَالَتَا لاَ نَسْقِى حَتَّى يُصْدِرَ الرِّعَآءُ ( They said: "We cannot water until the shepherds take..." ) meaning, `we cannot water our flocks until they finish.' وَأَبُونَا شَيْخٌ كَبِيرٌ ( And our father is a very old man. ) means, `this is what has driven us to what you see.' فَسَقَى لَهُمَا ( So he watered (their flocks ) for them, ) ثُمَّ تَوَلَّى إِلَى الظِّلِّ فَقَالَ رَبِّ إِنِّى لِمَآ أَنزَلْتَ إِلَىَّ مِنْ خَيْرٍ فَقِيرٌ ( then he turned back to shade, and said: "My Lord! Truly, I am in need of whatever good that You bestow on me!" ) إِلَى الظِّلِّ ( to shade, ) Ibn `Abbas, Ibn Mas`ud and As-Suddi said: "He sat beneath a tree." `Ata' bin As-Sa'ib said: "When Musa said: رَبِّ إِنِّى لِمَآ أَنزَلْتَ إِلَىَّ مِنْ خَيْرٍ فَقِيرٌ ( "My Lord! Truly, I am in need of whatever good that You bestow on me!" ) the women heard him."

( And when he turned his face towards Midian ) he was afraid to miss the way, ( he said: Peradventure my Lord will guide me in the right road ) leading to Midian.

And when he went towards (the land of) Madyan (Midian) he said: "It may be that my Lord guides me to the Right Way."

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