وَلَمَّا وَرَدَ مَاءَ مَدْيَنَ وَجَدَ عَلَيْهِ أُمَّةً مِنَ النَّاسِ يَسْقُونَ وَوَجَدَ مِنْ دُونِهِمُ امْرَأَتَيْنِ تَذُودَانِ قَالَ مَا خَطْبُكُمَا قَالَتَا لَا نَسْقِي حَتَّى يُصْدِرَ الرِّعَاءُ وَأَبُونَا شَيْخٌ كَبِيرٌ ﴿۲۳﴾ فَسَقَى لَهُمَا ثُمَّ تَوَلَّى إِلَى الظِّلِّ فَقَالَ رَبِّ إِنِّي لِمَا أَنْزَلْتَ إِلَيَّ مِنْ خَيْرٍ فَقِيرٌ ﴿۲۴﴾ فَجَاءَتْهُ إِحْدَاهُمَا تَمْشِي عَلَى اسْتِحْيَاءٍ قَالَتْ إِنَّ أَبِي يَدْعُوكَ لِيَجْزِيَكَ أَجْرَ مَا سَقَيْتَ لَنَا فَلَمَّا جَاءَهُ وَقَصَّ عَلَيْهِ الْقَصَصَ قَالَ لَا تَخَفْ نَجَوْتَ مِنَ الْقَوْمِ الظَّالِمِينَ ﴿۲۵﴾

﴾23﴿ Wa lammaa warada maaa'a Madyana wajada 'alaihi ummatam minannaasi yasqoona wa wajada min doonihimum ra ataini tazoodaani qaala maa khatbukumaa qaalataa laa nasqee hatta yusdirar ri'aaa'u wa aboonaa shaikhun kabeer
﴾24﴿ Fasaqaa lahumaa summa tawallaaa ilaz zilli faqaala Rabbi innee limaaa anzalta ilaiya min khairin faqeer
﴾25﴿ Fajaaa'at hu ihdaahumaa tamshee 'alas tihyaaa'in qaalat inna abee yad'ooka li yajziyaka ajra maa saqaita lanaa; falammaa jaaa'ahoo wa qassa 'alaihil qasasa qaala laa takhaf najawta minal qawmiz zaalimeen

﴾23﴿ And when he arrived at the water of Madyan (the well), he found a group of people watering their livestock, and on the side, he found two women holding back their livestock from the water. He asked, "What is your situation?" They replied, We do not water [our livestock] until the shepherds return; and our father is an old man
﴾24﴿ Then he watered [their livestock] for them, and he turned towards the shade and said, O my Lord, indeed I am in need of whatever good You would send down to me
﴾25﴿ Then one of the two women came to Moses, walking shyly. She said, Indeed, my father calls you so that he may reward you for watering [our livestock] for us. When he came to him and explained his situation completely, he said, Fear not, you have escaped from the oppressive people

[23] “Warada” means to arrive, and sometimes it can mean to enter—but here, the first meaning (arrival) is intended.
“Water of Madyan”—outside of Madyan there was a well with a large bucket that required ten men to pull it up, and they would water their livestock from it.
“He found two women keeping back their flocks”—Musa (peace be upon him) was surprised to see that the men were watering their animals and leaving, while these two women stood waiting.
In fact, it seemed that even the animals were pushing forward for water, but the women were restraining them.
This scene was a sign of the shamelessness and lack of honor among those people—it was an injustice to the women.
That’s why Musa (peace be upon him) asked them, “What is your situation?” (mā khaṭbukumā)—a phrase typically reserved for those in deep distress or engaged in serious tasks.
His intention was to help these oppressed women.
Their summarized reply was: “These people do not give us water. We water our animals only from what remains after they finish. Because we do not have support or hired help among these people, we are forced to come ourselves. Our father is an old man.”
“And our father is an elderly man”—this part of their answer served as a rebuttal if someone were to ask: “Why would a prophet let his daughters tend livestock?”
The answer is: they did so out of necessity due to his old age and the lack of support from others.
[24] Since helping the oppressed was a habitual trait of Musa (peace be upon him), he helped these women as well.
According to the narrations of the commentators, the well had a bucket that normally required the strength of ten men, yet Musa (peace be upon him) pulled it up on his own and watered the animals of the two women.
He did not mention his own hunger to them, because complete and noble individuals do not reveal even their outward needs to people.
“Faqīr” (in need)—here it means: I am hungry, O Lord, and I am in need at Your doorstep.
This is a form of indirect supplication (taʿrīḍ), not an explicit request—this is the etiquette of the prophets in their prayers.
[25] When the women returned home earlier than usual, their father asked them about it.
They described the event in detail.
Shuʿayb (peace be upon him), who was their father, understood through his insight that this man was not a resident of Madyan and that he was someone who helped the weak.
Therefore, he sent one of his daughters to invite him.
“One of them” (iḥdāhumā)—since they had many animals and had to travel far from the town, both women usually went together.
But calling Musa (peace be upon him) was nearby and easy, so only one woman was sent.
This shows that righteous people do not assign women difficult tasks unless it is necessary—and they don’t let them go out without a genuine reason.
“With modesty” (ʿalā istiḥyāʾ)—meaning she kept herself physically covered and did not walk with flirtation or allure, as is the way of immodest women.
The word “ʿalā” indicates firmness—she was firmly grounded in modesty.
“So that he may reward you for watering for us”—this statement was to emphasize the sincerity of the invitation.
Musa (peace be upon him) did not accept the invitation with the intention of being paid.
According to the commentator al-Qurṭubī, when Shuʿayb (peace be upon him) presented food to Musa, he initially refused and said: “We are a family who do not sell our religion even for a land filled with gold.”
Shuʿayb replied that it was not a wage for his service, but rather their family custom to host guests—so Musa (peace be upon him) accepted the food.
“The wrongdoers” (al-ẓālimīn)—refers to Pharaoh and his people, whose rule did not extend to the land of Madyan.