Stories of the Prophets,
Stories of the Prophets,
peace be upon them.
May Allah's blessings,
followed by
peace,
be upon the best of all
creation,
those of firm resolve,
exalted in rank
and radiant light.
The Story of Moses,
peace be upon him.
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds,
and may peace and blessings
be upon our Prophet Muhammad,
and upon his family and all his
Companions.
To proceed:
Days and years passed by,
and Moses, peace be upon him,
grew up in an upbringing
full of strength and wisdom,
deeply connected to his forebears
from the Children of Israel,
and influenced by their upright ways.
Thus, he was never convinced of Pharaoh's claims;
he was never convinced that Pharaoh, in whose palace
he was raised,
was a lord or a deity.
Nor did he drift along with the common people
in their misguidance and oppression,
or their worship of the tyrant
Pharaoh.
For this one who claimed divinity
falls ill and recovers,
eats and drinks,
and relieves himself;
so how could such a one be
a deity?
Moses, peace be upon him, was deeply influenced by faith,
being a monotheist devoted to Allah from his youth,
hating injustice
and oppressors,
no matter how elevated
their status or how widespread their fame might be.
He was compassionate
toward the destitute
and aided the needy,
drawing upon his physical
strength and his firm
faith.
One day,
Moses entered the city at a time
when people were resting—
either at midday
or in the middle of the night—
and found two men fighting:
one of them
was an Israelite from his own faction,
and the other was an Egyptian from among
his enemies.
The helpless Israelite cried out to him for help
against his Egyptian foe.
So Moses stepped in
to push the Egyptian away,
but the man refused to relent.
Moses then struck him with a blow
that brought about his end
on the spot.
Moses, peace be upon him, was
extremely strong,
but he had never intended to kill
the Egyptian. Moses said,
"This is from
Satan's doing;
he is the one who incited me to kill him,
though unintentionally.
Indeed, Satan is an enemy,
a clear misleader."
Then Moses turned to his Lord
in penitence, saying:
"My Lord, I have wronged
myself by killing this man,
so forgive me."
And Allah answered his prayer
and forgave him.
Moses then made a covenant with his Lord
that he would never be a helper to the criminals.
After that,
Moses remained in the city,
fearful that his deed would be discovered,
as investigations were underway
to identify the killer.
No one knew
about this matter
except Moses and the Israelite
who had called upon him for help.
The following day,
Moses went out as usual,
only to find that same Israelite companion
brawling with another Egyptian.
When
the Israelite caught sight of Moses,
he pleaded for his help once again.
Moses became angry with him
and said to him:
"Do you get into a dispute and a fight
every single day?
You are truly misguided,
plainly astray!"
Nevertheless,
Moses stepped forward to rescue
the Israelite from the Egyptian's assault.
But the foolish Israelite
thought that Moses
had come to kill him,
so he panicked,
divulged what was concealed,
and shouted at Moses within
earshot of the Egyptian:
"O Moses! Do you intend
“And when he would have fallen upon the man who was an enemy unto them both, he said: O Moses! Wouldst thou kill me as thou didst kill a person yesterday. Thou wouldst be nothing but a tyrant in the land, thou wouldst not be of the reformers.” (28:19)
the Egyptian yesterday?
Do you only intend to be a tyrant
The Egyptian heard
the words of his Israelite adversary,
so he broke free from his grasp
and hurried off
to Pharaoh,
informing them that Moses was the killer
they had been searching for.
At this point, despair fell upon
the righteous servant, Moses,
peace be upon him,
“And morning found him in the city, fearing, vigilant, when behold! he who had appealed to him the day before cried out to him for help. Moses said unto him: Lo! thou art indeed a mere hothead.” (28:18)
as he waited vigilantly, dreading when
he would be seized by the wrongdoing
people.
Meanwhile,
a man from the family of Pharaoh came
rushing hastily to Moses,
advising him:
"The chiefs of the people
among the city's nobility
are conspiring against you to kill you,
so depart from this city
immediately, O Moses!
Truly, I fear for you
from the wrath of Pharaoh and his soldiers."
