Islamic view of Moses

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Moses (Arabic موسى Musa) is considered a prophet in Islam. He is also referred to by the title Kalim allah meaning "He who spoke with God." The Qur'an recounts more stories of his life than of any other prophet.

Contents

1 Early years
2 God calls Moses
3 The journey through the desert
4 The promised land, and death
5 References to Moses in the
6 See also

Early years

In Islamic belief, Moses was born into a family of Israelites living in Egypt. The ruling Pharaoh, on the advice of his soothsayers, ordered the killing of all new-born Israelite males. To protect her son, Moses' mother put him in a basket and set him adrift on the Nile. He was discovered by the Pharaoh's wife, Asiya, who adopted him.

Moses grew up as a member of the Pharaoh's household. However, this changed when in rescuing an Israelite from an abusive Egyptian, he accidentally killed the Egyptian. Due to this incident, Musa was deemed a criminal and was to be punished, but escaped into the desert. After traveling the desert for a long time, he arrived at a place called Madian and came into the company of the prophet Shoaib (Jethro, in Biblical traditions), who recognized Moses as a man of God. Shoaib arranged a marriage between his daughter Safoorah ([Zipporah]in Biblical and Hebrew tradition) and Moses.

God calls Moses

Moses eventually decided to return to Egypt. On his way back, he stopped at Mount Sinai and noticed a fire upon the mountain. When he came to the fire, he heard a voice calling him by name. This voice then commanded Moses to remove his shoes, as he was standing on sacred ground. It is stated in the Qur'an: "Has the story of Moses reached thee? Behold, he saw a fire: So he said to his family, "Tarry ye; I perceive a fire; perhaps I can bring you some burning brand therefrom, or find some guidance at the fire. But when he came to the fire, a voice was heard: 'O Moses! Verily I am thy Lord! therefore (in My presence) put off thy shoes: thou art in the sacred valley Tuwa.'" (Qur'an [Aaron (Harun in Arabic and Aharoun in Hebrew) the gift of prophecy so that he may help him and be a deputy to him in all his tasks ahead. God granted Moses his requests and told him that he could take his brother along with him, and told him to be gentle in his language and be patient in all his dealings.

Moses thus embarked for Egypt and faced the Pharaoh. Moses and Aaron arrived in the court of the Pharaoh and admonished the Pharaoh by informing him that his claim of godhood was false, for there is but one God who created both the pharaohs and their subjects. He controls all that is in this world and beyond. Moses told the Pharaoh that the only reason for his return was to obtain the release of his people from their bondage in Egypt.

Moses warned the Pharaoh of God's punishment. To intimidate Moses, his magicians threw strings on the floor which turned into snakes. Moses threw his staff to the floor. It transformed into a serpent and devoured all the wriggling snakes.

Although the magic of the Pharaoh was beaten, he would not relent to the power of God. He defiantly refused to allow Israelites to leave Egypt. As a result, Allah decreed punishments over him and his people. These punishments came in the form of floods that demolished their dwellings, swarms of locust that destroyed the crops, pestilence of lice that made life miserable, toads that croaked and sprang everywhere, plagues, and the turning of all drinking water into blood. Each time the Pharaoh was subjected to humiliation, his defiance became greater. Finally, the first-born sons of all Egyptians started to die for no apparent cause. When the Pharaoh's own beloved son died, he finally gave up his defiance. He finally drowned while he was persecuting the fleeing Israelites.

The journey through the desert

Moses gathered his people and left Egypt. At the last second, the Pharaoh had a change of heart and began to pursue them. However, he was swallowed by the Red Sea which parted long enough for Musa and his people to cross, but which closed on the Pharaoh. From here, Moses led his people on the Exodus. They eventually reached Mount Sinai. Moses told the people that Aaron was his deputy and was to be the leader while he was gone. Moses then went to climb Mount Sinai.

Moses climbed the mountain, and returned to the spot where he had first received his miracles from God. He took off his shoes as before and went down into subjugation to The Creator. He prayed to God for guidance. He was given the Ten Commandments at this session. Before leaving, he begged God to be revealed to him. God told him that it would not be possible for him to set his eye on his Divine Radiance, but he would shower just a little of this over the mighty mountain so that Moses might derive some satisfaction. No sooner had the communication ended than a blinding pure white radiance struck the mighty mountain and instantaneously turned it into ashes. Moses lost consciousness from the roar that accompanied the lightning. When he recovered, he went down in total submission and asked forgiveness of God.

