Stories of the Prophets | Episode (26) | The story of Moses, peace be upon him (7)

0:00 Stories of the Prophets, stories of the Prophets, peace be upon them.

0:09 Allah's blessings, followed by peace,

0:13 Be upon the best of all creation,

0:19 Those of firm resolve and lofty station.

0:23 The story of Musa (Moses), peace be upon him.

0:29 In the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful.

0:34 All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds,

0:37 And peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad,

0:40 And upon all his family and Companions.

0:43 To proceed:

0:45 After Musa, peace be upon him, returned to the Children of Israel,

0:49 Accompanied by seventy of their best men,

0:52 Allah Almighty commanded him to march with the Children of Israel to the Holy Land,

0:58 In the land of Palestine,

1:00 For Allah had destined it as a homeland for them.

1:04 So Musa, peace be upon him, informed them of Allah's command to them,

1:08 But they said, "We have no knowledge of that land."

1:12 Then Allah Almighty revealed to Musa to choose twelve leaders from his people,

1:18 And commanded him to send them to the Holy Land,

1:22 To scout out the conditions of its inhabitants

1:25 And to bring back information about them.

1:29 Musa, peace be upon him, carried out what his Lord had commanded him,

1:33 And among the things he instructed the scouts was:

1:36 "Do not tell anyone other than me what you see."

1:41 When the scouts entered the Holy Land,

1:44 They examined the conditions of its inhabitants,

1:47 And found therein a people of tyrannical stature and power,

1:50 From the Canaanites and others,

1:53 Who worshipped idols;

1:55 And they witnessed their immense strength and huge bodies.

2:02 The scouts returned to Musa, peace be upon him,

2:05 And said to him, while he was amidst a group of the Children of Israel:

2:10 "We have gone to the land to which you sent us,

2:14 And it is indeed a land flowing with milk and honey,

2:18 And here is some of its fruit;

2:21 However, the people who dwell therein are powerful,

2:24 And their cities are fortified."

2:27 And each of the scouts began dissuading his own tribe from fighting.

2:32 Musa, peace be upon him, ordered them to enter against them,

2:36 To fight them, and to expel them from Bayt al-Maqdis (Jerusalem),

2:40 For Allah had destined it for them and promised it to them.

2:44 But they refused and shrank back from jihad.

2:48 So the Prophet of Allah reminded them of Allah’s favor upon them

2:51 And His benevolence toward them with both religious and worldly blessings,

2:56 And he warned them, saying:

2:58 "Do not turn on your heels and shrink back from fighting your enemies,

3:03 Lest you lose after gaining, and diminish after being made whole."

3:08 “They said: O Moses! Lo! a giant people (dwell) therein and lo! we go not in till they go forth from thence. When they go forth from thence, then we will enter (not till then).” (5:22)

3:13 “They said: O Moses! Lo! a giant people (dwell) therein and lo! we go not in till they go forth from thence. When they go forth from thence, then we will enter (not till then).” (5:22)

3:17 “They said: O Moses! Lo! a giant people (dwell) therein and lo! we go not in till they go forth from thence. When they go forth from thence, then we will enter (not till then).” (5:22)

3:21 They were terrified of these tyrannical giants,

3:24 Even though they had witnessed the destruction of Pharaoh,

3:26 Who was far more insolent than them,

3:28 Fiercer in might, greater in numbers, and possessing a vaster army!

3:34 This indicates that they were utterly blameworthy for this statement of theirs,

3:38 And condemned for this state

3:41 Of ignominious cowardice in confronting the enemy

3:44 And standing against the defiant wretches.

3:48 Two men from among those who feared Allah stepped forward,

3:52 Whom Allah had favored with Islam,

3:55 And they said:

3:56 "O our people, enter against them through the gate only;

3:59 For as soon as you enter it, you will surely be victorious."

4:04 “Then out spake two of those who feared (their Lord, men) unto whom Allah had been gracious: Enter in upon them by the gate, for if ye enter by it, lo! ye will be victorious. So put your trust (in Allah) if ye are indeed believers.” (5:23)

4:09 The Children of Israel said:

4:11 "We will never enter it as long as those people remain in it.

4:16 So go, O Musa, you and your Lord, and fight!

