(37–41) “And We certainly bestowed favor upon you once before.”

Having mentioned the favor He bestowed upon His servant and Messenger, Moses son of Imrān, in religion, revelation, messengership, and the granting of his request, Allah now mentions His blessings upon him during his upbringing and as he passed through the various stages of his life. He said, “And We certainly bestowed favor upon you once before”: We inspired your mother to place you in the chest while you were still nursing, out of fear of Pharaoh, for he had ordered the sons of the Children of Israel to be slaughtered. His mother therefore hid him and feared greatly for him, so she placed him in the chest and then cast it into the waters at the bank of the Nile in Egypt. Allah commanded the river to cast him upon the shore and ordained that he be taken in by the greatest enemy of Allah and Moses, be raised among his children, and become a delight to everyone who saw him. Thus He said: