Story of Asiyah, the Wife of Pharaoh, in the Quran

The Quran mentions her twice, and in both places it calls her only "the wife of Pharaoh". Her name is not given in the Quran. The name Asiyah comes from authentic hadith, which we will look at below.

• Quran 66:11 presents her as an example for those who believed.
• Quran 28:9 records what she said when the baby Musa (Moses) عليه السلام was found by Pharaoh's household.

In Surah at-Tahrim, Allah gives two examples of disbelieving women, the wives of Nuh (Noah) and Lut (Lot), and then two examples of believing women, the wife of Pharaoh and Maryam. Her place beside Maryam in the verses is a sign of how high her example stands.

Quran 28:7-9 tells how Musa's mother, by Allah's inspiration, placed her baby in the river when she feared for him. The household of Pharaoh picked him up. The meaning of verse 8 is that Allah had decreed this so that he would become, in the end, an enemy and a cause of grief to them.

Then come the words of Pharaoh's wife in verse 9. She said that the child would be a comfort of the eye for her and for Pharaoh, asked that he not be killed, and said that perhaps he might benefit them or they might adopt him as a son. The verse ends by saying that they did not perceive what was truly happening.

So the Quran shows a gentle heart in the middle of a harsh palace. She spoke for an innocent child and the child was spared. How she knew to speak, and what exactly lay behind her kindness, the Quran does not say.

The Quran then records the supplication of the wife of Pharaoh. In the meaning of the verse, she said: "My Lord, build for me near You a house in Paradise, and save me from Pharaoh and his deeds, and save me from the wrongdoing people."

The Arabic words are: وَضَرَبَ ٱللَّهُ مَثَلًۭا لِّلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ ٱمْرَأَتَ فِرْعَوْنَ إِذْ قَالَتْ رَبِّ ٱبْنِ لِى عِندَكَ بَيْتًۭا فِى ٱلْجَنَّةِ وَنَجِّنِى مِن فِرْعَوْنَ وَعَمَلِهِۦ وَنَجِّنِى مِنَ ٱلْقَوْمِ ٱلظَّٰلِمِينَ

Notice the order of her request. She asked first for nearness to Allah ("near You"), and only then for rescue from Pharaoh and from the wrongdoers. Her greatest hope was a home with her Lord, not the comforts of the palace around her.

The verse does not say when she made this dua, how long she lived after it, or how her life ended. It is best not to add details that Allah has not told us.

The Prophet ﷺ spoke of her by name. Abu Musa al-Ash'ari, may Allah be pleased with him, reported that the Prophet ﷺ said that many men reached perfection, and none among women reached it except Maryam daughter of Imran and Asiyah the wife of Pharaoh. This is in Sahih al-Bukhari 3411 and Sahih Muslim 2431.

Anas, may Allah be pleased with him, reported that the Prophet ﷺ said that it is enough for you, among the women of the worlds, to know Maryam, Khadijah, Fatimah and Asiyah the wife of Pharaoh. Al-Tirmidhi recorded it as number 3878 and graded it sahih.

Scholars explain "perfection" here as great excellence in faith and character. The hadith praises her faith. It does not give a long biography, and we should keep to what it says.

Many popular retellings add scenes of how Asiyah was treated by Pharaoh, how she died and what she said at the end. These are not found in the Quran or in authentic hadith, so they are not part of this page.

• Her original name and family are not mentioned.
• How and when she came to believe is not mentioned.
• Whether she saw Musa grow up in the palace, or what became of her later, is not mentioned.

What we know with certainty is enough: she believed, she asked Allah for a home near Him, and Allah made her an example for believers until the Day of Judgment.

• Faith belongs to the heart. A believer can stay firm even when the people closest to them, and the whole society around them, are on a wrong path.
• Put the Hereafter first in your dua. Asiyah asked for a home near Allah before she asked for rescue from her hardship.
• Mercy toward the weak is a sign of faith. She spoke up for a helpless baby when it was risky to do so.
• Allah can place a good heart anywhere. Even the palace of Pharaoh held a believing woman who became an example in the Quran.
• Do not judge a person only by the house they live in or the people they are married to. Each soul stands before Allah by its own faith, as Quran 66:10-11 shows.