4:20 We are sitting right here."

4:23 What a monstrous word they uttered!

4:26 Musa and Harun, peace be upon them, fell down in prostration,

4:29 Aghast at the gravity of these words,

4:32 Out of wrath for the sake of Allah, the Exalted and Glorious,

4:34 And out of pity for them regarding the dire consequences of this speech.

4:39 Yet most of them remained resolute in turning away from jihad,

4:43 And a grave situation and great faint-heartedness took hold.

4:48 Thereupon, Musa, peace be upon him, said to his Lord in apology:

4:53 “He said: My Lord! I have control of none but myself and my brother, so distinguish between us and the wrong-doing folk.” (5:25)

4:57 “He said: My Lord! I have control of none but myself and my brother, so distinguish between us and the wrong-doing folk.” (5:25)

5:01 And Allah Almighty said:

5:04 “(Their Lord) said: For this the land will surely be forbidden them for forty years that they will wander in the earth, bewildered. So grieve not over the wrongdoing folk.” (5:26)

5:10 "So do not grieve, O Musa, over the defiantly disobedient people."

5:14 They were punished for their desertion by wandering aimlessly in the wilderness,

5:18 Traveling without any destination,

5:21 Day and night.

5:23 They would awake in the morning wherever they had camped the evening before,

5:26 And they would reach evening wherever they had set out in the morning.

5:28 Their movement across that desert

5:31 Was going in circles,

5:33 Within an area spanning only sixty thousand square kilometers.

5:39 Allah Almighty said:

5:42 "And when Musa said to his people, 'O my people,

5:45 Remember the favor of Allah upon you,

5:48 “And (remember) when Moses said unto his people: O my people! Remember Allah's favour unto you, how He placed among you prophets, and He made you kings, and gave you that (which) He gave not to any (other) of (His) creatures.” (5:20)

5:55 And made you kings,

6:03 And gave you that which He had not given to anyone among the worlds.

6:10 O my people, enter the Holy Land

6:13 “O my people! Go into the holy land which Allah hath ordained for you. Turn not in flight, for surely ye turn back as losers:” (5:21)

6:16 “O my people! Go into the holy land which Allah hath ordained for you. Turn not in flight, for surely ye turn back as losers:” (5:21)

6:23 Lest you turn back as losers.'"

6:28 “They said: O Moses! Lo! a giant people (dwell) therein and lo! we go not in till they go forth from thence. When they go forth from thence, then we will enter (not till then).” (5:22)

6:40 “They said: O Moses! Lo! a giant people (dwell) therein and lo! we go not in till they go forth from thence. When they go forth from thence, then we will enter (not till then).” (5:22)

6:53 “They said: O Moses! Lo! a giant people (dwell) therein and lo! we go not in till they go forth from thence. When they go forth from thence, then we will enter (not till then).” (5:22)

6:59 “Then out spake two of those who feared (their Lord, men) unto whom Allah had been gracious: Enter in upon them by the gate, for if ye enter by it, lo! ye will be victorious. So put your trust (in Allah) if ye are indeed believers.” (5:23)

7:02 "Whom Allah had favored:

7:04 'Enter upon them through the gate,

7:10 For when you enter it, you will surely be victorious.'"

7:16 “Then out spake two of those who feared (their Lord, men) unto whom Allah had been gracious: Enter in upon them by the gate, for if ye enter by it, lo! ye will be victorious. So put your trust (in Allah) if ye are indeed believers.” (5:23)

7:24 “They said: O Moses! We will never enter (the land) while they are in it. So go thou and thy Lord and fight! We will sit here.” (5:24)

7:29 “They said: O Moses! We will never enter (the land) while they are in it. So go thou and thy Lord and fight! We will sit here.” (5:24)

7:32 "'So go, you and your Lord, and fight; indeed, we are sitting right here.'"

7:43 “He said: My Lord! I have control of none but myself and my brother, so distinguish between us and the wrong-doing folk.” (5:25)

7:50 “He said: My Lord! I have control of none but myself and my brother, so distinguish between us and the wrong-doing folk.” (5:25)

7:56 “(Their Lord) said: For this the land will surely be forbidden them for forty years that they will wander in the earth, bewildered. So grieve not over the wrongdoing folk.” (5:26)

8:03 "'They will wander in the land;

8:05 So do not grieve over the defiantly disobedient people.'"

