28/22-28 — Midian: water, shade, and an offer of work
"When he turned towards Midian (Madyan) he said: 'It may be that my Lord will guide me to the even path.'"
| Detail | Expression |
|---|---|
| The crowd | Ummatan mina'n-nāsi yasqūn — a body of people watering |
| The two women | Wa wajada min dūnihimu'mraʾatayni tadhūdān — holding their animals back |
| The reason | Lā nasqī ḥattā yuṣdira'r-riʿāʾ — we do not water until the shepherds withdraw |
| The father | Wa abūnā shaykhun kabīr — our father is very old |
| Moses | Fa-saqā lahumā thumma tawallā ila'ẓ-ẓill — he watered for them, then withdrew to the shade |
تَذُودَان — root ذ-و-د: to keep away, to drive back. The word describes holding the animals off from the water and making them wait.
I record this as an observation: the verse has the two women give the reason for their waiting in their own words, and the reason is practical: until the crowd disperses. That is, the scene is built as a scene of daily life before it gives any moral lesson.
ثُمَّ تَوَلَّىٰٓ إِلَى ٱلظِّلِّ فَقَالَ رَبِّ إِنِّى لِمَآ أَنزَلْتَ إِلَىَّ مِنْ خَيْرٍ فَقِيرٌ — "My Lord! I stand in need of whatever good You may send down to me."
The prayer is worth recording: nothing is asked for — a need is stated. The root ف-ق-ر was analysed at Fāṭir 35/15 (faqar — the spine; faqīr — one whose spine is broken). I rely on that treatment.
قَالَتْ إِحْدَىٰهُمَا يَٰٓأَبَتِ ٱسْتَـْٔجِرْهُ إِنَّ خَيْرَ مَنِ ٱسْتَـْٔجَرْتَ ٱلْقَوِىُّ ٱلْأَمِينُ
"One of the two said: 'Father, hire him. The best of those you might hire is the one who is strong and trustworthy.'"
| Attribute | Root | What |
|---|---|---|
| al-Qawiyy | ق-و-ي | Strength — being able to do the work |
| al-Amīn | أ-م-ن | Trustworthiness — not turning the work to ill use |
I record this as my own reading, and its ground is that the two attributes come together: the one states capacity, the other safety, and neither is enough on its own. The one who is strong but not to be trusted, and the one who is trustworthy but not strong, both fail the measure.
And who it is that speaks must be recorded: the one who sets the measure is the one who has watched the scene from the beginning. That is, the judgement rests on observation — and indeed both attributes had been seen in the scene: drawing water from the well (strength) and his coming with his eyes lowered (trustworthiness).
I give this as a reading; the verse does not make the connection explicitly, but the order of the scene lends itself to it.