20:39

أَنِ ٱقۡذِفِيهِ فِي ٱلتَّابُوتِ فَٱقۡذِفِيهِ فِي ٱلۡيَمِّ فَلۡيُلۡقِهِ ٱلۡيَمُّ بِٱلسَّاحِلِ يَأۡخُذۡهُ عَدُوّٞ لِّي وَعَدُوّٞ لَّهُۥۚ وَأَلۡقَيۡتُ عَلَيۡكَ مَحَبَّةٗ مِّنِّي وَلِتُصۡنَعَ عَلَىٰ عَيۡنِيٓ

Ani iqthifeehi fee alttabooti faiqthifeehi fee alyammi falyulqihi alyammu bialssahili yakhuthhu AAaduwwun lee waAAaduwwun lahu waalqaytu AAalayka mahabbatan minnee walitusnaAAa AAala AAaynee

[Saying], 'Cast him into the chest and cast it into the river, and the river will throw it onto the bank; there will take him an enemy to Me and an enemy to him.' And I bestowed upon you love from Me that you would be brought up under My eye.

Word by word
  1. أَنِThat
  2. ٱقۡذِفِيهِcast him
  3. فِيin
  4. ٱلتَّابُوتِthe chest
  5. فَٱقۡذِفِيهِthen cast it
  6. فِيin
  7. ٱلۡيَمِّthe river
  8. فَلۡيُلۡقِهِthen let cast it
  9. ٱلۡيَمُّthe river
  10. بِٱلسَّاحِلِon the bank
  11. يَأۡخُذۡهُwill take him
  12. عَدُوّٞan enemy
  13. لِّيto Me
  14. وَعَدُوّٞand an enemy
  15. لَّهُۥۚto him
  16. وَأَلۡقَيۡتُAnd I cast
  17. عَلَيۡكَover you
  18. مَحَبَّةٗlove
  19. مِّنِّيfrom Me
  20. وَلِتُصۡنَعَand that you may be brought up
  21. عَلَىٰunder
  22. عَيۡنِيٓMy eye
Taha · 20:39Makkah

Raised in the enemy's house, under Allah's eye.

Love placed on him from Allah


The river's route
baby in a chestcast in the river
carried to
Pharaoh's housethe enemy
loved therelove from Allah
Where safety was
far from dangeraway from the enemy
under My Eyeeven in his house

Pharaoh killed baby boys fearing Musa's arrival. Ibn Kathir says Allah decreed Musa would be raised on Pharaoh's own bed, fed by his food, loved by him and his wife. Allah said I endued you with love from Me: He made his enemy love him.

You start a job where the manager seems set against you. Or you move to a school where nobody knows you. Allah can place love for you in hearts you thought were closed. You are raised under His eye wherever you land.

I am only safe when I am far from people who could harm me.

Allah can keep me safe even in the house of the one I fear.

Try this

Make dua for Allah to put love for you in the heart of one person who seems against you.

Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir (shared passage from 20:36)

(Allah) said: "You are granted your request, O Musa! (36)"And indeed We conferred a favor on you another time (before). (37)"When We inspired your mother with that which We inspired. (38)"Saying: 'Put him (the child) into the Tabut and put it into the river; then the river shall cast it up on the bank, and there, an enemy of Mine and an enemy of his shall take him.' And I endued you with love from Me, in order that you may be brought up under My Eye. (39)

Glad Tidings of the acceptance of Musa's Supplication and the Reminder of the Previous Blessings

This is a response from Allah to His Messenger, Musa, for what he requested from His Lord. It also contains a reminder of Allah's previous favors upon him. The first was inspiring his mother when she was breastfeeding him and she feared that Fir'awn and his chiefs would kill him. Musa was born during a year in which they (Fir'awn's people) were killing all of the male children. So she placed him in a case and cast him into the river. The river carried him away and she became grieved and distressed, as Allah mentioned about her when He said,

وَأَصْبَحَ فُؤَادُ أُمِّ مُوسَىٰ فَارِغًا ۖ إِن كَادَتْ لَتُبْدِي بِهِ لَوْلَا أَن رَّبَطْنَا عَلَىٰ قَلْبِهَا

(And the heart of the mother of Musa became empty. She was very near to disclose his (case) had We not strengthened her heart.)[28:10] So the river carried him to the home of Fir'awn.