8:13 The Children of Israel lived through this period of wandering

8:17 For forty years,

8:19 As a punishment from Allah for their refusal to enter the Holy Land.

8:24 Yet it was a punishment surrounded by mercy on every side:

8:30 For the Children of Israel complained to Musa, peace be upon him, of severe thirst,

8:35 So Musa, peace be upon him, beseeched his Lord and asked Him to provide them with drink.

8:41 Allah Almighty commanded him to strike the stone with his staff,

8:45 And when he struck it, twelve springs gushed forth, corresponding to the number of their tribes,

8:53 And fresh water welled forth in all directions.

8:57 Allah designated for every tribe its own drinking place,

9:02 So that no dispute would arise among them.

9:05 Thus, the stone remained with them; they carried it wherever they journeyed,

9:11 And drank from it whenever they wished.

9:15 Then they complained to Musa, peace be upon him, about the lack of food

9:19 And the fear of perishing from hunger.

9:22 So Musa, peace be upon him, supplicated to his Lord,

9:25 And Allah sent down upon them manna and quails.

9:29 Manna was a sweet nectar that descended upon them like honey,

9:34 Which they would mix with water and drink;

9:37 It descended upon them in their camp like falling snow,

9:41 From the break of dawn until sunrise,

9:44 Each man taking only what was sufficient for his day.

9:49 As for the quails (salwa), they were plump birds resembling pigeons,

9:54 Which came to them every morning,

9:56 And they would take from them what they needed for that day.

10:00 If any man took of the manna and quails

10:04 More than his daily food, it would spoil on him.

10:08 Then they complained to Musa, peace be upon him, of the scorching heat,

10:12 So Musa supplicated to his Lord,

10:14 And Allah shaded them with clouds,

10:17 Which were like normal clouds,

10:19 Yet softer and cooler,

10:22 Protecting them from the heat of the sun,

10:24 Traveling with them wherever they traveled,

10:27 And lingering above them wherever they encamped.

10:31 Allah Almighty said:

10:33 "And We divided them into twelve distinct tribal communities..."

10:39 “We divided them into twelve tribes, nations; and We inspired Moses, when his people asked him for water, saying: Smite with thy staff the rock! And there gushed forth therefrom twelve springs, so that each tribe knew their drinking-place. And we caused the white cloud to overshadow them and sent down for them the manna and the quails (saying): Eat of the good things wherewith we have provided you. They wronged Us not, but they were wont to wrong themselves.” (7:160)

10:44 "...'Strike with your staff the stone,'..."

10:47 “We divided them into twelve tribes, nations; and We inspired Moses, when his people asked him for water, saying: Smite with thy staff the rock! And there gushed forth therefrom twelve springs, so that each tribe knew their drinking-place. And we caused the white cloud to overshadow them and sent down for them the manna and the quails (saying): Eat of the good things wherewith we have provided you. They wronged Us not, but they were wont to wrong themselves.” (7:160)

10:52 "...All the people knew their drinking place..."

10:57 "...And We shaded them with clouds..."

11:00 “We divided them into twelve tribes, nations; and We inspired Moses, when his people asked him for water, saying: Smite with thy staff the rock! And there gushed forth therefrom twelve springs, so that each tribe knew their drinking-place. And we caused the white cloud to overshadow them and sent down for them the manna and the quails (saying): Eat of the good things wherewith we have provided you. They wronged Us not, but they were wont to wrong themselves.” (7:160)

11:06 "'Eat from the good things with which We have provided you.'

11:11 And they wronged Us not,

11:13 But they were wronging their own souls."

11:22 The Children of Israel grew weary of Allah sending down manna and quails,

11:26 Wholesome, beneficial, delightful, and easily obtained food,

11:31 So they showed ingratitude toward it and lacked patience with it,

11:34 And remembered the diet they used to have,

11:37 For they were a people accustomed to lentils, onions, herbs, and garlic.