Having thus received the Torah for his people, Moses came down from the mountain and returned to his people. However, he was shocked to find his people had returned to idolatry, and had ignored Aaron. Shortly thereafter, the elders asked to see the God of Moses, so he took them up the mountain. While climbing, a white bolt of lightning struck their path, and they all bowed in submission. Musa prayed for their forgiveness, and they returned to camp and set up a tent dedicated to worshipping God as Aaron taught them from the Torah.

They began to travel for the promised land again, but ran out of food. God gave them a gift of food and sweets, but eventually the people tired, and asked for more. Moses got angry with them and admonished them for their thanklessness.

The promised land, and death

They eventually reached Canaan, the promised land, but Moses' people were too scared to fight the pagan inhabitants. He told them that if they did not fight in Jihad against the idol worshipers, they would spend 40 years wandering the desert. At this, the people carried out the battle, but they were defeated, so they turned south. Aaron died on this trip, yet Moses continued. Moses and his people were so forced to wander the desert for forty years. During this time, many of the older generation died. In their place, the younger generation lead by Joshua son of Nun (Yusha bin Nun in Arabic) grew up with an understanding of the Torah and with a willingness to do God's work.

Eventually they would return north, and Moses would show the new generation the land that their elders were not able to take. He told them to return to it, and that he would no longer escort them.

There is no single verse in the Qur'an that states that Moses went to a mountain and never returned. The Qur'an does not mention his death, but according to Hadith tradition, Musa was confronted by the angel of death. According to the Sunni Islamic view, the angel of death appeared when he was about to take prophets' souls. Since Moses was strong, he overcame the angel of death, and the angel went without taking his soul. Then God told Moses to put his hand on a goat's skin, and that the number of goat hairs his hand covered would be the number of years he would live, but then Moses chose to be near God, and so chose to die.

