After Yusuf had settled his family in Egypt, the Israelites lived there for many generations. But the ruler of Egypt, the pharoah, discriminated against the people of Israel. He oppressed them and killed all their sons. When Musa was born, his mother feared that he too would be killed. Allah sent a message to her to nurse him as long as she could, until she feared for his safety. Then she was to throw him into the river. Allah promised that He would bring Musa back to her and that Musa would become a messenger of Allah.

It was the family of the pharoah who found Musa in the river. The pharoah’s wife wanted to keep him and ordered that he not be killed. She thought he might be useful to them or that they might adopt him.

Meanwhile, Musa’s mother had sent his sister to keep watch over him from a distance. When the pharoah’s wife was looking for a nurse to feed and care for him until he grew older, the sister approached and offered the services of her mother, without, of course, revealing her mother’s real connection to the child. In this way he was restored to his mother, as Allah had promised. And when Musa grew up, he was given wisdom and knowledge by Allah.

One day, when Musa had grown up, he went into the city and found two men fighting, one of whom was an Egyptian, and the other an Israelite. The Israelite asked Musa for help and Musa struck the other man with his fist, thus killing him. Musa was horrified that he had killed a man, and asked Allah for forgiveness, which Allah granted.

The following day Musa again was in the city, when he saw the same man as on the day before, involved in a fight with an Egyptian. Musa was angry at the hotheadedness of this man, but was once again ready to take his side against the Egyptian, who was the enemy of them both. But the Egyptian cried out to Musa that murder was not the way to settle and reform matters. At that moment another man brought news that the authorities were searching for Musa in connection with the murder of the previous day. And so Musa was forced to flee.

Musa escaped to the land of Madyan. There he came to a watering hole where a whole tribe of men were watering their flocks. There were two women there also whose father was too old to care for his flocks himself. But the women were holding their sheep back and could not get close to the water until the men had finished. Musa watered their flocks for them, then settled down in the shade, praying that Allah would send him assistance.

One of the two women whom Musa had helped approached him shyly, for her father had sent for Musa to reward him for helping his daughters. When Musa had told the old man his story, the old man sympathized with him. The old man offered to marry Musa to one of his daughters if Musa would work for him a minimum of eight years. An agreement was reached and Musa stayed in the land of Madyan for the agreed-upon time.

This part of the story of Musa can be found in al-Qur’an 28:1-28.

Hadrat Musa ( - Peace Be Upon Him): Call to Prophethood
This is the second part of the story of Musa . As you may recall, Musa had killed an Egyptian and was thus forced to flee from Egypt. In the land of Madyan he had met a herdsman, who hired Musa for a given number of years. In return Musa was given one of the herdsman’s daughters as his wife.

Our story now begins some time after Musa had completed his contract with his father-in-law. He was traveling somewhere with his family when he saw a fire in the distance. He went to explore in the hope that he might get information or be able to bring back a firebrand for his family to use.

When Musa approached the bush that was burning, he heard a voice coming from it. The voice commanded Musa to remove his shoes because he was in a sacred valley. The voice identified itself as Allah, and reminded Musa to serve Him and to keep up his prayers. The voice told Musa that Allah had made him one of the chosen ones.

Allah then ordered Musa to throw down his staff, which he used as a walking stick and to beat down branches for his flocks. When the staff was flung down, it turned into a serpent. Allah instructed Musa to pick the serpent up, and it again turned into a stick. The voice commanded Musa to thrust his hand under his armpit, and when he removed it the hand was glowing white, yet it did not hurt Musa . Allah informed Musa that these two signs, the staff and the hand, would be signs for the Pharoah, to show that Musa had truly been sent from Allah. Allah wanted Musa to go to the Pharoah because the Pharoah and his people had strayed far from the acceptable ways of Allah. He also wanted Musa to lead the children of Israel away from the Pharoah’s influence.

Musa pointed out that he had killed an Egyptian and that he himself would be killed if he returned to Egypt. He was also unsure of his ability to communicate with the Pharoah. He was not a good speaker and asked for the help of his brother, Harun , who was much more eloquent. Allah reassured Musa on both counts. He promised that Musa would come to no harm at the hands of the Egyptians. And He agreed both to aid Musa in addressing the Pharoah and to send along Harun to help out.

In this manner Musa was called to prophethood, and set out to free the people of Israel from their bondage under the people of Egypt. Insha Allah in the next issue we shall tell of his meetings with the Pharoah.

You can read about this part of the story of Musa in the Quran 20:9-36, 42-48; 26:10-17; and 28:29-35.

Hadrat Musa ( - Peace Be Upon Him) and Fir'awn
Musa and his brother Harun had been called upon by Allah to deliver a message to the leader of the Egyptians, Fir'awn (Pharaoh), who considered himself a god and insisted that his subjects worship him.

Musa told Fir'awn that he, Musa , was a messenger of the Lord of the Worlds and that he had clear proof of it. Therefore, Fir'awn should let the people of Israel go with him. Musa showed Fir'awn the staff that turned into a serpent and the hand which turned shining white when placed under his arm. Fir'awn consulted with all his chiefs and they decided that perhaps Musa was just a very good magician. They called together all their best magicians to compete with Musa . The magicians were promised a reward if they won.

The magicians went first in the contest and they were good, really good. They made their ropes and sticks appear to run in front of their audience. Musa was afraid that he couldn’t surpass their skills, but Allah told him not to be afraid. When Musa threw down his staff, it ate up all that the magicians had made. When the magicians saw this, they bowed down and proclaimed their belief in the Lord of Musa and Harun .

