12. The Story of Prophet Mūsā (Part 1)

The Story of Sayyidnā Mūsā (Part1 – Moosa and Firawn)

The Story of Sayyidnā Mūsā عليه السالم (Part1 – Moosa and Firawn)

The next story is the longest story of a Nabī in Qur’ān. It is the story of Al- Kalīm; Mūsā عليه السالم . Sayyidnā Mūsā was mentioned in more than 30 positions or Sūwar in Qur’ān, and he was mentioned 124 times. One of the scholars said, “Qur’ān was almost going to become the story of Mūsā.” The story of Mūsā was mentioned so many times in Qur’ān, that this scholar said, ‘Qur’ān was almost going to be the story of Sayyidnā Mūsā.” 124 times. There’s no other Nabī in Qur’ān, who’s mentioned more than Sayyidnā Mūsā, and there is no story that takes a longer space and span of Qur’ān, discussed in elaborate details in many positions of Qur’ān, like the story of Sayyidnā Mūsā عليه السالم .

Why? Is it because he’s one of the greatest Ambiyā? He’s one of Ulul ‘Azam – the five strongest Prophets, who are: Muhammad ﷺ, ‘Ibrāhīm, Mūsā, ‘Īsā and Nūh [Peace be upon them], these are the five. Is it because of that? Well, ‘Ibrāhīm is also one of Ulul Azam. In fact, Ibn Kathīr says, that the opinion of the scholars is, that the best Nabī after Muhammad ﷺ is ‘Ib- rāhīm. But the story of ‘Ibrāhīm عليه السالم is not mentioned as frequently. It comes nowhere close to the details of the story of Sayyidnā Mūsā.

1 Reasons Why Mūsās Story is Mentioned Frequently in Qur’ān

So how come this story was mentioned in so much details in Qur’ān? There are a few reasons. Let’s go through them.

Number one: The Ummah of Banī Isrā’īl are the last Muslim Ummah before the Ummah of Muhammad ﷺ. You know that there were many Muslim na- tions throughout history? The Ummah of Nūh, the Ummah of Ādam, the Ummah of Hūd, the Ummah of Sālih. The last Ummah is the Ummah of Banī Isrā’īl. So, they are the closest in proximity to the Ummah of Muhammad ﷺ, and since this Ummah of Muhammad ﷺ are the inheritors of all of the former and previous messages, it is important for us to know the Ummah that was right before us, the ones who are preceding4 us.

Number two: The history of Banī Isrā’īl is extremely rich with experiences. It is an Ummah that lived for a long time and lasted for a while. They went through a lot, they committed a lot of mistakes, there was a lot of misguid- ances, there was a lot of conflict. So Allāh ﷻ wanted us to have all of this experience in front of our eyes, so that we could use it in our Da’wah, in our long history as a Muslim Ummah.

The Ummah of Mūsā went through experiences; Banī Isrā’īl went through experiences, and they committed mistakes. Allāh ﷻ knew that the Ummah of Muhammad ﷺ would fall in the same, particular mistakes that Banī Isrā’īl fell into, and that’s why it’s important for us to have a history to look back to, because Rasūlullāh ﷺ says, “You would follow the footsteps of the na- tion’s before you; step by step, inch by inch, foot by foot, even if they are going to enter into a hole of a lizard, you would follow them and do it.” The Sahāba said, “Are you talking about the Jews and Christians?” Rasūlullāh ﷺ said, “Who else?” (Sahīh Muslim 2669, – Sahīh Al-Bukhārī 3456,7320, – Sunan Ibn Mājah 3994) We are going to follow the tracks, we’re going to follow their tracks, we’re going to do the same things they did, we’re going to com- mit the same mistakes. So Allāh ﷻ has given us this wealth of information and experience so that it could be light for us; for the Ummah of Muham- mad ﷺ.

Number three: The nature of the conflict of Banī Isrā’īl is similar to the nature of the conflict of the Ummah of Muhammad ﷺ.

With the people of Hūd, how were they destroyed? By a violent wind. The people of Sālih, how were they destroyed? By the Sayhā [awful cry]. The people of Lūt, how were they destroyed? By the shaking of the earth, and lifting them up, and throwing them down. So, did Hūd عليه السالم and his followers fight in Jihād against their people? No. Did Sālih fight in Jihād against his people, actual war? No. What about with Banī Isrā’īl? Did they fight against their enemies? Yes, and that’s why one of the scholars said, “Since the Torah was revealed, it was Jihād.” It wasn’t special punishments coming from Allāh ﷻ, but it was punishing the enemy through the hands of the believers. Instead of Jibrīl destroying them, or a violent wind, now, since the Torah was revealed, it is Allāh ﷻ destroying the enemy with the hands of the believers, and that is Al-Qitāl Fī Sabīl Lillāh. And that is why the nature of the conflict between the Ummah of Mūsā and their enemies is similar to the nature of the conflict between the Ummah of Muhammad ﷺ and his enemies. With the Ummah of Muhammad ﷺ, we didn’t have a violent wind destroying them, or earthquake, even though sometimes Allāh ﷻ would send these miracles, but overall, it is through the hands of the believers the enemy is destroyed. So, there’s a similarity in the nature of the conflict.

Number four: There are two halves of the story of Mūsā; one half is Mūsā and Fir’aun, and the other half is Mūsā and Banī Isrā’īl. There are two parts. Both of these are very important for us to know.

The part of the conflict between Mūsā and Fir’aun is very important to us because Fir’aun is the symbol of tyranny, dictatorship, and oppression. And Subhān’Allāh, we find that, that is the problem that the Ummah of Muham- mad ﷺ is suffering through. We have suffered from oppression, and tyranny, and dictatorship for a very long time, and that’s why it is very helpful for us to know the story of Fir’aun, because that is something that this Ummah has suffered from for a long time. For centuries we have suffered oppression, and the symbol of oppression in Qur’ān is Fir’aun.

So how can we deal with that oppression? It is the way that Mūsā dealt with it. We learn a lot of experiences from that. And also, Fir’aun is a king; power through kingdom, and that is how Islām is being fought against; it is through the governments and powers of the throne, and Dajjāl is only an extension of that. Dajjāl is a king and a throne who will rule over the world. So that is why the story of Fir’aun would have a lot of similarities between it, and the story of Al-Dajjāl.

And then we have the other half of the story of Mūsā; is Mūsā dealing with his people. How Mūsā dealt with the Muslim Ummah of his time; Banī Isrā’īl. When you see the faults and the problems of Banī Isrā’īl, even though they were the Ummah of Tawhīd – the Ummah of Oneness of Allāh ﷻ, and you see the faults that we are falling into, and getting into, you see how im- portant it is to know the story of Banī Isrā’īl. In Qur’ān, in Sūrah Al-Mā’idah, there are Āyāt where Allāh ﷻ says,

And whosoever does not judge by what Allāh has revealed, such are the Kāfirūn (i.e. disbelievers).

And whosoever does not judge by that which Allāh has revealed, such are the Zālimūn (polytheists and wrong-doers). (Al-Mā’idah – 5:44, 45)

And whosoever does not judge by what Allah has revealed (then) such (people) are the Fāsiqūn (the rebellious i.e. disobedient to Allāh.)(Al-Mā’idah – 5:47)

“The ones who did not rule according to the Book of Allāh are the non-believers.” [Al-Mā’idah 5:44].

In another place it says, “The corrupt” [Al-Mā’idah 5:47].

And in another place, it says, “The oppressors.” [Al-Mā’idah 5:45]. Hudhaifah bin Al-Yamān heard some of the Tābi’īn speaking about this and they said, “These Āyāt were revealed, speaking about Banī Isrā’īl.”

He said, “Allāhu Akbar. What better cousins, to you, are the Children of Isrā’īl? Whenever there is something bad in Qur’ān, you say it is speaking about them, and whenever there’s something good in Qur’ān, you say it is speaking about you.” He wants to teach them a lesson, that these Āyāt, even though they are speaking about Banī Isrā’īl, but whoever is similar to that and from this Ummah, would receive the same punishment. That is why Allāh ﷻ mentioned it in Qur’ān; if you do not rule with the Book of Allāh ﷻ, whether you are from Banī Isrā’īl or from any other nation, that is considered to be Kufr, and it is considered to be Dhulm, and it’s considered to be to Fisq.

Finally, the last reason that I have listed, and there are many others. Allāh ﷻ has talked a lot about Al-Yahūd, because it was in the knowledge of Allāh ﷻ, Who knows everything – Al-‘Alīm, that this band of people would be the enemies of the religion of Allāh ﷻ from day one, until the Day of Judgment. Subhān’Allāh, the Jews are a very small nation and they have been a very small nation for a very long time. For centuries, the numbers of the Jews are very limited. Why didn’t Allāh ﷻ talk about the Hindus, or the Buddhist, or the Confucius, even though they are much more in numbers, like He has talked about Al-Yahūd? [The reason is] numbers are not the issue.

Al-Yahūd, from day one, until this day, are the ones who are leading the war and the battle against Islām. They are the ones who are making the plans and the plots against this religion. The Yahūd are the ones who supported the Munāfiqīn in the time of Rasūlullāh ﷺ, and they are the ones who are supporting the Munāfiqīn today. Al-Yahūd are the ones who planned together and brought the Ahzāb – the different Arab tribes together to fight against Rasūlullāh ﷺ, and the Jews are the ones who are bringing today, the nations of the world against the Muslims.

The Yahūd are the ones who were taking care of the word propaganda against Islām, and the Jews today are the ones who are taking the lead in the media warfare against Islām. From day one, they have been the ene- mies of the religion of Muhammad ﷺ, and they will continue to be the en- emies until the last generation of Al-Yahūd will be the soldiers and the sup- porters of Al-Dajjāl, and then it will be the end.

And that’s why Allāh ﷻ has talked about this nation, so that we would know, Allāhu A’lamu Bi A’dā’ikum – Allāh ﷻ says, “He knows best who your enemies are.”(An-Nisā’ – 4:45)

The story of Mūsā is very long. It’s a very detailed story. These Āyāt, or a summary of the story of Mūsā. Allāh ﷻ says,

Tā-Sīn-Mīm [These letters are one of the miracles of the Qur’ān, and none but Allāh (Alone) knows their meanings]. These are Verses of the manifest Book (that makes clear truth from falsehood, good from evil, etc.). We recite to you some of the news of Mūsā and Fir’aun in truth, for a people who believe (who believe in this Qur’ān, and in the Oneness of Allāh).(Al-Qaşaş – 28:1-3) “We recite to you some of the news.” This is news. Allāh ﷻ is conveying to you, news of Mūsā and Fir’aun. The difference between this news and other news that you hear; Allāh ﷻ says that this news is “Bil Haqq – in truth.” Every other piece of news that you hear could be true and could be false, but this news, Allāh ﷻ tells you, “Bil Haqq – it is the true news.” And who is this directed to? Liqawmin Yu’uminūna – for the believers.

2 The Political and Social Situation in the Time of Mūsā عليه السالم

Allāh ﷻ says, and this Āyah is describing the political and social situation in the time of Mūsā, “Verily, Fir’aun (Pharaoh) exalted himself in the land.”(Al-Qaşaş – 28:4) This is the political situation in that time. Fir’aun was the only power figure, and he was so strong and powerful, and he had so much influence over the lives of people, that he thought that he is God. And he said, “’Anā Rab- bukumu Al-‘A`lá – I am your Lord.” [An-Nāzi`āt – 79:24] And then he said, “Wa Mā `Alimtu Lakum Min ‘Ilahin Ghayrī – I don’t know that you have any other God, but me.” [Al-Qasas – 28:38] He had so much power. Allāh ﷻ has given him so much power, that he could get away with this claim, and nobody would protest it. When he said, ‘I am your Lord and I am your God’, nobody said, ‘You’re wrong.’ He got away with it because he had so much influence and power over the lives of people.

“And made its people sects.”(Al-Qaşaş – 28:4) He divided the people into parties, and that is how you rule; Farriq Tasud – divide and conquer. Allāh ﷻ says,

Verily, Fir’aun (Pharaoh) exalted himself in the land and made its people sects, weakening (oppressing) a group (i.e. Children of Israel) among them, killing their sons, and letting their females live. Verily, he was of the Mufsidūn (i.e. those who commit great sins and crimes, oppressors, tyrants, etc.).(Al-Qaşaş – 28:4)

He divided the people in Egypt into different classes, into different tribes. That is how you dominate; by class conflict, and by these conflicts in society, that is how the Kings rule. And Banī Isrā’īl were placed on the lowest level, lowest class, and then he placed these other groups from Egypt above them and over them, so Banī Isrā’īl were taken as slaves and servants.

‘Yastađ`ifu Ţā’ifatan Minhum’ – he oppressed a group of them, which are the Children of Isrā’īl. The Children of Isrā’īl have multiplied a lot. They started by who? By Yūsuf and his brothers, but by now they were already a huge nation; it says they were about 600,000 at the time when Mūsā left with them out of Egypt.

3 The Dream of Fir’aun (Pharaoh) and his Orders

Anyway, it says that Fir’aun saw a dream. In this dream, it was interpreted, that there is a child who will be born among the Children of Isrā’īl, who will take away your kingdom. When Fir’aun heard that interpretation, he said, ‘Easy. We will take care of that. Any male child who is born, kill him.’ So, he would kill all of the male children, and he would take the women as slaves and servants – Wa Yastaĥyī Nisā’ahum. So, he kills the sons, and he lets the females live. “He was of those who commit great sins and crimes.” And then Allāh ﷻ says,

And We wished to do a favour to those who were weak (and oppressed) in the land, and to make them rulers and to make them the inheritors,(Al-Qaşaş – 28:5) Allāh ﷻ Wants, and Fir’aun wants, but whatever Allāh ﷻ Wills, will pass. Allāh ﷻ wanted to give His favor to the weak nation, Allāh ﷻ wanted to bring that weak nation from the bottom and put them on the top.

Allāh ﷻ says, And to establish them in the land, and We let Fir’aun (Pharaoh) and Hāmān and their hosts receive from them that which they feared.(Al-Qaşaş – 28:6) Some of the Sahāba عنهمهللايض ّ ر said that Fir’aun saw a dream. He saw a dream where there is a light coming out from the Holy Land, Jerusalem, and this light or fire, Allāhu A’lam, swept through Egypt and it destroyed every- one, except for the houses of the Children of Isrā’īl. So, he asked for the interpretation of this dream. He was told that it means, that there will be a man from the Children of Isrā’īl who will take away your kingdom from you and will destroy your army and your people. This was the interpretation of the dream. So, he said, ‘For Fir’aun it was easy, simple. He gave his orders to kill every male child who was born in the houses of Banī Isrā’īl.’ And it says that he would send out spies, his security agents, to go and find out any women of the Children of Isrā’īl who’s pregnant, and they would put her under surveillance before she even gives birth, and as soon as she de- livers, if it’s a boy, they would slaughter him. And if it’s a girl, they would let her live. ‘Yudhabbiĥu ‘Abnā’ahum Wa Yastaĥyī Nisā’ahum – he kills the males and he allows the female to live.’ [Al-Qasas 28:4]

4 The Mother of Mūsā عليه السالم

The mother of Mūsā became pregnant, but she concealed her pregnancy. And no matter how strong the security forces and the spying agency is, they are always going to miss something. There is some information which they’re going to overlook. So, in this particular case, in the situation of the mother of Mūsā, they did not notice her pregnancy. So, she was able to conceal her pregnancy until she delivered.

And when she delivered Sayyidnā Mūsā, now it’s even more difficult to hide the fact. So Allāh ﷻ told the mother of Mūsā عليه السالم , “Wa ‘Awĥaynā ‘Ilá ‘Ummi Mūsá.” Now, this is not Wahī of Nubūwwāh. The word ‘Wahī’ could mean, either inspiration or it could mean revelation to a Nabī. In this particular situation, it is inspiration – Ilhām. It is not revelation to a Nabī, because when the word Wahī is mentioned in Qur’ān, it doesn’t necessarily have to mean revelation of a Nabī because we have a place in Qur’ān where Allāh ﷻ says, in Sūrah Al-Nahl,

And your Lord inspired the bee.(Al-Nahl – 16:68)

Allāh ﷻ says, “Revealed to the bees,” so are the bees prophets? So, this revelation over here means inspiration.

5 Inspiration to the Mother of Mūsā عليه السالم

It’s a strong inspiration in the heart of the mother of Mūsā. Allāh ﷻtells her,

And We inspired the mother of Mūsā (Moses), (saying): “Suckle him [Mūsā], but when you fear for him, then cast him into the river and fear not, nor grieve. Verily! We shall bring him back to you, and shall make him one of (Our) Messengers.”(Al-Qaşaş – 28:7)

Now, this is a strong inspiration, because no mother would throw her child in a flowing river, and for any of you who have seen the Nile River, it’s a very powerful and strong river. I mean, people who swim there put themselves at risk of drowning, strong swimmers, because it’s a very violent and strong, moving current. So, this is a very strong inspiration because no mother would do this, unless she has a very strong feeling that this is a command from Allāh ﷻ. So Allāh ﷻ told her to breastfeed him, ‘Breastfeed him as usual, but whenever you feel danger on him, throw him in what seems to be the biggest danger; the river.’

