idh tamshī ukh'tuka fataqūlu hal adullukum ʿalā man yakfuluhu farajaʿnāka ilā ummika kay taqarra ʿaynuhā walā taḥzana waqatalta nafsan fanajjaynāka mina l-ghami wafatannāka futūnan falabith'ta sinīna fī ahli madyana thumma ji'ta ʿalā qadarin yāmūsā
Translation
[And We favored you] when your sister went and said, 'Shall I direct you to someone who will be responsible for him?' So We restored you to your mother that she might be content and not grieve. And you killed someone,836 but We saved you from retaliation and tried you with a [severe] trial. And you remained [some] years among the people of Madyan. Then you came [here] at the decreed time, O Moses.
Notes
[836] The Copt who died after being struck by Moses.
Verse 40 of Surah Taha (20:40), a Meccan surah, is in juz 16, on page 314 of the mushaf. Read it in Arabic with its transliteration, translations and tafsir, and listen to it recited by 73 reciters.
Listen to verse 40 of Surah Taha
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Tafsir of verse 40
Al-Mukhtasar
When your sister went out following the chest wherever it went, and she said to those who took it: Shall I show you someone who will take care of him, nurse him and rear him. I then favoured you by returning you to your mother so that she could rejoice by your return to her and not grieve over you. Then You killed the copt whom you punched, but We favoured you by saving you from difficulty. And we helped you time after time from every test that you faced. You then left and stayed among the people of Madyan for years, then you came at the time that was specified for you to come to be spoken to O Moses.
When your sister was going along and said, ‘Shall I show you someone who will nurse him?’ Thus We brought you back to your mother, so that she may rejoice and not grieve10. Then you killed a man [by mistake]11, but We saved you from distress, and We put you through several trials. You stayed among the people of Midian for several years, then you came [here] at a destined time, O Moses.
Notes
[10] Because Moses had refused all wet-nurses who were brought to nurse him beforehand.
[11] The Coptic person died after Moses struck him.
"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 and she should not grieve. Then you did kill a man, but We saved you from great distress and tried you with a heavy trial. Then you stayed a number of years with the people of Madyan (Midian). Then you came here according to the fixed term which I ordained (for you), O Mûsâ (Moses)!
When thy sister went and said: Shall I show you one who will nurse him? and we restored thee to thy mother that her eyes might be refreshed and might not sorrow. And thou didst kill a man and We delivered thee from great distress, and tried thee with a heavy trial. And thou didst tarry years among the folk of Midian. Then camest thou (hither) by (My) providence, O Moses,
"Behold! thy sister goeth forth and saith, 'shall I show you one who will nurse and rear the (child)?' So We brought thee back to thy mother, that her eye might be cooled and she should not grieve. Then thou didst slay a man, but We saved thee from trouble, and We tried thee in various ways. Then didst thou tarry a number of years with the people of Midian. Then didst thou come hither as ordained, O Moses!
When your sister went and said: Shall I direct you to one who will take charge of him? So We brought you back to your mother, that her eye might be cooled and she should not grieve and you killed a man, then We delivered you from the grief, and We tried you with (a severe) trying. Then you stayed for years among the people of Madyan; then you came hither as ordained, O Musa.
As your sister walked about, (and) so said, ‘"Shall I indicate to you one to sponsor him?"' So We returned you to your mother so that she might comfort her eye (Literally: that her eye might settle down) and might not grieve. And you killed a self, (i.e., a person) yet We safely delivered you out of suffering, and We tempted you with many temptations. Then you lingered years among the population of Madyan. Thereafter you came (here), according to a determined (estimate), O Mûsa.
So We restored him to his mother that she might be content and not grieve and that she would know that the promise of Allāh is true. But most of them [i.e., the people] do not know.