So Moses, peace be upon him, fled
from Egypt, escaping
with his life from the tyranny of the oppressors,
and headed toward a city
in the land of Jordan,
thus beginning a new chapter
in the life of the Prophet of Allah,
Moses, peace be upon him.
Allah Almighty said:
"And he entered the city
at a time of inattention
from its people,
and found therein two men
fighting:
and found therein two men
fighting, one
from his faction and the other
from his enemy.
And the one who was of his faction
“And he entered the city at a time of carelessness of its folk, and he found therein two men fighting, one of his own caste, and the other of his enemies; and he who was of his caste asked him for help against him who was of his enemies. So Moses struck him with his fist and killed him. He said: This is of the devil's doing. Lo! he is an enemy, a mere misleader.” (28:15)
against his enemy,
so Moses struck him with his fist
and brought about his end.
“And he entered the city at a time of carelessness of its folk, and he found therein two men fighting, one of his own caste, and the other of his enemies; and he who was of his caste asked him for help against him who was of his enemies. So Moses struck him with his fist and killed him. He said: This is of the devil's doing. Lo! he is an enemy, a mere misleader.” (28:15)
Satan.
Indeed, he is an enemy,
a misleader,
clear."
He said, "My Lord, indeed I have
wronged myself,
so forgive me,"
and He forgave him.
Indeed, He is
the Forgiving, the Merciful.
He said, "My Lord, for what
You have bestowed upon me, I will never
be an ally to the criminals."
And he became,
in the city,
fearful,
vigilant,
when suddenly the one who had
sought his help yesterday
was crying out to him for aid.
Moses said to him,
"Indeed, you are clearly
misguided."
And when
“And when he would have fallen upon the man who was an enemy unto them both, he said: O Moses! Wouldst thou kill me as thou didst kill a person yesterday. Thou wouldst be nothing but a tyrant in the land, thou wouldst not be of the reformers.” (28:19)
the one who was an enemy
to both of them, he said,
"O Moses,
"Do you intend
to kill me just as
you killed a soul
yesterday?
You only want
to be a tyrant
in the land,
and you do not want to be
among the peacemakers."
Then there came
a man
rushing from the farthest end of the city.
“And a man came from the uttermost part of the city, running. He said: O Moses! Lo! the chiefs take counsel against thee to slay thee; therefor escape. Lo! I am of those who give thee good advice.” (28:20)
He said, "O Moses,
the chiefs
are conspiring against you
to kill you, so flee!
Flee;
indeed, I am to you
a sincere advisor."
So he departed from it,
fearful
and watchful.
He said, "My Lord,
save me from the wrongdoing people."
And
when he set his face
toward
Midian, he said, "Perhaps
my Lord will guide me
He said, "Perhaps
my Lord will guide me
to the right
path."
Moses, peace be upon him,
set out toward the land of Midian.
He departed fearful,
without provisions or a beast
to ride.
Between Egypt and Midian lay
a journey of eight
days, yet he had
no knowledge of the route,
having only good expectations of his Lord.
So he prayed,
“And when he turned his face toward Midian, he said: Peradventure my Lord will guide me in the right road.” (28:22)
"to the right path."
Ibn Abbas,
may Allah be pleased with him and his father, said:
"He traveled from Egypt to Midian
eating nothing but wild herbs
and tree leaves.
He was barefoot,
for the soles of his feet had lost their sandals.
He sat in the shade,
though he was the elite of Allah
among His creation, with
his belly clinging to his back
from hunger, so much so that
the green of the herbs could be seen
from inside his stomach;
and he was in dire need
of even half a date."
He arrived at Midian
and came to its watering place.
It had a well
frequented by shepherds.
He found a crowd
of people there watering their flocks,
and apart from them he found
two women holding back
their sheep from mingling with the flocks of
those shepherds, lest
they be harmed.
When Moses,
peace be upon him, saw them,
he felt compassion and pity for them
and said,
"What is your concern,
and why do you not water your flock
along with these people?"
They said,
"We cannot water
our flock until
these shepherds depart,
and our father is a very old man.
Therefore, we are forced
to do what you see."
It was the custom of
those people
that whenever they finished watering
their livestock, they replaced [a heavy rock over the well],
which could not be lifted
except by several strong men.
