Prophet Moses (peace be upon him) is among the most prominent great prophets of Allah, He says:
“Also mention In the Book (the story of) Moses: for He was specially chosen,
and He was a Messenger (and) a prophet.”(Qur’an;19:51 ). Prophet Moses (peace be upon him) who lived around
13th century B.C. played an important role to keep the torch of
Monotheism (tawhid) alight after Prophet Abraham (peace be upon him). He
was named Moshe or Moses, being "Saved from the water" (Exodus;2:10 ), as his mother had to put him in water to save
his life from being killed by soldiers of Pharaoh, who oppressed and persecuted
the Israelites. The lives of Israelites were made bitter with hard bondage, and
"all their service, wherein they made them serve, was with rigor"
(Exodus;1:13 -14). Allah
says: “Then We sent Moses and his brother Aaron with Our Signs and authority
manifest”(Qur’an;23:45 ).
Prophet Moses and Aaron (peace be upon them) had a dual mission: Firstly for
Pharaoh and his Court, which failed because of their rebelliousness, Secondly
to the Israelites, for whom the Law was received on Mount
Sinai , but they repeatedly rebelled against Allah. “And remember
We gave Moses the Scripture and the criterion (between right and wrong) there
was a chance for you to be guided aright.”(Qur’an;2:53 ). Qur’an, directly referrers to Moses at least
seventy two times. Nine miracles were
awarded to him by Allah: “And verily We gave unto Moses nine tokens,
clear proofs (of Allah's Sovereignty). Do but ask the Children of Israel how he
came unto them, then Pharaoh said unto him: Lo! I deem thee one bewitched, O
Moses.”(Qur’an;17:101). In both cases there were miracles ("Clear
Signs") and other proofs which showed that they came at Allah's command
and were inspired by His authority.
Narrative
in Qur’an:
The Qur’an records that Moses, in infancy having been placed
in a basket in the Nile , to save his life,
because the male children of Israelites were killed on the orders of Egyptian
Pharaoh (Qur’an;20:39 ). He
was picked up by wife of Pharaoh, she adopts him, hence he is brought up in the
house of Pharaoh, while his mother was employed to suckle the child
(Qur’an;28:9, 28:7, 13);“When He reached full age, and was firmly established
(in life), we bestowed on Him wisdom and knowledge: for Thus do we reward those
who do good.”(Qur’an;28:14);“And Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the
Egyptians, and was mighty in words and in deeds.”(Acts;7:22 ). One day he unintentionally killed an
Egyptian who was involved in a scuffle with an Israeli. He repented, and was
forgiven by God (Qur’an;28:16) He had to escape to Median to save himself. In
the wilderness he helped two women to water their flock. Later their old father
offered one of his daughters for marriage, if Moses serve him for 8 or ten
years, which he accepted. (Qur’an;28:27,28). Upon completion of stipulated
period of service, while traveling with his family in the wilderness, Moses saw
bushfire, (Qur’an;28:29) where God spoke to him (Qur’an;27:28, 20:12 ) and chose him as His
messenger (Qur’an;20:13 , 17:21 ). God granted him miracles
like staff turning to serpent (Qur’an;20:20 ,
31:28) and shining hand (Qur’an;20:22 ,
28:32). Moses was asked to go to Pharaoh, the people of iniquity
(Qur’an;26:10,11) who had transgressed the bounds (Qur’an;76:17,20:24 ) and ask him if he wish to be
purified (Qur’an;79:18). Moses was afraid and hesitant (Qur’an;20:45 ), God assured him that He was
with him (Qur’an;20:46 ). Moses accepted the assignment with request
for assistance from his brother Aaron (Qur’an;20:29 , 20:30 ,28:34),
which was granted (Qur’an;20:36 ,42,
28:35). God asked them: “So go ye both to him (Pharaoh) and say, 'Verily we are
Messengers sent by Thy Lord: send forth, therefore, the Children of Israel 20:49 ,50, 20:
53 , 40: 41,43). Pharaoh demanded token (miracle), (Qur’an;7:106) Moses showed him the miracle
of staff turning to serpent and shining hand (Qur’an;7:107) but Pharaoh argued,
he denied the Miracles, calling them sorcery (Qur’an;10:76,17:101,27:13), he
also called Moses as mad man (Qur’an;26:27). In a public gathering Moses
encountered with the court magicians, their tricks failed miserably in front of
the miracles performed by Moses (Qur’an;20:58 ,
59,26:38,39, 7:115-119, 20:66, 26:45). The magicians believed in Moses despite
threats by Pharaoh (Qur’an;7:120-121, 20:70).
