Al-Qasas · Makki · ayah 9 of 88

Al-Qasas 28:9

وَقَالَتِ ٱمْرَأَتُ فِرْعَوْنَ قُرَّتُ عَيْنٍ لِّى وَلَكَ ۖ لَا تَقْتُلُوهُ عَسَىٰٓ أَن يَنفَعَنَآ أَوْ نَتَّخِذَهُۥ وَلَدًا وَهُمْ لَا يَشْعُرُونَ

“And the wife of Pharaoh said, "[He will be] a comfort of the eye [i.e., pleasure] for me and for you. Do not kill him; perhaps he may benefit us, or we may adopt him as a son." And they perceived not.[1095]”

Saheeh International

Essence

Inside the tyrant's own house, one woman looks at the baby and pleads: a joy for me and for you, do not kill him.

A reflection

One sentence in the tyrant's house

The reports set the scene. The chest is opened before Pharaoh. Some of his men see a baby boy and draw the obvious conclusion. This is the child we were warned about, they say, thrown into the river out of fear of you. Let us kill him. Pharaoh is about to agree.

Then one voice speaks. Qurratu ʿaynin lī wa-lak, lā taqtulūhu: a coolness of the eye for me and for you. Do not kill him.

One commentator reads her words closely, as a study in persuasion. She does not say 'for us'. She says 'for me, and for you'. She puts herself first, he suggests, because she knew how much Pharaoh loved her. His wish to please her would weigh more than any argument.

Then the verb changes. She does not say 'do not kill him' to one man. She uses the plural: lā taqtulūhu, do not kill him, all of you. Some say this is the plural used to address the great. Others say she turned from Pharaoh to the men waiting for his order, and spoke to them directly. Having softened the king, she shut the door on the executioners.

Then she gives reasons, modest and practical: perhaps he will benefit us, or we may take him as a son. She does not lecture. She does not accuse. She offers a way out that her husband can accept without losing face.

Picture a ward round. A senior doctor, tired and rushed, is about to sign off a decision about a frail old man. A quiet nurse at the bedside says: not this patient, not today. He has been asking for his daughter. The doctor pauses, and puts down the pen.

Courage inside power rarely looks like a speech. It looks like one well-placed sentence, said by someone close enough to be heard. If you have the ear of someone powerful, you may hold more in your hands than you realise. One sentence at the right moment can save a life.

The full entry has 5 more reflections, questions to sit with, and "Live it today" - with the words, the roots and the tafsir alongside. Free, no account, works offline.