Then the two young women would come
and let their sheep drink
from whatever leftover water remained
from the people's flocks.
Moses cared deeply about the situation
of the two women, and he was stirred by
protective honor and noble zeal for them.
He saw that these
people possessed harshness
and ill manners toward women
and the vulnerable among mankind.
So he stood up at the time
of intense heat,
stepped in among the people,
and moved that rock entirely alone.
Then he drew water for the two of them
and watered their flock.
He then replaced the rock
as it was before,
without asking the two women
for any wage.
Then he looked for nearby shade
near the watering place,
sat down in it,
and supplicated to Allah, praying
and saying,
“So he watered (their flock) for them. Then he turned aside into the shade, and said: My Lord! I am needy of whatever good Thou sendest down for me.” (28:24)
"I am in dire need of whatever good You bestow upon me."
The two women returned
to their father
unusually early.
He asked them about the reason,
so they informed him of what happened
to them and of the noble deed of
Moses, the stranger,
toward them. Thereupon,
the father sent one of his two daughters to invite
Moses, in order to reward him
with the wage for watering their flock
and for his benevolent deed—
as is the noble custom of virtuous people
to recompense whoever extends
a favor to them.
So there came to him
one of the two,
walking with modesty.
She said to him with utmost
polite brevity,
“Then there came unto him one of the two women, walking shyly. She said: Lo! my father biddeth thee, that he may reward thee with a payment for that thou didst water (the flock) for us. Then, when he came unto him and told him the (whole) story, he said: Fear not! Thou hast escaped from the wrongdoing folk.” (28:25)
“Then there came unto him one of the two women, walking shyly. She said: Lo! my father biddeth thee, that he may reward thee with a payment for that thou didst water (the flock) for us. Then, when he came unto him and told him the (whole) story, he said: Fear not! Thou hast escaped from the wrongdoing folk.” (28:25)
making clear who
the inviter was and the reason for the invitation
in these concise
words.
She spoke to him out of her consummate modesty
and refined upbringing.
Moses then stood up to go with her,
asking her to walk
behind him and guide him
along the way using her voice,
so that
the wind would not blow and reveal
any part of her garments.
When Moses,
peace be upon him, met their father,
the elderly man,
the father asked him about the reason for his coming
from Egypt to Midian.
Moses then arose
and recounted his circumstances to him,
as well as the plight of the Children of Israel
in Egypt,
mentioning the reason for his flight
from Pharaoh of Egypt.
The elder reassured him,
saying, "Do not fear; [you have escaped from the wrongdoing people]."
“Then there came unto him one of the two women, walking shyly. She said: Lo! my father biddeth thee, that he may reward thee with a payment for that thou didst water (the flock) for us. Then, when he came unto him and told him the (whole) story, he said: Fear not! Thou hast escaped from the wrongdoing folk.” (28:25)
After Moses had received
his reward
and enjoyed the hospitality of the noble elder,
he prepared to leave.
Then one of the two young women said
regarding him,
"O my father, hire him!
“One of the two women said: O my father! Hire him! For the best (man) that thou canst hire in the strong, the trustworthy.” (28:26)
the trustworthy."
He asked her,
"And how did you come to know his strength
and his trustworthiness?"
So she mentioned what she had seen of him
at the watering place,
and how he contended with the men
and removed the boulder all by himself—
which proved his strength—
and that he did not ask them
for any wage.
The father was convinced
by his daughter's words
and was deeply impressed by the character of Moses,
peace be upon him.
So he said to him,
“He said: Lo! I fain would marry thee to one of these two daughters of mine on condition that thou hirest thyself to me for (the term of) eight pilgrimages. Then if thou completest ten it will be of thine own accord, for I would not make it hard for thee. Allah willing, thou wilt find me of the righteous.” (28:27)
"I intend to marry you to one of these two daughters of mine,
on condition that you serve me
as a hired worker for eight years;
but if you complete ten,
it will be an act of grace
and generosity from you."
Moses, peace be upon him, agreed,
and no sooner had he done so
than Allah enriched him
from His bounty just as he had asked;
So he spent the night
having gained a home, a wife,
and wealth — the gifts
of the Most Merciful of the merciful.
