18. PROPHETS’
DU‘Ā (PRAYER) IN THE QUR’ĀN (12)
12. Mūsā (Mūsā) a.s. (cont.2)
Sūrat al-A‘rāf (The Heights, chapter 7) verse 103-145 dealt with Mūsā
(Moses) who came to the Pharaoh telling him that he was sent by Allah to him
and to let the Children of Israel depart along with him. As evidence he
produced the miracles given by Allah to him. He threw his staff, and it turned
into a huge serpent. The classical Qur’ān commentator al-Ṭabarī said that the
serpent with its mouth open rushed towards Pharaoh (Fir‘awn) to swallow him.
Pharaoh was frightened, jumped, and wet himself. He cried to Mūsā to take it
away, and promised to believe and release the Children of Israel. Mūsā did, and
drew his hand and it became white and radiant without hurt.
The chiefs of the people of
Pharaoh agreed with him and said that Mūsā was a great sorcerer. They feared
that he might make people to be his side with his magic, and might drive them
away from their land. So, they made an appointed meeting where they challenged
him with their own magicians. They were promised by Pharaoh that they would be
nearest to him if they won. They threw first, according to al-Ṭabarī, their
thick ropes and long sticks which appeared to be real and crawling.
When Mūsā threw his staff,
it turned to be a real serpent and devoured their ropes and sticks. The
magicians realized that Mūsā’s staff was not an illusion when it turned into a
serpent, and that he must have been a messenger from Allah. They prostrated
themselves in front of Mūsā. Pharaoh accused his magicians of plotting with Mūsā
to gain influence and power replacing the chiefs and masters. He threatened
them to cut off their hands and feet from opposite sides, and crucify them. But
the magicians said that they were returning to their Lord, and the revenge on
them was only because they believed in the proofs and signs of their Lord. They
prayed to be given patience and to die as Muslims. Ibn ‘Abbās, Qatādah and Ibn
Jurayj said that they started the day as sorcerers and ended it as martyrs.
When
the chiefs of Pharaoh asked him whether he would leave Mūsā and his people spread mischief in the land and to
abandon him and his gods, he said that he would kill their sons and let live t
heir women, and he had irresistible power over them.
Mūsā told his followers the Children of Israel
to be patient for the affliction and humiliation upon them, as the earth
belongs to Allah. They told him that they had suffered humiliation and disgrace
before and after he had come to them. 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.” (Q. 7:128-129).[1]
Allah
had punished the people of Pharaoh with years of drought and lack of fruits,
that they might take heed. But whenever good things, such as fertile seasons
and provisions came to them, they said that they deserved it. But when evil afflicted them, such as draught
and famine, they said that the hardship is because of Mūsā and his followers
and what they had done.
As the
Pharaoh’s followers would never believe in Mūsā despite signs brought to them
Allah sent them flood, locusts, lice, frogs, blood that filled the river as
consecutive signs. Heavy rain caused flood, destroying their land and crops.
Then various types of produce grew, but locusts started feeding on their crops
and grass. Then bugs (weevil)[2]
infested their grains. Then suddenly
many frogs appeared which annoyed them. Then Allah sent blood in their rivers
and wells. They asked Mūsā to pray to Allah to remove the punishment, and they
would believe in him and let the Children of Israel go with him. But whenever
Allah removed the affliction, they kept breaking their promise.[3]
As retribution Allah drowned them at sea that parted through which he and the
children of Israel passed. Pharaoh and his soldiers went into the sea chasing
them, and when they were all inside the water the sea closed in them and they
all drowned. Then Allah granted the eastern and the western part of the Holy
Land to them, and destroyed what Pharaoh and his people produced, such as
agriculture and buildings.
