By: Sadruddin Noorani, Chicago, USA
Mūsā ibn ʿImrān (‘Moses, son of Amram’) is a prominent prophet and messenger of Allah and is the most frequently mentioned individual in the Holy Quran, with his name being mentioned 136 times and his life being narrated and recounted more than that of any other prophet. While he encountered many victories, he also experienced hardships in his life. Hazrat Musa (peace be upon him; pbuh) is considered the most important prophet in Judaism and one of the most important prophets in Christianity, Islam, the Bha’i Faith and other Abrahamic religions. According to both the Bible and the Qur’an, Moses was the leader of the Baney Israel and lawgiver to whom the authorship, or “acquisition from heaven”, of the Torah (the first five books of the Bible) is attributed. Moses, a descendant of Hazrat Yusuf (pbuh, also known as Joseph), played a definitive role in restoring freedom to the Baney Israel (Israelites).
According to the Qur’an, Hazrat Musa was born to an Israelite family. In his childhood, he was put in a basket and left to float on a stream of water which flowed towards river Nile. Musa was found floating alone by Pharaoh’s (Fir’own) wife (not named in the Quran, but called Asiya in the Islamic tradition). She took Musa as her adopted son, who resided in Midian till he reached adulthood, after which he returned back to Egypt to liberate his people (the Israelites) from Pharaoh’s slavery. Prophet Musa’s most popular miracle is of dividing the Red Sea, with a miraculous stick provided by God. Apart from the Quran, Musa is also described and praised in Hadith literature as well. After Pharaoh’s death, Musa and his followers traveled towards Jerusalem, where the prophet eventually died. Afterwards, he is reported to have met Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) in the seven heavens following the latter’s ascension from Jerusalem during ’Isrā’ Miʿrāj, the Night Journey.
Hazrat Musa (pbuh) is viewed as a very important figure in Islam. According to Islamic theology, all Muslims must have faith in Prophet Muhammad and every other prophet of God, which includes Musa and his brother Harun (Aaron, pbuh). The life of Hazrat Musa is generally seen as a spiritual parallel to the life of Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh), and Muslims consider many aspects of the two individuals’ lives to be shared. Islamic literature often describes a parallel relation between their people and the incidents that occurred in their lifetimes; the exodus of the Israelites from ancient Egypt is considered to be similar in nature to the migration of Hazrat Muhammad and his followers from Mecca to Medina as both events unfolded in the face of persecution – of the Israelites by the ancient Egyptians, and of the early Muslims by the Meccans, respectively. His revelations, such as the Ten Commandments, which form part of the contents of the Torah, are central to the Abrahamic religions of Judaism and Christianity. Consequently, for Muslims, the Jews and Christians were designated as “People of the Book” to be recognized with this special status wherever Islamic law is applied. Hazrat Musa is further revered in Islamic literature, which expands upon the incidents of his life and the miracles attributed to him in the Quran and Hadith, such as his direct conversations with God, and was bestowed with the title of Kalīm Allāh (‘He who talked with God’).
God sent Prophet Musa (pbuh) to Fir’own. Musa entered his palace where Fir’own was waiting for him with all of his men around him in pride and announced: “I am the Messenger of the Lord of the worlds,” without any fear. Fir’own, who considered himself to be god, did not understand this and asked: “Who is the Lord of the worlds?”. “The Lord of the Heavens and the Earth,” said Musa. This infuriated Fir’own who turned to his men and said “Did you hear that?”. Fir’own tried to make fun of Musa by saying “The Messenger sent to you is mad!” Musa replied: “He is your Lord and the Lord of your fathers,” and “He is the Lord of the East and the West.”
Fir’own was very upset and did not know what to say, but declared “If you take any god other than me,” I will throw you in prison!” Fir’own tried to show his power. “What if I can prove it to you?” asked Musa. “Show it then, if you are telling the truth, replied Fir’own.
Musa threw his stick and it turned into a snake; a real snake slithering from here to there. Then Musa drew out his hand from his pocket; it was shining white for all to see.
Praise the Lord! Such clear signs are proofs from God! But Fir’own had such a hard / arrogant heart that he still did not believe it. Fir’own was shocked. What do you think he will accuse Hazrat Musa (pbuh) of next in order to carry on with his evil ways? He would accuse Musa of magic. He asked “Have you come to drive us out of our land with your magic?”. “We will show you our magic too!” So Fir’own called his best magicians from every land and people gathered at high noon to see the show. The magicians came with sticks in their hands. “Will you throw first, or shall we?” they asked. “You throw first,” replied Musa. The magicians threw their sticks and played a magic trick. The sticks turned into snakes, slithering from here to there. The people were struck with fear.
“Do not fear,” said God to Musa, “throw what is in your right hand.” Musa threw his stick.
It turned into a real big snake, eating all the other snakes there. It was a miracle from Allah. The magicians knew it too. “We believe in the Lord of Musa,” they said. “How dare you believe in Him before I allow you!” said Fir’own in rage. But it was too late. The magicians followed the truth. But Fir’own never changed his ways, and strange things started happening to him.
Their rivers dried out. They had no fruits to enjoy. Then water flooded their land. Armies of locusts, lice and frogs spread everywhere. They found no peace or time for rest. These were signs from Allah so that they might believe. But they turned away every time. Fir’own had had enough and he was now planning to kill Musa.
God told Musa to gather his followers and leave the city. They left under the cover of darkness at night. Fir’own found out early in the morning and, in anger, he called his army together and began his chase at sunrise.
Musa and his followers reached a sea which was on their way. There was nowhere to escape and Fir’own was not far behind. His companions were losing hope fast. “Fir’own and his army will catch us up and kill us” they said shivering in fear. “No way!” said Musa. “My Lord is with me. He will guide me out.” Musa never lost hope in God. He struck the sea with his stick and something amazing started to happen: The Red Sea started splitting into two parts. A pathway was cleared in the middle. The companions of Musa hurried through and reached the other side. But they were not safe yet because Fir’own soon ran through the sea with his army thinking that the sea would stay split for him too. Fir’own fell into the trap.
The two sides of the split sea began to merge together. Water came crashing down, crushing the army in between. Fir’own’s army drowned in the deep water and were never to be seen again. Fir’own had no army to save him now. Allah took away his palaces and his power. Fir’own found no place to hide from the punishment of Allah. Allah raised him high on a wave for all to see. “I believe in the God that Moses believes in,” said Fir’own just as he was about to die. But now it was too late. The sea swallowed him in. That was the end of Fir’own. Allah saved Musa and his followers. They followed the truth and did what Allah likes. That should be our aim in life.
The Holy Qur’an, Chapter- Al-A’raf, Verses 7:103-160: This Chapter includes the story of Prophet Musa and his interactions with Pharaoh, the plagues sent as signs, and the parting of the sea. Chapter- Yunus, Verses 10:75-93: These verses discuss the encounter between Prophet Musa and Pharaoh.
Along with holding Moses (pbuh) in high esteem, Muslims also consider the Torah to be a divine book (Quran, Chapter Al-Ma’idah 5:44).
REF: https://the.ismaili/portugal/moses-and-the-shepherd
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