Allah Almighty says:
"And when
he arrived at the water
of Madyan, he found
there a crowd
of people watering [their flocks],
and he found
beside them a crowd of
people watering,
and he found beside them
two women keeping back [their flocks].
He said,
'What is the matter with you two?'
They said, 'We cannot water
until the shepherds
take away their flocks,
and our father
is a very old man.'
So he watered [their flocks] for them,
then turned back to
the shade and said,
'My Lord, truly I am, of whatever good You bestow upon me,
“So he watered (their flock) for them. Then he turned aside into the shade, and said: My Lord! I am needy of whatever good Thou sendest down for me.” (28:24)
in need.'
Then there came to him
one of the two [women],
walking with bashfulness.
She said, 'Indeed,
my father invites you
that he may reward you for
having watered [our flocks] for us.'
So when he came to him
and recounted
the story to him,
he said, 'Have no fear;
you have escaped from the wrongdoing
people.'
One of them said,
'O my father, hire him!
Truly, the best one
you can hire is the strong,
trustworthy one.'
He said, 'Indeed, I wish
to wed you to one
of these two daughters of mine, on the condition
that you serve me for
eight years;
but if you complete ten,
that will be of your own accord.
And I do not wish
to make things difficult for you;
you will find me,
if Allah
wills, to be among the righteous.'
He said,
'That is [settled] between me
and you:
whichever of the two terms I fulfill,
there shall be no injustice against me,
and Allah is
Witness over what we say.'"
Ibn Mas'ud,
may Allah be pleased with him, said:
"The three people with the greatest discernment were:
the daughter of the companion of Madyan,
when she said regarding Musa,
'O my father, hire him!
Truly, the best one
you can hire is the strong,
trustworthy one';
the wife of al-Aziz,
when she said regarding Yusuf,
'Perhaps he will benefit us,
or we may adopt him as a son';
and Abu Bakr,
when he appointed 'Umar as his successor,"
may Allah be pleased with them both.
It is narrated from Sa'id ibn Jubayr:
"A Jewish man asked me,
'Which of the two terms did
Musa fulfill?' I said,
'I do not know,
not until I go to the greatest scholar of the Arabs
and ask him.' So I went
and asked Ibn 'Abbas,
may Allah be pleased with them both,
and he said, 'He fulfilled
the longer and more complete of the two;
for when a messenger of Allah
says something, he does it.'"
Then, when Musa completed
the term and fulfilled
the full ten years in the most
complete manner,
he wished to return to his homeland
and his family in Egypt.
So he sought permission from his wife's father,
the elderly shaykh,
who granted him permission.
He set out with his family, heading towards Egypt,
unaware of the situation there
and unaware of what
would happen to him on this journey of his —
and of the great honors
from the Lord of Might
and Majesty.
So he set out from Madyan along with his wife
and his two sons.
It was during the winter season,
and Musa lost the way.
When
night fell, and it was
a pitch-black night,
intensely cold,
Musa, peace be upon him, saw
a fire from afar.
He said to his family,
"Stay here,
and I will go to that fire;
perhaps I will find there
someone who can guide us to the way,
or perhaps I can bring you
a burning brand from the fire
with which you may warm yourselves
against this cold."
When Musa arrived
at the sacred valley,
he witnessed a magnificent sight
and an awe-inspiring wonder:
he saw a fire blazing in a tree,
yet the more the fire increased
in burning,
the more the tree increased in verdant greenness.
This was indeed
astonishing,
for the fire was not consuming the tree.
Ibn 'Abbas,
may Allah be pleased with them both, said:
"It was not fire,
but rather a radiant light
glowing brightly."
Allah Almighty spoke to him
directly without an intermediary,
revealed revelation directly to him,
and showed him of His greatest
signs.
Then Allah Almighty sent him
to the tyrant Pharaoh
and his defiant transgressors.
Musa expressed to his Lord
his fear of Pharaoh,
and requested the support of his brother
Harun,
interceding for him to be made a prophet
and a messenger alongside him.
Allah granted his request
and sent them both to Pharaoh.
Musa, peace be upon him,
had an impediment in his tongue
that hindered him from pronouncing certain
letters clearly,
so Allah removed that from him
and reassured him that
He would grant them such power and signs
as would prevent
Pharaoh from harming him
or his brother,
and would bring about their victory
over him.