References to Moses in the
Appraisals of Moses: [2:136], [4:164], [6:84], [6:154], [7:134], [7:142], [19:51], [19:52], [20:9], [20:13], [20:36], [20:37], [20:41], [25:35], [26:10], [26:21], [27:8], [27:9], [28:7], [28:14], [33:69], [37:114], [37:118], [37:119], [37:120], [37:122], [44:17]
Moses' attributes: [7:150], [20:94], [28:15], [28:19], [28:26]
Moses' prophecy: [7:144], [20:10], [20:11], [20:12], [20:13], [20:14], [20:15], [20:16], [20:17], [20:18], [20:19], [20:20], [20:21], [20:22], [20:23], [20:24], [26:10], [26:21], [27:7], [27:8], [27:9], [27:10], [27:12], [28:29], [28:30], [28:31], [28:32], [28:34], [28:35], [28:46], [79:15], [79:16], [79:17], [79:18], [79:19]
The prophet whom God spoke to: [2:253], [4:164], [7:143], [7:144], [19:52], [20:11], [20:12], [20:13], [20:14], [20:15], [20:16], [20:17], [20:18], [20:19], [20:21], [20:22], [20:23], [20:24], [20:83], [20:84], [26:10], [26:11], [26:12], [26:13], [26:14], [26:16], [27:8], [27:9], [27:11], [28:30], [28:31], [28:32], [28:34], [28:35], [28:46], [79:16], [79:17], [79:18], [79:19]
The Torah: [3:3], [3:48], [3:50], [3:65], [3:93], [5:43], [5:44], [5:46], [5:66], [5:68], [5:110], [7:157], [9:111], [48:29], [61:6], [62:5]
The valley: [20:12], [20:20], [28:30], [79:16]
Torah was revealed to Moses: [2:41], [2:44], [2:53], [2:87], [3:3], [6:91], [6:154], [6:157], [7:145], [7:154], [11:110], [17:2], [21:48], [23:49], [25:35], [28:43], [32:23], [37:117], [40:53], [41:45], [46:12], [53:36], [87:19]
Moses' miracle: [2:56], [2:60], [2:92], [2:211], [7:107], [7:108], [7:117], [7:120], [7:160], [11:96], [17:101], [20:17], [20:18], [20:19], [20:20], [20:21], [20:22], [20:69], [20:77], [26:30], [26:32], [26:33], [26:45], [26:63], [27:10], [27:12], [28:31], [28:32], [40:23], [40:28], [43:46], [44:19], [44:33], [51:38], [79:20]
Moses and the Pharaoh
Moses' life inside the palace: [20:38], [20:39], [26:18], [28:8], [28:9], [28:10], [28:11], [28:12]
Returned to his mother: [20:40], [28:12], [28:13]
God's revelation to Moses' mother: [20:38], [20:39], [28:7], [28:10]
Moses' preaching: [7:103], [7:104], [7:105], [7:106], [7:107], [7:108], [7:109], [7:110], [7:111], [7:112], [7:113], [7:117], [7:123], [7:128], [7:129], [10:84], [20:24], [20:42], [20:43], [20:44], [20:45], [20:46], [20:47], [20:49], [20:50], [20:51], [23:45], [26:10], [26:12], [26:16], [26:17], [26:22], [28:3], [43:46], [44:18], [51:38], [73:15], [79:17]
Moses met the Pharaoh: [20:58], [20:59], [20:64], [20:65], [20:66], [26:38], [26:39], [26:40], [26:43], [26:44]
The Pharaoh's magicians: [7:111], [7:112], [7:113], [7:115], [7:116], [10:79], [10:80], [20:60], [20:63], [20:64], [26:37], [26:38], [26:40], [26:41], [26:42], [26:43], [26:44]
Moses vs. the magicians: [7:115], [7:116], [7:117], [7:118], [7:119], [7:120], [7:121], [7:122], [10:80], [10:81], [20:61], [20:62], [20:63], [20:64], [20:65], [20:66], [20:67], [20:68], [20:69], [20:70], [26:43], [26:44], [26:45], [26:46], [26:47], [26:48]
Dispute among the magicians: [20:62]
Moses warned the magicians: [10:81], [20:61]
Moses and Aaron were suspected to be magicians too: [7:109], [7:132], [10:76], [10:77], [17:101], [20:63], [40:24], [43:49]
Confusal and belief of the magicians: [7:119], [7:120], [7:121], [7:123], [7:125], [7:126], [20:70], [20:72], [20:73], [26:46], [26:47], [26:50]
The belief of Asiah: [66:11]
Trial to Pharaoh's family: [7:130], [7:131], [7:133], [7:134], [7:135]
Pharaoh's weakness: [7:103], [7:106], [7:110], [7:113], [7:114], [7:123], [7:126], [10:75], [11:97], [11:98], [17:102], [20:51], [20:56], [20:57], [20:58], [20:71], [23:46], [23:47], [25:36], [26:11], [26:23], [26:25], [26:27], [26:29], [26:31], [26:34], [26:35], [26:36], [26:49], [28:36], [28:38], [28:39], [29:39], [38:12], [40:24], [40:26], [40:29], [40:36], [40:37], [43:51], [43:52], [43:53], [43:54], [44:17], [44:20], [44:22], [50:13], [51:39], [54:41], [54:42], [69:9], [73:16], [79:21], [79:22], [79:23], [79:24]
