Put Your Trust in Him

Mūsā (peace be upon him) was beginning to feel that the end with Firʿawn was near. He had given him all of the signs he had received from Allah (swt); nevertheless, Firʿawn was still insisting on disbelief. And things were becoming more difficult for Banū Isrāʾīl. So Allah (swt) says:

And Mūsā said: O my people, if you have believed in Allah, then put your trust in Him, if you are Muslims. He is preparing them: put your trust in Allah — have tawakkul in Allah — because Mūsā knows that this path is a path of difficulty and suffering. So he is telling his people: you need to have tawakkul.

And Banū Isrāʾīl said: in Allah we put our trust. Our Lord, do not make us a trial for the wrongdoing people. What does this mean? Rabbanā lā tajʿalnā fitnatan lil-qawmi al-ẓālimīn — O Allah, do not make us a fitnah for the disbelievers. The mufassirūn give a few meanings to it.

One meaning they give is: do not give the disbelievers the ability to put us to trial in our religion and drive us out of Islam. That is one meaning. So they are asking Allah to give them firmness and ṣabr, so that they would not fail under the oppression of the ẓālim. Another meaning is: do not make us the cause of their disbelief. Do not make us the cause of their disbelief — these oppressors, these wrongdoers, would see that we are weak and poor and enslaved, and they would refuse and reject Islam because of that. So do not make us the cause of the disbelief of the disbelievers. And then they said: and save us by Your mercy from the disbelieving people.