Part of Women's Suffering (series completed)
· Lesson 12 of 18
The suffering of women in the time of Moses, peace be upon him | Episode (12) | A lesson from the story of Umm Musa
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Transcript
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The story of woman's suffering in the time of Moses, peace be upon him.
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Lessons from the story of the mother of Moses.
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The story of the mother of Moses, in her suffering under Pharaoh's tyranny and his terrorization of the women of the Children of Israel, contains numerous benefits.
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Al-Tahir Ibn 'Ashur, may Allah have mercy on him, mentioned a number of them,
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saying:
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"The points of reflection in this narrative
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are that it comprises matters of great import,
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serving as a reminder for the believers and an admonition for the polytheists.
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The first and greatest of these
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is demonstrating that whatever Allah has decreed and predestined
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will inevitably come to pass,
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as indicated by His saying:
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“And We desired to show favour unto those who were oppressed in the earth, and to make them examples and to make them the inheritors,” (28:5)
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up to His words: '...that which they feared.'
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And that caution cannot avert destiny.
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The second lesson
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is demonstrating that true exaltation belongs to Allah Almighty and to the believers,
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and that Pharaoh's arrogance availed him nothing in warding off the consequences of tyranny and corruption,
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serving as an admonition for the arrogant polytheists among the people of Makkah.
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The third lesson
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is that prefacing the story with Pharaoh's tyranny and his corrupt deeds
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indicates that this was the very reason retribution was exacted upon him
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and aid was granted to the downtrodden,
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so that tyrants may beware the evil consequences of their oppression,
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and that those enduring oppression may hope that the final outcome will be in their favor.
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The fourth lesson
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is pointing to the two wisdoms:
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“Warfare is ordained for you, though it is hateful unto you; but it may happen that ye hate a thing which is good for you, and it may happen that ye love a thing which is bad for you. Allah knoweth, ye know not.” (2:216)
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regarding the Children of Israel,
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and 'perhaps you love a thing and it is bad for you' regarding Pharaoh's people,
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as they rejoiced in enslaving the Children of Israel and plotting to eradicate their lineage.
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The fifth lesson
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is that the sudden affliction of Pharaoh's people at the hands of the very one from whom they hoped to benefit
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serves as a starker admonition to the reflective,
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inflicts deeper remorse upon the discerning,
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and is clearer proof that Allah's retribution is far greater than any enemy's retaliation,
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as He said:
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“And the family of Pharaoh took him up, that he might become for them an enemy and a sorrow, Lo! Pharaoh and Haman and their hosts were ever sinning.” (28:8)
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along with her words: 'Perhaps he will benefit us, or we may adopt him as a son.'
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The sixth lesson
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is that it is rationally impermissible to eradicate an entire nation
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merely because of an anticipated corrupter within it,
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owing to the disproportion between the two harms,
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and because encompassing every single member of an entire nation is impossible;
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thus, the anticipated corrupter will inevitably emerge among the overlooked individuals,
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resulting in two grave evils:
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punishing the innocent while letting the guilty escape.
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The seventh lesson
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is teaching that Allah accomplishes His purpose by orchestrating the means that lead to it.
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Had Allah willed, He could have destroyed Pharaoh and his followers through a celestial catastrophe,
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without decreeing their destruction through such an orchestrated sequence,
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and He could have delivered Moses and the Children of Israel far more swiftly.
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However, He willed it to unfold through witnessing shifting circumstances,
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starting from casting Moses into the river until He restored him to his mother,
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so that it would serve as an admonition to the polytheists who said...
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“And when they said: O Allah! If this be indeed the truth from Thee, then rain down stones on us or bring on us some painful doom!” (8:32)
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and so that they might discern from the early glimmers of the emergence of the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
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and the progression of his mission through the stages of strength,
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that what they were promised will ultimately come to pass.
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The eighth lesson is that the presence of righteous individuals among corrupters
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mitigates the affliction of the corrupters' mischief;
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for the presence of Pharaoh's wife was the reason Pharaoh was dissuaded from killing the infant,
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even though he was certain the child was an Israelite,
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“And the wife of Pharaoh said: (He will be) a consolation for me and for thee. Kill him not. Peradventure he may be of use to us, or we may choose him for a son. And they perceived not.” (28:9)
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as we previously explained in its Tafsir.
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The ninth lesson is found in His saying: 'And that she might know that the promise of Allah is true,'
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which alludes to reminding the believers that their victory will arrive in due course,
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and warning the polytheists that they have no escape from their threatened punishment.
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The tenth lesson
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lies in His words: 'But most of them do not know,'
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which indicates that a person is undermined by failing to reflect upon rational proofs."
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These great benefits mentioned by Tahir Ibn 'Ashur, may Allah have mercy on him,
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truly deserve that we pause over every single one of them,
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yet our time does not allow for that.