11:42 So they said, "O Musa, we cannot endure one type of food,"

11:47 “And when ye said: O Moses! We are weary of one kind of food; so call upon thy Lord for us that He bring forth for us of that which the earth groweth - of its herbs and its cucumbers and its corn and its lentils and its onions. He said: Would ye exchange that which is higher for that which is lower? Go down to settled country, thus ye shall get that which ye demand. And humiliation and wretchedness were stamped upon them and they were visited with wrath from Allah. That was because they disbelieved in Allah's revelations and slew the prophets wrongfully. That was for their disobedience and transgression.” (2:61)

11:53 "...And its garlic, its lentils, and its onions."

11:56 Musa, peace be upon him, replied to them

11:59 With an answer containing rebuke and reprimand for their request of these inferior foods,

12:06 Despite the pleasant life and wholesome, beneficial food they were enjoying.

12:11 “And when ye said: O Moses! We are weary of one kind of food; so call upon thy Lord for us that He bring forth for us of that which the earth groweth - of its herbs and its cucumbers and its corn and its lentils and its onions. He said: Would ye exchange that which is higher for that which is lower? Go down to settled country, thus ye shall get that which ye demand. And humiliation and wretchedness were stamped upon them and they were visited with wrath from Allah. That was because they disbelieved in Allah's revelations and slew the prophets wrongfully. That was for their disobedience and transgression.” (2:61)

12:17 Go down to any town you wish if you are able to do so,

12:23 For you are doomed to wander the earth because of your disobedience to your Lord's command,

12:29 And that which you have asked for is available in any city you enter, if you can!

12:36 So go, if you wish.

12:38 And because their request stemmed from insolence and ungratefulness,

12:42 Without any necessity, Musa did not grant it for them.

12:47 Allah Almighty said:

12:50 “And when ye said: O Moses! We are weary of one kind of food; so call upon thy Lord for us that He bring forth for us of that which the earth groweth - of its herbs and its cucumbers and its corn and its lentils and its onions. He said: Would ye exchange that which is higher for that which is lower? Go down to settled country, thus ye shall get that which ye demand. And humiliation and wretchedness were stamped upon them and they were visited with wrath from Allah. That was because they disbelieved in Allah's revelations and slew the prophets wrongfully. That was for their disobedience and transgression.” (2:61)

12:57 “And when ye said: O Moses! We are weary of one kind of food; so call upon thy Lord for us that He bring forth for us of that which the earth groweth - of its herbs and its cucumbers and its corn and its lentils and its onions. He said: Would ye exchange that which is higher for that which is lower? Go down to settled country, thus ye shall get that which ye demand. And humiliation and wretchedness were stamped upon them and they were visited with wrath from Allah. That was because they disbelieved in Allah's revelations and slew the prophets wrongfully. That was for their disobedience and transgression.” (2:61)

13:08 “And when ye said: O Moses! We are weary of one kind of food; so call upon thy Lord for us that He bring forth for us of that which the earth groweth - of its herbs and its cucumbers and its corn and its lentils and its onions. He said: Would ye exchange that which is higher for that which is lower? Go down to settled country, thus ye shall get that which ye demand. And humiliation and wretchedness were stamped upon them and they were visited with wrath from Allah. That was because they disbelieved in Allah's revelations and slew the prophets wrongfully. That was for their disobedience and transgression.” (2:61)

13:16 “And when ye said: O Moses! We are weary of one kind of food; so call upon thy Lord for us that He bring forth for us of that which the earth groweth - of its herbs and its cucumbers and its corn and its lentils and its onions. He said: Would ye exchange that which is higher for that which is lower? Go down to settled country, thus ye shall get that which ye demand. And humiliation and wretchedness were stamped upon them and they were visited with wrath from Allah. That was because they disbelieved in Allah's revelations and slew the prophets wrongfully. That was for their disobedience and transgression.” (2:61)

13:22 “And when ye said: O Moses! We are weary of one kind of food; so call upon thy Lord for us that He bring forth for us of that which the earth groweth - of its herbs and its cucumbers and its corn and its lentils and its onions. He said: Would ye exchange that which is higher for that which is lower? Go down to settled country, thus ye shall get that which ye demand. And humiliation and wretchedness were stamped upon them and they were visited with wrath from Allah. That was because they disbelieved in Allah's revelations and slew the prophets wrongfully. That was for their disobedience and transgression.” (2:61)

13:29 “And when ye said: O Moses! We are weary of one kind of food; so call upon thy Lord for us that He bring forth for us of that which the earth groweth - of its herbs and its cucumbers and its corn and its lentils and its onions. He said: Would ye exchange that which is higher for that which is lower? Go down to settled country, thus ye shall get that which ye demand. And humiliation and wretchedness were stamped upon them and they were visited with wrath from Allah. That was because they disbelieved in Allah's revelations and slew the prophets wrongfully. That was for their disobedience and transgression.” (2:61)

13:34 "And they drew upon themselves the wrath of Allah.

