Ta-Ha 40: “(Recall) when your sister was saying, “Shall I find someone for you who will care for him?” And thus, for her eyes to be bright, and so that she will not be saddened, We gave you back to your mother. And oneday, you killed someone, and We saved you from worry. We made you encounter trial upon trial. For this, you lived among the people of Madyan for years. Then, you came to this status (according to your destiny), Oh Moses!”

A wrongly interpreted verse, in the 40th verse; first let's read the wrong version. What does it say?

Remember when your sister went along: "Shall I find you someone who will look after him?" she was saying. Thus, so that her eyes and heart be filled with joy and she not grieve, We gave you back to your mother. And you killed someone, you killed, and We saved you from anxiety, We put you thoroughly through trials; for this you stayed for years among the people of Midian, then according to the decree you came to this rank, O Moses, it says. Where is the wrong part here? "We put you thoroughly through trials", it says. As if Allah Almighty didn't know what Moses would become. What is putting through trials?

Say I hire a worker, right? We put him through a trial. How is his (?)? How is his work? How is his character? Right? We put him on trial. Civil servants too, when they join somewhere, or when a person is appointed as a director or to some post, there too he is put on trial by his superiors. That is, even if he himself doesn't know, under watch — what work he does, how successful, how, let me say, obedient he is, and so on — they fill in his record. Allah Almighty has no need of this. Why? Because, since at the covenant of Alastu bi Rabbikum He knew the wishes and desires of all people, He who wrote their wishes and desires, their aims, for them as destiny — Allah has no need to test those people.

For this reason too He says: We know the secrets of your hearts. What does this mean? That is: I gave you a portion of My spirit. In that portion of that spirit, to what degree your feelings toward Me are, I know, He says. To what degree? In this case, your (?) with your tongue or your setting out to kiss it with your heart is evident to Me. That is why you (?) the secrets of your heart. Even things that you need and that you don't know, those in the most hidden corner of your heart in this case remember, your sister went and said: shall I find you someone to look after him; thus so that her eyes and heart be filled with joy and she not grieve, We gave you back to your mother and you killed someone and We saved you from anxiety, We made you go from trial to trial, from calamity to calamity, it says. So to speak.

Why? He makes him go through them. Allah Almighty gives calamity most to those He loves. Why? He cooks them. Cooks them.

In food, doesn't it cook in the cauldron, on the fire? You can't eat this raw. This is how it will be. So calamities both cook people, and on the other hand, to those who meet calamity and rebel, these are shown as examples. Yes, for this, for years among the people of Midian you stayed — see, it doesn't say "We tested you", there's no testing here; what is there here? And you killed someone and We saved you from anxiety. We made you go from trial to trial, from calamity to calamity. For this you stayed for years among the people of Midian. Then, according to your destiny, you came to this rank, O Moses.

According to your destiny. Whereas this one says "then according to the decree". Here, when "decree" comes, it is Allah's decree; it may not be the person's decree. But when it turns to "according to your destiny": according to the covenant you gave, you returned to this rank. That is, you were patient and, as a result of faith, you believed in Me strongly, and We cooked you in this way with beautiful calamities, and you found your degree. Now you have attained the title of the attribute of prophethood.

The reason Moses (peace be upon him) was reunited with his mother is to ensure that Moses's mother too would not grieve and, being brought to joy, would be happy. This is a favor of Allah Almighty to Moses (peace be upon him) and to his mother. Actually, even though we say it like this — she is a woman; out of longing for her son she might let slip to others that he is in the palace and cause his killing too — fearing that, actually, she isn't reunited with her son. She raises him with it. Once her longing for him is removed, his being in the palace, (?) in respect of she does not (?) it as a secret within herself.

On the other hand, people — "your son is in the palace" — even if in (?), would say this. There is a proverb.

Don't tell your secret to your friend. The friend tells it to the friend's friend. Yes.

Nice, isn't it? This is the proverb.

Yes.

Moses (peace be upon him) kills someone. In Pharaoh's time too, a person who killed was put to death by way of retaliation. Pharaoh issues an order to have Moses (peace be upon him) killed. But by Allah's permission Moses (peace be upon him) escapes from Egypt and is saved from death. At night, (?) in the city, a man who loves Moses (peace be upon him) finds Moses. O Moses, flee from here quickly, they will kill you, he says. The order has come from the king; they got away from here at once. Yes, before they catch you, he gets you away from here. And, right then, to go to Midian (?) he sets out.