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So perhaps I will dwell on just one benefit mentioned by the Sheikh, may Allah have mercy on him,
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which is the seventh benefit:
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that Allah accomplishes His purpose by orchestrating the means that lead to it.
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Had Allah willed, He could have destroyed Pharaoh and his followers through a celestial catastrophe,
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without decreeing their destruction through such an orchestrated sequence,
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and He could have delivered Moses and the Children of Israel far more swiftly.
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However, He willed it to unfold through witnessing shifting circumstances,
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starting from casting Moses into the river until He restored him to his mother.
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Thus, I remind you, my noble sister,
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of what people circulate today regarding current events,
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such as the war that took place in Syria, Palestine, or elsewhere,
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when they ask: "Why does Allah not punish them,
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send down a torment upon them from heaven, and utterly destroy them?"
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This line of thinking reflects the despair that has gripped people's hearts on the one hand,
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and on the other, it reveals weakness in faith in Allah
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and ignorance of His universal laws governing creation.
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For it is from the Sunnah of Allah to repel the people of evil through the people of good.
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Allah Almighty said:
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"So they defeated them by Allah's permission, and David killed Goliath,
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“So they routed them by Allah's leave and David slew Goliath; and Allah gave him the kingdom and wisdom, and taught him of that which He willeth. And if Allah had not repelled some men by others the earth would have been corrupted. But Allah is a Lord of Kindness to (His) creatures.” (2:251)
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and He taught him of that which He willed.
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And were it not for Allah repelling people, some by means of others..."
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“So they routed them by Allah's leave and David slew Goliath; and Allah gave him the kingdom and wisdom, and taught him of that which He willeth. And if Allah had not repelled some men by others the earth would have been corrupted. But Allah is a Lord of Kindness to (His) creatures.” (2:251)
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And He, Glorified is He, said:
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"And were it not for Allah repelling people, some by means of others..."
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“Those who have been driven from their homes unjustly only because they said: Our Lord is Allah - For had it not been for Allah's repelling some men by means of others, cloisters and churches and oratories and mosques, wherein the name of Allah is oft mentioned, would assuredly have been pulled down. Verily Allah helpeth one who helpeth Him. Lo! Allah is Strong, Almighty -” (22:40)
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"And Allah will surely support those who support Him. Indeed, Allah is Powerful and Exalted in Might."
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This is the Sunnah of Allah, Mighty and Majestic:
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that the evil of the people of falsehood must be resisted by men of truth,
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and evil must be opposed by every means and repelled with all strength.
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So do not underestimate, my noble sister, any deed you perform in standing against the people of falsehood,
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whatever their falsehood may be.
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For Allah has promised victory to those who champion His cause.
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So be among those who support the religion of Allah, Mighty and Majestic, by adhering firmly to His faith,
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so that you may be an emblem of steadfastness in this era.
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Contribute to spreading the truth through speech, writing, and other means,
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especially among women.
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For the righteousness of woman is the righteousness of society,
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and the righteousness of society is the righteousness of the Ummah.
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Among the lessons and benefits as well is what Sheikh Al-Sa'di, may Allah have mercy on him, mentioned,
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where he said:
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"'And the family of Pharaoh picked him up'—so he became one whom they retrieved,
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and they were the ones who took charge of finding him—'that he might become for them an enemy and a sorrow.'
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Meaning: that the ultimate outcome and end result of this retrieval
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would be that he became an enemy to them and a cause of their grief,
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because caution cannot avert destiny,
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and because the very person they feared from among the Children of Israel
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was predestined by Allah to be their leader,
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raised under their own care, before their eyes, and under their guardianship.
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Upon contemplation and reflection,
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one discovers folded within this numerous benefits for the Children of Israel:
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warding off many catastrophic hardships from them,
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and preventing many transgressions even prior to his prophetic mission,
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as he grew to become one of the dignitaries of the realm.
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Naturally, he could not help but defend the rights of his own people,
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being a man of lofty resolve and fervent protectiveness.
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Because of this, the condition of that oppressed people—
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who had suffered humiliation and disgrace to the extent of which Allah has recounted some to us—
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advanced to the point where individuals among them began to dispute with that subjugating people,
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standing up to the oppressive, domineering class of the land,
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as will be explained later.
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This was a prelude to the emergence of triumph;
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for it is of the ongoing Sunnah of Allah Almighty
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that He causes matters to progress gradually, step by step,
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and they never arrive all at once."
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But was the suffering of woman in the era of Moses confined solely to Egypt,
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or was it a widespread state of oppression found in other lands as well?
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We shall continue this in our next gathering, if Allah wills.
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And all praise is due to Allah, the Lord of the worlds.