The Eighth Ramadan Lecture by Sayyid Abdul-Malik Badr al-Din al-Houthi, 8th Ramadan 1447 AH

I seek refuge in God from the accursed Satan.

In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

All praise is due to God, Lord of the Worlds. I bear witness that there is no god but God, the King, the Truth, the Manifest. And I bear witness that our master Muhammad is His servant and messenger, the Seal of the Prophets.

O Allah, send blessings upon Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, and bestow Your grace upon Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, as You sent blessings and bestowed Your grace upon Abraham and the family of Abraham. Indeed, You are Praiseworthy and Glorious. And, O Allah, be pleased with his chosen and virtuous companions, and with all Your righteous and striving servants.

O Allah, be pleased with Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, and with all Your righteous and striving servants. O Allah, guide us and accept our deeds, for You are the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing. Accept our repentance, for You are the Oft-Returning, the Most Merciful.

O brothers and sisters:

Peace, mercy, and blessings of Allah be upon you.

In the story of the Prophet Moses (peace be upon him) in the blessed verses of Surah Al-Qasas, we reached the point in yesterday’s lecture where we discussed, in light of the blessed Quranic verse, the story of his arrival at Pharaoh’s palace. We also discussed his mother’s anxiety, distress, sadness, and fear for him, and how she sent his sister to inquire about him and find out his whereabouts. We also discussed how Moses’ sister successfully completed this mission and reached Pharaoh’s palace, guiding them to a solution to their problem. They had been facing a significant dilemma: Moses’ refusal to nurse from any wet nurse they brought him as part of God’s plan to facilitate his return to his mother. {So she said, “Is there…?”} I will show you a household that will take care of him for you, and they will be sincere to him. [Al-Qasas: 12] She guided them to this solution to their problem.

We discussed this matter: “So We restored him to his mother so that her eyes might be comforted.” [Al-Qasas: 13] The Pharaohs immediately agreed to this and sent for Moses’ mother. Perhaps they sent his sister to her, unaware that she was his mother. When she arrived, he accepted to nurse from her, and they rejoiced greatly, especially Pharaoh’s wife, and the problem was resolved.

Here, God returned Moses to his mother as a sign of His care for her. This is one of the manifestations of God’s care, as we discussed previously in light of the blessed verses. This care comes when believing men and women act in obedience to God, the Exalted. He does not leave them without care, especially in difficult and complex tasks where they are in dire need of support—support for their psychological well-being and support to help them perform their practical duties.

{So We returned him to his mother so that her eyes might be comforted} [Al-Qasas: 13]. They entrusted her with his care and upbringing, providing all necessary support. They even assumed responsibility for covering his living expenses and needs, while simultaneously killing all male children in other homes of the vulnerable, attempting to prevent the birth of this child. This is a striking and remarkable example of God’s statement, “And God is predominant over His affair” [Yusuf: 21]. Indeed, He is “prevailing over His affair,” regardless of the tyrants’ policies, their intelligence, their precautions, their schemes, their immense power, resources, military and security capabilities, and might… and so on. That, upon which they rely to perpetuate their control and influence indefinitely, will fail. They will fail before the wise plan of God, which, as we have said, may even come at the hands of the oppressed themselves, and will penetrate all those capabilities, resources, and equipment… and so on.

For God, Exalted is He, cared for that believing mother who fulfilled her duty out of faith and trust in Him, Exalted is He. This is why He said: {So that her eyes might be comforted} [Al-Qasas: 13], so that her state of sorrow, anxiety, and psychological distress might be transformed into one of joy and peace of mind. The state of psychological distress, anxiety, worry, grief, and sorrow she was in—even the sorrow of his separation, even if he had remained safe in Pharaoh’s palace far from her—would have left her still grieving. Because a nursing mother is attached to her infant, a mother is usually attached to her child, so imagine how much more so when he is in the breastfeeding stage, the stage in which she is most attached, most tender, and most affectionate towards him. It is difficult for her to be away from him for a long period. We see how God’s care is. This is a lesson for us in the care of God, the Exalted, the Most High, through His mercy.

{So that her eyes may be comforted} [Al-Qasas: 13]. This expression, {So that her eyes may be comforted} [Al-Qasas: 13], is an expression of joy. Her psychological state changes to one of happiness and contentment, and what she was experiencing disappears. She was in a state of great distress, anxiety, and profound psychological turmoil. All of this changed when she reached her infant son, held him close, and nursed him. They entrusted him to her care, making the final decision that she and her family would be his guardians and raise him, that he would grow up in their care and under their protection. The situation was transformed, and within a safe framework; she had even moved beyond the stage of anxiety and danger. We can only imagine the level of joy, psychological relief, and reassurance she felt. At the same time, it is a wondrous sign, as we said, an example of: {And Allah is predominant over His affair} [Yusuf: 21].