Even after repeated calamities like spread of plagues, famine, floods,
locusts, vermin, frogs, blood, Pharaoh did not let the Israelites go.
(Qur’an;7:103,130, 133). They deserved to be destroyed, Allah says: “We sent an
inspiration to Moses: "Travel by night with My servants, and strike a dry
path for them through the sea, without fear of being overtaken (by Pharaoh) and
without (any other) fear." (Qur’an;20:77). Finally God miraculously
created passage through the sea for the Israelites, but when Pharaoh followed
them, the sea closed (Qur’an;20:78)
destroying Pharaoh's and his army (Qur’an;2:50 ,7:136).
Pharaoh believed in the God of Moses when he saw death, but it was too late
(Qur’an;10:90). His body was preserved as a sign, (Qur’an;10:92, 69:12) which
was discovered intact during last century and is lying in museum. [This
motivated Dr.Maurice Bucaille, a French medical doctor, to
study Qur’an and then writing his famous book: ‘The Bible, The Qur’an and Science’].
The Israelites after
having lived under slavery for long were influenced by the paganism, Allah says: “We took
the Children of Israel (with safety) across the sea. They came upon a people
devoted entirely to some idols which they had. They said: "O Moses!
Fashion for us a god like unto the gods they have." He said: "Surely
ye are a people without knowledge.”(Qur’an;7:138). Prophet Moses (peace be upon
him) spent forty days on the mountain in the worship of Lord, before leaving he
said to his brother Aaron: “take my place among the people. Do right, and
follow not the way of mischief makers.”(Qur’an;7:142). But the Israelites started worship of calf during this period
(Qur’an;51:2), though Aaron opposed it (Bible blames Aaron as well) but
they did not listen : “Aaron had already, before This said to them: "O My
people! ye are being tested In this: for Verily your Lord is (Allah) Most
Gracious; so follow me and obey My command." They had said: "We will
not abandon This cult, but we will devote ourselves to it until Moses returns
to us." (Qur’an;20:90-91). “When Moses came back to His people, angry and
grieved, He said: "Evil it is that ye have done In My place In My absence:
did ye make haste to bring on the Judgment of your Lord?" And he cast down the tablets, and he
seized his brother by the (the hair of) head, dragging him toward him.
Aaron said: "Son of My mother! The people did indeed
reckon me As naught, and went near to slaying me! make not the enemies rejoice
over My misfortune, nor count Thou me amongst the people of sin." Moses prayed: "O My Lord! Forgive me
and My brother! Admit us to Thy mercy! For Thou art the Most Merciful of those
who Show mercy!" (Qur’an;7:150-151). It is mentioned that Prophet
Moses (peace be upon him) put down the Tablets, it is not told that the Tablets
were broken: “When Mosses’ anger calmed down he took up the Holy Tablets in
whose writing there was guidance and mercy for those that fear their Lord”
(Qur’an;7:154). This verse indicates that the Tablets were intact. They
contained Allah's Message. There is a touch of disrespect (if not blasphemy) in
supposing that Allah's Messenger broke the Tablets in his incontinent rage, as
is stated in the Old Testament: "Moses’ anger waxed hot, and he cast the
tablets out of his hands, and brake them beneath the Mount."
(Exodus;32:19). On this point and also on the point that Aaron (in the Old
Testament story) ordered the gold to be brought, made a molten calf, fashioned
it with a graving tool, and built an altar before the calf (Exdodus;32:2-5,
Psalms;106:19).