Putting a child in the age of Mūsā, who might be a few days old, a baby who can barely see, cannot do himself any good, and you put him in a river, in a wooden box; that would seem, to our limited minds and rational unthink- ing, that that is throwing him to death. But because it’s an order from Allāh ﷻ, this righteous mother was able to suppress her strong feelings of motherhood and care for the child, and to trust the child in the Hands of Allāh ﷻ, and to believe that Allāh ﷻ will take care of the child more than her. And Allāh ﷻ, in this verse, is telling her, “Do not fear nor grieve. Don’t have fear and don’t have grief. We shall bring him back to you and We will make him one of Our messengers.”

By the way, this Āyah, it has two do’s and two don’ts, and two pieces of good news. In this Āyah, there are two orders: ‘Arđi`īhi. Fa’idhā Khifti `Alayhi Fa’alqīhi Fī Al-Yammi – breastfeed him, and if you have fear on him, then throw him in the river. I mean, this shows you the Balāgha – the beauty of the Qur’ān; how, in one verse, you could have all of these different as- pects of language. So, these are two orders: breastfeed and throw him or put him in the river. And then there are two don’ts, where it says, “Wa Lā Takhāfī Wa Lā Taĥzanī – don’t have any fear and don’t have any sorrow.” And then it has two promises in it, “’Innā Rāddūhu ‘Ilayki – We will return him unto you,” “Wa Jā`ilūhu Mina Al-Mursalīna – and We will make him of the messengers.” So, it has two promises to the mother of Mūsā; “We are going to bring him back to you, don’t worry, and he’s going to be of the messengers.” This is a very strong test from Allāh ﷻ for this righteous mother; ‘If you care for your child, throw him in the river!’

So, she breastfed Mūsā, she put him in a wooden casket, in a wooden box, and she put him in the Nile River, and she let her child go; in front of her eyes, just to fulfill this inspiration and promise of Allāh ﷻ, where Allāh ﷻ is telling her, “We are going to return him to you, and We are going to make him of the messengers.”

This mother fulfilled the two promises of Allāh ﷻ or fulfilled the commandment of Allāh ﷻ to receive these promises.

How many promises do we have [from Allāh ﷻ in Qurān]? Nevertheless, we’re not acting upon the orders of Allāh ﷻ. We are told that if we’re going to strive and struggle in the sake of Allāh ﷻ, Allāh ﷻ is going to give us victory; we’re not doing that. We are told that if you spend in the sake of Allāh ﷻ, Allāh ﷻ is going to give you more; we don’t do that. We are told that if we have Tawakkul in Allāh ﷻ, Allāh ﷻ is going to provide for us more; we don’t do that. We are told that if we have Taqwā, Allāh ﷻ is going to provide us with Rizq from sources we don’t know. Allāh ﷻ says,

And whosoever fears Allāh and keeps his duty to Him, He will make a way for him to get out (from every difficulty). And He will provide him from (sources) he never could imagine.(Al-Talāq – 65:2, 3)

And we don’t do that. The mother of Mūsā did this, even though it is much more difficult for her to do it because she’s a mother, and this is her few days old child, and she was ordered a drastic and very difficult thing to do, and that is to put him in the Nile River. But she did it and we are going to see the results of her actions. We’re going to see what happens when you fulfill the Order of Allāh ﷻ. We’re going to see how Allāh ﷻ fulfills His promises on to you.

When this wooden box was sent in the river, it kept on flowing through the Nile River. The waves are moving it around, and there are many houses and communities on this Nile River. I mean, all of the people of Egypt were living on that river; that was their livelihood. Egypt is desert, there’s no rain. The people are living on the water of the Nile River, so that is where all of the communities of Egypt are, even until this day. You rarely find communities living on the West or the East flanks of the river; everybody is surrounding this river. So, it is their houses lining up around the Nile River.

6 The Wooden Casket Makes a Stop at the Palace of Pharaoh

This wooden casket is moving, and out of every house, out of all of the houses lining up on the west and the east side of the river, where does this wooden box choose to park? All of the people of Egypt are living on this river. This wooden box is swimming through the waves of the Nile River. Allāh ﷻ is directing it, and guiding it, and navigating it through this river, and Allāh ﷻ sends this wooden box right on the shores of the palace of Fir’aun (Pharaoh). The mother of Mūsā threw this child in the Nile River to get him away from Fir’aun! That’s why she put him in the river in the first place; so that the child can run away from Fir’aun, but Allāh ﷻ wants this baby and child to go right to the palace of Fir’aun. And if the mother of Mūsā was watching this, she’s going to say, “What promise is this? Allāh ﷻ prom- ised me that He is going to save my child for me, and then my child goes and parks right next to the palace of Fir’aun?”

But her Īmān was firm. Allāh ﷻ says, “Rabaţnā `Alá Qalbihā – We tied her heart firm with Īmān.” [Al-Qaşaş 28:10] Allāh ﷻ has a plan, Allāh ﷻ says,

Then the household of Fir’aun (Pharaoh) picked him up, that he might be- come for them an enemy and a (cause of) grief.(Al-Qaşaş – 28:8)

This is the plan of Allāh ﷻ. Allāh ﷻ has a plan. Allāh ﷻ wants them to pick up Mūsā so that he will be grief for them, and he would be their enemy. And how could that work out? We have no way of understanding it, because this is a mystery of the Omnipotence of Allāh ﷻ and His Qudrah, the Qudrah of Allāh ﷻ and His Ability.

How could Mūsā end up being the grief for Fir’aun, when he will be raised up in the palace of Fir’aun? So, they picked him up. What happened is, some soldiers or servants saw this box, they opened it up and found a child in there. Where did they take it? Allāh ﷻ wants that child, not to land in the hands of Fir’aun, but to land in the hands of the wife of Fir’aun, Āsiyah. So Āsiyah picked up this wooden box and saw this baby in it, this child. She fell in love with him. Allāh ﷻ put the love of this righteous baby in the heart of this righteous woman.

Allāh ﷻ says, And the wife of Fir’aun (Pharaoh) said: “A comfort of the eye for me and for you. Kill him not.”(Al-Qaşaş – 28:9)

So, we kind of sense here, that maybe Fir’aun wanted to kill this child, because the wife of Fir’aun is saying, “Don’t kill him.” So maybe there was an attempt to kill Mūsā. I mean, Fir’aun was killing right and left, all of the Chil- dren of Banī Isrā’īl, so he might have felt there’s a possibility this could be from the Children of Isrā’īl, why not get rid of him? But Allāh ﷻ put some support for Mūsā in the palace of Fir’aun.

See, when Allāh ﷻ wants to help His servants, you don’t know who the soldiers of Allāh ﷻ are. Allāh ﷻ put an insider in the palace of Fir’aun to support Sayyidnā Mūsā عليه السالم , and that is the wife of Fir’aun; she’s an insider, she’s the queen. Allāh ﷻ made her a supporter of Mūsā عليه السالم .

Just like in Quraish, when the non-believers surrounded the Muslims in Al- Sha’b, and they boycotted them for three years, Allāh ﷻ put in the hearts of some of the strong men of Quraish, the intention of breaking up this embargo, even though they were non-Muslims. But Allāh ﷻ can use anyone He wants for the sake of His religion, even if they’re non-Muslim, even if they intend to be enemies of Islām, Allāh ﷻ can use their actions against them. So, we should always have trust in Allāh ﷻ, that no matter how strong the enemy is, no matter how powerful the devil’s work seems to be, Allāh ﷻ can provide us with victory if we fulfill the requirements of victory. Yā ‘Ayyuhā Al-Ladhīna ‘Āmanū ‘In Tanşurū Allāha Yanşurkum Wa Yuthab- bit ‘Aqdāmakum – O you who believe! If you help (in the cause of) Allah, He will help you, and make your foothold firm. [Muĥammad – 47:7].

If you give victory to Allāh, Allāh will give victory to you. So Allāh ﷻ provided for the helpless child; an insider to take care of him, and that is the wife of Fir’aun. She said, “Qurratu `Aynin Lī Wa Laka – he would be comfort for my eyes and comfort for your eyes. And we will take him as an adopted son,” because they did not have any children.

It is said that Fir’aun said, “Qurratu ‘Aynin Laki, Wa Laysa Qurratu ‘Aynin Lī – he will be a comfort for your eyes, but I don’t want him to be comfort for mine.” Actually, he’s making Du’ā against himself. He said, “I don’t want this man to be comfort for my eyes. Let him be comfort for your eyes,” and he was comfort for the eyes of Āsiyah, but he was not comfort for the eyes of Fir’aun. So, these words of Fir’aun were fulfilled.

Kill him not, perhaps he may be of benefit to us, or we may adopt him as a son.(Al-Qaşaş – 28:9) Allāh ﷻ says,

And the heart of the mother of Mūsā (Moses) became empty [from every thought, except the thought of Mūsā (Moses)].(Al-Qaşaş – 28:10) Look at the expression; her heart was empty, it was completely drained, because she does not have her son in her hands, she does not know where he is, her heart was completely drained – Fārighāan. Allāh ﷻ says,

She was very near to disclose his (case, i.e. the child is her son)

She was about to go out in the streets of Egypt saying, “Where’s my child?” And if she did that, then his case would be exposed because it would be known that he is from the Children of Isrā’īl and he would be killed.

So Allāh ﷻ says, Had We not strengthened her heart (with Faith), so that she might remain as one of the believers.

Allāh ﷻ strengthened that empty heart with Īmān. Nothing can fill an empty heart, but Īmān. So Allāh ﷻ filled the heart of the righteous Mother of Mūsā with Īmān and that kept her quiet; she was able to conceal this issue and she did not speak out about it, but she told the sister of Mūsā, her daughter, she said, “Go and find out what happened to Mūsā.”

When the mother put her baby in the river, this wooden casket was moving in the Nile River and this sister of Mūsā was following it on the shore. So, the casket is moving in the river, and this girl is running along the river. So, she knew where the final destination was. She knew that it was in the palace of Fir’aun. Allāh ﷻ did not allow Mūsā to suck milk from any breast feeder. They brought for him women to feed him, and he would refuse. Allāh ﷻ did not allow Mūsā to drink from anyone because Allāh ﷻ has a plan.

So now, Mūsā is in the hands of the queen, but he’s refusing to suckle any milk. He does not want to breastfeed. And then the sister of Mūsā arrives and she says, “I can provide you with someone who will breastfeed this child.” She’s talking about the mother of Mūsā.

7 The Benefits of Having Taqwā (Fear of Allāh ﷻ)

And she [Mūsā’s mother] said to his [Mūsā’s] sister: “Follow him.” So she (his sister) watched him from a far place secretly, while they perceived not. And We had already forbidden (other) foster suckling mothers for him, until she (his sister came up and) said: “Shall I direct you to a household who will rear him for you, and sincerely they will look after him in a good manner?”(Al-Qaşaş 28:11, 12)

So, they said, ‘Okay, we’ll try.’ They took the child to the mother of Mūsā, and immediately Mūsā started to breastfeed. Now, the Queen said, “I’m inviting you to come and breastfeed him in the palace.”

But now, the mother of Mūsā has leverage, she has monopoly over this is- sue; nobody else can breastfeed Mūsā, but her, so she is setting the terms now. She said, “No, I have a husband and I have children, I have to take care of them at home, so you have to bring the child to me, to my house, to breastfeed.”

Look at this. Mūsā, who was dropped in the river alone by the mother of Mūsā because of her Īmān, is now leaving the Palace of Fir’aun under Royal Guards, and going to the house of his parents, and the mother of Mūsā is being paid to take care of her own child. Allāh ﷻ says, Wa Man Yattaqi Allāha Yaj`al Lahu Makhrajāan – the one who has Taqwā, Allāh ﷻ will provide a way out for him. If the mother of Mūsā did not believe in the Promise of Allāh ﷻ, and kept the child with her, the child would have been killed; Mūsā would have been killed, but because she believed in the promise of Allāh ﷻ and she let him go, now Mūsā is protected by the security guards of Fir’aun, and he became a source of Rizq for the whole family because they’re paying her to take care of Mūsā, and the whole family is honored because they’re taking care of the adopted son of Fir’aun. Look at the result of Taqwā. This is the result of Taqwā. Wa Man Yattaqi Allāha Yaj`al Lahu Makhrajāan. Wa Yarzuqhu Min Ĥaythu Lā Yaĥtasibu – If you have Taqwā, Allāh ﷻ is going to provide a way out for you, and He is going to provide for you from sources you perceive not. Allāh ﷻ says,

So did We restore him to his mother, that she might be delighted, and that she might not grieve, and that she might know that the Promise of Allāh is true. But most of them know not.(Al-Qaşaş – 28:13)

Who is the One who returned Mūsā to his mother? Allāh ﷻ. Kay Taqarra `Aynuhā Wa Lā Taĥzana – that she might be delighted. Allāh ﷻ wants to delight her, Allāh ﷻ wants to make her happy, and that she might not grieve. Allāh ﷻ does not want her to grieve. Why? Because of her righteousness and her Taqwā. Wa Lita`lama ‘Anna Wa`da Allāhi Ĥaqqun – and so that she might know that the Promise of Allāh ﷻ is true, Wa Lakinna ‘Aktharahum Lā Ya`lamūna – but most of them know not. Most of the people do not know that the Promise of Allāh ﷻ is true. Unfortunately, we all say we believe in the Promise of Allāh ﷻ. We say that but it’s lip service. Deep in our hearts, we don’t act that way. Wa Lakinna ‘Aktharahum Lā Ya`lamūna – most of the people do not know this. And when Allāh ﷻ says this, it means they don’t act upon that. They might say that they believe in the Promise of Allāh, but who acts upon that and who fulfills these com- mandments of Allāh ﷻ to receive the Promise of Allāh.

I think this part of the story of Mūsā, if we think about it, it is an example of the ultimate level of weakness. When you depend on Allāh ﷻ, no matter how weak you are, Allāh ﷻ can provide you with the most strength, be- cause Banī Isrā’īl were helpless, and Mūsā was a helpless child, but Allāh ﷻ provided for him protection from all sources.

Our Ummah is in a similar situation now; we are in a very weak state. If we would put our trust in Allāh ﷻ, Allāh ﷻ is going to protect us from sources we perceive not, because no way could the mother of Mūsā have imagined what would happen. No way could anyone decode the Plan of Allāh ﷻ and understand the mystery of the Ability of Allāh ﷻ, and how the Plan of Allāh ﷻ works. Mūsā is being raised up in the palace of Fir’aun and he’s receiving the best treatment because he’s their adopted son.

8 Mūsā عليه السالم Grows up in the Palace

Mūsā عليه السالم grew up in the Palace of Fir’aun. Allāh ﷻ says,

And when he attained his full strength, and was perfect (in manhood), We bestowed on him Hukman (Prophethood, right judgement of the affairs) and religious knowledge [of the religion of his forefathers i.e. Islamic Mon- otheism]. And thus do We reward the Muhsinūn (i.e. good doers).(Al-Qaşaş – 28:14)

Hukum – is the good and right judgment. ‘Ilm – is knowledge. And we talked about the importance of these two when we were talking about Sayyidnā Yūsuf. Ĥukmāan Wa `Ilmāan. Allāh ﷻ gave the Ambiyā both; not knowledge alone, and not good judgment alone. Allāh ﷻ gave them good judgment AND knowledge, together, because these two things work to- gether to form a complete personality. Wa Kadhalika Najzī Al-Muĥsinīna – and thus do We reward the righteous.

So Mūsā was described by Rasūlullāh ﷺ as being a very large and well-built person. Rasūlullāh ﷺ says, ‘He was very dark skinned, and his hair was curly.’(Sahīh Al-Bukhārī 3355, 5913, – Sahīh Muslim 166) These were the descriptions of Sayyidnā Mūsā in the Hadīth, and he had a very strong presence and personality.

9 Mūsā Kills Unintentionally an Egyptian Man

Mūsā entered into the town one day. ‘Alá Ĥīni Ghaflatin – Allāh ﷻ says, “When the people were unaware.” This could have been at noon time or at nighttime. The streets were empty, there weren’t a lot of people around. Mūsā saw two men fighting, and we would see throughout the story of Mūsā that Mūsā was the type of personality that would not let mistakes pass in front of his eyes, without him intervening. He had a personality where, if he sees something wrong, he can’t let it pass by; he has to do something, he has to intervene.