13:39 That was because they used to disbelieve in the signs of Allah..."

13:45 “And when ye said: O Moses! We are weary of one kind of food; so call upon thy Lord for us that He bring forth for us of that which the earth groweth - of its herbs and its cucumbers and its corn and its lentils and its onions. He said: Would ye exchange that which is higher for that which is lower? Go down to settled country, thus ye shall get that which ye demand. And humiliation and wretchedness were stamped upon them and they were visited with wrath from Allah. That was because they disbelieved in Allah's revelations and slew the prophets wrongfully. That was for their disobedience and transgression.” (2:61)

13:55 "That was because they disobeyed and were habitually transgressing."

14:00 Despite all these favors that Allah had bestowed

14:05 Upon them while they were wandering in the wilderness,

14:07 Defiance and disobedience continued to manifest among the Children of Israel.

14:11 They cast aside the rulings contained in the Torah

14:15 And brazenly committed forbidden acts.

14:17 While they were sitting one day near a mountain,

14:21 Blindly wandering in their transgression,

14:23 Allah commanded the mountain,

14:25 So it was uprooted from its place

14:27 And raised into the sky,

14:29 Until, when it hovered between their heads and the sky,

14:33 Musa said to them:

14:35 "Do you not see what my Lord, the Exalted and Glorious, says?

14:39 'If you do not accept the Torah and all that is in it,

14:42 And abide by its rulings,

14:44 I will certainly drop this mountain upon you.'"

14:47 Thereupon, every man among them fell down prostrating on his left temple,

14:52 Looking up with his right eye at the mountain,

14:55 In terror that it might fall upon him.

14:58 Allah Almighty said:

15:01 "And when We raised the mountain over them

15:04 As if it were a canopy..."

15:07 “And when We shook the Mount above them as it were a covering, and they supposed that it was going to fall upon them (and We said): Hold fast that which We have given you, and remember that which is therein, that ye may ward off (evil).” (7:171)

15:18 "'Hold firmly to what We have given you

15:26 And remember what is in it,

15:28 So that you may become righteous.'"

15:31 Among the events that took place among the Children of Israel as well

15:38 Was that there was a wealthy man among them

15:41 Who had a poor nephew

15:43 Who was his sole heir.

15:45 When his uncle's death seemed too long in coming,

15:48 The nephew murdered him in order to inherit from him,

15:50 Then threw his corpse onto the road,

15:53 And subsequently began demanding vengeance for his blood.

15:55 He brought a group of people before Musa, peace be upon him,

15:59 Accusing them of the murder.

16:02 Musa, peace be upon him, questioned them,

16:04 But they denied it,

16:06 And they asked him to supplicate to Allah

16:08 To clarify for them who the real killer was.

16:12 So Musa, peace be upon him, prayed to his Lord,

16:15 So Allah Almighty revealed to him

16:17 to demand that they sacrifice a cow.

16:20 And Allah Almighty commanded them

16:22 to slaughter a cow rather than any other animal

16:26 because it was of the same species as what they had worshipped,

16:28 namely the calf.

16:30 The people's response to this command was

16:33 that they said,

16:34 "Are you ridiculing us and mocking us?"

16:37 Moses, peace be upon him, answered them,

16:40 "I am not ridiculing you,

16:42 nor am I mocking you;

16:44 for such is not my way,

16:46 nor is it of my character,

16:48 but rather it is the command of Allah to you."

16:51 When the people saw that he was serious in what he said,

16:55 they asked him to clarify the description of the cow

16:58 that they were required to sacrifice.

17:01 So Moses, peace be upon him, informed them

17:05 that the required cow must be of middling age,

17:09 neither too young nor too old.