It is worthy to mention here why the Qur’ān
deals briefly with the story of the Israelites which was narrated in details in
the Bible. Muhammad Asad said:
The
story of the suffering of the Israelites during
their bondage in Egypt, their deliverance
through Moses,
their crossing of the Red Sea (or, more
probably, of what
today is known as the Gulf of Suez), and the
destruction of
Pharaoh and his hosts is narrated in
considerable detail in
the Bible (Exodus i-xiv). The Qur’ān, on the
other hand, does
not
give us a consecutive narrative: for historical narrative
as such is never its purpose. Whenever the
Qur’ān refers
to past events—whether recorded in the Bible or
alive
in Arabian tradition—it does so exclusively
with
a view
to bringing out elements that are
relevant to the ethical teachings
which
it propounds.
The Qur’ān is not a book of history, and therefore
does not give any detail of the events mentioned in it, but rather a book of
guidance for believers, claimed by the Qur’ān itself,
ذَلِكَ
الْكِتَابُ لَا رَيْبَ فِيهِ هُدًى لِلْمُتَّقِينَ (البقرة:2)
This is the Book (the Qur’ān), whereof there is no
doubt,
a guidance to those
who are alMuttaqīn [the pious believers
of Islamic Monotheism who fear Allah much
(abstain from
all kinds of sins
and evil deeds which He has forbidden)
and love Allah much (perform all kinds of good
deeds which He has ordained)] (Q. 2:2)
It contains, among other things, universal moral lessons which are the
purpose of mentioning the events of the past. The story of Qārūn, for example,
due to his arrogance and ingratitude, Allah punished him: he and his wealth
were swallowed by the earth (Q.28:76-82).[4]
After crossing the
sea safely, the Children of Israel came upon people who worshiped idols.[5] The Qur’ān commentator al-Ṭabarī said that
the idols were made in the shape of cows. They asked Mūsā to make for them an
idol like the idols they had. Mūsā
replied that they were ignorant people, and that these people would perish, and
that what they were doing was in vain. He told them how could he seek for them
a god other than Allah Who had given them superiority over the nations! He
reminded them of Allah’s blessings over them.
Allah appointed thirty
nights for Mūsā. Qur’ān commentators said that he fasted during this period.
Allah added ten more days, and Mūsā completed the term of forty nights. He
entrusted his brother to take his place among his people and act in the right
way.
Then he went to the appointed time and
place at the right side of Mt. Ṭūr. Then he asked Allah directly to show
Himself to him.[6] Allah told him, “You cannot see Me, but look
at the mountain; if it stands still in its place then you shall see Me.” When
Allah appeared in the mountain He made it collapse to dust, and Mūsā fell down
unconscious. When he recovered his sense he said,
...سُبْحَانَكَ
تُبْتُ إِلَيْكَ وَأَنَا أَوَّلُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ (الشعراء: (143
“Glory be to You, I turn
to You in repentance, and
I am
the first of the believers [that none
shall
see You (in this life)] (Q. 7:143)
Allah told Mūsā that He
had chosen him above men (in his time) by His Message and by His speaking to
him. So Allah wanted him to hold what He had given to him, and to be of the
grateful. Allah also gave him Tablets containing lessons and exhortation for
all things, as well as explanation for all things, and the details of the
commandment for lawful and unlawful things. Allah told him to be firm on his
obedience and to enjoin his people to take the better of what was ordained on
his people, namely, according to Ibn ‘Abbās, to adhere to the toughest of it.
To those who defy His order He would inflict upon them destruction, demise and
utter loss. (Q. 7:144-145).[7]
While Mūsā was away to
receive the Ten Commandments from Allah at Mt. Sinai, the Israelites were
misguided by al-Sāmirī (the Samaritan).[8]
He made an idol made of golden calf worshiped by them, and Hārūn was unable to
stop them. They even threatened him to kill him[9]
Sūrat
al-Baqarah (Cow, chapter 2) consists of 286 versus. In the first part of it
Allah talked to the People of the Scripture (the Jews and the Christians), especially
the Children of Israel reminding them of His favour on them, delivering them
from Pharaoh’s bondage, providing them with white clouds to protect them from the
heat of the sun while they were wandering in Sinai and sending down for them manna
and quails for their food. But because of their lack of faith, impatience and
ingratitude Allah brought them to humiliation and misery. (CIVIC,
21 November, 2014)
المراجع:
المكتبة الشاملة
تفسير الطبري (ت. 310 هـ (
تفسير القرطبى (ت. 671 هـ(
تفسير ابن كثير (ت. 774 هـ(
Abu Khalil, Dr.