So Mūsā saw these two men fighting. He came to see what’s happening. He saw that one of them is from his people, the Children of Isrā’īl, and the other one was an Egyptian, and they were fighting together. So Mūsā intervened to support the Isrā’īlite against the Egyptian. What he did is, Mūsā had a stick in his hand, so he pushed the Egyptian with his stick, he just pushed him. The man fell down, dead. Mūsā was strong. Mūsā did not intend to kill. This was unintentional murder [homicide], but he pushed the man, it was a little bit strong, so the man fell down dead.

The next day, Mūsā came in the town, and he saw the same man from Banī Isrā’īl fighting with another Egyptian. The next day, he already picked up another fight. Troublemaker; he’s looking for trouble. Now, Mūsā rushed ahead. Mūsā, this time when he rushed ahead, the man from the Children of Isrā’īl thought that Mūsā, this time, is going to hit him. So, he backed away and he said, “Do you want to kill me like you’ve killed somebody yesterday?” Until that moment, nobody knew that Mūsā is the one who killed the Egyptian. And now this Isrā’īlite leaked the word out in front of the other man, because the other Egyptian was there. He told Mūsā, “Do you want to kill me like you’ve killed somebody yesterday?”

Now, this wasn’t a regular or usual homicide, a crime of murder. This was a big issue, and it made headlines all over Egypt because it was a political issue, because it was a dispute between an Egyptian and a member of the weak community, Banī Isrā’īl; the oppressed and the enslaved. So how can someone from the low class kill someone from the high class? Because by now, it was already known that Mūsā was from Banī Isrā’īl, as some of the Mufassirīn say. But anyway, even if it wasn’t the case, it was a big issue, and it was so big, that Fir’aun and his government met together, and his counsel they met together to discuss this issue. That is how big it was. It wasn’t an issue that would just go to court. No, it went all the way up to Fir’aun and his cabinet, and his counsel, and they met together to discuss this issue. Because for them, this was an issue of what? It wasn’t a regular murder; it was an issue of terrorism. It was a terrorist act. That is what this issue was; because a Muslim has killed a member of the non-Muslim community, so it’s not dealt with the same way they would deal with the other crimes which are similar, no. Because this was committed by a Muslim, it has to be classified as terrorism. So, this was an issue that was discussed by Fir’aun, and his cabinet, and the government to fight terrorism through their Anti- Terrorism Task Force. So, they decided that they have to kill Mūsā.

What happened is, that Allāh ﷻ made this news leak out through one mem- ber of the community, so he came from the other end of town, rushing to convey the news to Mūsā and to tell him, “’Inna Al-Mala’a Ya’tamirūna Bika Liyaqtulūka – the leaders are making a plan to kill you, so you better leave immediately.”

So Mūsā was told aforetime that he will be killed. I just want to add one thing about this man from Banī Isrā’īl. When Mūsā saw him causing trouble again, what did he tell him? He told him, “Innaka Laghawīyun Mubīnun – you are a plain misleader” because he was causing too much trouble. When Mūsā told him, “You are a plain misleader,” the Isrā’īlite interpreted this as Mūsā wanting to attack him, he thought that Mūsā is going to attack him. So, when Mūsā was moving ahead, he said, “You want to kill me just like you have killed someone the day before?” Who did Mūsā help the day before? He helped this man. The next day, the man was willing to betray Mūsā, who just saved him the day before. Mūsā did this man a favor; helped him and supported him, but the next day, this man betrayed Mūsā and disclosed the secret that happened the day before.

10 The Characteristics of Oppressed People

This shows you something. It shows you some of the qualities of people who are humiliated and oppressed. When people and societies go under oppression and humiliation for a long time, they become very weak personalities, and they become very selfish. You find that people who are living under oppression are very selfish people. If they have been undergoing oppression for a very long time, and they do nothing to stop it, you can find that the reason is because they are selfish. Everybody’s saying, “Myself! myself!”, because if they were considering the community, the oppression wouldn’t continue; they would stop it. But these people are going through this oppression continuously, and suffering the humiliation, because they don’t want to work together. They are selfish, and everyone is looking at his own benefit and gain. So, this man is an example, he is a representation of peo- ple who are humiliated, and these are the type of people that Mūsā had to deal with. He had to deal with people who lived under the oppression and the tyranny of Fir’aun for a very long time. So, their whole personality; see, people when they go under long periods of oppression, they lose dignity. So, this man doesn’t have any dignity. He said, he doesn’t care if he betrays. As long as it’s going to save his life, he’ll do anything. They lose dignity and honor, because an honorable and dignified person is not going to do this to somebody who did him a favor; he’s going to be grateful, and he’s willing to die to help Mūsā. He’s willing to sacrifice his life to support Mūsā, rather than betray Mūsā and cause him all of this suffering and pain.

And that could happen to the Muslim Ummah today, if we do not stop the oppression that our Ummah is going through, this is the type of personali- ties that we’re going to reap in the end.

11 Mūsā Flees from Egypt and Reaches to Madyān (Midian)

Mūsā عليه السالم did not have any time to prepare his belongings, and his luggage, he had to immediately flee out of Egypt, and he headed for east. That’s the way to get out. And he immediately rushed out of Egypt. There was no time to do anything because the warrant for his arrest was already out, so he had to leave immediately. So, he left out of Egypt, to the direction of the east, and he traveled all the way out of Egypt.

It is said that he had shoes on; he kept on walking until his shoes were torn apart, and then he was walking on his barefoot until his skin peeled out, and he would eat whatever he would find; he was eating the leaves of the trees until, surrounding his lips was a green layer because of the dryness and the harshness of the leaves of trees. It came out from his mouth. And he was alone, with no food, no supporters, no friends, no family, and he kept on walking to the east because he doesn’t know how far he needs to move to get out of Egypt, until he arrived to an area called Madyān. Mūsā is contin- uing out, he’s just marching out of Egypt. He reached to this area called Madyān, and there were some wells in that area – Ābār, there’s some water.

There were men picking up water, drinking for themselves, feeding their goats and their camels. But then there were two women on the side, who had their sheep with them, and they cannot drink any water. Keep in mind that Mūsā is exhausted, tired from a long trip, the skin of his feet is peeled out. It is not time to intervene and help anyone, but because the personality of Mūsā would not let any mistake pass by, he wanted to see why these two women are not drinking. So, he walked up to them, and he said, “What is the matter with you?” They said, “We cannot drink until these men leave because these men are pushing each other, and fighting next to the water, and everyone is getting water out, by the strength of his muscles.” How can these two women go and fight with them?

Now Mūsā, who’s exhausted and tired, can barely walk, he went in, and he fought with these men, and he pushed them aside, and he brought out a few buckets of water. He provided it for the two women and for their sheep.

12 Allāh ﷻ Sends Help for Mūsā عليه السالم

And then Mūsā could not handle it any further, he went, and he laid down under a tree; completely exhausted. So he went down under a tree, and he said,

Then he turned back to shade, and said: “My Lord! Truly, I am in need of whatever good that You bestow on me!”(Al-Qaşaş – 28:24)

He said, “Oh Allāh, I am in need of any good that You can send down on me.” Mūsā was broke, he had nothing. So, he’s telling Allāh ﷻ, ‘Anything, anything that You can give me, I need it in this moment.’

“Innī Limā ‘Anzalta ‘Ilayya Min Khayrin Faqīrun – Oh Allāh, whatever You are going to bestow on me, I need it.”?(Al-Qaşaş – 28:24)

Mūsā is making this Du’ā, and before the Du’ā is over, the Help of Allāh ﷻ was already on its way. The Du’ā is not done yet, and Allāh ﷻ is already sending the help to the direction of Mūsā. Who came and met Mūsā under the tree? It was one of the women whom he supported. She came to Mūsā and said,

Then there came to him one of the two women, walking shyly. She said: “Verily, my father calls you that he may reward you for having watered (our flocks) for us.”(Al-Qaşaş – 28:25)

13 Hayāh (Shyness) is a Quality of the Pious Man and Woman

Allāh ﷻ says, “Alá Astiĥyā’in – she was walking with Hayāh.” she had shy- ness. Shyness – Hayāh is a quality that men and women in the West have lost. By the way, Hayāh is not only for women; it’s for men and women.

We know that Sayyidnā ‘Uthmān ibn ‘Affān was described as a man who has a lot of Hayāh, and Rasūlullāh ﷺ would sit in a certain way and present himself to ‘Uthmān ibn ‘Affān in a certain way, and when he was asked, “Why? Why don’t you do that with Abū Bakr and ‘Umar?” Rasūlullāh ﷺ said, “Shouldn’t I be shy from a man who the angels are shy from?”(Musnad Ahmad 514)

So, this is not a quality only for women, it’s also for men. Hayāh – shyness is a branch of Īmān – Shu’bah Min Shu’b Al-Īmān.

This woman came to Sayyidnā Mūsā, walking very shy; shy because she’s dealing with an alien or foreign man. She doesn’t know him. She was shy. The Muslim sister came, Tamshī `Alá Astiĥyā’in – walking with shyness. She said, “My father wants to pay you, reward you for what you have done.” So Sayyidnā Mūsā followed her, and some of the Salāf say, that Sayyidnā Mūsā walked in front of her.

Anyway, they reached there to meet this old man. He’s old because in the Āyah, the woman said, “Abūnā Shaykhun Kabīrun – Our father is old.

So Mūsā went to visit this old man. Some of the Mufassirīn, actually many of the Mufassirīn, say that this man was Sayyidnā Shu’aib عليه السالم . There is no evidence to support that from Qur’ān or from Sunnah, but this is a strong opinion among many of the scholars of Tafsīr of the Salāf. They say that he was Sayyidnā Shu’aib عليه السالم .

So Sayyidnā Mūsā عليه السالم went and met with him. Allāh ﷻ says,“Falammā Jā’ahu Wa Qaşşa `Alayhi Al-Qaşaşa – So Mūsā started narrating his story, telling him the story of his life.” It’s a very interesting story, and Mūsā started narrating that story to this old man. Allāh ﷻ says,

So when he came to him and narrated the story, he said: “Fear you not. You have escaped from the people who are Zālimūn (polytheists, disbelievers, and wrong-doers).”(Al-Qaşaş – 28:25)

When Mūsā mentioned his story to the old man, the old man told him, “Do not fear. You are now safe from the oppressor people.” He’s telling him, ‘You have crossed the border. You’re out of Egypt now, so don’t worry, it’s safe for you over here.’ He was now in Madyān. Sayyidnā Mūsā عليه السالم , when he left from Egypt, he didn’t know where he’s going. He never traveled out of Egypt. He just walked toward the East, trying to get out of Egypt, and now this man is telling him, ‘You have crossed the border and now you have reached to safety.’ Allāh ﷻ says, ‘You have escaped from the people who are Zālimīn – the oppressors.’

This daughter, she went to her father, and she gave him a wonderful advice.

Allāh ﷻ says, One of the two women said: “O my father! Hire him!”(Al-Qaşaş – 28:26)

And she gave the reasons why you should hire him. What did she say? They said that this woman was very wise. What did she say?

“Verily, the best of men for you to hire is the strong, the trustworthy.”(Al-Qaşaş – 28:26)

These are two qualities you want to search for in the employer: strength and trustworthiness. What does strength mean?

1.Qūwa; Qawī – he is strong. This is relevant to the kind of job that will be done. If it is a physically demanding job, then the strength means strong in his physical body. If it’s an intellectual kind of job, then you need to be strong in your mind. To summarize it, you need to be very strong in your field. That is what is meant by Qawī – strong.

2.Al–Amīn – trustworthy. It’s not enough to be strong, because you could be strong but you’re using your strength against your organization. You could be using it for your own benefit and harming the others. So, you have to be trustworthy too. And that’s why Abū Bakr, when he appointed ‘Umar bin Khattāb to be the Khalīfah, he told the Muslims why he appointed him. He said, “The best man to appoint on you is Al-Qawī Al-Amīn – the strong and the trustworthy. They learn their rules from Qur’ān. Abū Bakr did not go through any political science classes or degrees. He learned the politics of Islām from Qur’ān. So, when he wanted to hire somebody or to appoint somebody to the position of Khilāfah, he has a whole generation of Sahāba in front of his eyes; all of them are righteous. Righteousness is common among all of the Sahāba. So how can he choose among them? He looked for these two qualities: Qūwa and Amānah – strength and trustwor- thiness.

So, the father offered a job to Sayyidnā Mūsā, but he went a little further, and he also offered Mūsā one of his daughters. Allāh ﷻ says,

He said: “I intend to wed one of these two daughters of mine to you, on condition that you serve me for eight years, but if you complete ten years, it will be (a favour) from you. But I intend not to place you under a difficulty. If Allāh will, you will find me one of the righteous.”(Al-Qaşaş – 28:27)

So, he said, “I will marry you one of my daughters.” What is the Maher that you will pay me? ‘You work for me for eight years, and if you want to com- plete it, 10 years. That’s up to you. It’s not part of our agreement, but I would suggest it. If you want to work for 10 years, that will be better. But the bottom line is, you have to work for a minimum of eight.’

Sayyidnā Mūsā عليه السالم , to make it clear, said,

He [Mūsā] said: “That (is settled) between me and you whichever of the two terms I fulfill, there will be no injustice to me, and Allāh is Surety over what we say.”(Al-Qaşaş – 28:28)

So Mūsa is saying, ‘If I work for eight years, don’t blame me. Don’t commit any injustice to me. The agreement is that I work for eight years, with you.’ Rasūlullāh ﷺ asked Jibrīl, “Which of the two terms did Mūsā fulfill? Did he work for eight, or did he work for ten?”

Jibrīl عليه السالم told Muhammad ﷺ that, “He worked for the best and the most complete, and that is 10 years.”(Sahih al-Bukhari 2684) This is the Ihsān and Itqān – the perfection of your work. Even though the agreement was clear that, ‘I have to work for eight years’, but he completed it, and he worked for 10 years.

Before I go to next section of the story of Mūsā عليه السالم , let’s look at the story of Mūsā up till this point. Until now, Mūsā is not a Prophet yet, he is not a Messenger. So why is Allāh ﷻ telling us all of this history, the record of the life of Mūsā before Risālah – before the Messagehood or Prophethood? You know it’s very important for us to know this background of Sayyidnā Mūsā, because Allāh ﷻ is putting Mūsā through experiences that he will need in his mission as a messenger.

First of all, Allāh ﷻ raised up Mūsā in the palace of Fir’aun so that Mūsā can be an insider; he sees how the government functions from the inside, so he has expertise, he knows what’s happening. Just like what happened with Yūsuf; where was he raised? He was raised in the house of the prime minister or the treasurer, so he has knowledge of how the government functions and works. Also, Mūsā has first-hand knowledge of the corruption of Fir’aun because he has seen it with his own eyes.

14 The Benefits of Travelling

And look at the travelling of Mūsā. Allāh ﷻ made Mūsā عليه السالم travel out of Egypt, and we know that Imām al-Shāfi’ī says, “Leave your country in search of exaltation, and travel, because there are five benefits in travelling:

1.To relieve your despair
2.To seek a livelihood
3.To seek knowledge
4.To seek manners and new behaviours
5.To be accompanying somebody who is righteous”

These are benefits that you could get through travelling. So Allāh ﷻ made Sayyidnā Mūsā عليه السالم travel in the land so that he can learn.

15 The Job of being a Shepherd is a Preparation for Every Nabī

Number three; what type of job did Mūsā serve when he was working with this man? Ra’ya al-ghanam – a shepherd of goat or sheep. Rasūlullāh ﷺ says, “Mā min Nabi illā ra’ya al-ghanam – every Prophet has been a shepherd of sheep.”(Sahīh al-Bukhārī 2262, 3406, 5453, – Sahīh Muslim 2050, – Sunan Ibn Mājah 2149) Why specifically sheep, and why specifically a shepherd? Because being a shepherd is being responsible. And why being a shepherd of sheep? Because sheep are the weakest of the livestock that we have. It is weaker than cows and it’s weaker than camels, and that weakness makes the shepherd very alert. He has to have his eyes always open to take care and guard these sheep from a wolf, to take care of them of being lost, because a sheep cannot survive on its own, but a camel can.

