Al-Qasas: Verses 29–32

It is narrated from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he said: "The younger of the two married, and the more faithful fulfilled [the term]." This means he fulfilled the longer of the two agreed-upon terms. Mujahid said the term was ten years, and he stayed with him for another ten years after that.

The verse, {When Moses had fulfilled the term and set out with his family, he perceived a fire from the side of the Mount} (29), indicates that this perception (إيناس - īnas) occurred after the completion of both periods combined, not immediately after fulfilling the term alone. This refutes the view of the Qadi (judge) that this implies he did not exceed the term. Furthermore, {and set out with his family} does not imply he left alone with her; rather, the command {Amkuthū} (Stay/Remain) implies a group.

As for {Indeed, I have perceived a fire}, its interpretation has already been covered in Surah Taha and An-Naml.

Regarding {When Moses had fulfilled the term and set out with his family, he perceived a fire from the side of the Mount}:

1. The Kindling (الجذوة - al-Jadhwah): The author of Al-Kashshaf mentioned that al-Jadhwah has three linguistic forms, all of which have been read. It means a thick piece of wood, whether it had a fire on its top or not. Al-Zajjaj defined al-Jadhwah as a thick piece of firewood.
2. Context of Perception: As mentioned in Surah Taha, the night became dark for him in the desert, a strong wind blew scattering his livestock, and he became lost. Heavy rain struck them, causing severe cold. It was then that he spotted a distant fire, moving toward it seeking someone to guide him, as indicated by his words: {that I may bring you some news from it, or a brand of firewood so that you may warm yourselves}. The phrase {When Moses had fulfilled the term} indicates he was lost, and {so that you may warm yourselves} indicates the presence of cold.

Regarding {So when he came to it, a voice called out from the bank of the valley, on the blessed spot, from the tree, "O Moses! Indeed, I am Allah, the Lord of the Worlds"} (30):

The bank of the valley (shāṭi’ al-wādī) means its side. The call came from the right side of Moses, from the bank of the valley, originating from the tree. The phrase {from the tree} is an apposition (badal ishtimāl) to {from the bank of the valley} because the tree was growing on the bank, similar to the verse: {We will surely make for those who disbelieve in the Most Merciful mansions} (Az-Zukhruf: 33). The spot was described as blessed because the beginning of prophethood and the direct discourse of Allah Almighty with him occurred there. Here are several issues:

The Mu'tazilah used this verse to support their doctrine that Allah speaks through speech created in a physical body. They argue that Moses heard the call {from the tree}, and the speaker was Allah, who is transcendent above being in a body. Therefore, Allah speaks only by creating the speech in a body.

Those who affirm the eternity of Divine Speech responded in two ways:

1. The view of Abu Mansur al-Maturidi and the scholars of Transoxiana: The eternal Speech existing in Allah's Essence is not audible. What is heard is the sound and the letter, which were created in the tree and heard from it. This resolves the objection.
2. The view of Abu al-Hasan al-Ash'ari: Speech that is neither letter nor sound can still be heard, just as the Essence, which is neither body nor accident, can be seen. Under this view, it is not impossible that Moses heard the letter/sound from the tree while simultaneously hearing the eternal Speech directly from Allah, not from the tree. Thus, there is no contradiction.

The Ahl al-Sunnah argued against the Mu'tazilah by pointing out that if the tree were the locus of the speech, the statement {Indeed, I am Allah, the Lord of the Worlds} would imply the tree itself said, "I am Allah." The Mu'tazilah replied that this only follows if the speaker is the locus of the speech, not its agent—which is the core of the dispute.

The Ahl al-Sunnah countered with an analogy: If a poisoned arm said, "Do not eat me, for I am poisoned," the agent of the speech is Allah. If the speaker is the agent, then Allah must have said, "Do not eat me, for I am poisoned," which is false. If the speaker is the locus (the arm), then the arm said, "I am poisoned," which is also false. Both conclusions are invalid.

It is possible that Allah created in Moses an innate, necessary knowledge that this speech was the speech of Allah. However, the Mu'tazilah reject this, arguing that if he knew the speech was necessarily Allah's, he would necessarily know the existence of Allah, as it is impossible for a quality to be known necessarily while its subject (the Essence) is known only through reflection. If Moses knew Allah necessarily, the religious obligation (taklīf) would be nullified.

