Prophet of Islam Hazrat Musa (A,S)

Prophet Musa birth

Others claim that Jesus was born on the 25th of December (5 BC). A third group believes it was 25th December (2 BC). According to Islamic tradition, Musa was born into a family of Israelites living in Egypt.

What did Prophet Musa do?

The Qur'an states that Musa was sent by God to the Pharaoh of Egypt and his establishments and the Israelites for guidance and warning. Musa is mentioned more in the Qur'an than any other individual, and his life is narrated and recounted more than that of any other prophet.

Miracle

The kings of Egypt-known as "Pharaohs" (or "Fir'awn" in the Arabic of the Qur'an)-regarded themselves as divine in the polytheistic, superstitious religion of ancient Egypt. At a time when the people of Egypt favoured a superstitious belief system over a divine belief system-the same era in which when the Children of Israel were enslaved-Allah sent the Prophet Musa (as) as a messenger to the tribe of Egypt.

            However, Pharaoh and his court, and the people of Egypt in general, almost universally refused to abandon their idolatrous beliefs when the Prophet Musa (as) called them to divine religion and the Oneness of Allah. The Prophet Musa (as) revealed to Pharaoh and his courtiers that they should avoid false worship, warning them of Allah's wrath. In response to this, they rose up and slandered the Prophet Musa (as): They accused him of being mad, of being a sorcerer and of falsehood. Pharaoh and his people refused to submit to the Prophet Musa (as) even though many troubles were visited upon them. They refused to accept Allah as the only God. They even held the Prophet Musa (as) responsible for what had befallen them and sought to exile him from Egypt. In the Qur'an, Allah makes this reference to the Prophet Musa (as) and the believers with him:

Sign 1 of Musa: The Passover

We revealed to Musa: "Travel with Our servants by night. You will certainly be pursued." Pharaoh sent marshals into the cities: "These people are a small group and we find them irritating and we constitute a vigilant majority." We expelled them from gardens and springs, from treasures and a splendid situation. So it was! And We bequeathed them to the tribe of Israel. So they pursued them towards the east. (Qur'an, 26:52-60)

       

                   As revealed in the Qur'an, the two communities met at the edge of the sea following this pursuit. Allah divided the sea and saved the Prophet Musa (as) and the believers with him, destroying Pharaoh and his people. This aid from Allah is revealed thus:

So We revealed to Musa, "Strike the sea with your staff." And it split in two, each part like a towering cliff. And We brought the others right up to it. We rescued Musa and all those who were with him. Then We drowned the rest. There is certainly a Sign in that yet most of them are not believers. Truly your Lord is the Almighty, the Most Merciful. (Qur'an, 26:63-68)

 The map shows the route taken by the Prophet Musa (as) after leaving Egypt and the estimated location of the site where the sea divided.

The diagram shows the shallow and deeper areas. It is at this point that the Sinai Peninsula and Arabia approach each other most closely.

In connection with this subject, the following account has recently been found in papyruses from the time of Pharaoh:

From Amenamoni, head of the protective books of the white room of the palace, to the scribe Penterhor:
When this letter reaches you and has been read point by point, surrender your heart to the sharpest pain, like a leaf before the storm, when you learn of the sorrowful disaster of the drowning in the whirlpool�
Calamity struck him suddenly and inescapably. Depict the destruction of the lords, the lord of the tribes, the king of the east and the west. The sleep in the waters has made something helpless out of something great. What news can compare to the news I have sent you?202

This miracle, experienced by the Prophet Musa (as) and the Children of Israel as they crossed the Red Sea, has been the subject of many studies. Archaeological investigations have established not only the path taken to the Red Sea after leaving Egypt, but also that the place where Pharaoh and the Prophet Musa (as) and his tribe met was one surrounded by mountains. (Allah knows best.)

About 500 years have now passed since the Prophet Ibrahim (PBUH) and it is about 1500 BC. After Ibrahim died, his descendants through his son Isaac, now called Israelites, have become a vast number of people but also have become slaves in Egypt. This happened because Joseph, great-grandson of Ibrahim (PBUH) was sold as a slave to Egypt and then, years later, his family followed.  This is all explained in Genesis 45-46 – the First Book of Musa in the Taurat.