So, the shepherd learns how to be very alert, because the Ambiyā are going to be protecting a whole nation; a whole nation of weak people, because Allāh ﷻ says,

And man was created weak.(An-Nisā’ – 4:280)

So, Allāh ﷻ makes them go through this training of being shepherds, so that they learn how to be responsible, because it’s the responsibility of the shepherd to take care of the flock. Allāh ﷻ was preparing Mūsā for what? Allāh ﷻ was preparing him for the most difficult job of all. The most difficult job of all is the job of the Ambiyā. That’s the most difficult work, it is the work of the Ambiyā of Allāh ﷻ, and the particular work of Sayyidnā Mūsā, was going to be one of the most challenging works that any Nabi has faced, because who is Mūsā going to be dealing with? Allāh ﷻ is sending him to Fir’aun. Allāh ﷻ is sending him to the man who claimed to be God. The man who said: “I am your lord, most high” [An-Nāzi’āt – 79:24]. And who said: “O chiefs! I know not that you have an ilah (a god) other than me” [Al- Qaşaş – 28:38]. Allāh ﷻ is sending Sayyidnā Mūsā to face the oldest monarchy living on the face of the earth, and that is the family of Fir’aun. This family, who believed that divine blood is running through their veins, they believe that they are the seeds of God, that they are the children of God. This family that ruled over an empire of the rich Nile River, they have been ruling for centuries and centuries, and nobody dares to stand against them. Allāh ﷻ is going to send one man against this strong, powerful family, headed by Fir’aun: a superpower, or an empire, or a civilization of its time. That’s on one hand.

On the other hand, Allāh ﷻ is sending Sayyidnā Mūsā to deal with Banī Isrā’īl; a nation that has some remnants of the religion of Allāh ﷻ, but it has been mixed with so much culture and tradition, that it has a different face. And they have been living under oppression for a very long time, and that oppression has eroded the dignity that they have, and it has caused their personalities to be humiliated. And that is what happens to people when they live under oppression for a long time, and we found that in the story of Mūsā and the two men who were fighting, that one of them was from the children of Isrā’īl and the other one was from the Egyptians. When Mūsā came to interfere, what did the Banī Isrā’īli say? He said, “You want to kill me like you have killed somebody the day before?!” So, he betrayed Mūsā, who helped him the day before.

So, you find that the people who live under oppression for a very long time, they become very selfish because the government makes sure that they are divided; because if they are united, the government will not survive. So, they divide the people, they plant the seeds of division among them, so then you have people who are living in their own islands; they are thinking individualistically, in a selfish way. These are the kind of people that Mūsā is going to deal with; a kind of people who lost dignity, [who said to Mūsā],

“So go you and your Lord and fight you two, we are sitting right here.”(Al-Mā’idah – 5:24)

So, this was the mission, the difficult mission, that Sayyidnā Mūsā عليه السالم was going to be faced with. But until now, Mūsā has no idea what Allāh ﷻ is hiding for him in the future.

16 Mūsā عليه السالم Travels Back to Egypt and Finds a Light in the Desert

Mūsā has been away from his mother, and his family, and his country for ten years. He feels homesick, he misses his family. He wants to go back and visit his mother. He wants to visit his family.

So, he decided that he’s going to go to Egypt secretly; he will sneak in without the government knowing and go and meet with his family and relatives. So, he took with him his wife, and he started travelling towards Egypt. Mūsā got lost, he lost the directions. It was a very cold and dark night, and Mūsā is travelling in this cold and dark night, he lost direction, there is no light, it was completely dark, and it was very cold. And Mūsā is with his wife, alone, in this very difficult environment; it is desert, that area which is between ash-Shaam and Egypt is desert.

Mūsā saw what appeared to be fire, far away. And it seems, from the Āyāt, that only Mūsā was able to see it but his wife didn’t see it, “’Innī ‘Ānastu Nārāan – I have seen light”. It seems that this light, because it was a special light, only Mūsā was seeing it, his wife couldn’t recognize it. Allāh ﷻ says,

Then, when Mūsā (Moses) had fulfilled the term, and was travelling with his family, he saw a fire in the direction of Tūr (Mount). He said to his family: “Wait, I have seen a fire; perhaps I may bring to you from there some information, or a burning fire-brand that you may warm yourselves.”(Al-Qaşaş – 28:29)

When he saw a fire, he said to his family: “Wait! Verily, I have seen a fire, perhaps I can bring you some burning brand therefrom, or find some guidance at the fire.”(Tāhā – 20:10)

And he was travelling with his family, he saw a fire in the direction of At- Tūr. He told his wife, “Wait here. I will go and, either try to find directions, because that fire must be burnt by some people. There must be some people around it, so they’ll give me directions, I need guidance,” Mūsā needs guidance. He says, “La’allī ‘Ajidu `Alá An-Nāri Hudan – that I will find guidance next to the fire”. What guidance is he talking about? Directions to Egypt. ‘So that I could either bring you some light’ because we need light, we are in complete darkness, ‘Or I will find guidance’.

17 Allāh ﷻ Talks to Mūsā عليه السالم

So Mūsā عليه السالم walked to that direction. Mūsā doesn’t know what he’s going to face in front of him. He walks there, and Allāh ﷻ tells us about one of the most amazing conversations that happened in the history of the universe. Allāh ﷻ says,

So when he reached it (the fire), he was called from the right side of the valley, in the blessed place from the tree: “O Mūsā (Moses)! Verily! I am Allāh, the Lord of the ‘Alamin (mankind, jinns and all that exists)!(Al-Qaşaş – 28:30)

And then Allāh ﷻ told Mūsā, “Verily! I am your Lord! So take off your shoes, you are in the sacred valley, Tuwa.(Tāhā – 20:12)

You have to come into this meeting with preparation, therefore ‘Take off your shoes’, just like we enter into Salāh with Wudū’. So, he went into that sacred valley in At-Tūr, and then he saw this green tree. There was fire burning in it, but the tree is becoming greener and greener, and that fire was not fire, but it was light. And then he watched, and he saw that light was extending up to the Samāwāt [Heavens]. And then Allāh ﷻ spoke to Mūsā in those special moments. Allāh ﷻ told Sayyidnā Mūsā,

Verily! I am Allāh! La ilaha illa Ana (none has the right to be worshipped but I), so worship Me, and perform As-Salat for My Remembrance.(Tāhā – 20:14)

And then [in the next ayah] Allāh ﷻ told Mūsā about the Hour, the Day of Judgement, Al-Ākhirah [The End – The Afterlife],

Verily, the Hour is coming and My Will is to keep it hidden that every person may be rewarded for that which he strives.(Tāhā – 20:15)

Now let’s go back a little bit. What did Mūsā want from this fire? He wanted two things:

He wanted light; to light up the small area which he, and his wife, and his sheep are sitting in, but he came back with light for humanity.
Mūsā went to that fire because he wants guidance, so that someone will tell him the direction to Egypt.

But he came back with guidance for mankind. Allāh ﷻ told him, “I am Allāh, so worship Me”. Number one: Tawhīd – Oneness of Allāh ﷻ. And what was the next order after Tawhīd? It was ‘Aqimi Aş-Şalāata Lidhikrī – establish prayer for My remembrance.” Salāh was prescribed on Mūsā in a direct conversation between him and Allāh ﷻ. And how was Salāh prescribed on Muhammad ﷺ? It was prescribed on him in the trip of Al-Mi’rāj, without anyone in between. That is the importance of Salāh. And then Allāh ﷻ told him, what He has told every prophet, and that is, ‘The people need to believe in the Ākhirah – in the afterlife.’

“Verily, the Hour is coming and My Will is to keep it hidden that every person may be rewarded for that which he strives.”(Tāhā – 20:15)

As-Sā`ata ‘Ātiyatun – the Hour will come. ‘Akādu ‘Ukhfīhā – I am hiding it, it is so close, as if it is there. Allāh ﷻ is just hiding it away from the people.

18 Allāh ﷻ Puts Life in The Stick of Mūsā عليه السالم

In this wonderful conversation between the Creator and the servant Mūsā عليه السالم , Mūsā is holding his stick. He is holding his stick, which he has lived with for a very long time, and Mūsā knows his stick very well. So Allāh ﷻ asks him about his stick,

“And what is that in your right hand, O Mūsā (Moses)?”(Tāhā – 20:17)

Allāh ﷻ wants him to say, what he knows about his stick, because Allāh ﷻ wants to show him what he doesn’t know. So Mūsā told Allāh ﷻ, according to his knowledge, what he knows about this stick which he has owned for a very long time.

He [Mūsā] said: “This is my stick, whereon I lean, and wherewith I beat down branches for my sheep, and wherein I find other uses.”(Tāhā – 20:18)

‘I use it to lean on when I need to climb, and I use it to beat down branches and leaves to feed my sheep, and I also use it for other things.’

19 Allāh ﷻ is Preparing Mūsā for the Confrontation with Fir’aun

Allāh ﷻ told Mūsā, “And throw your stick!” But when he saw it moving as if it were a snake, he turned in flight, and looked not back.”(Al-Qaşaş – 28:31)

“Throw it!” So Mūsā threw away his stick, and what happened? Allāh ﷻ says, “So he threw his stick from his hand, and it started to shake.” The stick is dead, but Allāh ﷻ is the One who created life and death. So that stick that is dead, Allāh ﷻ put in it a soul of a snake. For Allāh ﷻ, it is exactly as creating anything else, for Allāh ﷻ it is, ‘Kun Fayakūn – Be and it is’. But this is unusual for Mūsā, who knows his stick for a very long time. So, when it started shaking like a huge serpent, what was Mūsās first reaction? It was a reaction of a human being; Wallá Mudbirāan Wa Lam Yu`aqqib – he ran away, and he did not look back. He ran away, and he didn’t even look back, because this is his stick which he knew for a very long time, and now suddenly it’s a huge snake.

Allāh ﷻ is training Mūsā. This natural human fear has to get out of his heart. This is natural, it is a natural human trait; to have fear in your heart. But Mūsā is going to be dealing with situations, and he has to have a strong heart, so Allāh ﷻ is preparing him for that. Allāh ﷻ told Mūsā,

“O Mūsā (Moses)! Draw near, and fear not. Verily, you are of those who are secure.”

So Mūsā came back. And then Allāh ﷻ told him,

“And press your (right) hand to your (left) side, it will come forth white (and shining), without any disease as another sign.”(Tāhā – 20:22)

‘Put your right hand under your arm.’ Mūsā was dark skinned, as we said. He pulled out his hand and it was white and shining like the moon. Allāh ﷻ told him to put his hand back, he put his hand back, it returned to his natural colour. Two signs [already given to Mūsā], and Allāh ﷻ says,

“That We may show you (some) of Our Greater Signs.”(Tāhā – 20:23)

These are two out of nine signs, which Allāh ﷻ has given Mūsā, and we’ll talk about the other signs later.

20 Allāh ﷻ Commands Mūsā عليه السالم to Confront Fir’aun (Pharaoh)

Now, hold your breath for the next thing. This is a short conversation between Allāh ﷻ and Mūsā. Mūsā is just confronted with the responsibility; Allāh ﷻ is handing down Sayyidnā Mūsā the responsibility of Message- hood, of Prophethood. But what was the first command that Allāh ﷻ has given Mūsā?

“Go to Fir’aun! Verily, he has transgressed (all bounds in disbelief and disobedience, and has behaved as an arrogant, and as a tyrant).”(Tāhā – 20:24)

“Go to Fir’aun, immediately!” Mūsā just received the message right now, and in this conversation between him and Allāh ﷻ, Allāh ﷻ is already handing him the challenging mission of going and facing Fir’aun. “Idh’hab ‘Ilá Fir`awna ‘Innahu Ţaghá – go to Fir’aun because he has transgressed all bounds.”

This is a very heavy order. ‘Qawl thaqīl’ – this is heavy. Mūsā ran out of Egypt for ten years because of fear of Fir’aun. And he just wants to visit his family, and his mother, and his relatives, and his home country; he’s not going there because of the fear of Fir’aun. And now Allāh ﷻ is telling him not to go into Egypt, but to go to Fir’aun and tell him to follow you. But Mūsā عليه السالم , Allāh ﷻ chose him; chose him because of his strength, and his Īmān. Allāh ﷻ Yajtabi – He chooses out of His creation the best for this mission of Prophethood.

21 Mūsā عليه السالم asks Allāh ﷻ for Help to Carry out his First Command

So, Mūsā did not reject the Command of Allāh ﷻ, but he asked Allāh ﷻ for help because this is not an easy thing to do. So, he told Allāh ﷻ, “Qāla Rabbi Ashraĥ Lī Şadrī”, and look at this wonderful Du’ā of Mūsā, what he is asking from Allāh ﷻ. Number one,

[Mūsā (Moses)] said: “O my Lord! Open for me my chest (grant me self-confidence, contentment, and boldness).”(Tāhā – 20:25-27)

‘This mission of facing Fir’aun needs to have a very strong heart, so open for me my heart. Give me strength, give me confidence.’

“And ease my task for me;”(Tāhā – 20:25-27)

‘Make my mission easy’, because Allāh ﷻ can make the difficult easy,

“And make loose the knot (the defect) from my tongue,” (i.e. remove the incorrectness from my speech) [That occurred as a result of a brand of fire which Mūsā put in his mouth when he was an infant].(Tāhā – 20:25-27)

Mūsā had a problem with speech. We do not know what exactly; there’s that story of the charcoal and all of that, but there’s no evidence for it. Anyway, we know from the Nas of Qur’ān – from the text of Qur’ān, that Mūsā had a problem with the way he used to speak; either it was difficulty in pronouncing letters, or it was difficulty in expressing himself, or he was stuttering, Allāhu A’lam. But he had a certain defect in the way he used to speak, so he asked Allāh ﷻ, “and release one of the knots from my tongue.” He didn’t ask Allāh ﷻ to make him the most fluent, he asked Allāh ﷻ to release that knot, as much as he would need.

22 Mūsā عليه السالم did the Greatest Favour on his Brother Hārūn

‘Āisha was going to Hajj, and she heard some men talking outside. And one of them is asking, he is giving them a quiz. He said, “Man ammanun nāsi ‘alā akhi? – who did the greatest favour on his brother?” He is asking these men, “Who did the biggest favour to his brother?” ‘Āisha, from inside her Hawdij – from over the camels, she responded and said, “Mūsā. He is the one who did the biggest favour on his brother Hārūn”, because the biggest favour is that Mūsā asked Allāh ﷻ to make Hārūn a Prophet. What bigger favour could you do for your brother? He asked Allāh ﷻ, “Oh Allāh, make my brother a Prophet”. No brother has done his brother a favour like Mūsā has done to Hārūn.

“And appoint for me a helper from my family, Hārūn (Aaron), my brother.”(Tāhā – 20:29, 30)

23 The Rules of Brotherhood in Islam

And then notice here, the rules of brotherhood in Islam are in the following Āyāt. Why does he want help from his brother Hārūn?

To, “Increase my strength with him.”(Tāhā – 20:31)

Your brother and you are stronger together. That’s one purpose of brotherhood in Islam; you become stronger when you have a brother. When you are alone, you’re not as strong as when you have a brother. And that’s why Rasūlullāh ﷺ has always told us to be with the Jamā’ah. Don’t think that you can survive alone in the wilderness, outside. Outside it’s a jungle. It’s a jungle, and you need to be with the Muslims, because you are like sheep. Rasūlullāh ﷺ said, “the wolf eats from the stray sheep. The wolf will not attack the pack, the flock, but the wolf will attack the sheep which is alone.”(Sunan an-Nasa’i 847, -Mishkat al-Masabih 184, 185) Ashdud Bihi~ ‘Azrī, that’s number one. And then,

“And let him share my task (of conveying Allāh’s Message and Prophethood).”(Tāhā – 20:32) “So, he will help me in my task.” Brotherhood in Islam is not for worldly benefit, or gain. Brotherhood in Islam is for,

“That we may glorify You much, And remember You much, Verily! You are of us Ever a Well-Seer.”(Tāhā – 20:33-35)

We can worship you together. That’s why I want to have a brother; so that we can both worship Allāh ﷻ and make Tasbīh and Dhikr for Allāh ﷻ.

Allāh ﷻ said,

“You are granted your request, O Mūsā (Moses)!”(Tāhā – 20:36)

Allāh ﷻ granted him his request. Now, there are a few other points which Mūsā wants to ask Allāh ﷻ about. Mūsā has left Egypt because of the murder case that happened. There was a warrant against Mūsā. So, he wants to ask Allāh ﷻ about this. Allāh ﷻ says,

Mūsā said: “My Lord! I have killed a man among them, and I fear that they will kill me. And my brother Hārūn (Aaron) he is more eloquent in speech than me so send him with me as a helper to confirm me. Verily! I fear that they will belie me.”