Shauqi . Atlas of the Qur’ān. Riyadh, Darussalam, 2003
Ali, A.Yusuf.
The Meanings of the Holy Qur’ān
Asad, Muhammad. The
Message of the Qur’ān.
Holy Bible: New International Version, 1973
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mūsā
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/biography/Mūsā.html
[1]On the 8th night of Ramadan (the year
unknown), the Palestinian Prime Minister, Isma’il Haniyyah, was leading the tarawih
prayer in a mosque in the Western part of Ghaza. At that time Ghaza had been
blockaded by Israel over one year. While reciting Surat al-A‘rāf (chapter 7),
he came to verse 128 and 129 in which Prophet
Mūsā asked his followers to be patient from Pharaoh’s oppression, and
hoped that Allah would destroy their enemy and make them successor on the
earth. He wept while reciting these verses followed by the ma’mūm, as
they were suffering from the blockade by Israel who claimed to be followers of
Prophet Mūsā a.s.
[2] “It is a small beetle with a hard shell, feeding on
and infesting stores of grain, nuts and other seeds.” Oxford Advanced Learner’s
Dictionary of Current English, s.v. “weevil.”
[3] The Old Testament mentions 10
plagues, namely, the plague of blood, of frogs, of gnats, of flies, on livestock, of boils (hard, usually red,
often painful poisoned swelling under the skin, which bursts when ripe) , of
hail, of locusts, of darkness, and on the first born (Exodus 7-11)
[4] Muhammad Asad’s commentary on Qārūn is as follows: “….
The conventional ‘identification’ of Qārūn with the Korah of the Old Testament (Numbers
xiv) is neither relevant nor warranted by the Qur’ānic text, the more so as the
purport of this legend is a moral lesson and not a historical narrative…” (The
Message of the Qur’an, Note 84 of Q. 28, p. 602). He added, “Qārūn’s being ‘swallowed
by the earth’ may possible a metaphor of a catastrophic, unforeseen loss – from
whatever cause – of all his worldly goods and, thus, of his erstwhile grandeur.”
(The Message of the Qur’an, Note 91 of Q. 28, pp. 603-604)
[5]The Bible told us that Pharaoh himself told Mūsā and
Hārūn to let them and the Israelites go and leave the Egyptians. The number of
the Israelites who joined Mūsā in escape
from Egypt journeying from Ramses to Succoth “… were about six hundred thousand
men on foot, besides women and children. Many other people went up with them,
as well as large droves of livestock, both flocks and herds.” (Exodus 12: 31,
37-38). However, Pharaoh changed his mind, as they had lost the Israelites’
services. With six hundred his best chariots along other chariots, horsemen and
troops pursued the Israelites (Exodus 14:5-9). The Israelites, according to the
Bible lived in Egypt in 430 years (Exodus 12:40)
[6] This is in contrast with the Bible which stated that
“Mūsā hid his face because he was afraid to look at God.” (Exodus 3:6)
[7]Some said the these tablets were given to Prophet Mūsā
before he received the Torah, while others said the Torah itself which contains
their law was given to him together with the tablets.
[8]According to the Qur’an commentator al-Ṭabarī, the
Samaritan was a man of a Jewish clan of the Sāmirah, but as this sect did not yet
exist in the time of Mūsā, it might be possible, according to Ibn ‘Abbās, that
he was one of the Egyptians who converted to Judaism and joined them in the exodus.
The word sāmirī might be connected with the ancient Egyptian word shemer
meaning “a foreigner”, “a stranger. For the whole story of “the Samaritan”, see
Q. 20:85-98).
[9] According to the Bible it was Aaron who made the golden calf from their gold earrings (Exodus 32:1-4)
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