The Qur’anic version
differs from that of the Old Testament. The Qur’an does not accuse Aaron of having
actually participated in making or worshipping the golden calf; his guilt
consisted in having remained passive in the face of his, people's idolatry for
fear of causing a split among them (Qur’an;20:92-94). It is un-believable that
Aaron, who was appointed by Allah to assist Moses as Allah's Messenger, could
descend so low as to seduce the people into idolatry, whatever his human
weaknesses might be. Moses was but human remembering the charge he had given to
Aaron (Qur’an;7:142) he had a just grievance at the turn events had taken. But
he did not wreak his vengeance on the Tablets of Allah's law by breaking them.
He laid hands on his brother, and his brother at once explained. Prophet Moses
(peace be upon him) fulfilled his duty as messenger of God, Allah says: “We
gave Moses the Holy Book (Torah) and the criterion of right and wrong so that
you might be rightly guided. Remember when Moses returned with the Divine Book
he said to his people: "O my people! You have indeed grievously wronged
yourselves by taking the calf for worship; so turn in repentance to your
Creator and slay the culprits among you; that will be best for you in His
sight." He accepted your repentance; surely He is the Forgiving, the
Merciful.” (Qur’an;2:53-54).
Prophet Moses (peace be upon him) desired to see
God:
“When Moses came to the place appointed by us, and His Lord addressed him, He
said: "O My Lord! Show (Thyself) to me, that I may look upon thee."
Allah said: "By no means canst Thou see me (direct); but look upon the
mount; if it abide In its place, then shalt Thou see me. 2:55 );
“And Moses chose seventy of His people for Our place of meeting: when They were
seized with violent quaking, He prayed: "O My Lord! if it had been Thy
will Thou couldst have destroyed, long before, both them and Me: wouldst Thou
destroy us for the deeds of the foolish ones among us? This is no more than Thy
trial: by it Thou causest whom Thou wilt to stray, and Thou leadest whom Thou
wilt into the right path. Thou art Our Protector: so forgive us and give us Thy
mercy; for Thou art the best of those who forgive.” (Qur’an;7:155); “Then we
raised you up after you had been as dead: so that you might have cause to be
grateful.” (Qur’an;2:56 ).
Prophet Moses (peace be upon him) lead the
Israelites in the wilderness of Sinai. They received Manna and Salwa,
the food miraculously supplied to them during their wanderings in the
wilderness (Exodus;16:15 -35,
Qur’an;2:57 ) and water for
each tribe (Qur’an;2:60). The Israelites got fed up with Manna-Salwa and demanded the fresh
vegetables (Qur’an;2:61) Moses asked; 'Would you exchange the better for the
worse? If that's what you want go back to some city; there you will find what
you have asked for. Moses, continued to lead his people and
urged them to conquer the promised land (Qur’an;5:21 ,23). The spies informed about the strong people there, but the
God fearing among them urged to attack from front for victory and put trust
upon Allah, but Israelites refused to proceed against the strong opponents :
“They said: "O Moses! While they remain there, never shall we be able to
enter, to the end of time. Go thou, and Thy Lord, and Fight ye two, while we
sit here (and watch). He (Moses) said: "O My Lord! I have power only over
Myself and My brother: so separate us from This rebellious people!" Allah
said: "Therefore will the land be out of their reach for forty years: In
distraction will They wander through the land: but sorrow Thou not over these
rebellious people.” (Qur’an;5:24-26). Prophet
Moses (peace be upon him) died until they reached the edge
of Canaan , however as directed by God,
Moses, before his death, invested Joshua in a public and solemn manner with
authority over the people as his successor (Deutronomy;31:23).
Prophet Moses (peace be upon him) has the great
honour and privilege, God revealed Torah to him: “..to
Moses Allah spoke direct” (Qur’an;14:164) , hence he is also referred as (Kaleem
Allah). Almighty God told Prophet Moses (peace be upon him) about
coming of Muhammad (peace be upon him): "I will raise them up a Prophet
from among their brethren, like unto thee, and I will put my words in his
mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him. And it shall
come to pass, that whosoever will not harken unto my words which he shall speak
in my name, I will require it of him" (Deuteronomy;18:18,19).