Allāh said: “We will strengthen your arm through your brother, and give you both power, so they shall not be able to harm you, with Our Āyāt (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.), you two as well as those who follow you will be the victors.”(Al-Qaşaş – 28:33-35)

24 Manners of Da’wah [Invitation to Islām]

And Allāh ﷻ told Mūsā, now to go to Fir’aun. ‘Go with your brother to Fir’aun.’ And Allāh ﷻ gave him advice. Allāh ﷻ says,

“Go, both of you, to Fir’aun (Pharaoh), verily, he has transgressed (all bounds in disbelief and disobedience and behaved as an arrogant and as a tyrant). And speak to him mildly, perhaps he may accept admonition or fear Allāh.”(Tāhā – 20:43, 44)

And what is the advice? Allāh ﷻ said, “Qawlāan Layyināan – and speak to him mildly.” Layyināan means soft and mild. What is the wisdom behind that Allāh ﷻ says, “La`allahu Yatadhakkaru ‘Aw Yakhshá – perhaps he may accept admonition, or fear Allāh.” If you speak to someone mildly and softly, there is a possibility that he will fear Allāh ﷻ and he would remember. If you speak to them roughly, most likely they won’t. So Allāh ﷻ is telling Mūsā the manners of Da’wah; it has to be done in a soft manner, it has to be done in a mild way. That is how Da’wah should be done.

I want to mention one thing in regard to Da’wah here. Sometimes we think that part of being mild in Da’wah is to not threaten the other side or make them worry. Sometimes in our Da’wah, we tell the people about Islam, but we shy away from mentioning to them the consequences of not believing. We sometimes hold back telling the people, ‘If you don’t believe, this is what will happen to you. You will be in hellfire.’ We think that that is too harsh. Is that true or not? We find here the answer in the Āyāt. The Āyah that says, “Talk to Fir’aun in a mild fashion”, is Āyah 44 in Sūrah Tāhā.

Āyah 48 in Sūrah Tāhā, Allāh ﷻ is telling Mūsā and Hārūn, or actually, Mūsā is saying to Fir’aun,

“Truly, it has been revealed to us that the torment will be for him who denies [believes not in the Oneness of Allāh, and in His Messengers, etc.], and turns away.'(from the truth and obedience of Allāh)”(Tāhā – 20:48)

So Mūsā is telling Fir’aun, “I have received revelation that, if you don’t believe in Allāh ﷻ, you will be punished in hellfire.” Therefore, Allāh ﷻ tells us that we should be mild and soft in our Da’wah, but this is part of it. Why? Because this is part of the honesty of conveying the message. The Ambiyā of Allāh ﷻ have been given an Amānah – trust, and they have to be honest. They cannot hold back information from people. They have to tell them the truth, Bashīrāan Wa Nadhīrāan – to give them the glad tidings and to give them the warning; if you believe, you would receive Jannah, if you don’t believe you would receive hellfire.

Anyway, Mūsā and Hārūn said,

They said: “Our Lord! Verily! We fear lest he should hasten to punish us or lest he should transgress (all bounds against us).” Allāh ﷻ told them,

He (Allāh ﷻ) said: “Fear not, verily! I am with you both, hearing and seeing.”(Tāhā – 20:45,46)

25 The Conversations with Fir’aun

So Mūsā and Hārūn had different conversations with Fir’aun, and Allāh ﷻ mentions that in many parts of Qur’ān. We will talk about this one here. Allāh ﷻ, in many Āyāt mentions this. This one is in Sūrah Ash-Shu’arā’.

When Mūsā went to Fir’aun, and asked him to believe in Allāh ﷻ, Fir’aun immediately started reminding Mūsā with his previous crime, and he also started reminding Mūsā with his favours on him. Allāh ﷻ says,

[Fir’aun (Pharaoh)] said [to Mūsā (Moses)]: “Did we not bring you up among us as a child? And you did dwell many years of your life with us.(Ash-Shu’arā’ – 26:18) ‘I am the one who raised you up, I am the one who fed you, I am the one who took care of you, and this is what you end up doing to me?’

And the other thing he said,

“And you did your deed, which you did (i.e. the crime of killing a man).

And you are one of the ingrates.”(Ash-Shu’arā’ -26:19) ‘You were ungrateful! We took care of you, and then you ended up killing one of our people.’

The response of Mūsā was amazing, a very interesting response. Fir’aun has done Mūsā a favour, right? A big favour. He raised him up for years in his palace, as an adopted son, and took care of him for all of his life. How could you, now, come and talk to me this way? It’s a big favour. But look at the response of Sayyidnā Mūsā. He said,

“And this is the past favour with which you reproach me, that you have enslaved the Children of Israel.”(Ash-Shu’arā’ – 26:22)

What was the reason Mūsā was raised up in the house of Fir’aun? It is because of the oppression of Fir’aun to Banī Isrā’īl. If it wasn’t for that oppression, Mūsā would have been raised by his own parents, he did not need Fir’aun. The only reason why Mūsā was raised by Fir’aun, is because of the oppression of Fir’aun against Banī Isrā’īl, and because of that oppression, he ended up raising up Mūsā. Otherwise Mūsā would have been in his house, and his mother would not put him in the river.

His mother put him in the river because of the fear of Fir’aun. If Fir’aun was not a Dhālim [Oppressor], he would have been raised in his own house. So Mūsā is telling him, ‘What favour are you talking about? That’s not a favour. That is because of your oppression against Banī Isrā’īl. So don’t tell me that that’s a favour! And then you talk about the crime?’ Allāh ﷻ says,

Mūsā said: “I did it then, when I was an ignorant (as regards my Lord and His Message). So I fled from you when I feared you. But my Lord has granted me Hukmān (i.e. right judgement of the affairs and Prophethood), and appointed me as one of the Messengers.”(Ash-Shu’arā’ – 26:20, 21)

‘I was ignorant at that time and then I ran away from you, and then Allāh ﷻ has given me the message. So don’t hold me accountable for something that I did then, because at that time, I was ignorant. But now, I have the message from Allāh ﷻ, and He made me of the Messengers.’

26 Fir’aun Challenges Mūsā عليه السالم

Allāh ﷻ says,

Fir’aun (Pharaoh) said: “And what is the Lord of the ‘Alamin (mankind, jinns and all that exists)?”(Ash-Shu’arā’ – 26:23-25) Fir’aun said, ‘Who is the God of the worlds? Who is he? Who are you talking about? Who is your Lord?’ Allāh ﷻ says,

Mūsā (Moses) said: “Lord of the heavens and the earth, and all that is between them, if you seek to be convinced with certainty.”(Ash-Shu’arā’ – 26:23-25)

Mūsā is talking serious. He is saying, “Allāh ﷻ is the Lord of the heavens and the earth.” Fir’aun wants to turn it into a joke and entertainment, so he started making fun of Mūsā. Allāh ﷻ says,

Fir’aun said to those around: “Do you not hear (what he says)?”(Ash-Shu’arā’ – 26:23-25)

So, he is starting to make fool out of Sayyidnā Mūsā, mocking at Sayyidnā Mūsā عليه السالم . Mūsā did not respond to that, he was not side tracked. Mūsā continued and said,

Moses said: “Your Lord and the Lord of your ancient fathers!”(Ash-Shu’arā’ – 26:26-30)

Now Fir’aun got angry.

Fir’aun said: “Verily, your Messenger who has been sent to you is a madman!”(Ash-Shu’arā’ – 26:26-30) Now he started getting serious and angry and is accusing Sayyidnā Mūsā of insanity. Mūsā did not respond to that either and he continued. Look at the Dā’iyah [the caller to Islam].

Mūsā (Moses) said: “Lord of the east and the west, and all that is between them, if you did but understand!”(Ash-Shu’arā’ – 26:26-30)

And this is an important lesson of Da’wah; don’t protect your own self in Da’wah. We would be talking with somebody about Da’wah, giving them the message, they would attack us, we would start defending our own selves. And we would get into the conversation and the debate of defending our own selves. Fir’aun starts accusing him, Mūsā is continuing with the signs of Allāh ﷻ. And now Fir’aun goes from the next step; he started with mockery, and then accusing, and then, now threatening.

Fir’aun (Pharaoh) said: “If you choose an ilah (god) other than me, I will certainly put you among the prisoners.”(Ash-Shu’arā’ – 26:26-30)

Fir’aun said, “If you take any other lord besides me, I will throw you in jail”.

Mūsā said,

Mūsā said: “Even if I bring you something manifest (and convincing)?”(Ash-Shu’arā’ – 26:26-30)

“What if I bring you clear signs from Allāh ﷻ?” Fir’aun told him, “Show me what you have.” So, Mūsā threw his stick,

And behold, it was a serpent, manifest.(Ash-Shu’arā’ – 26:32-34) It turned into a snake.

And he drew out his hand, and behold, it was white to all beholders!(Ash-Shu’arā’ – 26:32-34)

‘And he took out his hand from under his arm, and it was white, for all of them around him.’ Now, Fir’aun said that Mūsā is a magician.

[Fir’aun (Pharaoh)] said to the chiefs around him: “Verily! This is indeed a well-versed sorcerer.”(Ash-Shu’arā’ – 26:32-34)

Allāh ﷻ has given Sayyidnā Mūsā the Āyāt. Fir’aun refused to follow the signs, which he has seen with his own eyes, and accused Mūsā of being a sorcerer, a magician. Fir’aun announced that he will gather all of the magicians of Egypt and bring them to challenge Sayyidnā Mūsā عليه السالم .

Allāh ﷻ says,

He [Fir’aun (Pharaoh)] said: “Have you come to drive us out of our land with your magic, O Mūsā?”(Tāhā – 20:57,58)

So, he accused Mūsā of trying to take over the government and drive them out of the land. This is the thing he accused Mūsā of doing; ‘Litukhrijanā Min ‘Arđinā – and you want to drive us out of our land, take over the government, and kick us out.’ He said, “You want to do that with your magic? We have stronger magic than yours.”

“Then verily, we can produce magic the like thereof; so appoint a meeting between us and you, which neither we, nor you shall fail to keep, in an open wide place where both shall have a just and equal chance (and beholders could witness the competition).”(Tāhā – 20:57,58)

‘We are going to bring you with magic similar to it, and better. So, let’s have an appointed time.’ Mūsā chose the day of Al-Zīnah – this is the festival of the people of Egypt. On that day, all of the people would gather together, and they would have a big celebration. Mūsā chose that day because he wants everybody to be there, and he wants everyone to see the signs of Allāh ﷻ. Allāh ﷻ says,

[Mūsā (Moses)] said: “Your appointed meeting is the day of the festival, and let the people assemble when the sun has risen (forenoon).”(Tāhā – 20:59,60)

‘The appointed time is your festival day, and we will meet in the early morning when all of the people come together, then we’re going to start our competition.’

27 Fir’aun Gathers All of the Magicians of Egypt

Allāh ﷻ says,

So Fir’aun (Pharaoh) withdrew, devised his plot and then came back.(Tāhā – 20:59,60)

‘Fir’aun left, and he brought together all of his strength and power.’

When Mūsā عليه السالم saw all of the magicians present, it says in another Āyah that Fir’aun has sent to all of the towns of Egypt to gather all of the magicians. He has sent his orders to bring all of the magicians from Egypt. What was the role of the magicians in Egypt?

First of all, we need to realize that Allāh ﷻ, when he sends a prophet, He provides the Nabī with miracles that challenge the people in their field of expertise. So, the people of Egypt, the most high-ranking science that they had, and their field of expertise was the field of magic. They were very powerful in that field, and maybe the world, until today, has never seen such powerful magic like what existed in Egypt. They were the top in magic. Fir’aun used to use the magicians to control and dominate the minds of the society. He would use them to influence and control the minds of people. So, they were working with Fir’aun, and that’s why they say in another Āyah,

And the magic to which you did compel us.(Tāhā – 20:73)

They were forced to learn this, and Fir’aun would have schools where they would teach them the magic, and then he would use it to control the minds of people through magic, and to give the people the impression that Fir’aun is God. And these magicians would commit these strange acts of magic, and they would do it in the name of Fir’aun, and that is how they controlled the lives of people in Egypt. But Fir’aun was very terrified from this single man: Sayyidnā Mūsā عليه السالم . So, he didn’t bring one magician, or two, he brought the best magicians that Egypt could offer, and there are different narrations, we don’t know how much for sure; Ibn Ishāq goes as far as saying fifteen thousand, but Ibn ‘Abbās says seventy. So, let’s go with the least, and that is the narration of Ibn ‘Abbās; seventy magicians.

These seventy magicians were standing in front of Mūsā. Mūsās point is not to win. His point is to give Dā’wah. So, he wanted to give them another chance. So Mūsā told them,

Mūsā (Moses) said to them: “Woe unto you! Invent not a lie against Allāh, lest He should destroy you completely by a torment. And surely, he who invents a lie (against Allāh ﷻ) will fail miserably.”(Tāhā – 20:61)

He is giving them another chance. He is saying, ‘This is a lie against Allāh ﷻ, and if you continue with that, you will end up failing.’ These words were discussed by the magicians. Allāh ﷻ says,

Then they debated with one another what they must do, and they kept their talk secret.(Tāhā – 20:62-66) They were discussing [the question], “Is this man really a Prophet, or is he the magician?” In the end, they settled the argument and said, “He is a magician, and this is our plan, and this is what we’re going to do.” And Fir’aun said, and they said with him,

They said: “Verily! These are two magicians. Their object is to drive you out from your land with magic, and overcome your chiefs and nobles. So, devise your plot, and then assemble in line. And whoever overcomes this day will be indeed successful.”(Tāhā – 20:62-66)

28 Mūsā and his Brother Hārūn Versus Fir’aun and his Magicians

He told them, “Assemble in a line.” So, imagine with me: this is a festival. All of the people of Egypt are there, surrounding this battlefield. On one side of the battlefield, seventy magicians, lined up with all of their equipment. And on the other side, Mūsā standing alone, and his brother behind him. Imagine the scene: seventy magicians, that is the minimum number, imagine it fifteen thousand, in ranks, lines, with all of their equipment, with all of their tools. And Mūsā, standing alone on the other side, and all of the people of Egypt are surrounding them and watching. And they devise their plan. Allāh ﷻ says,

They said: “O Mūsā! Either you throw first or we be the first to throw?” Mūsā said: “Nay, throw you (first)!” Then behold, their ropes and their sticks, by their magic, appeared to him as though they moved fast.(Tāhā – 20:62-66)

And these were not amateur magicians or weak in their field. These were strong professionals, and they were the best. Maybe the best, that the world has ever seen, in magic. Because Allāh ﷻ says in the other Āyah,

So when they threw, they bewitched the eyes of the people, and struck terror into them, and they displayed a great magic.(Al-A’rāf – 7:116)

Wa Astarhabūhum – they put fear in the hearts of people. Wa Jā’ū Bisiĥrin `Ažīmin – This is great magic. Imagine how powerful it would have been! First of all, Saĥarū ‘A`yuna An-Nāsi – the magic was on the eyes of men, meaning that these sticks and ropes weren’t really snakes, because we cannot give life to the dead. Therefore, it was an illusion; an optical illusion, that is what it is, because we do not control the difference between life and death, and that is Ar-Rūh [the soul]. Allāh ﷻ says,

And they ask you (O Muhammad ﷺ) concerning the Ruh (the Spirit);

Say: “The Ruh (the Spirit): it is one of the things, the knowledge of which is only with my Lord. And of knowledge, you (mankind) have been given only a little.”(Al-’Isrā’ – 17:85) ‘Tell them that the soul, the knowledge of the soul belongs to Allāh ﷻ, and you only have a little knowledge.’ This is something that only Allāh ﷻ controls. So, this magic was an illusion, but Allāh ﷻ says, “Wa Astarhabūhum” – when the people saw this, they were afraid and terrified. So, imagine, the people of Egypt surrounding this stadium or this battlefield, and all of them were afraid and terrified when they saw what the magician have done. What do you think the response of Mūsā would be? And he is with them in the field. Remember what happened before with Mūsā when his stick started moving. What happened? “Fa Wallá Mudbirāan Wa Lam Yu`aqqib – he ran away and he did not look back.” [Al-Qaşaş – 28:31].

And it was one stick. But now, look at the response of Mūsā. Seventy magicians, or fifteen thousand, throwing their sticks and their ropes. All the people around them are terrified, Allāh ﷻ says,

So Mūsā (Moses) conceived a fear in himself.(Tāhā – 20:67, 68)

Where did Mūsā conceive fear? In his heart, but it did not show on his reaction, it did not show on his action. It did not show at all on Sayyidnā Mūsā. It remained a natural human response in the heart, and Allāh ﷻ then said,

We (Allāh ﷻ) said: “Fear not! Surely, you will have the upper hand.”(Tāhā – 20:67, 68)

Before, he had fear in his heart and he acted upon it; he ran away and he didn’t look back. Now, it was a natural human fear in the heart, but it didn’t affect Sayyidnā Mūsā, and that is what Īmān does. You still go through the natural human reactions, or feelings, of fear and doubts, all of these things that come to the heart, but the believer is able to suppress them and is able to eliminate them. And that is the difference between the believer and the non-believer. So Mūsā, here, only conceived a little bit of fear in his heart, but it did not affect him whatsoever. And Allāh ﷻ, then, gave Mūsā Iţma’anān – He gave him tranquillity, so that small fear in the heart was eliminated and taken out of his heart. Now, the seventy magicians have their sticks and the ropes shaking and moving, and then Allāh ﷻ tells Mūsā,

“And throw that which is in your right hand! It will swallow up that which they have made. That which they have made is only a magician’s trick, and the magician will never be successful, no matter whatever amount (of skill) he may attain.”(Tāhā – 20:69)

“Throw what is in your right hand! Talqaf Mā Şana`ū – it will eat up everything that they made.” What is the difference between the stick of Mūsā and the sticks of the magicians? The difference is that the stick of Mūsā had a living soul in it, that transformed the stick into a real snake.

