Tafsir of Al-Qasas 28:23

(And when he arrived at the water of Madyan): Meaning, when he reached it. "Arriving" (al-wurud) is used to mean both entering and drinking, yet neither is intended here. The "water of Madyan" refers to a well from which they used to draw water; it is a metonymy (majaz) of mentioning the state (the water) while intending the location (the well).

(He found upon it): Meaning, above its rim and its drawing place.

(A group of people): Meaning, a large collective of varying types. The indefinite noun (tanwin) suggests the first condition (a large group), and the addition of "of people" covers the varying types—this is the benefit of its mention. It is also said its benefit is to belittle that group, implying they are base people who are not distinguished except by their species, or that there is a need to clarify they are human.

(Watering): The apparent meaning is that they were watering various types of livestock, in the sense that some were watering camels, others sheep, and so on. To specify their watering to a particular type would require authoritative transmission (tawqif).

(And he found, besides them): Meaning, in a place lower than their place. It is said: near them, or apart from them, or on his side when he arrived. The latter is the view of Ibn ‘Atiyyah, who said: The meaning is that he found, in the direction he arrived at before reaching the group, two women.

(Two women): The name of one is said to be Laya, others say ‘Abra, others Sharfa. The name of the other is said to be Safuriyya, others say Safura, and others Safira. In al-Kashshaf, Safira is the name of the younger, and Safura is the name of the elder.

(Holding back their flocks): They were preventing their sheep from reaching the water for fear of the strong shepherds. Ibn ‘Abbas and others said this, while some said they were preventing their sheep from moving forward to the well so they would not mix with others; al-Zajjaj related this. Qatadah said: They were holding the people back from their sheep. Al-Farra’ said: They were restraining their sheep from scattering. In all these views, there is a clear indication that what was being held back (al-madhud) was sheep. It is apparent this is based on traditional transmission. It is also said they were holding them back from the eyes of onlookers to preserve their modesty—this is as you can see.

(He said, "What is your affair?"): Meaning, what is your concern and your objective regarding what you are in—of lagging behind and holding back, and not engaging in watering like the others? The root of khatb is a verbal noun meaning "request," then it was used for the object (the thing requested). His peace be upon him questioning them is evidence for the permissibility of speaking to a non-mahram woman regarding matters of necessity.

Shammar read it as ma khitbukuma (with a kasra under the kha), and said in al-Bahr: "Meaning, who is to marry you, and why does he not water them?" This is a rare, anomalous reading, and the problem with it is obvious, as is the refusal to answer it. Some said: Khitb here means the "requested/sought after," as in the mutawatir reading, similar to the word hubb (with a kasra) meaning "the beloved."

(They said, "We do not water until the shepherds drive away"): Meaning, it is our custom not to water until the shepherds move their livestock away after they have drunk, due to our inability to compete with them; it does not mean we are not watering today until that point. Ibn Musayyib read la nusqi (with a damma on the nun) from isqa’ (to provide water). Abu Ja’far, Shaybah, al-Hasan, Qatadah, and the two Arabs—Ibn ‘Amir and Abu ‘Amr—read yusdira (with a fatha on the ya and a damma on the dal), meaning until the shepherds cause their livestock to depart. Some kings asked about the difference between the two readings, and it was answered that the reading yusdira (fatha) indicates the extremity of their modesty and their avoidance of mixing with strangers, whereas the reading yusdiru (damma) indicates the shepherds moving the livestock, and one does not understand from it their own departure from the water.

(And our father is an old man): This is an expression of their excuse to him, peace be upon him, for their having to water the flocks themselves. It is as if they said: We are two weak, veiled women; we cannot compete and crowd with men, and we have no man to do this, and our father is a man of great age whom old age has weakened. Thus, we must delay watering until the people have fulfilled their needs for water.