Other possibilities include:

• Allah made him hear speech that was neither letter nor sound, leading Moses to know that such speech cannot be created speech.
• The manifestation of speech from the tree was like the glorification (tasbīh) of pebbles; one knows such a thing can only come from Allah.
• The miracle was seeing fire in a wet tree, leading him to know that only Allah can combine fire with the tree's greenness.
• The narration that Iblis asked Moses how he knew it was Allah's call, and Moses replied, "Because I heard it with all my parts." Finding the sense of hearing in all parts indicated a power only Allah possesses. This is valid under our doctrine where physical structure is not a prerequisite for hearing.

In Surah An-Naml (8), it says: {A voice was called out: 'Blessed is He who is in the fire and those around it'}. Here, it says: {O Moses! Indeed, I am Allah, the Lord of the Worlds}. In Taha (11-12), it says: {A voice was called out: 'Indeed, I am your Lord'}. There is no contradiction; Allah mentioned all aspects, but each Surah recounts a portion of what the call contained.

Al-Hasan argued that Moses was addressed with the call of wahy (revelation), not the call of speech (kalām). His proof is the verse: {So listen to what is revealed}.

The majority held that Allah spoke to him directly without an intermediary, evidenced by {And Allah spoke to Moses directly} (An-Nisa: 164) and other verses. Al-Hasan’s proof is weak because {So listen to what is revealed} does not mean the command itself was revelation; if it were, the matter would ultimately lead to speech heard by the accountable person, not revelation, resulting in an infinite regress. Rather, the meaning is an instruction to be firm regarding matters that will reach him later via revelation.

Regarding {Throw down your staff." But when he saw it writhing as if it were a jinn, he turned away fleeing and did not look back. "O Moses! Approach and fear not; indeed, you are of the secure"} (31):

The interpretation of all this has preceded. The phrase {as if it were a jinn} clearly indicates that Allah likened it to a jinn; it does not mean it was a jinn. Thus, this does not contradict its being a serpent; the likeness was in its writhing and movement, not its size. We have already discussed his fear. {And did not look back} means he did not return. One says ʿaqaba al-muqātil (he returned after fleeing the fight).

Wab narrated that the staff swallowed every tree and rock until Moses heard the grinding of its teeth and the rattling of the rocks in its belly, at which point he fled.

Differences regarding the Staff:

1. Inherited Staff: Shu'ayb possessed the staffs of the Prophets. He told Moses at night to take a staff from a specific room. Moses took the staff that Adam descended with from Paradise, which was passed down through the Prophets until it reached Shu'ayb. When Shu'ayb asked to see it, he touched it (being blind) and was reluctant to give it up. He told Moses to take another, but every other staff that fell into his hand was not the right one—this happened seven times, making Shu'ayb realize the staff had a special destiny for Moses. Similarly, Shu'ayb instructed his daughter to fetch a staff for Moses; she brought one, but Shu'ayb rejected it and told her to bring another, which she couldn't find. Shu'ayb was pleased, then regretted it, and sought Moses. When he found him, he demanded the staff. Moses claimed it was his. They agreed to let the first person they met judge. An angel came and ruled: place it on the ground; whoever lifts it owns it. Shu'ayb struggled to lift it, but Moses took it easily. Shu'ayb then conceded and allowed Moses to stay for ten years.
2. Staff in the House: Ibn Salih narrated from Ibn Abbas that in the house of Bayrūn (Shu'ayb's nephew), which only Bayrūn and his wife (whom Moses married) entered, there were thirteen staffs. Bayrūn had eleven sons. Whenever a son reached maturity, he was ordered to enter the house and take one staff. One day, Moses returned home, found his family gone, and needed a staff for herding. He entered that house, took one of the staffs, and left. When his wife learned this, she told her father, who was pleased, saying, "Your husband is surely a Prophet, and this staff has a destiny with him."
3. The Dragon Incident: In some reports, when Moses made the contract with Shu'ayb, Shu'ayb told him the next morning to take the sheep, but to turn left at the fork in the road, not right, even if the grass was better on the right, because a great dragon was there, posing a danger. The sheep insisted on going right. Moses tried to turn them back but couldn't. He followed them and found abundant grass. Moses slept while the sheep grazed. The dragon appeared, and Moses' staff rose up, fought it until it killed it, and returned to Moses' side, dripping blood. When Moses awoke, he saw the bloody staff and the dead dragon, which relieved him, making him realize the staff held a power and sign from Allah. He returned to Shu'ayb (who was blind). Shu'ayb touched the sheep and found them healthier than before. Moses told him the story. Shu'ayb rejoiced, knowing Moses and his staff had a special status. To reward Moses for his good shepherding, Shu'ayb offered him all the lambs born that year that were ablagh (white with black spots) or balqā’ (black with white spots). Allah revealed to Moses to strike the water source for the sheep with his staff. He did so, and every ewe that drank from it gave birth to a spotted lamb or ewe. Shu'ayb realized this was sustenance provided by Allah for Moses and his wife, so he fulfilled his condition.
4. Staff of Adam: Some said it was the staff of Adam, which Gabriel took after Adam's death and kept until Moses met his Lord by night.
5. Ordinary Staff: Al-Hasan said it was just an ordinary staff taken randomly from the trees (iʿtirāḍan). Al-Kalbī said the tree from which the call came was the ʿawsaj (thorn bush), and his staff was from it. We cannot favor one view over others as the Quran offers no definitive proof, and the narrations conflict.