So, it ate up all of their ropes. Now, what was the response of the magicians? Who are the ones, among all of these people who are watching, who are the experts? Who are the ones who understand what is going on? The magicians. Fir’aun is stubborn; he knows the truth. ‘Astayqanat/hā ‘Anfusuhum – they knew it, he knew the truth, but he doesn’t want to believe. The people of Egypt, surrounding, are followers of Fir’aun; “Whatever Fir’aun says, we are going to follow him.” Fāstakhaffa Qawmahu Fa’aţā`ūhu – he belittled his people, so they followed him. But the ones who have understanding of the reality of the situation are the magicians. So, when they saw this, they understood that this is not magic. “We are the experts in magic. We know magic from A to Z, we know everything about it. This is not magic! This is a miracle from Allāh ﷻ.” So, when they saw that, their reaction was, Allāh ﷻ says,

So the magicians fell down prostrate. They said: “We believe in the Lord of Hārūn (Aaron) and Mūsā (Moses).”(Tāhā – 20:70) They made Sujūd to Allāh ﷻ and said, “Qālū ‘Āmannā Birabbi Hārūna Wa Mūsá – we believe in the Lord of Hārūn and Mūsā.” Fir’aun said,

Pharaoh said: “Believe you in him [Musa] before I give you permission?”(Tāhā – 20:71) Look at how much control Fir’aun had over people; he even wants them to take permission from him, when they want to become Muslim. ‘You have to get a permission, a permit, to believe in Mūsā.’ That is how much control Fir’aun had over the lives of people. Fir’aun then said,

“Verily! He is your chief who taught you magic.”(Tāhā – 20:71) “Mūsā is your teacher who taught you magic.” And then he threatened them and said,

“So I will surely cut off your hands and feet on opposite sides, and I will surely crucify you on the trunks of date-palms, and you shall surely know which of us [I (Fir’aun ) or the Lord of Mūsā (Allāh ﷻ)] can give the severe and more lasting torment.”(Tāhā – 20:71) And then notice what Fir’aun said,

“Surely, this is a plot which you have plotted in the city to drive out its people, but you shall come to know.”(Al-A’rāf – 7:123) “This is a conspiracy, between you and Mūsā, which you have agreed about in the town before you came here.” A blunt lie. He said, “This is a conspiracy. You were conspiring with Mūsā before you came here.”

Allāh ﷻ says in Sūrah Ash-Shu’arā’, that when the magicians came and had their first meeting with Fir’aun, the magicians were gathered from all over Egypt. When they arrived to Egypt and they had their first meeting with Fir’aun, what did they say? What was the first thing the magicians told Fir’aun when they met with him? Allāh ﷻ says,

So when the sorcerers arrived, they said to Fir’aun (Pharaoh): “Will there surely be a reward for us if we are the winners?”(Ash-Shu’arā’ – 26:41) “Are you going to reward us if we win?” So, they were in it for the money. That is why they came; they want the reward. What did Fir’aun say? Allāh ﷻ says,

He said: “Yes, and you shall then verily be of those brought near (to myself).”(Ash-Shu’arā’ – 26:42) So Fir’aun, not only is going to give them wealth, but he is going to give them power and position. They came for small worldly gain, and when they went into the field, Ibn Kathīr says, these magicians stood up,

So they threw their ropes and their sticks, and said: “By the might of Fir’aun (Pharaoh), it is we who will certainly win!”(Ash-Shu’arā’ – 26:44)

And they were chanting, “Bi`izzati Fir`awna ‘Innā Lanaĥnu Al-Ghālibūna! – In the name of Fir’aun, we are going to win! In the name of Fir’aun, we are going to win!” And they were chanting these words. These magicians, now, became believers, and Fir’aun told them, “I will kill you, and I will crucify you.” He will kill them in a cruel way. He is going to chop out their arms and their legs, and he is going to crucify them on palm trees. What was the response of the magicians now? Allāh ﷻ says,

They said: “We prefer you not over the clear signs that have come to us, and to Him (Allāh) Who created us. So decree whatever you desire to decree, for you can only decree (regarding) this life of the world.

Verily! We have believed in our Lord, that He may forgive us our faults, and the magic to which you did compel us. And Allāh is better as regards reward in comparison to your (Pharaohs)] reward, and more lasting (as regards punishment in comparison to your punishment).”(Tāhā – 20:72, 73)

‘The reward of Allāh ﷻ is better than yours.’ Look at what Īmān does. These same people, who came and were asking for money are now saying, “We are not only willing to give our wealth, but we are willing to give our life for the sake of Allāh ﷻ, because the reward of Allāh ﷻ is better.” That is what Īmān does. And if our Īmān is not carrying us to that level, then that means our Īmān is very weak, because with the magicians, their Īmān transformed them from people who came to beg from Fir’aun, to people who are willing to give their lives in the sake of Allāh ﷻ. That is because of Īmān. If our Īmān is not transforming us in that way, then we have a problem with our Īmān. If we are not willing to give in the sake of Allāh ﷻ, and to provide, and to sacrifice, what Īmān do we have? Because Dīn is Tadh’hiyah – it is sacrifice. And they died on Īmān, and they were Shuhadā. They died in the sake of Allāh ﷻ; these magicians who were committing one of the major crimes and sins of magic, Īmān transformed them, and Allāh ﷻ accepts the Tawbāh of anyone, and then they became Shuhadā in the end.

29 The Evil Advisors of Fir’aun

Now, things were getting a little bit difficult on Fir’aun because this embarrassing event happened in front of all of the people of Egypt. So, the evil advisors of Fir’aun came to him and said, “You need to do something. You can’t let things get out of control.” And these are the parasites living under Fir’aun, who are benefiting from the situation, benefiting from the status quo; because these oppressive leaders, they don’t exist in a vacuum. Adh-Dhalamah – the oppressors, these kings, they don’t live in a vacuum, they have an underlying power under them; they have chiefs – Al-Mala’, they have advisors, they have a government, they have people who are serving them and helping them, otherwise they can’t exist alone. And Fir’aun, even though he claimed to be God and he claimed to be ‘limulku Misr’ – the owner of Egypt, nevertheless, he still had to depend on these people under him. And these were parasites who are benefiting financially, and benefiting from the positions they are getting, under the leadership of Fir’aun, so they are looking for their benefit also. Allāh ﷻ says,

The chiefs of Fir’aun’s people said: “Will you leave Mūsā and his people to spread mischief in the land, and to abandon you and your gods?”(Al-A’rāf – 7:127)

‘Are you going to let this happen? Are you going to let this go?’ So, they pushed Fir’aun. So, he said,

He said: “We will kill their sons, and let live their women, and we have indeed irresistible power over them.”(Al-A’rāf – 7:127)

Didn’t Fir’aun issue this order before? When did he issue it? He issued it when Mūsā was born.

30 Banī Isrā’īl Complains about Mūsā عليه السالم

What did Banī Isrā’īl say when this issue was decreed?

They said: “We have received harm when you were born, and we are receiving harm from you now.” [Al-A’rāf – 7:129].

‘All this trouble is because of you. They were killing us in the beginning because of you, because of your birth. That is why our children were killed, and now our children are killed again, why? Because of you another time.’

And this is the nature of the people who are not willing to sacrifice anything for the sake of Allāh ﷻ. People who are already humiliated are crushed, and they don’t want to move ahead and they’re not willing to give anything. They want victory, they want success, they want position, but they’re not willing to pay the price for it.

31 The Muslim Ummah is One Ummah!

And, unfortunately, sometimes we are guilty of doing the same thing.

[A Muslim who asks:] “How come Islam is not established? How come there is no Khilāfah? How come?” And, this person, you find him, and he is not doing anything, and he is blaming the whole Ummah, and he is the only one who is innocent. [Complaining all the time:] “Look at the Muslims! Look at the Muslims!”, and he is speaking about everyone, but himself.

Why is the problem in Chechnya happening? Why is the problem in Iraq happening? Why is the problem in Palestine happening? Why is it happening in Kashmir? It is because of the faults of me and you! Don’t think that the problem of Kashmir, is a Kashmiri problem, or the problem of the Chechens is a Chechnyan problem, or the problem of Palestine is a Palestinian problem.

This is a problem of the Muslim Ummah, because Allāh ﷻ does not know [allow/ accept] these different states and nations. Allāh ﷻ knows one Ummah. ONE UMMAH! So, whenever there is a punishment, or there is a problem, or there is suffering in one part of the Ummah, it is a suffering for all of us. And we are all held responsible for it. So, the problems we are going through now, are because of us, and we are responsible for solving them.

They said: “We (Children of Israel) had suffered troubles before you came to us, and since you have come to us.”(Al-A’rāf – 7:129) But Mūsā told them,

“It may be that your Lord will destroy your enemy and make you successors on the earth, so that He may see how you act?”(Al-A’rāf – 7:129)

‘Allāh ﷻ will give you victory over your enemy, and Allāh ﷻ will give you Khilāfah, but you have to go through the sacrifice; that’s the natural path to achieve victory.’ And then Mūsā told his people in the Āyah before,

Mūsā said to his people: “Seek help in Allāh and be patient.” We have to be patient! “Verily, the earth is Allāh’s. He gives it as a heritage to whom He will of His slaves, and the (blessed) end is for the Muttaqun (pious).”(Al-A’rāf – 7:128)

32 Allāh ﷻ Sends Banī Isrā’īl More Signs – Drought and Scarcity of Fruits

Allāh ﷻ sent to Mūsā, Āyāt – signs. How many signs do we already know of up till this moment? Two, which are the stick and the hand. And the Āyāt in total were nine. Allāh ﷻ says,

And indeed We punished the people of Fir’aun with years of drought and shortness of fruits (crops, etc.), that they might remember (take heed).(Al-A’rāf – 7:130) So, these are another two signs, which are: the drought, and [the absence of fruits, ]they don’t have any fruits. So now we have four signs. And then we have another five mentioned in another Āyah. Allāh ﷻ is sending them Āyāt. And Allāh ﷻ says, “Whenever we send them a sign, we send them a following sign, which is greater than the one before it.”(Az-Zukhruf – 43:48) So Allāh ﷻ is sending them powerful signs. Why? For them to remember. The stick was not enough, the hand was not enough, so Allāh ﷻ sent on them drought; they would get no rain. And Naqşin Mina Ath-Thamarāti – they would have less fruits. Al-Hassan says, “These two signs, are one.” And he would replace another one with Al-Bahr; he would count the splitting of the sea as one sign. So, then we have five left.

Ok now, when these two signs occurred, Fir’aun and his people came to Mūsā and they told him, “Can you please ask you Lord to release us from this drought, and from this problem?” So, they sent him a delegation from the government to meet with Mūsā and tell him, “Please release us from this problem.” Mūsā made a Du’ā to Allāh ﷻ, so Allāh ﷻ provided them with rain and fruits again, but Fa ‘Idhā Hum Yankuthūna – they broke their promise to Mūsā. Allāh ﷻ says,

So We sent on them: the flood.(Al-A’rāf – 7:133, 134)

The next sign was the flood; Allāh ﷻ made the Nile River flood. So, it would flood on the banks, it would cover their fields, and then the water would stick there, so they cannot plant in the fields. The water doesn’t want to go anywhere. It was an amazing flood; it is a miracle.

The Nile River flooded, and the water went over the banks, and then the water stayed right there; it didn’t move so all of the fields were covered, so they cannot plant. So, they went to Mūsā, and they said,

And when the punishment fell on them, they said: “O Mūsā! Invoke your Lord for us because of His Promise to you. If you will remove the punishment from us, we indeed shall believe in you, and we shall let the Children of Israel go with you.”(Al-A’rāf – 7:133, 134)

Mūsā wanted two things:

1.He wanted them to believe,

2.and he wanted Fir’aun to release Banī Isrā’īl from the slavery.

Fir’aun said, ‘I will give you the two things you want from me: I’m going to believe, and I’m going to release the Children of Isrā’īl with you.’ Why was Fir’aun saying that? Because he needs Mūsā, otherwise his kingdom is going to be lost. They think in their interest. Interest rules.

So, they went to Mūsā, and they said, ‘Please ask Allāh ﷻ, your Lord, to release us from this punishment, and if you do so, we are going to believe in you and we are going to send Banī Isrā’īl.’ Mūsā made Du’ā to Allāh ﷻ, so the water receded.

32.1 The Sign of the Locusts/ Grasshoppers

Now they went to their fields, and they started planting again. They said, “We don’t know who you are, we are not going to believe, and we are not going to send Banī Isrā’īl.”

Allāh ﷻ sent on them another sign; after Aţ-Ţūfāna, Wa Al-Jarāda. Allāh ﷻ sent on them locusts, grasshoppers. Allāh ﷻ sent on them clouds of locusts that would block the sun, and these clouds would march over their fields, and eat anything they find in front of them. They would eat all of the plants, and the trees in the field; they would leave them dead, and then they would march on the houses and eat the wood. Miracle from Allāh ﷻ. Destruction that went over Egypt. Clouds of locusts marching over the land of Egypt, destroying everything.

They went to Mūsā begging, “Oh Mūsā! Ask Allāh ﷻ to release us from this punishment! We are going to believe and send Banī Isrā’īl with you.” So Allāh ﷻ released that punishment from them, Fa ‘Idhā Hum Yankuthūna – they broke their promise again. Allāh ﷻ says,

They said (to Mūsā): “Whatever Āyāt (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.) you may bring to us, to work there with your sorcery on us, we shall never believe in you.”(Al-A’rāf – 7:132)

Allāh ﷻ says about these people,

“If they see all the Āyāt (signs), they will not believe in them.”(Al-A’rāf – 7:146)

32.2 The Sign of the Lice/ Ticks

So Allāh ﷻ sent on them another sign, which is: Al-Qummala – lice or ticks. Allāh ﷻ sent on them lice and ticks; these insects that bite your body and they suck the blood. Allāh ﷻ sent these insects on them in millions. Millions! Their clothes would be filled inside with lice and ticks. When they would go in their beds, it would be lined up with lice and ticks. Wherever they go, these ticks are flying around in their houses and over their bodies. Their life became terrible and miserable. They couldn’t stand it. And who can release them from that? Allāh ﷻ. They went to Mūsā, Mūsā made Du’ā, Allāh ﷻ took away the punishment, but ‘Fa ‘Idhā Hum Yankuthūna – they broke their promise again.’ Subhān’Allāh, look at the insistence on Kufr.

32.3 The Sign of the Frogs

So Allāh ﷻ sent on them another sign: frogs. One of them would put his clothes on and frogs would jump on his body. He would open up his mouth to eat and a frog would hop in his mouth. He is eating his food; a frog would land right over it. He goes to bed; he is crushing frogs under him. Frogs wherever they go.

It says in the Tafsīr, that a group of them would be eating and frogs would jump in their food. They would open their mouths and their mouths would be filled with frogs. They went to Mūsā, “Oh Mūsā, release us from this punishment – ‘Adhāb, Rijz!”

Allāh ﷻ released them from this, but ‘Fa ‘Idhā Hum Yankuthūna – they broke the promise another time.’

32.4 The Sign of the Blood

So Allāh ﷻ then sent on them: Ad-Dama – blood. Allāhu A’lam what the exact punishment was in blood, but some of the Mufassirīn say, that the people of Fir’aun, the people of Egypt, would go and take water from the Nile River, by the time they reach home it is thick blood. They would take water out of their wells and by the time they want to drink it, it is thick blood. Banī Isrā’īl would take water from the Nile River, and they were drinking this water, they would take water from the wells, it would be water. With the Egyptians and the people of Fir’aun, it would turn into blood. What can they do? They need to drink. They went to Mūsā and said, “Release us from this punishment.” Allāh ﷻ released them from this punishment, but that was the last sign that they would receive.