The Mother of the Believers 'A'ishah,
may Allah be pleased with her, heard
a man asking the people
while they were traveling for Hajj:
"Who is the brother who bestowed
the greatest favor upon his brother,
such that no one has ever bestowed
a favor equal to it?"
The people remained silent, not knowing
the answer.
Thereupon 'A'ishah, from inside her litter, said:
"It was Musa,
peace be upon him,
when he interceded for his brother Harun,
so that he became a prophet."
Allah Almighty says:
"And when
Musa had fulfilled the term
and was traveling with his family,
he perceived in the direction
of the Mount a fire.
He said to his family, 'Stay here;
indeed, I have perceived
a fire; perhaps
I will bring you from there
some news,
"Perhaps I may bring you from it
some information or a burning brand
of fire,
so that you may
warm yourselves."
And when he reached it,
he was called from the side of
“And when he reached it, he was called from the right side of the valley in the blessed field, from the tree: O Moses! Lo! I, even I, am Allah, the Lord of the Worlds;” (28:30)
the blessed valley,
from the tree:
"O Moses,
O Moses!
Truly I am Allah,
the Lord of all worlds.
And cast down
your staff."
But when he saw it
slithering
as if it were a serpent,
he turned away,
and when he saw it
slithering
as if it were a serpent,
he turned away,
fleeing,
without looking back.
"O Moses,
draw near and do not fear!
Indeed, you are of
the secure.
“Thrust thy hand into the bosom of thy robe it will come forth white without hurt. And guard thy heart from fear. Then these shall be two proofs from your Lord unto Pharaoh and his chiefs. Lo! they are evil-living folk.” (28:32)
It will come out white,
without
any harm,
it will come out white,
without any harm.
And draw closely to yourself
your arm to calm your fear.
These are
two signs from your Lord
to Pharaoh and his chiefs.
Indeed, they
have been a people
defiantly disobedient."
He said, "My Lord, indeed I
killed a man from among them,
and I fear that
they will kill me.
And my brother Aaron—
he is more eloquent than me
in speech,
so send him with me
as a helper
to confirm me.
Indeed, I
fear that
they will deny me."
Allah said, "We will strengthen your arm
through your brother, and give
both of you authority
so they cannot touch you.
By Our signs,
you two
and those who follow you
will be the triumphant."
These verses clarify for us,
in detail,
what happened to Moses (peace be upon him)
when he went to that
fire.
And everything with Allah is by due measure:
losing the way
was by divine decree,
seeing the fire was by divine decree,
and his coming to it
was by divine decree.
Glory be to Allah, the Ordainer of
all destinies!
And Allah gave Moses two great signs
to prove his truthfulness
in his message.
The first was in his staff,
and the second
was in his hand.
For Allah asked Moses about what was
in his hand—though He already knew best—
so Moses replied,
finding comfort in conversing with the Lord of the worlds:
"It is my staff;
I lean upon it,
and I bring down leaves with it for
my sheep."
“He said: This is my staff whereon I lean, and wherewith I bear down branches for my sheep, and wherein I find other uses.” (20:18)
Then Allah Almighty commanded him
to cast it down from his hand.
So he cast it down,
and the staff turned
into a great snake,
moving swiftly
as if it were a serpent.
So Moses (peace be upon him) was terrified
and fled from it,
but Allah reassured him
and said to him: "Do not fear;
take hold of it with your hand.
We shall return it
to its former state."
So Moses reached out his hand and took it,
and the snake turned back
into a staff just as it was.
Then Allah said to him:
"Put your hand
into your bosom,"
that is, the neck opening of your garment.
So he inserted it,
and his hand came out shining white,
gleaming like the moon,
without any leprosy
or disease,
but rather as a clear sign
of the power of Allah Almighty.
To be continued,
if Allah wills.
And Allah knows best.
All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds,
and may peace and blessings
be upon our Prophet Muhammad,
and upon his family
and all his Companions.
You have been listening to Stories of
the Prophets.
May our Lord guide
the believer, and may Allah bless
our Master.
[Closing remarks]