A woman’s role | The Sunday Guardian | October 9th, 2011 | Page 15
According to Quranic as well as Biblical accounts, Moses was born into an Israelite family. The Egyptian king, Pharaoh, had ordered all Israelite boys to be killed as soon as they were born. But God Almighty intervened and made Moses the exception.
One part of his story is given in the chapter entitled Al-Qasas (The Story) of the Quran: "We inspired Moses' mother saying, 'Suckle him, and then, when you fear for him, cast him into the river...' Then Pharaoh's household picked him up ... and Pharaoh's wife said, 'He will be a joy to the eye for me and you! Do not slay him: he may well be of use to us, or we may adopt him as a son.' They did not realise what they were doing. Moses' mother's heart was full of anxiety — she would have disclosed his identity had We not strengthened her heart so that she might be a firm believer [in Our promise]. She said to Moses' sister, 'Go, and follow him.' So she watched him from a distance, like a stranger, without anyone noticing her. We had already made him refuse all wet nurses. So his sister said to them, 'Shall I tell you of a family who will bring him up for you and take good care of him?' Thus We restored him to his mother... and so that she would know that God's promise was true..." (28:7-13).
This part of Moses' story gives us an interesting example of how a woman can play an important role. According to the Quran, men and women are born different from each other in nature. The Quran holds that men and women are both equal in the sense of being worthy of respect, but that they are different in the roles they play.