Regarding {Put your hand into your bosom; it will come out white without disease} (32): Allah expressed this meaning using three phrases: this one, {And draw your hand to your side for protection from fear} (Taha: 22), and {And put your hand into your pocket} (An-Naml: 12). Al-Azizi in Gharīb al-Qur'ān stated that usluk yadaka fī juyubik means "insert your hand into it."

Regarding {And draw your hand to your side for protection from fear}: The best commentary on this is from the author of Al-Kashshāf, who offered two meanings:

1. When Allah turned the staff into a serpent, Moses was alarmed and instinctively shielded himself with his hand. He was told that shielding with the hand was a sign of weakness before enemies. Therefore, when he threw it down (and it turned into a serpent), he should put his hand under his armpit instead of using it for defense, and then draw it out white. This achieves two goals: avoiding what shows weakness and manifesting another miracle. The "side" (janāḥ) here refers to the hand, as a person's hands are like a bird's wings. Placing the right hand under the left armpit constitutes drawing the wing close.
2. Drawing the wing close means showing fortitude, self-control, and firmness upon seeing the staff turn into a serpent, so he would not be agitated or fearful. This is borrowed from the bird's action: when afraid, it spreads its wings; otherwise, its wings are drawn close and ready. {from fear} means because of fear. If fear strikes you upon seeing the serpent, draw your wing close.

The command {Put your hand into your bosom} is semantically identical to one interpretation of the other command, yet the wording differs for different purposes: one aims for the hand to emerge white, the other for concealing fear.

If one asks how the wing (al-janāḥ) is described as "drawn close" in one place and "drawn close to it" (ilayka) in another ({draw your hand to your side} in Taha), the reconciliation is that the "drawn close wing" refers to the right hand, and the one "drawn close to it" refers to the left hand, as each hand is a wing. This is the excellent commentary of Al-Kashshāf.

Regarding {These are two proofs from your Lord} (32): This was read with a light dhāl (فَذَانِك) or a heavy dhāl (فَذَانَّك). The light reading uses the dual form dhā, and the heavy reading uses dhān. These two are clear arguments (ḥujjatān nīratān) for his truthfulness in prophethood and the soundness of his call to monotheism.

The apparent meaning suggests Allah commanded him this before meeting Pharaoh, so he would know which miracles to display. This is because the verse following states Moses said: {Indeed, I killed a man from among them, so I fear they will kill me} (33).

Al-Qadi argued that if this is the case, someone must have called him to prophethood there (from his family or others) when the two proofs appeared, as miracles only manifest during the mission to serve as evidence for others. This view is weak because manifesting a miracle requires wisdom, and the greatest wisdom is for others to use it as proof of the claimant's truthfulness. We do not concede there was no wisdom here; perhaps there were other types of wisdom and objectives, especially since these verses consistently indicate that no one was with Moses at that time.

Verses 33–37

Analysis of Verses 33–34 (The Request):

Moses said: {My Lord, indeed I have killed a man from among them, so I fear they will kill me.} (33). {And my brother Aaron, he is more eloquent than me in speech, so send him with me as a helper to confirm me. Indeed, I fear they will deny me.} (34).

Analysis of Verse 35 (The Response):

Allah replied: {He said, "We will strengthen your arm through your brother, and We will give you both authority, so they will not reach you. With Our signs, you two and those who follow you will be the victors."} (35). This confirms the request for Aaron and promises support and victory through divine signs.

Analysis of Verse 36 (The Reaction):

{But when Moses came to them with Our clear signs, they said, "This is nothing but fabricated magic. We have not heard of this from our forefathers."} (36).

Analysis of Verse 37 (Moses' Reply):

{And Moses said, "My Lord knows best who has brought guidance from Him and whose is the ultimate outcome of the Home. Indeed, the wrongdoers will not succeed."} (37). This entrusts the final judgment to Allah, affirming that success belongs only to the righteous.