1. Who was Ya’qub? Why did he come to Egypt?
Ya’qub عليه السلام was a Prophet of Allah. He and his sons moved to Egypt because his son, Yusuf, was the ruler of Egypt.
2. What are Ya’qub’s descendants called?
Prophet Ya’qub’s descendants are called as ‘Bani Israel’, the children of Israel.
3. Which corrupt habits did the children of Israel acquire, with the passage of time?
The morals of the children of Israel became corrupted. They stopped worshipping Allah. They slipped into the wicked ways of this world.
4. What kind of a new king came to the throne of Egypt of during ‘this’ time?
A very cruel and unjust man became the king of Egypt. He was an arrogant tyrant who believed that no-one was higher than him.
5. How did he treat them?
Pharaoh did not even consider Bani Israel as human beings. He thought that his people, the Copts, were born to rule and the Bani Israel were born to serve. He treated them like work-animals.
6. Why did the children of Israel refuse to worship Pharaoh?
The children of Israel refused to worship Pharaoh because they believed in Allah and His Messengers.
7. ‘But Allah wanted what Pharaoh had feared’. What does this mean?
This means that Allah wanted Musa عليه السلام to survive!
8. What did Musa’s mother do to save the life of her son?
She put her beautiful son in a basket and pushed it out into the waters of river Nile.
9. How was Musa عليه السلام returned to his mother?
When the child, Musa عليه السلام, cried due to thirst and hunger, Pharaoh and his wife tried many wet-nurses and the child refused to suckle the milk of all. When Musa’s sister heard that the child is refusing to take the milk, she said to the Queen that she knew someone whose milk the child would definitely accept. She ran and brought her mother to the Queen. This is how Musa عليه السلام was returned to his mother.
Musa grew up in king’s palace as a prince. This is how awe of kings and the rich was removed from his heart.