Moses and his followers went away: [20:77], [26:52], [26:53], [26:54], [26:55], [26:56], [26:60], [26:61], [26:62], [26:63], [44:23], [44:24]
Moses and his followers were safe: [2:50], [7:138], [10:90], [17:103], [20:78], [20:80], [26:65], [37:115], [37:116], [44:30], [44:31]
Pharaoh's belief was too late: [10:90], [10:91]
Pharaoh's and his army: [2:50], [3:11], [7:136], [7:137], [8:52], [8:54], [10:88], [10:90], [10:92], [17:103], [20:78], [20:79], [23:48], [25:36], [26:64], [26:66], [28:40], [29:40], [40:45], [43:55], [43:56], [44:24], [44:25], [44:26], [44:27], [44:28], [44:29], [51:40], [54:42], [69:10], [73:16], [79:25], [85:17], [85:18], [89:13]
Believer among Pharaoh's family: [40:28], [40:29], [40:30], [40:31], [40:32], [40:38], [40:39], [40:41], [40:42], [40:43], [40:44], [40:45]
The Pharaoh punished the Israelites: [2:49], [7:124], [7:127], [7:129], [7:137], [7:141], [10:83], [14:6], [20:71], [26:22], [26:49], [28:4], [40:25]
The Pharaohs and Haman were among the rejected: [10:83], [11:97], [28:4], [28:6], [28:8], [28:32], [28:42], [29:39], [40:36], [44:31]
Moses killed an Egyptian: [20:40], [26:19], [26:20], [26:21], [28:15], [28:16], [28:18], [28:19], [28:33]
Moses' journey to Madyan
Moses and Shoaib (sahib al madyan): [28:25], [28:26], [28:27], [28:28]
Moses and two daughters of Shoaib.: [28:23], [28:24], [28:25], [28:26], [28:27]
The people who insulted Moses: [33:69]
Moses went to Baitul Maqdis
The Israelites entered Baitul Maqdis: [2:58], [5:21], [5:22], [5:23]
Moses' dialogue with God: [2:51], [7:142], [7:143], [7:155], [20:83], [20:84]
The Israelites worshipped the calf: [2:51], [2:54], [2:92], [2:93], [4:153], [7:148], [7:150], [7:152], [20:85], [20:87], [20:88], [20:89], [20:91], [20:92]
Seven Israelites with Moses met God: [7:155]
Moses and Samiri: [20:95], [20:96], [20:97]
Moses sees a mountain crumble as God manifested himslef to the mountain: [7:143]
The cowardship of the Israelites: [2:246], [2:249], [3:111], [5:22], [5:24], [59:14]
The sabbath: [2:65], [7:163], [16:124]
Attributes of the Israelites: [2:41], [2:42], [2:44], [2:55], [2:59], [2:61], [2:65], [2:67], [2:68], [2:69], [2:70], [2:71], [2:74], [2:76], [2:83], [2:85], [2:86], [2:87], [2:89], [2:90], [2:93], [2:94], [2:95], [2:96], [2:100], [2:101], [2:104], [2:108], [2:140], [2:142], [2:246], [2:247], [2:248], [2:249], [3:24], [3:71], [3:75], [3:112], [3:181], [3:183], [4:44], [4:46], [4:47], [4:49], [4:51], [4:53], [4:54], [4:153], [4:155], [4:156], [4:161], [5:13], [5:20], [5:24], [5:42], [5:43], [5:57], [5:58], [5:62], [5:63], [5:64], [5:70], [5:79], [5:80], [5:81], [5:82], [7:134], [7:138], [7:139], [7:149], [7:160], [7:162], [7:163], [7:169], [9:30], [9:31], [9:34], [16:118], [17:4], [17:101], [20:85], [20:86], [20:87], [20:92], [58:8], [59:14]
Moses and Khidir: [18:60], [18:61], [18:62], [18:63], [18:64], [18:65], [18:66], [18:67], [18:68], [18:69], [18:70], [18:71], [18:72], [18:73], [18:74], [18:75], [18:76], [18:77], [18:78], [18:79], [18:80], [18:81], [18:82]
Meeting point: [18:61], [18:63]
Reason for following Khidir: [18:66]
Khidir destroyed a boat: [18:71], [18:79]
Khidir kills a Young man: [18:74], [18:80]
Khidir fixed house wall: [18:77], [18:82]
Qarun
Qarun's treasure: [28:76], [28:78], [28:79], [29:39]
Some drowned into the earth: [28:81], [28:82], [29:40]
The Israelites turned into apes: [2:65], [5:60], [7:166]
Suggestions not to follow the bad habbits of the Israelites: [1:7], [2:104], [2:108], [2:120], [2:145], [3:105], [5:51], [57:16], [58:9]
The Israelites are among the cursed: [2:88], [4:46], [4:47], [4:52], [5:13], [5:60], [5:64], [5:78], [9:30]
Dispute between the Jews and the Christians: [2:113], [2:145], [5:14]