33 The Arrogance of Fir’aun and his Insistence upon Kufr

Allāh ﷻ gave them enough chances, and they committed their Kufr with insistence, and they have seen all of the signs, and they were still on the Kufr of Allāh ﷻ. So Allāh ﷻ says, that Fir’aun after that, said,

And Fir’aun proclaimed among his people, saying: “O my people! Is not mine the dominion of Egypt, and these rivers flowing underneath me. See you not then? Am I not better than this one (Moses), who is Mahin [has no honour nor any respect, and is weak and despicable] and can scarcely express himself clearly?(Az-Zukhruf – 43:51, 52)

Fir’aun is saying, “Am I not better than this man, who is Mahīnun – who is degraded, who is weak?” He is saying this about Mūsā. “Wa Lā Yakādu Yubīnu – he is not even able to speak”; he is making fun of the speech of Mūsā, because we said Mūsā had a problem in speaking. Fir’aun was making fun of that. And then, look at the standards of Fir’aun. Fir’aun is saying that he is Mahīnun – he is degraded, he is low class. Fir’aun says,

“Why then are not golden bracelets bestowed on him, or angels sent along with him?”(Az-Zukhruf – 43:53)

‘How come Mūsā does not have any gold bracelets?’ Look at the standard of thinking of Fir’aun. ‘How come he doesn’t have any gold? Why is he poor? Why doesn’t he have angels with him? Why does he need to seek assistance from the weak slaves of Banī Isrā’īl?’ That is the way they think.

34 The Acceptance of Oppression is a Sign of Corruption

Allāh ﷻ says,

Thus he (Pharaoh) befooled and misled his people, and they obeyed him. Verily, they were ever a people who were Fasiqun (rebellious, disobedient to Allāh).(Az-Zukhruf – 43:54) Allāhu Akbar, we need to understand this Āyah!

Fir’aun misled his people and they obeyed him. Fir’aun treated them with humiliation, and they obeyed him. Why? ‘Innahum Kānū Qawmāan Fāsiqīna – because they were corrupt people. Any people who would fall into the trap of following a man like Fir’aun, are corrupt. Any people who receive the oppression, and then they give loyalty to that king or leader are corrupt. How could you give loyalty to a man like Fir’aun, who was oppressive – Dhālim? That is because of their corruption. If they were not corrupt, they would not agree to live under the dominion, under the rule, of Fir’aun. And this Āyah describes a lot; when the leaders belittle the people and treat them with humility, and the people follow them, that’s a sign of their corruption.

35 The Youth Followed Mūsā عليه السالم

Allāh ﷻ says,

But none believed in Musa except the offspring of his people, because of the fear of Fir’aun and his chiefs, lest they should persecute them; and verily, Fir’aun (Pharaoh) was arrogant tyrant on the earth, he was indeed one of the Musrifun (polytheists, sinners and transgressors, those who give up the truth and follow the evil, and commit all kinds of great sins).(Yūnus – 10:83) ‘But none believed in Mūsā except the offspring of his people.’ Dhurrīyatun means young. Who are the people who believed in Mūsā? The young!

There are two Tafsīr given of this Āyah:

1.Either it is talking about the young of Banī Isrā’īl; meaning that the youth of Banī Isrā’īl followed Mūsā, but the elders didn’t.

2.The other Tafsīr is that all of Banī Isrā’īl followed Mūsā and some of the youth of the people of Egypt also followed him.

And these are the ones who followed Rasūlullāh ﷺ, and these are the ones who follow the Ambiyā; they are the youth. Because the elders are already established; they have a business, they have a wife, they have children, they have a job, they’re not willing to sacrifice any of that and follow a Nabi. So, they’re willing to live subdued, as long they will still have the wealth, and the family, and the kids. And the ones who are willing to sacrifice and go ahead and give to Allāh ﷻ, are the youth.

“But even though they still had fear that Fir’aun would kill them” This regime was unbelievable. I mean, people would hear the name of Fir’aun, their knees would shake. It was a very difficult situation. Allāh ﷻ says, “Fir’aun was an arrogant tyrant on the earth, and he was indeed one of Al-Musrifīna. Al-Musrifīna are the ones who transgress the bounds. He was powerful, a powerful tyrant, so even these youth who followed him still had fear from Fir’aun; that he might kill them.

36 The Path of Suffering and Difficulty Requires Tawakkul

Sayyidnā Mūsā عليه السالم was beginning to feel that the end with Fir’aun is soon. He has given him all of the signs which he received from Allāh ﷻ, nevertheless, Fir’aun is still insisting on disbelief. And things were becoming more difficult on Banī Isrā’īl. So Allāh ﷻ says,

And Mūsā said: “O my people! If you have believed in Allāh, then put your trust in Him if you are Muslims (those who submit to Allāhs Will).”(Yūnus – 10:84)

He is preparing them. ‘Put your trust in Allāh ﷻ, have Tawakkul in Allāh ﷻ.’ Because Mūsā knows that this path, is a path of difficulty and suffering. So, he is telling his people, “You need to have Tawakkul.” And Banī Isrā’īl said,

They said: “In Allāh we put our trust. Our Lord! Make us not a trial for the folk who are Zalimun (polytheists and wrong-doing) (i.e. do not make them overpower us).(Yūnus – 10:85) What does this mean: “Oh Allāh! Do not make us Fitnah for the non-believers”?

The Mufassirīn give a few meanings to that:

1.One meaning of ‘Lā Taj`alnā Fitnatan is, ‘Don’t give the non-believ- ers the ability to make for us Fitnah in our religion and drive us out of Islam. That’s one meaning. So, they’re asking Allāh ﷻ to give them firmness and Sabr, so that they would not lose under the op- pression of Až-Žālimīn.

2.Another meaning is, ‘Don’t make us the cause of their disbelief.’ These oppressors or wrongdoers would see that we are weak, and poor, and enslaved, and they would refuse and reject Islam because of that. So don’t make us the cause for the disbelief of the disbelievers.

And then they said,

“And save us by Your Mercy from the disbelieving folk.”(Yūnus – 10:86) Mūsā received Wāhi from Allāh ﷻ. Allāh ﷻ is telling him, “Mark the houses of Banī Isrā’īl”. Mark them either with certain code, or sign, or have a certain flag on them. Or it could mean that, we need a map of where the houses of Banī Isrā’īl are. Regardless of what it means, the essence of this Āyah, or the understanding that we get from this Āyah, is that Mūsā and Banī Isrā’īl, they knew the houses of each other; whether it is with a certain mark or a flag, or they knew the directions. Anyway, somehow, they knew. Allāh ﷻ is telling Mūsā, “Tell your people to mark the houses, in some way or another.” The Tafsīr give different meanings to that, but Allāhﷻ says,

And We inspired Mūsā (Moses) and his brother (saying): “Take dwellings for your people in Egypt.”(Yūnus – 10:87) This is one order.

The second order that Mūsā عليه السالم received in this revelation is,

And make your dwellings as places for your worship, and perform As-Salāt (Iqāmat-as-Salāt).(Yūnus – 10:87) Turn your houses into Masājid.

What is a Masjid? The word Masjid is from Sujūd. Masjid is a place where you make a lot of Sujūd. And that’s why our Worship places are called Masājid, because we make a lot of Sujūd in them. So, this means that Allāh ﷻ is telling Banī Isrā’īl to make their houses, centres of worship, centres of Sujūd to Allāh ﷻ. Wa ‘Aqīmū Aş-Şalāata – and establish prayer. Why? Because difficult moments are lying ahead.

What would Rasūlullāh ﷺ do when he was facing difficulty? He would pray. Whenever Rasūlullāh ﷺ would be in a difficult situation, he would immediately rush into Salāh.

So Allāh ﷻ is telling Banī Isrā’īl, “You need to prepare yourselves, and you need to make a lot of Sujūd, and you need to turn your houses into places of ‘Ibādah, and you need to establish Salāh. And then in the end,

And give glad tidings to the believers.(Yūnus – 10:87) The victory is soon.

37 Mūsā عليه السالم Makes Du’ā Against Fir’aun and his Chiefs

Mūsā made his Du’ā against Fir’aun, but he did not do it until he exhausted all means possible. He used every possible mean. “He was presented with all of Our signs, but he disbelieved in them and rejected them.”

Mūsā tried everything possible: soft words, presenting him with nine Āyāt, one after another, giving him Targhīb [encouragement], and giving him Tarhīb [warning]; nothing worked with Fir’aun. In the end, when Mūsā used all possible means, only then Mūsā made the Du’ā against Fir’aun. And what did he say?

And Mūsā said: “Our Lord! You have indeed bestowed on Fir’aun and his chiefs splendor and wealth in the life of this world, our Lord! That they may lead men astray from Your Path.”(Yūnus – 10:88)

Mūsā is saying, ‘Oh Allāh, you’ve given Fir’aun a lot, but they are using this wealth to mislead people from your path. This wealth, which is in the hands of Fir’aun, is not used for Your sake, but it’s used against Your religion.’

“Our Lord! Destroy their wealth, and harden their hearts, so that they will not believe until they see the painful torment.”(Yūnus – 10:88)

‘This wealth, which they are using against Islam and against Your religion, oh Allāh destroy it –“Wa Ashdud `Alá Qulūbihim – and harden their hearts.”

Mūsā is making Du’ā, saying, ‘Don’t guide Fir’aun! Oh, Allāh do not guide him, don’t make him believe until he sees the punishment, until it is too late.’ It is an interesting Du’ā, because we usually, always make Du’ā, “Oh Allāh, guide.” Mūsā, over here, is making a Du’ā, “Oh Allāh don’t make him believe until he sees the painful punishment in front of his eyes”, but then it’s too late. This Du’ā was not made in the first year or the second year, this Du’ā was made when Mūsā reached to the conclusion, that there is no hope in Fir’aun. He tried every means possible.

And why is he making this Du’ā? Because he has seen that Fir’aun and the evil of Fir’aun, it is going to cause the misleading of the believers. So, the Maslahah – the interest is in destroying Fir’aun and getting rid of him, because he has become a cause of misguidance for the guided.

And that is why, Mūsā and Nūh were the two Ambiyā whom Rasūlullāh ﷺ said were strong and were harsh on the non-believers. And then who were the two ones which were mild? ‘Īsā and who? ‘Īsā and ‘Ibrāhīm. And that is why in one Hadīth, Rasūlullāh ﷺ says that “You, Abū Bakr, you are similar to ‘Īsā and ‘Ibrāhīm. And you, ‘Umar, you are similar to Mūsā and Nūh”(Imam Ahmad 3625), because Nūh has also made a Du’ā, “Oh Allāh ﷻ destroy the non-believers.” While we know that Sayyidnā ‘Īsā and Sayyidnā ‘Ibrāhīm, they always were giving another chance. Allāh ﷻ said,

“Verily, the invocation of you both is accepted.”(Yūnus – 10:89)

Who was making the Du’a in the Āyah before? It was Mūsā عليه السالم , but in the following Āyah, Allāh ﷻ says, “Verily the invocation of you both is accepted.” So why does it say, “The two of you?”

The Mufassirīn say that Mūsā was making the Du’ā, and Hārūn was saying, “Āmīn”. That’s the explanation that the Mufassirīn give. Therefore, the Du’ā was actually done by both; even though Mūsā was the one who was saying it, but Hārūn was saying, “Āmīn”, and that’s why, when we are in Salāh and the Imām is making Du’ā, it is all of us who are making Du’ā together, because when you say ‘Āmīn’, and that’s why we say after Al-Fātihah, “Āmīn”. What is the Du’ā in Al-Fātihah that we say ‘Āmīn’ for?

Guide us to the Straight Way.(Al-Fātihah – 1:6)

So, all of us say, “Āmīn”, which means, “Oh Allāh, accept!”.

38 Banī Isrā’īl Were Told to Leave Their Houses at Night

And We inspired Mūsā, saying: “Take away My slaves by night, verily, you will be pursued.”(Ash-Shu’arā’ – 26:52)

Now we understand why the houses were marked; because the order of Allāh ﷻ to Banī Isrā’īl to leave, will be sudden. So Mūsā needs to know where the homes of Banī Isrā’īl are located, so that they can immediately leave when the order of Allāh ﷻ comes, because Fir’aun was preventing them from leaving; Fir’aun has taken them as slaves and servants, so he doesn’t want to release Banī Isrā’īl.

One of the things that Mūsā has called Fir’aun to, from the first meeting that he had with him, “’An ‘Arsil Ma`anā Banī ‘Isrā’īla – send with me the children of Isrā’īl.” ‘Release them!’ So, when the order of Allāh ﷻ was revealed for Mūsā to leave with the children of Isrā’īl, they have to have a plan, already prepared, so that they could leave suddenly, without Fir’aun knowing. So, the commandment from Allāh ﷻ came in the form of revelation to Sayyidnā Mūsā عليه السالم . Allāh ﷻ revealed the order to him, ‘An ‘Asri Bi`ibādī – means leave at night-time. So, they left at night-time; all of them. We don’t know exactly how many they were, but the Mufassirīn, say, that they were 600 000 fighters, and then add to that: the women, and the children and the old. So, this was a huge nation, and they say that they have been in Egypt for a little over 400 years, because how did Banī Isrā’īl get into Egypt? With Yūsuf عليه السالم and his 11 brothers. They lived in Egypt, and they multiplied, and within 400 years they were a nation of 600.000. So, this nation left at night-time. The news was conveyed to Fir’aun, and his spies obviously knew about it.

39 Fir’aun and his Army Pursue Mūsā عليه السالم and Banī Isrā’īl

So Allāh ﷻ says,

Then Fir’aun sent callers to (all) the cities. (Saying): “Verily! These indeed are but a small band. And verily, they have done what has enraged us; But we are host all assembled, amply fore-warned.”(Ash-Shu’arā’ – 26:53-56)

Let us look at these Āyāt: Fir’aun is now mobilising his army, he is gathering and collecting his soldiers to follow Banī Isrā’īl. Banī Isrā’īl left, and look at what Fir’aun says, “These are a small group”, that’s number one.

He said, “And they are enraging us; But we are all going to be cautious.” Fir’aun, even though he is saying, “They are a small group”, but he is saying that “We are going to prepare for this a lot, and we are going to gather all of our army for the purpose.”

I find that a little bit similar to the situation in the world today. They always say that the Islamic fundamentalists are few; it’s not a lot of people. Nevertheless, they are having high profile meetings all over the world to counter their effect. And you find that the biggest leaders of the world will come together to discuss the children who are throwing rocks in Palestine. Kids who are throwing stones in Palestine, you would find the presidents and the kings of the world, coming and discussing, “How can we deal with this problem?” They say they are a small group, kids, children.

It’s very similar to what Fir’aun did; even though it’s a small group, but Allāh ﷻ puts the fear in the hearts of the enemy from the believer, even if it’s a small group. Allāh ﷻ says,

So, We expelled them from gardens and springs. Treasures, and every kind of honourable place.(Ash-Shu’arā’ – 26:57, 58)

Fir’aun was gathering all of his army. Notice, Fir’aun was gathering not half of it, not 75%, he was gathering all of his army. But Allāh ﷻ says, “We expelled them from gardens and springs.” Allāh ﷻ was expelling them, Fir’aun was gathering all of his army to follow Mūsā. Allāh ﷻ wanted Fir’aun to gather all of his army, so that they can all be expelled. Allāh ﷻ says,

Thus [We turned them (Pharaoh’s people) out] and We caused the Children of Israel to inherit them. So they pursued them at sunrise.(Ash-Shu’arā’ – 26:59-61)

Mūsā and Banī Isrā’īl left at dark, at night. Fir’aun and his army were ready by the morning. Fir’aun and his army have better equipment, stronger weapons, more powerful weapons, a larger army. So, they were able to catch up, they were faster than Mūsā and Banī Isrā’īl.

Mūsā and Banī Isrā’īl were travelling East, and Fir’aun and his army was following them. Mūsā and Banī Isrā’īl reached to the Red Sea; actually, they were moving and Fir’aun is behind them, following them, and then the group of Banī Isrā’īl, the end of the group of Banī Isrā’īl, the ones who are towards the end, they started seeing in the back, in the horizon, Fir’aun and his army. And they kept on trying to move as fast as they can, but then suddenly the Red Sea was in front of them so they couldn’t move.

And now, Banī Isrā’īl are looking to their back, and they see that Fir’aun is coming closer and closer, and they look to the front, and they find the Red Sea. What was the reaction of Banī Isrā’īl?

40 Mūsā Has Absolute Trust (Tawakkul) in the Promise of Allāh ﷻ

Allāh ﷻ says,

And when the two hosts saw each other, the companions of Mūsā (Moses) said: “We are sure to be overtaken.”(Ash-Shu’arā’ – 26:59-61)

“The sea is in front us, Fir’aun is behind us, we are dead!” And it is said that there are mountains on the side; there is no where we can go. It is said that Mūsā was towards the end. So, Mūsā, Hārūn and Yūsha’ Bin Nūn made it all the way to the front to the sea, and they stood there. Banī Isrā’īl are looking at Fir’aun, he’s coming closer and closer and they’re putting pressure on Mūsā, “What are you doing?! They’re going to overtake us; they’re going to kill us! The sea is in front of us, Fir’aun is towards our back, mountains on the side.” Mūsā does not believe all of this. Allāh ﷻ says,

[Mūsā] said: “Nay, verily! With me is my Lord, He will guide me.”(Ash-Shu’arā’ – 26:62)

He does not believe what he sees, he does not believe what he hears, but he believes the unseen, which he can neither hear nor see. The sea is in front of him, the army of Fir’aun is towards his back, mountains on the side, where can he go? What can he do? Mūsā is saying, “Kallā – Nay, ‘Inna Ma`iya Rabbī Sayahdīni – I believe in Allāh ﷻ, that he will guide me.”