Some mentioned that he, peace be upon him, phrased the question according to what his generosity and mercy for the weak required, as he asked them about their reason for lagging behind and holding back, intending to obligate himself to offer help. However, because of their high status, they interpreted his statement as one requiring an answer by way of cause, within which lay a request for help, for their displaying weakness was for no other reason than that. It is also said: There is nothing in the speech indicating their weakness; rather, it contains signs of their modesty and chastity. If they had intended to show weakness, they would have said, "We are unable to water." The meaning of "and our father is an old man" is: despite our modesty, we ventured to this task because of his age and weakness; otherwise, it would have been his duty to handle it.

Perhaps the most appropriate thing to say is that they intended to show inability to compete due to weakness and the modesty they were naturally endowed with. Even if the speech does not explicitly show their weakness, it points to it for those who have a heart. It is understood from the explanation of their answer mentioned above that the sentence "and our father is an old man" is a conjunction to an implied phrase, and it is permissible for it to be a hal (circumstantial): "We leave watering until the shepherds depart, while our father is an old man."

Most exegetes believe their father was Shu’ayb, peace be upon him. If it is said: "How could a prophet of God be pleased with his daughters watering sheep?" The answer is that the matter in itself is not forbidden, and the religion does not reject it. As for chivalry (muru’ah), people differ regarding it, customs vary, and the conditions of the Arabs differ from those of the non-Arabs; the way of the Bedouins is different from that of the city dwellers, especially when the situation is one of necessity.

A group held that it was not Shu’ayb, peace be upon him. Sa’id ibn Mansur, Ibn Abi Shaybah, Ibn al-Mundhir, and Ibn Abi Hatim recorded from Abu ‘Ubaydah that he said: The companion of Musa, peace be upon him, was Yathrun, the son of the brother of Shu’ayb the Prophet, peace be upon him. Abu Hayyan also attributed this saying to him, though he mentioned "Harun" instead of "Yathrun," and also attributed it to al-Hasan, though he mentioned "Marwan" instead. Al-Tabarsi recorded from Wahb and Sa’id ibn Jubayr something similar to what Abu Hayyan recorded from Abu ‘Ubaydah. Ibn al-Mundhir recorded from Ibn Jurayj that he said: It reached me that the father of the two women was the son of the brother of Shu’ayb, and his name was Ra’awil. And one who is truthful informed me that his name in the Book is Yathrun, the priest of Madyan, and the priest is a scholar.

Ibn Jarir recorded from Ibn ‘Abbas that he said: The one who hired Musa, peace be upon him, was Yathrub, the master of Madyan. Another narration from him came stating his name was Yathrun, which agrees with the name reported from the Book. Neither of these two narrations mentions his lineage to Shu’ayb, peace be upon him; it is possible that the one named therein is his nephew, and it is possible he is a stranger to him. It has been said: Their father is not related to Shu’ayb, peace be upon him; he is simply a righteous man. Al-Tabarsi related from some that Yathrun is the name of Shu’ayb, and some of the People of the Book informed me of that as well, though he said: It is with us "Yathru" without the nun at the end.

What I have seen in the second chapter of the second book of their Torah is a translation of: "And when Pharaoh heard this news—the news of the killing—he sought to kill Musa. So Musa fled from his presence and came to the land of Madyan and sat by a well of water. And the priest of Madyan had seven daughters, and they came and drew water and filled the troughs to water their father's sheep. When the shepherds came and drove them away, Musa stood up, helped them, and watered their sheep. When they came to Ra’awil their father, he said: 'Why have you come so quickly today?'..." And at the beginning of the third chapter of it is a translation: "And Musa was shepherding the sheep of Yathru, his father-in-law, the priest of Madyan..." So do not be heedless.

In al-Bahr, when discussing the interpretation of "Indeed, my father invites you," it is said: It was their uncle, the owner of the sheep, and the one who gave them in marriage; he was referred to as "the father" because he was in that capacity. It is apparent that this speaker says they meant by "father" here the uncle. You know that this and its likes from what preceded are things that are not said based on personal opinion. Therefore, the pivot in accepting any of this is a report that one can rely upon, and the reports we have found regarding this matter differ, and we have not distinguished which is the most preferred among them. You should rely on the famous view which the majority of exegetes hold, which is that their father was in reality Shu’ayb, peace be upon him, until what necessitates turning away from it appears to you.