In one verse there, Shuaib (peace be upon him), apparently a relative, (?). Yes.

Moses (peace be upon him) kills someone. In Pharaoh's time too, a person who killed was put to death by way of retaliation. Pharaoh issues an order to kill Moses (peace be upon him). But by Allah's permission Moses (peace be upon him) escapes from Egypt and is saved from death. They tell how the event happened like this. The accursed one takes on human form, weak and puny, and with a strong, powerful man fights. At that moment Moses (peace be upon him) is passing by, and the accursed one, calling out to Moses (peace be upon him), says: O Moses, save me. Moses (peace be upon him) does not know that this is the accursed one.

Thereupon Moses, wanting to help the accursed one, the strong and powerful (?), grabs him and pushes him to one side. At that moment the man backs away, his foot catches on a stone, and he falls and dies of a brain hemorrhage. In this incident Moses was found guilty and is sentenced to death. Thereupon Moses (peace be upon him) leaves Egypt. He stays for years among the people of Midian. While staying among the people of Midian, he goes through many adventures. When Moses (peace be upon him) flees Egypt and comes to Midian, he wants to drink water from the fountain. He sees that two sisters, off to one side, to water their flocks, are waiting their turn.

Now we are telling this part briefly. Of course, tired, hungry, (?), he comes as far as Midian. Because he has (?). And tired, he lies down by that (?). He even prays to Allah Almighty. He will help me.

And he himself is hungry.

At that moment he sees these two sisters. Shepherds, those who come, water their animals. These two sisters are waiting there. And Moses is just, after all. These are waiting; those who come water their animals and leave. He said: why are you waiting here? We can't water our animals until they have watered theirs, they say. We can't go in among them. Right away he takes their animals, waters them, gives them back and sends them off. Let's see, did I tell this here after that? It continues. Let's not tell here a second thing that it won't tell. Yes.

He wants to drink water from the fountain; he sees that two sisters, off to one side, to water their flocks are waiting their turn. But no one gives these two sisters a turn. Thereupon Moses (peace be upon him) helps these girls and waters their flocks. And these girls take Moses (peace be upon him), a stranger, and bring him to their father.

Now, of course we skipped this part, so it wouldn't be too long.

The girls go to their father and say: such and such a person took our flocks, watered them, gave them back to us and sent us off. Didn't he say anything? He didn't. Go and see, he says. Is that man there? If he's there, bring him, he says. So the girls come like this. It's not that the girls take him along because he watered their animals. Then she says to Moses (peace be upon him): my father is calling you. He follows them. He tells the girls: you walk behind me.

When they reached their father, "How did he bring you here?" the father said. The girls, to Shuaib (peace be upon him): he put us behind him. Without looking at us, he himself walked in front, having the way described, and came here, they say. Their father understands him, who he is, in fact. Shuaib (peace be upon him) understands.

Sometimes we pass over this briefly here. The father of these girls is simply Shuaib (peace be upon him). When Shuaib (peace be upon him) sees Moses (peace be upon him), he realizes he is a brave and good man. To keep him with him, he makes him offers. Thereupon Shuaib (peace be upon him), Shuaib's (peace be upon him) offer he accepts. Moses (peace be upon him) settles with Shuaib (peace be upon him) and marries one of his daughters. The offer is this. With me, he says, if you stay, I will give you one of my daughters. You will work with me for eight years, he says. If necessary, he says, ten years.

He says: I accept. But eight years for certain, he says. Those two years are open, Moses says.

And Shuaib (peace be upon him) says okay.

That's the bargain.

We skipped that, of course. Our lesson is not to write history. It is to tell the meaning of the verse.

Years pass. Moses (peace be upon him) wants to return to Egypt. While passing through Tuwa with his wife, he encounters the light of Allah Almighty. In Tuwa he sees a fire. His wife has just given birth. The night is dark, cold and stormy. He wants to go to the fire and bring a torch from there to warm his wife and child. Here too let's (?). When he sees the fire, he tells the children: you stay here. It is cold (?). Perhaps, he says, I'll see someone by the fire. There, he says, I'll also get directions. That is, he says, they will describe the way. And perhaps, he says, I'll bring you some food or a fire, he says.

He wants to warm his wife and child. Or he wants to find a guide by the fire and get some information about the way he had lost. With this aim, when he reaches the fire, he sees that the fire is not fire, but the divine light of Allah Almighty. Allah Almighty (?) the duty of prophethood to Moses (peace be upon him), makes it known. He has reached the rank of prophethood.