Allāh ﷻ has promised me, I believe in the promise of Allāh ﷻ.’ Fir’aun is closing in and he’s getting closer and closer, and they can start seeing the individual soldiers of the army of Fir’aun right towards their back, and they’re putting pressure. Banī Isrā’īl are putting pressure on Mūsā and they’re telling him, “What are you doing?” And imagine the situation of the leadership in that situation; he is telling them, “Allāh ﷻ has promised me that He will guide us”, and they see Fir’aun is catching up on them, and he’s still telling them, “No, ‘Inna Ma`iya Rabbī Sayahdīni – I believe in Allāh ﷻ, I don’t believe what you’re saying and I don’t believe that Fir’aun will be able to overtake us.” A test from Allāh ﷻ.

In that difficult moment, that is when the victory of Allāh ﷻ descends. When things become very difficult and people start failing, like what happened with Banī Isrā’īl, because they failed in this test. It is a test for the believers and the ones who were able to pass it are: Mūsā, Hārūn and Yūsha’ Bin Nūn and some of the other elders and leaders of Banī Isrā’īl.

41 The Stick of Mūsā عليه السالم and the Splitting of the Sea

Then Allāh ﷻ revealed his order,

Then We inspired Mūsā (Moses) (saying): “Strike the sea with your stick.” And it parted, and each separate part (of that sea water) became like the huge, firm mass of a mountain.(Ash-Shu’arā’ – 26:63) Mūsā hit the sea with his stick. Allāh ﷻ says, “Fakāna Kullu Firqin Kālţţawdi Al-`Ažīmi – the sea split up, and every portion was like a huge mountain.”

Mūsā is seeing in front of his eyes this water spins up and break into two pieces and then stand up like two huge mountains: in front of his eyes and in front of the eyes of Banī Isrā’īl. They are seeing another Āyah [miracle, Sign] in front of their eyes.

And then Allāh ﷻ says in Sūrah Tāhā, Āyah 77, “Yabasāan”. The bottom, the basin of the sea is wet, there’s water in it and its mud. How can they walk on it? Allāh ﷻ made it dry. Not only did the sea split, but also the basin became dry. It is said that some wind came, and it took all of the moisture away from it, so it was firm – Yabasāan, Allāh ﷻ says, “Dry”; prepared for Mūsā and Banī Isrā’īl. Mūsā stood and he made all of Banī Isrā’īl pass through, and then he was the last one to go. When they reached to the other side, Mūsā hit the sea with his stick because he wanted to close it. He hit the sea with his stick, and what divided the sea? The stick. But is it really the stick that divided the sea? It is Allāh ﷻ. If you take a stick and you hit it with the water, what will happen? You will splash water; you will just wet your clothes. It is not the stick that divided the sea, it is the will of Allāh ﷻ that divided the sea. So why did Mūsā have to use the stick? Allāh ﷻ will not give you victory until you do your part, and if the most you could do is hit the water with your stick, then do it. The victory of Allāh ﷻ will not come until you do your part. But Allāh ﷻ wants Mūsā to do his part, and we are complaining that the victory is not here? And the reason is because we are not doing our part. Allāh ﷻ is going to perform miracles, and He is going to give His victory to the ones who He loves; to the Awliyā of Allāh ﷻ, but they need to do their part.

Rasūlullāh ﷺ put the believers in the battle of Badr in ranks, he fixed them together, he did everything that is humanly possible, and then what did he do? He went on a hill, and he started making Du’ā. He did everything that he can do, and now it’s time to ask help from Allāh ﷻ. Allāh ﷻ sent down 2000 angels to fight with them. They had to go out, and they had to take all preparations possible. Everything humanly possible, and then when they fulfilled that, then they make Tawakkul on Allāh ﷻ and Allāh ﷻ will give the victory.

42 Allāh ﷻ Drowns Fir’aun and his Soldiers in front of Banī Isrā’īl

So Allāh ﷻ wants Mūsā to do his part; the best he can do is hit the water with his stick. Now Mūsā عليه السالم , on the other side, thinks that the stick can close it again, so he’s hitting the water with his stick, and he’s splashing water but it’s not moving. Allāh ﷻ told Mūsā,

And leave the sea as it is (quiet and divided).(Ad-Dukhān – 44:24)

Why did Mūsā عليه السالم want to close the sea? To prevent Fir’aun from coming. Mūsā is planning. Allāh ﷻ told him, “Wa Atruki Al-Baĥra Rahwan – leave the sea alone”. Why? ‘Innahum Jundun Mughraqūna – because they are going to drown. After all of Banī Isrā’īl passed and Mūsā passed, Fir’aun and his army, they went through the basin, all of them. And when all of the army of Fir’aun was on the basin of the sea, all of them: from Fir’aun to the last soldier, then Allāh ﷻ told the water to return to its natural state of water again. And it closed on Fir’aun and his army because the state of water changed for a temporary moment. Water is water, but Allāh ﷻ made it change for a while. Allāh ﷻ gave it different qualities and then Allāh ﷻ told the water to return to its natural state of being water again, and Allāh ﷻ destroyed Fir’aun with one of his soldiers, and that’s an interesting soldier. Allāh ﷻ destroyed Fir’aun with a source of life, which is Water. Allāh ﷻ can use it as a soldier.

So, it destroyed Fir’aun, and it says in the Tafsīr that the body of Fir’aun was spinning up and down in the water, in front of the eyes of Banī Isrā’īl so that they can see the fate of the enemy of Allāh ﷻ; the tyrant Fir’aun. Fir’aun who said, “I am your lord, most high.”(An-Nāzi’āt – 79:24) I know not that you have an ilah (a god) other than me.(Al-Qaşaş – 28:38), was drowning in front of their eyes.

43 The Fulfilment of the Du’ā of Mūsā عليه السالم

And now, the fulfilment of the Du’ā of Mūsā. When Fir’aun saw the punishment of Allāh ﷻ, Fir’aun raised up his finger and he said,

Till when drowning overtook him, he said: “I believe that La ilaha illa (Huwa): (none has the right to be worshipped but) He,” in Whom the Children of Israel believe, and I am one of the Muslims (those who submit to Allah’s Will).”(Yūnus – 10:90) “I believe that there is no God, but the God of the Children of Isrā’īl, and I am a Muslim.” He believed in Islam, but he believed when it was too late because Rasūlullāh ﷺsays, “Ta’arraf ilā Allāhi fī Al- ra’khā’i ya’rifuka fī al-shaddah – remember Allāh in moments of ease, Allāh will remember you in moments of difficulty.”(Hadīth 19, 40 Hadīth an-Nawawi)

Fir’aun did not remember Allāh ﷻ in moments of ease; he had wealth, he did not remember Allāh ﷻ, he had health, he did not remember Allāh ﷻ, he had life, he did not remember Allāh ﷻ, he had power, he did not remember Allāh ﷻ, he had youth, he did not remember Allāh ﷻ. But now when he’s facing death, when he was seeing the angels of Allāh ﷻ descending on him, he said, “I believe.” Allāh ﷻ said,

Now (you believe) while you refused to believe before and you were one of the Mufsidun (evil-doers, corrupts, etc.).(Yūnus – 10:91)

‘When you have disbelieved before and you have committed corruption?’

44 The Body of Fir’aun Left as a Sign for the People on Earth

So this day We shall deliver your (dead) body (out from the sea) that you may be a sign to those who come after you! And verily, many among mankind are heedless of Our Āyāt (verses, signs, revelations, etc.).(Yūnus – 10:92)

Allāh ﷻ said, ‘Your Tawbāh is not accepted when the soul is already coming out, and you see the angels in front of your eyes’, it’s too late.

Jibrīl عليه السالم came to Muhammad ﷺ and said, “If you have just seen me when Fir’aun was drowning and I was stuffing his mouth with mud, so that the mercy of Allāh ﷻ would not come on him.”(Jāmi’ At-Tirmidhi Vol. 5, Book 44, Hadith 3107)

Look at how much, not only Mūsā hated Fir’aun, even Jibrīl. Jibrīl said that he was stuffing dirt in the mouth of Fir’aun, when he saw that he wants to say Lā ilāha ill Allāh, he started stuffing that dirt in his mouth so that the mercy would not come on this man. You can see that this man was unbelievable, he was a tyrant. For Mūsā to make such a Du’ā against him, and to say, “Oh Allāh don’t guide him!”, and for Jibrīl عليه السالم , the angel who would come with Al-Wāhi from Allāh ﷻ to the Ambiyā. Jibrīl is stuffing the dirt in his mouth so that he cannot speak. That is how bad the tyranny of Fir’aun was. Allāh ﷻ destroyed Fir’aun. And Allāh ﷻ says, “Today we will preserve your body.” Why? “So that you can be a sign for the people after you.” The body of Fir’aun is being carried from one place to another around the world, mummified. Allāh ﷻ has saved that body, and one of the researchers said they made some research on the body of Fir’aun; they found a very high concentration of salt in it, he drowned in salt water. Allāh ﷻ said that we preserved the body of Fir’aun, not to show you the glory of the Fir’aunic civilisation, not for you to put him in a museum and you go and visit to see the magnificent heritage of Fir’aun, not to go and take pictures of the body of Fir’aun, to show how great that civilisation was. Fir’aun, who was the worst whom Allāh ﷻ kept his body so that it would be a sign for us. The people are treating his body and his existence the exact opposite way of how it was intended. And that’s why Allāh ﷻ closes this Āyah with, “but most of the people are unaware of our signs.” People in the world today are unaware of this sign of Allāh ﷻ. Fir’aun was left behind to be a reminder for us for what will happen to Al-Kāfirīn. This is the end result, that is what will happen to them.

45 ‘Āsiyah, the wife of Fir’aun and the Queen of Egypt

There’s something that I want to mention about Mūsā and Fir’aun.

From the people of Fir’aun, very few followed the Dā’wah of Sayyidnā Mūsā. One of them was Mu’min Āl Fir’aun, and the story is mentioned in Qur’ān and it’s a long story. And his story, Inshā’Allāh, we can talk about it in a separate series about Al-Qasas Al-Qur’āni – the stories of Qur’ān. And then there’s also ‘Āsiyah, Imra’atu Fir’aun, who believed; ‘Āsiyah, the wife of Fir’aun. She believed in Allāh ﷻ and the message of Sayyidnā Mūsā. And ‘Āsiyah is the one who raised up Sayyidnā Mūsā, so for him she was like his second mother. And Allāh ﷻ talked about ‘Āsiyah in Qur’ān and Rasūlullāh ﷺ also mentioned her in few Ahādīth. Allāh ﷻ says,

And Allāh has set forth an example for those who believe, the wife of Fir’aun, when she said: “My Lord! Build for me a home with You in Paradise, and save me from Fir’aun and his work, and save me from the people who are Zalimun (wrong-doers and disbelievers in Allāh).(At-Tahrīm – 66:11)

She made a Du’ā to Allāh ﷻ, which is an interesting Du’ā. She said, “Rabbi Abni Lī `Indaka Baytāan Fī Al-Jannati – Oh Allāh build for me a house in Jannah.” You might be amazed; why did she specifically ask for a house in Jannah? Why specifically a house? If you would look at her situation that she would live in, then you would understand why she is asking for a house. She was living in the palace of Fir’aun; she’s the queen, she has everything a woman seeking Dunyā would ask for, she has everything that Dunyā can offer, but the thing that was missing there was Islam and Īmān. So, she was living in that place like an alien or a stranger who doesn’t belong there. She was saying, “Oh Allāh, build for me a house in Jannah.” ‘I’m not going to live in it now but one day, Inshā’Allāh, I’ll be able to be there. So, prepare it for me, build it for me.’ And then after that, she said, “Wa Najjinī Min Fir`awna Wa `Amalihi – and save me from Fir’aun and his deeds”. So, build for me a house in Jannah, and then take me out of this environment, this place.

She has gold, she has silver, she has the servants. She is the queen over Egypt, but she’s saying, “Oh Allāh take me out of this environment. I don’t want to be there!”. “Wa Najjinī Mina Al-Qawmi Až-Žālimīna – and take me away from these oppressive people.”

And that is why ‘Āsiyah qualified to be one of the four women whom Rasūlullāh ﷺ praised in a Hadīth. Rasūlullāh ﷺ says, “The men who were complete were many, but the women who were complete were only four.” Rasūlullāh ﷺ said, “These four were:

1.Maryam, Ibnatu ‘Imrān [the daughter of Imrān]

2.‘Āsiyah, Imra’atu Fir’aun [the wife of Fir’aun]

3.Khadījah [the wife of Rasūlullāh ﷺ]

4.Fātimah [the daughter of Rasūlullāh ﷺ](Musnad Ahmad 2663, – Jāmi’ At-Tirmidhi 1834, – Sahih al-Bukhari 3433)

And we find that these four women are related, in some way or another to an Ambiyā. Two of them raised up Ambiyā, and one of them was a wife of a Nabī, and the other one was the daughter of a Nabī.

Maryam and ‘Āsiyah raised up Ambiyā; Maryam raised up ‘Īsā, and ‘Āsiyah raised up Mūsā. And Khadījah is the wife of a Nabī, and Fātimah bintu Muhammad is the daughter of the leader of the Ambiyā, Muhammad ﷺ. These are the only four, complete women.

‘Āsiyah believed in the message of Sayyidnā Mūsā, so did Mu’min Āl Fir’aun [Family of Pharaoh], and then the rest, if we would take the Tafsīr of,

But none believed in Mūsā (Moses) except the offspring of his people,(Yūnus – 10:83)

that that would mean some children from the people of Fir’aun. And there is also Māshitut Āl Fir’aun – there is one woman who used to comb for the daughters, but to sum it up, there are only a few who believed.

This is the end of the story of Mūsā عليه السالم and Fir’aun. Now we will start with a new chapter, and that is the story of Mūsā and Banī Isrā’īl.

The Story of Sayyidnā Mūsā عليه السالم (Part1 – Moosa and Firawn)

1 Reasons Why Mūsās Story is Mentioned Frequently in Qur’ān

2 The Political and Social Situation in the Time of Mūsā عليه السالم

3 The Dream of Fir’aun (Pharaoh) and his Orders

4 The Mother of Mūsā عليه السالم

5 Inspiration to the Mother of Mūsā عليه السالم

6 The Wooden Casket Makes a Stop at the Palace of Pharaoh

7 The Benefits of Having Taqwā (Fear of Allāh ﷻ)

8 Mūsā عليه السالم Grows up in the Palace

9 Mūsā Kills Unintentionally an Egyptian Man

10 The Characteristics of Oppressed People

11 Mūsā Flees from Egypt and Reaches to Madyān (Midian)

12 Allāh ﷻ Sends Help for Mūsā عليه السالم

13 Hayāh (Shyness) is a Quality of the Pious Man and Woman

14 The Benefits of Travelling

15 The Job of being a Shepherd is a Preparation for Every Nabī

16 Mūsā عليه السالم Travels Back to Egypt and Finds a Light in the Desert

17 Allāh ﷻ Talks to Mūsā عليه السالم

18 Allāh ﷻ Puts Life in The Stick of Mūsā عليه السالم

19 Allāh ﷻ is Preparing Mūsā for the Confrontation with Fir’aun

20 Allāh ﷻ Commands Mūsā عليه السالم to Confront Fir’aun (Pharaoh)

21 Mūsā عليه السالم asks Allāh ﷻ for Help to Carry out his First Command

22 Mūsā عليه السالم did the Greatest Favour on his Brother Hārūn

26 Fir’aun Challenges Mūsā عليه السالم

30 Banī Isrā’īl Complains about Mūsā عليه السالم

32 Allāh ﷻ Sends Banī Isrā’īl More Signs – Drought and Scarcity of Fruits

35 The Youth Followed Mūsā عليه السالم

37 Mūsā عليه السالم Makes Du’ā Against Fir’aun and his Chiefs

39 Fir’aun and his Army Pursue Mūsā عليه السالم and Banī Isrā’īl

40 Mūsā Has Absolute Trust (Tawakkul) in the Promise of Allāh ﷻ

41 The Stick of Mūsā عليه السالم and the Splitting of the Sea

42 Allāh ﷻ Drowns Fir’aun and his Soldiers in front of Banī Isrā’īl

43 The Fulfilment of the Du’ā of Mūsā عليه السالم

45 ‘Āsiyah, the wife of Fir’aun and the Queen of Egypt

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