وَأَوْحَيْنَآ إِلَىٰ مُوسَىٰ وَأَخِيهِ أَن تَبَوَّءَا لِقَوْمِكُمَا بِمِصْرَ بُيُوتًا وَٱجْعَلُوا۟ بُيُوتَكُمْ قِبْلَةً وَأَقِيمُوا۟ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ ۗ وَبَشِّرِ ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ 87
Translations
And We inspired to Moses and his brother, "Settle your people in Egypt in houses and make your houses [facing the] qiblah and establish prayer and give good tidings to the believers."
Transliteration
Wa awhayna ila Musa wa akhihi an tabawwa'a liqawmikuma biMisra buyutan waj'alu buyutakum qiblatan wa aqimu al-salata wa bashshir al-mu'minin
Tafsir (Explanation)
Allah commanded Musa (Moses) and his brother Harun (Aaron) to settle their people in Egypt and make their homes places of worship and prayer, while establishing regular salah. According to Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari, this instruction served multiple purposes: to provide the Israelites refuge from Pharaoh's persecution, to establish their faith through communal prayer, and to transform their dwellings into centers of spiritual practice. The command to give glad tidings to the believers emphasizes the promise of eventual relief and triumph over oppression.
Revelation Context
This ayah is part of the narrative of Musa's mission in Surah Yunus, which details the conflict between Musa and Pharaoh. The context follows Allah's support for Musa against Pharaoh's tyranny. This instruction was given during the period when the Israelites were oppressed in Egypt, providing them guidance on how to maintain their faith and community cohesion under persecution.
Related Hadiths
While no direct hadith specifically addresses this verse, Surah Al-Ahzab (33:33) relates to the sanctity of homes for prayer: 'And abide in your houses.' Additionally, the emphasis on establishing salah connects to the hadith: 'The best of deeds is establishing the prayer at its prescribed time' (Jami' at-Tirmidhi).
Themes
Key Lesson
Even in times of oppression and difficulty, believers are commanded to establish their faith through prayer and transform their personal spaces into centers of spiritual devotion. This teaches us that resilience comes through maintaining our connection to Allah and building strong faith-centered communities, regardless of external circumstances.