In Surah Al Qasas, Ayat 24 mentions a dua of Musa (AS) when he was in exile and reached Madyan. This dua contains lessons for all of us to ponder upon. It is important to know the background story of how this dua by Musa (AS) came about.
Musa (AS) while living in Egypt gets involved in an altercation with an Egyptian which leads to Musa (AS) unintentionally killing this man. Thus, Musa (AS) flees Egypt as he becomes a wanted man by the Pharaoh’s police force with orders to kill him on sight.
Allah (SWT) guides Musa (AS) to run towards Madyan. When he (AS) reaches Madyan, Musa (AS) is exhausted and hungry and so he (AS) has a drink of water at a lake and sees a group of men standing in front of the same lake to feed their animals.
At the same time, Musa (AS) notices two young women struggling with their animals standing away from the crowd of men at the lake. He (AS) approached the women to inquire about their problem and so they explained to Musa (AS) that they also came to feed their animals at the lake but they don’t want to do it while all the men are there and will wait when the men leave. And the women also tell Musa (AS) that their father is too old to bring the animals to the lake and so they must do this task.
Upon hearing the ladies’ predicament, Musa (AS) volunteers to take their animals to the lake and bring them back to the two women. After he returned the animals to the women, Musa (AS) walks away from them and heads towards a shaded area. Before reaching the shade, Musa (AS) makes the dua mentioned in Surah Al Qasas, Ayat 24 to Allah (SWT), “So he watered (their flocks) for them, then he turned back to shade, and said: “My Lord! Truly, I am in need of whatever good that You bestow on me!”
One of the reasons that Musa (AS) makes this dua is the guilt he (AS) feels for killing the man in Egypt and knows that he (SAW) needs to make up for this. And this ayat contains part of the answer to make amends for a mistake or bad deed by seeking opportunities to do good deeds.
Also, people like Musa (AS) do not see themselves as stumbling upon a good deed but believe that Allah (SWT) sent down this opportunity to them to do good work. Thus, helping those two young women with feeding their animals was an opportunity sent by Allah (SWT) to do some good for others and Musa (AS) acknowledges that this is what he (AS) needs to make up for killing the man in Egypt and is urgent to do more albeit he is exhausted and in dire straits as a fugitive.
The second significant point of this ayat is how it highlights Musa’s (AS) character, decency, and modesty interacting with the two women. He (AS) could have rested in front of the two women but after handing back their animals, he didn’t hang around them but walked away to find a place to rest. Musa (AS) turning away from the women after helping them also shows that there should be no strings attached when you help others. He (AS) didn’t wait for the women to express thanks or engage in conversation with them, he just turned and walked away.
Another key point of this dua is that Musa (AS) did not blame Allah (SWT) for the hardships he (AS) was experiencing. Usually, when people face difficulties, they starting blaming Allah (SWT) for their woes but instead, Musa (AS) in this dua of desperation places the attention on himself and begs Allah (SWT) to send whatever good to him (AS) as he (AS) is currently in need. The good that Musa (AS) is seeking from Allah (SWT) could be providing more opportunities to do good deeds and/or sustenance, as Musa (AS) is in the middle of a desert without any food, water, and shelter and he (AS) knows that Allah (SWT) is the sole provider of provisions and sustenance.
The two women that Musa (AS) helped reach home and their father is surprised to see them back early. The women explain to their father that they received help from Musa (AS) and upon hearing this, the father asks the women to call him (AS) over to their home. One of the women goes out to find Musa (AS) and shyly approaches him (AS). The woman invites Musa (AS) to their home so that her father can pay him for the help he provided them.
This woman calling on Musa (AS) to meet her father so that he (AS) can receive payment for his voluntary good deed is the help Musa (AS) was begging for in his (AS) dua to Allah (SWT). Musa (AS) went immediately to meet the father as he (AS) saw this as an opportunity from Allah (SWT).
Many of us who require help, sometimes hesitate to take it or reject it when offered by another person saying that we are okay and waiting for Allah’s (SWT) help. However, we don’t realize that this offer of help from another person is Allah’s (SWT) help.
The basic decency of an honorable person is that he/she doesn’t require the help of others and that it’s shameful and embarrassing to ask for help; so, this is a sincere feeling. But when people offer us help and we need it, we should realize that this is something descending from Allah (SWT).
In his (AS) short conversation with the father, Musa (AS) received another good besides payment for his (AS) help, which he (AS) didn’t expect, was a proposal to marry one of the two women. Imagine a homeless man not only getting paid but receiving a marriage proposal, this can only be from Allah (SWT).
Musa (AS) worked for his father-in-law for eight years and some narrations state 10 years, which breaks a cultural/societal taboo of not working for your in-laws. Allah (SWT) is giving us a lesson that humans set standards of embarrassment and humiliation that only makes life difficult for ourselves but Allah (SWT) does not.
Musa (AS) never intended to be a shepherd of a farmer but whatever good came his way, he (AS) was ready to take it. This illustrates that desperate times require desperate measures and so we should take whatever Allah (SWT) places in our way. Therefore, every opportunity, every friend, every contact, and every connection we make in life are provisions for us that come from Allah (SWT).