So we now come to the Signs of another great Prophet – Musa (PBUH) – which is told in the second Book of the Taurat , called Exodus because it is the account of how the prophet Musa (PBUH) leads the Israelites out of Egypt. Musa (PBUH) had been commanded by the LORD to meet Pharaoh of Egypt and it resulted in a contest between Musa (PBUH) and the sorcerers of Pharaoh. This contest has produced the famous nine plagues or disasters against Pharaoh which were signs for him. But Pharaoh has not submitted himself to the LORD’s will and is disobeying these signs.

The Plagues In Egypt

The Plagues and Their Effect
“Indeed We afflicted the Pharaoh and his people with years of drought and scarcity of fruit, so they might take heed.  But, whenever good came to them they would say: ‘This is our due.’

And if they suffered from evil, they would consider it an omen ascribed to Moses and whoever was with him.  Verily, their omens are God given, yet most of them would not know.” (Quran 7:130-131)

The first two plagues sent by God were long term, lasting years.  In fact, they may have been intermittent.  Drought would afflict the farmers for years, creating famine in the land because crops would scarcely grow.  Then rains would come, producing the crops, but when harvest arrived, scarcely any fruit or grain would be left to gather.  One of the reasons a crop does not produce fruit is the blighting of their florescence in spring, which can be brought about by many reasons, such fungal parasites, insects or hail.  Whenever a fertile season occurred, the Egyptians would assume it was due to their adherence to their traditional ways, but when they felt the pinch of deprivation, they would blame it on the magical machinations of their adversaries.  This continued through the five plagues that followed the two mentioned above.[1]

“And they said: ‘Whatever sign you bring to enchant us (by sorcery), we will not believe in you.’

Both the Pharaoh and his advisors were determined to stay on their path of error:

‘So We sent on them the flood, locusts, weevils, frogs, and blood as (a succession of) obvious signs.  Yet they remained arrogant, being criminally sinful people.’” (Quran 7:132-133)

These plagues are mentioned in a different order than in the Bible, which reverses the order of the last three plagues and puts them first.[2]

The first of these signs was the flood, which was torrential rainfall that ruined all growing crops and fruit, penetrated their barns, and blighted their stores of food.[3]  The second was the locusts, which ate even the ‘nails’[4]  that held wooden joists together.  The third was qummal (lice, termites or weevils).  In fact, all three types of vermin included in the translation of qummal cause damage.  The first can infest both humans and animals, spreading disease, the second destroys wooden structures and the third consumes or destroys stored grain, and this is the interpretation favored by Ibn Abbas.[5]  The fourth sign was a plague of frogs, which infested every human habitation; a person would fear to open his mouth lest a frog jump into it.

Every time they were afflicted, the people of the Pharaoh would beg:

“…‘O Moses!  Invoke your Lord for us because of his promise to you.  If you remove the punishment from us, we shall indeed believe in you, and let the Children of Israel go with you.’  But when (God) removed the punishment from them for a fixed term, which they had to reach, behold!  They broke their word.” (Quran 7:133-134)

The last of the signs was blood in every source of potable water, and this proved to be too much[6]  for the advisors of the Pharaoh, who then suggested having Moses killed.

“…They said, ‘Kill him with the sons of those who believe, but let their women live.’

But the plots of the disbelievers are nothing but in vain.  When the Pharaoh said: ‘Let me kill Moses, and let him call his Lord.  I fear he may change your religion or cause mischief to appear in my land.’

Moses said: ‘Verily I seek refuge in my Lord and your Lord from every arrogant disbeliever in the Day of Reckoning.’” (Quran 40:25-27)

Contrary to this, the Bible has the advisors wanting him to ‘Let the men go, and let them serve God, their Lord,’[7]  for it was leading to the destruction of  Egypt.  In fact, the Bible says the Pharaoh also finally capitulated to the demands of the Israelites[8]  to go out into the desert to sacrifice to their God when his first born son was killed, but later repented letting them when he realized that they were not coming back.  Actually, Moses had prayed to God that hearts of the Pharaoh and his advisors, who had been showered with worldly wealth, glitter and power, should be hardened until their final penalty was clear to see.  Then God granted that request, and told him to be steadfast, clearly signaling the end of the Pharaoh was nigh.