Prophet Moses (peace be upon him) and
Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) have many common aspects. With the spread
of Islam, Prophet Moses (peace be upon
him) became admired figure throughout the Muslim world. Today, some thirty
three centuries after he lived, Prophet Moses (peace be upon him) is honored
by Jews, Christians, and Muslims alike, and is even respected by many
agnostics.
How much
Prophet Moses (peace be upon him) was revered by Prophet Muhammad (peace be
upon him) is evident from a Tradition, Narrated by Abu Hurairah: “Two persons, a Muslim and a Jew, quarreled. The
Muslim said, "By Him Who gave Muhammad superiority over all the
people!" The Jew said, "By Him Who gave Moses superiority over all
the people!" At that the Muslim raised his hand and slapped the Jew on the
face. The Jew went to the Prophet and informed him of what had happened between
him and the Muslim. The Prophet sent for the Muslim and asked him about it. The
Muslim informed him of the event. The Prophet said, "Do not give me
superiority over Moses, for on the Day of Resurrection all the people will fall
unconscious and I will be one of them, but I will be the first to gain
consciousness, and will see Moses standing and holding the side of the Throne
(of Allah). I will not know whether (Moses) has also fallen unconscious and got
up before me, or Allah has exempted him from that stroke."(Sahih,
Al-Bukhari Hadith:3.594).
In general, there are three major achievements
attributed to Prophet Moses (peace be upon him). First, it is quite
clear that the monotheism (Islam-submission to One God) preached by Prophet
Abraham (peace be upon him), would have diminished had it not been for Moses,
and he unquestionably played the crucial role in its preservation and
transmission. Second, the first five books of the Bible (Genesis, Exodus,
Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy), which are often referred to as the “Five
Books of Moses”, and which constitute the Jewish Torah attributed to Moses (the
original scriptures are believed to be divinely revealed).
These books
include the Mosaic Code, the set of laws which in principle governed the
conduct of the Israelites in biblical times, and which include the Ten
Commandments. The Torah as a whole and the Ten Commandments in particular have
had the enormous influence on the three Abrahamic faiths. However, most
biblical scholars agree that the books as available at present were apparently
written by several authors, and the great bulk of the material was not put into
writing until considerably after Moses’ death. Third, he is credited with being
the political figure who led the Jews in the Exodus from Egypt Jerusalem Israel Jericho Egypt
Biblical Narrative:
Prophet
Moses (peace be upon him) is the central figure, not only of the Pentateuch
(Five books of Torah) but of the Old Testament. The Hebrews version of
narrative of Moses mentioned in Bible is generally identical; mostly it is in
the books of Exodus, Numbers and Deuteronomy with some distortions. He is the central figure because he stands
at the source that became the norm for the whole religion of Israel Israel
In the
New Testament Moses is seen in the light of Christ. He prefigured Christ,
but because of the debates that arose with the Jews who claimed Moses as the
intangible and insuperable of foundation of their existence, Christ is compared
with Moses very often to underline the differences between them, which in turn
lead to a re-evaluation of this importance. Moses is considered as inferior to
the Christ, Hebrewes;3:2-6 underscores the differences between them; “Moses too
, was faithful in all God’s household, but Jesus is more worth of honour than
he…”. [Muslims do not make any distinction among the prophets, Qur’an;2:136]
The Christian realities then have their counterpart in the Old Testament traditions
on Moses and the Exodus, but they achieve their effective realization on the
level of God’s free self-giving and divine life: law and grace (John;1:17),
“And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of man
be lifted up,”(John;3:14), the manna and the Eucharist (John;6:32), Exodus
through the water and baptism (1Corinthians;10:2), the Old and New Testament
(Hebrews;8:8-10). This correspondence is considered by Christian theologians to
attest the unity of God’s design throughout history.
Hebrews after Prophet Moses (peace be upon him):
The next
generation after Prophet Moses and Aaron (peace be upon them) was ruled by Prophet Joshua (peace be upon
him), who crossed the Jordan Palestine Palestine Israel Israel
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