Tafsir of Ta-Ha 20:37

The Revelation to the Mother of Moses: This could be through a prophet of her time, as in: "And when I inspired the disciples" (5:111). Or, God sent an angel to her, not in the capacity of prophethood, as He sent to Mary. Or, He showed it to her in a dream, or inspired her, as in: "And your Lord inspired the bee" (16:68). That is, We inspired her with a matter that could not be known except through revelation, and it contained a religious benefit, so it was necessary to reveal it. It is a great matter, and such a thing is worthy of being revealed.

{When We inspired to your mother what was inspired}: "What" (ma) is explanatory, as revelation here means speech.

"Casting" (Qadhf): Used in the sense of throwing or placing. From this is: "And He cast terror into their hearts" (33:26). Similarly, "throwing" (ramy). It is said: "A youth whom God cast beauty upon while he was young," meaning He placed beauty within him.

The Pronouns: All pronouns refer to Moses. To have some refer to him and others to the chest (tabut) would be a flaw, leading to a discordance in the structure. If you ask: "The one cast into the sea is the chest, and the one cast onto the shore is the chest," I reply: "What harm is there in saying the one cast into the sea and the one cast onto the shore is Moses, inside the chest? This avoids splitting the pronouns, which would cause a discordance in the structure—the very essence of the Quran’s inimitability and the standard by which the challenge was issued. Observing this is the most important duty of the exegete."

The Sea's Agency: Since it was God’s will that the current of the sea would not fail to reach the shore, He employed a metaphor, treating the sea as if it possessed discernment, commanded to obey and follow the decree. Thus, it was said: "Let the sea cast him onto the shore."

It is narrated that she placed carded cotton in the chest, placed him inside, sealed it with gypsum and pitch, and cast it into the sea. A large river branched from it into Pharaoh’s garden. While he was sitting by a pool with Asiya, the chest appeared. He ordered it to be brought, opened it, and found a boy of the most beautiful face. The enemy of God loved him with a love so intense he could not bear to be away from him.

The literal meaning is that the sea cast him onto its shore (sahil), which is its bank, because the water "peels" (yashulu) it, meaning it scrapes it. He was cast there and picked up from the shore, unless the sea cast him at a point on the shore where the mouth of Pharaoh’s river was, and the river then carried him to the pool.

"Love from Me" (Mahabbatan minni): This either relates to "I cast" (alqaytu), meaning: "I loved you, and whomsoever God loves, hearts love." Or, it relates to an implied word that is an adjective for love, meaning: "A love that came from Me, which I planted and sowed in hearts." Therefore, Pharaoh and everyone who saw you loved you. It is narrated that there was a trace of beauty on his face and a charm in his eyes; whoever saw him could hardly bear to be away from him.

"Under My Eye" ('ala 'ayni): So that you may be raised and treated well, and I am watching over you, just as a man watches over something with his eyes when he cares for it. You say to a craftsman: "Make this under my eye," meaning I am looking at you so you do not deviate from my intent and desire.

"And that you may be fashioned" (wa-li-tusna'a): This is conjoined to an implied cause, such as: "So that He may be kind to you and cherish you." Or, the cause is omitted, meaning: "And for you to be fashioned, I did that." It is also read as li-tusna' (with a sukun on the 'ayn) as a command, or wa-li-tasna'a (with a fatha on the ta') as an accusative, meaning: "So that your work and conduct may be under My observation."