A Believer among the Enemy
Meanwhile, one of the Pharaoh’s relatives spoke out against the Pharaoh’s decision.

“A believer from the family of the Pharaoh who had hidden his faith said: ‘Would you kill a man because he says “my Lord is God” after coming to you with clear signs from your Lord?...’” (Quran 40:28)

He further spoke to the Pharaoh’s subjects:

“‘O my people!  Yours is the kingdom today, you being dominant in the land.  But who will save us from the torment God, should it befall us?’

The Pharaoh said: ‘I show you only that which I see; and I guide you to the right path.’” (Quran 40:29)

This believer showed the true spirit of struggling for the right in the path of God,[9]  risking his life to aid of a fellow believer by challenging the ruling one who had made himself a god.  He went on to invite his people to the true religion, and when they tried to persuade him from the path, returned:

“‘O my people!  How is it I invite you to salvation while you invite me to the Fire?  You call on me to disbelieve in God and ascribe as partners unto Him that whereof I have no knowledge, while I call you unto the Almighty, the Oft-Forgiving.  The idols and gods you call me to have no claim in this world or in the Hereafter, and our return will be unto God, and the transgressors will be inheritors of the Fire.  And you will remember what I have said unto you.  I entrust my affairs to God.  Verily!  God is the Seer of (His) slaves.’

So, God warded off the evils that they plotted against him, while a dreadful doom encompassed the followers of the Pharaoh.” (Quran 40:41-45)

The Command to Depart
When the Pharaoh had made up his mind to kill Moses, God ordered him to leave with the believers.  He revealed unto Moses:

“…Depart with my slaves by night, for surely you will be pursued.” (Quran 26:52)

Indeed, this was both a difficult mission and one easier than it had been before hostilities, because God had earlier ordered the Israelites to make their dwellings in a place apart from the Egyptian dwellings, close to one another.  The believer, and those who were with him, may have warned, and perhaps even moved closer to, the Israelites.  The existence of a group of Egyptian believers is the opinion of some scholars, based on the verse:

“None believed in Moses, except for some of his (the Pharaoh’s) people, for fear of the Pharaoh and his chiefs...” (Quran 10:83)

 But the opinion of Ibn Abbas is that apart from the sorcerers who were martyred, only three of the Pharaoh’s people believed.  These included his wife, the believer in his family, and the one who warned Moses to flee after he had killed a man.[10]  In the latter case, ‘his’, in the above verse, would refer to Moses, and therefore the relatively few among the Israelites themselves that really believed.

In the next article, we will tell the story of the exodus, the flight and crossing of the Red Sea, and the drowning of the Pharaoh.

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Footnotes:
[1] The Torah also mentions that “God made the Pharaoh obstinate” (Exodus 10:20) whenever an affliction lightened.

[2] The Bible mentions three ‘plagues’ that are not even hinted at in the Quran or the Sunnah, which are the boils, the darkness and the deaths of the first born.

[3] This could well be the hail storms mentioned in the Bible, which had much the same effect.  The word used in Arabic is tuwfaan, meaning torrential rainfall. Another opinion states the floodwater spread a plague like disease that decimated animals and people – which might have been the source for the Biblical ‘epidemic’ plague.

[4] Possibly softer bindings that ‘tied’ joints of hard wood together.

[5] All three of these concepts are covered by the ‘lice’ and ‘dangerous swarms’ mentioned in the Exodus, but the first interpretation – the destroyer of stored grain, is the correct one.

[6] In the Bible, too, the Advisors had had enough by the seventh of the ten plagues mentioned therein.

[7] (Exodus 10:7)

[8] This contradicts the prayer by Moses, answered by God, to harden his heart irretrievably.

[9] “The best Jihad is to speak a just word before an unjust ruler”; Tafsir ibn Kathir commentary on Quran 40:28, citing Tuhfat Al-Ahwadhi 6:390.

[10] Ibn Kathir Qasas al-Anbiya; English translation, by R.A. Azimi; Pub. Darussalam 2003, pp. 387: The Story of Moses.