فَالْتَقَطَهُ آلُ فِرْعَوْنَ لِيَكُونَ لَهُمْ عَدُوًّا وَحَزَنًا

(Then the people of Fir'awn picked him up, that he might become for them an enemy and a (cause of ) grief.)[28:8] Means that this was a destined matter, decreed by Allah. They were killing the male children of the Israelites for fear of Musa's arrival. Therefore, with Allah having the great authority and the most perfect power, He determined that Musa would not be raised except upon Fir'awn's own bed. He would be sustained by Fir'awn's food and drink, while receiving the love of Fir'awn and his wife. This is why Allah said,

يَأْخُذْهُ عَدُوٌّ لِّي وَعَدُوٌّ لَّهُ ۚ وَأَلْقَيْتُ عَلَيْكَ مَحَبَّةً مِّنِّي 

(and there, an enemy of Mine and an enemy of his shall take him. And I endued you with love from Me,) This means that I made your enemy love you. Salamah bin Kuhayl said,

وَأَلْقَيْتُ عَلَيْكَ مَحَبَّةً مِّنِّي 

(And I endued you with love from Me,) "This means, 'I made My creatures love you.'"

وَلِتُصْنَعَ عَلَىٰ عَيْنِي

(in order that you may be brought up under My Eye.) Abu 'Imran Al-Jawni said, "This means, 'You will be raised under Allah's Eye.'" Concerning Allah's statement,

إِذْ تَمْشِي أُخْتُكَ فَتَقُولُ هَلْ أَدُلُّكُمْ عَلَىٰ مَن يَكْفُلُهُ ۖ فَرَجَعْنَاكَ إِلَىٰ أُمِّكَ كَيْ تَقَرَّ عَيْنُهَا

(When your sister went and said: 'Shall I show you one who will nurse him?' So We restored you to your mother, that she might cool her eyes)

When he was accepted into the house of Fir'awn, women were brought in attempts to find someone who might be able to nurse him. But he refused to breast feed from any of them. Allah, the Exalted, says,

وَحَرَّمْنَا عَلَيْهِ الْمَرَاضِعَ مِن قَبْلُ

(And We had already forbidden (other) foster suckling mothers for him)[28:12] Then, his sister came and said,

هَلْ أَدُلُّكُمْ عَلَىٰ أَهْلِ بَيْتٍ يَكْفُلُونَهُ لَكُمْ وَهُمْ لَهُ نَاصِحُونَ

(Shall I direct you to a household who will rear him for you, and look after him in a good manner?)[28:12] She meant, "Shall I guide you to someone who can nurse him for you for a fee?" So she took him and they went with her to his real mother. When her breast was presented to him, he took it and they (Fir'awn's family) were extremely happy for this. Thus, they hired her to nurse him and she achieved great happiness and comfort because of him, in this life and even more so in the Hereafter. Allah, the Exalted, says here,

فَرَجَعْنَاكَ إِلَىٰ أُمِّكَ كَيْ تَقَرَّ عَيْنُهَا وَلَا تَحْزَنَ

(So We restored you to your mother, that she might cool her eyes and she should not grieve.) This means that she should not grieve over you.

وَقَتَلْتَ نَفْسًا 

(Then you killed man,) This means that he killed a Coptic person (the people of Egypt, Fir'awn's people).

فَنَجَّيْنَاكَ مِنَ الْغَمِّ

(but We saved you from great distress) This is what he was feeling due to Fir'awn's family intending to kill him. So he fled from them until he came to the water of the people of Madyan. This is when the righteous man said to him,

لَا تَخَفْ ۖ نَجَوْتَ مِنَ الْقَوْمِ الظَّالِمِينَ

(Fear you not. You have escaped from the people who are wrongdoers.)[28:25]