Tafseer of The Stories · Al-Qasas · 28:13
So We restored him to his mother that she might be content and not grieve and that she would know that the promise of Allah is true. But most of the people do not know.
Important: The Arabic source text is always authoritative. This translation is a study aid and has not been verified by scholars — do not use it as a basis for religious proof or for deriving rulings (ahkam). When in doubt, always consult the Arabic text and a qualified scholar.
The explanation of the word of the Most High: فَرَدَدْنَاهُ إِلَى أُمِّهِ كَيْ تَقَرَّ عَيْنُهَا وَلا تَحْزَنَ وَلِتَعْلَمَ أَنَّ وَعْدَ اللَّهِ حَقٌّ وَلَكِنَّ أَكْثَرَهُمْ لا يَعْلَمُونَ ('So We returned him to his mother, that her eye might be comforted, that she might not grieve, and that she might know that the promise of Allah is true — but most of them do not know') (verse 13)
The Most High says: فَرَدَدْنَا — We returned Mūsā إِلَى أُمِّهِ back, after the family of Firʿawn had found him, so that her eye might be comforted by her son, now that he had returned unharmed from the death-sentence of Firʿawn; وَلا تَحْزَنَ — and that she might not grieve over his absence from her; وَلِتَعْلَمَ أَنَّ وَعْدَ اللَّهِ — the promise that He had made to her when He said to her: فَإِذَا خِفْتِ عَلَيْهِ فَأَلْقِيهِ فِي الْيَمِّ وَلا تَخَافِي وَلا تَحْزَنِي ('and when you fear for him, then cast him into the river, and do not fear and do not grieve') — the whole verse — حَقٌّ ('is true').
What we have said about this is also what the exegetes said.
Mention of who said that:
Bishr related to us, saying: Yazīd related to us, saying: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda: فَرَدَدْنَاهُ إِلَى أُمِّهِ — he continued reading up to لا يَعْلَمُونَ — and Allah had promised her to return him to her and to make him one of the messengers, and Allah did that for her.
As for وَلَكِنَّ أَكْثَرَهُمْ لا يَعْلَمُونَ ('but most of them do not know'): the Most High says: but most of the polytheists do not know that the promise of Allah is true — they do not believe that it is so.