Passover Lamb Saves from Death

This scripture tells us that the destruction decreed by Allah was that every firstborn son was to die that night except those staying in a house where a lamb had been sacrificed and its blood painted on the doorposts of that house. The destruction to Pharaoh, if he did not obey, would be that his son and heir to the throne would die. And every house in Egypt would lose the firstborn son – if they did not submit by sacrificing a lamb and painting its blood on their doorposts. So Egypt faced a national disaster.

But in houses where a lamb had been sacrificed and its blood painted on the doorposts the promise was that everyone would be safe. Allah’s judgment would pass over that house. So this day and Sign was called Passover (since death passed over all houses where lamb’s blood had been painted on the doors). But for whom was the blood on doors a Sign? The Taurat tells us:

The LORD said to Moses … ” … I am the LORD. The blood [of the Passover lamb] will be a sign for you on the houses where you are; and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. (Exodus 12:13)

So, though the LORD was looking for the blood on the door, and when He saw it He would pass over, the blood was not a Sign for Him. It says that the blood was a ‘sign for you’ – the people. And by extension it is a Sign for all of us who read this account in the Taurat. So how is it a Sign for us? After this event happened the LORD commanded them to:

Celebrate this day as a lasting ordinance for generations to come. When you enter the land … observe this ceremony… It is the Passover sacrifice to the LORD’ (Exodus 12: 27)

Passover Starts Jewish Calendar

So the Israelites were commanded to celebrate Passover on the same day every year. The Israelite calendar is a little different from the Western one, so the day in the year changes slightly each year if you track it by the Western calendar, very similar to how Ramadan, because it is based on a different year-length, moves each year in the Western Calendar. But to this day, still 3500 years later, Jewish people continue to celebrate Passover every year in memory of this event from the time of Musa (PBUH) in obedience to the command given then by the LORD in the Taurat.

Scene from modern day when many lambs are being slaughtered for an upcoming Jewish Passover celebration

Here is a modern-day picture of Jewish people slaughtering lambs for the upcoming Passover.  It is similar to the Eid celebration.

And in tracking this celebration through history we can note something quite extraordinary. You can notice this in the Gospel (Injil) where it records the details of the arrest and trial of the Prophet Isa al Masih (PBUH):

“Then the Jews led Isa … to the palace of the Roman governor [Pilate]… to avoid ceremonial uncleanness the Jews did not enter the palace; they wanted to be able to eat the Passover” … [Pilate] said [to Jewish leaders] “…But it is your custom for me to release to you one prisoner at the time of the Passover. Do you want me to release ‘the king of the Jews’? [i.e. the Masih]” They shouted back, “No not him…” (John 18:28, 39-40)

In other words, Isa al Masih (PBUH) was arrested and sent for execution right on the Passover day in the Jewish calendar. Now if you remember from Sign 3 of Ibrahim, one of the titles of Isa given to him by the prophet Yahya (PBUH) was

The next day John (i.e. Yahya) saw Jesus (i.e. Isa) coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. This is the one I meant when I said ‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me’”. (John 1:29-30)

Isa (PBUH) Condemned on Passover

                                                                 And here we see the uniqueness of this Sign. Isa (PBUH), the ‘Lamb of God’, was sent for execution (sacrifice) on the very same day that all the Jews alive then (the year 33 AD in Western calendar) were sacrificing a lamb in memory of the first Passover that had occurred 1500 years before. This is why the Jewish Passover celebration usually occurs every year in the same week as Easter – the remembrance of the passing of Isa al Masih – because Isa (PBUH) was sent for sacrifice on the same day. (Easter and Passover are not on the same exact date because Jewish and western calendars have different ways of adjusting the length of the year, but they are usually in the same week).

Now think for a minute about what ‘signs’ do. You can see some signs below here.

When we see the sign of the ‘skull and bones’ it is to make us think of death and danger. The sign of the ‘Golden Arches’ is supposed to make us think about McDonalds. The sign of the ‘√’ on tennis player Nadal’s bandana is the sign for Nike. Nike wants us to think of them when we see this sign on Nadal. In other words, Signs are pointers in our minds to direct our thinking to the desired object. With this sign of Musa (PBUH) it is Allah who has given the sign for us. Why did He give this sign? Well the sign, with the remarkable timing of lambs being sacrificed on the same day as Isa must be a pointer to the sacrifice of Isa al Masih (PBUH).