17:12 Nevertheless,

17:14 the people insisted on being overly pedantic in their demands

17:17 and excessively probing in their questioning.

17:20 They began inquiring about its color

17:22 after having learned its age.

17:24 Moses, peace be upon him, answered them by saying

17:28 that the cow Allah commanded you to sacrifice

17:32 is yellow, intensely bright in color,

17:34 delighting in its appearance and sight,

17:37 and in the beauty of its form,

17:39 those who look at it.

17:41 Yet these descriptions they had asked about

17:44 were still not enough for them,

17:46 and they began asking about what they had no need to question.

17:49 They asked Moses to pray to his Lord

17:52 to further clarify the nature of the cow they were commanded to slaughter.

17:57 Moses, peace be upon him, answered them

18:00 that among its traits is that it is free-roaming,

18:03 not broken to till the soil or water the fields,

18:08 sound and free from all defects,

18:11 with no blemish differing from its color.

18:15 When they found that all its traits and distinctive features

18:19 had been fully laid out to them,

18:21 they conceded that the matter had finally become clear to them.

18:25 So they set out searching for that cow,

18:28 and they were near to not finding it,

18:31 save for a single cow

18:33 that met those exact specifications.

18:36 So they bought it for its weight in gold.

18:39 Any cow would have sufficed them at the outset,

18:43 but when they were overly rigid,

18:45 Allah made it burdensome for them.

18:48 Then Moses, peace be upon him, commanded them to slaughter the cow,

18:53 so they slaughtered it.

18:55 He then instructed them to strike the slain man with a piece of the cow,

19:00 and they did so.

19:02 Life then returned to the man anew,

19:05 and he stood up and identified his killer,

19:08 saying,

19:09 "The one who killed me is my heir, my nephew."

19:14 Then he died.

19:16 Allah Almighty said:

19:19 "And when Moses said to his people,

19:22 “And when Moses said unto his people: Lo! Allah commandeth you that ye sacrifice a cow, they said: Dost thou make game of us? He answered: Allah forbid that I should be among the foolish!” (2:67)

19:28 They said, 'Do you take us in ridicule?'

19:32 “And when Moses said unto his people: Lo! Allah commandeth you that ye sacrifice a cow, they said: Dost thou make game of us? He answered: Allah forbid that I should be among the foolish!” (2:67)

19:38 They said, 'Pray to your Lord for us to make clear to us what it is.'

19:43 “They said: Pray for us unto thy Lord that He make clear to us what (cow) she is. (Moses) answered: Lo! He saith, Verily she is a cow neither with calf nor immature; (she is) between the two conditions; so do that which ye are commanded.” (2:68)

19:55 of an age between that;

19:58 so do what you are commanded.'

20:02 They said, 'Pray to your Lord for us to make clear to us what its color is.'

20:08 “They said: Pray for us unto thy Lord that He make clear to us of what colour she is. (Moses) answered: Lo! He saith: Verily she is a yellow cow. Bright is her colour, gladdening beholders.” (2:69)

20:25 They said, 'Pray to your Lord for us to make clear to us what it is; indeed, cows look alike to us, and indeed we, if Allah wills, will be guided.'"

20:43 “(Moses) answered: Lo! He saith: Verily she is a cow unyoked; she plougheth not the soil nor watereth the tilth; whole and without mark. They said: Now thou bringest the truth. So they sacrificed her, though almost they did not.” (2:71)

21:00 “(Moses) answered: Lo! He saith: Verily she is a cow unyoked; she plougheth not the soil nor watereth the tilth; whole and without mark. They said: Now thou bringest the truth. So they sacrificed her, though almost they did not.” (2:71)

21:07 “And (remember) when ye slew a man and disagreed concerning it and Allah brought forth that which ye were hiding.” (2:72)

21:19 “And We said: Smite him with some of it. Thus Allah bringeth the dead to life and showeth you His portents so that ye may understand.” (2:73)

21:31 To be continued, if Allah wills, and Allah knows best.

21:39 And praise be to Allah, the Lord of all worlds.

21:42 And may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon our Prophet Muhammad and upon all his family and Companions.

21:49 You have been listening to "Stories of the Prophets."

Stories of the Prophets | Episode (26) | The story of Moses, peace be upon him (7)

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