Fir'awn was not very happy about this turn of events. He threatened to cut off the hands and feet of the magicians and to crucify them. But the magicians would not change their opinion. They were convinced by the clear proofs which Musa had shown to them and they told Fir'awn that he could only end for them their life in this world. For those who believe there would be another life after death, in gardens beneath which rivers flow.

Following this there began another period of persecution against the followers of Allah. Fir'awn had all of their sons killed. Musa had to encourage the children of Israel to continue strong in their belief in Allah and to pray to Allah faithfully.

Whenever good fortune befell the Egyptians, they took credit for it. When misfortune came, they blamed Musa and his people. They failed to see that everything, both good and bad, comes from Allah. Allah sent all kinds of hardships against the Egyptians- famine, loss of fruits, floods, locusts, pests, frogs, and blood- as signs to them. They would promise to free the people of Israel if Musa would pray to his God for deliverance from the pestilence. But as soon as the hardship had been removed, they would go back on their promise.

Finally Musa was instructed by Allah to lead the followers of Allah away by night. When they came to the sea, the waters parted so that they could pass to the other side without getting wet. However, when Fir'awn and his armies pursued them, the waters of the sea closed in on them and they were all drowned. In this way did Allah punish Fir'awn for leading his people away from Allah.

Insha Allah in the next issue we shall relate the conclusion of the story of Musa , when we tell what befell the children of Israel after they left Egypt. You can read about Musa and Fir'awn in al-Quran 7:103-137; 20:49-79; 26:16-67; and 43:46-56.

Hadrat Musa ( - Peace Be Upon Him) in the Wilderness
When Musa and his people fled from the Egyptians, their trials were far from over. After they had safely crossed the sea, they came upon some people who were worshiping idols. The children of Israel asked Musa to make an idol for them, and he had to remind them of all that Allah had done for them. How could he make another god for them when their Allah was the only true god?

Musa was summoned by Allah to Mount Sinai and he put his brother Harun in charge while he was gone. When he arrived at the appointed site, he asked to see Allah. Allah said He could not show Himself directly to Musa , but Musa should look towards the mountain, and if the mountain remained in one piece, then Musa would see Allah. When Allah showed His glory on the mountain, it became like dust, and Musa fell down in a faint. When he had recovered his senses, he asked Allah's forgiveness and declared his unquestioning belief in Allah. Then Allah spoke with Musa and gave Musa tablets containing His commands and explaining all things. Musa was to carry the tablets back to his people and convey to them the words of Allah. He spent forty days on the mount, communing with his Lord.

Meanwhile, the people of Musa gathered together all their jewelry and gold which they had carried from Egypt. They melted it down and made it into the form of a calf, which they wished to worship. When Musa returned from the mountain with his tablets, he was angry and grieved to see the golden calf. Thinking that Harun had approved the actions of the Israelites, an angry Musa grabbed his brother by the hair and dragged Harun towards him. Harun hastily explained that the people had not listened to him and had even threatened to kill him when he opposed their activities. At this Musa prayed to Allah for forgiveness for both himself and his brother. He also prayed for mercy for those who repented of their evil deed in making the golden idol.

The ultimate destination of the people of Israel was the land of Canaan. Continuously they rebelled against Allah, and continuously Allah forgave them. When they were thirsty, Allah commanded Musa to strike a rock and from it sprang twelve springs of water, one for each of the tribes of Israel. When they were hot, Allah provided clouds to cover the sun. When they were hungry, Allah provided manna and salwa. Yet they were never grateful. They even complained about the sameness of the diet and asked for more variety.

At last they came to the land of Canaan. But because the people of Canaan were very strong-looking, the Israelites were afraid to invade their land. There were only two men who were willing to join Musa and Harun in an attempt to drive the Canaanites out. They counseled that if the proper gates were attacked, they could easily gain entrance. And once they were inside, they would easily be victorious if only they would put their trust in Allah. But the people of Israel would not budge. They told Musa and Harun to go with their Lord and fight, while they, the people, would sit and watch. At this Musa gave up trying to persuade his rebellious people. And Allah decreed that because of their behavior, the children of Israel would be condemned to wander in the wilderness for forty more years, before they would be allowed to enter the land of Canaan.

You can read about the story of Musa and his people in the wilderness in al-Quran 2: 51-61; 5: 23-29; 7: 138-162; and 20: 80-98.

Hadrat Musa ( - Peace Be Upon Him) and al-Khidr
Musa was a very wise and knowledgeable person, but there were many things which he did not know. He was instructed to seek out a servant of Allah, who would give him further knowledge. He was told to take with him a fish which would disappear when he had arrived at the place where he was to meet his teacher.

Musa vowed to his servant, as he set out on his journey, that he would travel to the place where the two seas met, or would spend many years traveling, in search of his teacher. When they at last reached the junction of the two seas, the fish which they had been carrying slipped away into the water and swam off. Musa did not see this happen and the servant, who had seen the fish's escape, forgot to mention it to Musa .

They continued on their journey but Musa grew tired, so he called for an early meal. It was then that the servant thought to tell Musa that the fish was gone. Musa realized that this was the sign for which he had been waiting. They retraced their steps to the place when the fish had slipped away and there they found the teacher, al-Khidr .

Musa asked al-Khidr’s permission to follow him, in order that Musa might learn some of the greater knowledge which Allah had imported to al-Khidr . al-Khidr agreed, provided that Musa would be patient and would not question anything which he saw happen until al-Khidr chose to speak about it.

They boarded a boat, and while they were in it, al-Khidr made a hole in it so that it would not be seaworthy. Musa was concerned at such an action and asked al-Khidr if he was trying to drown everybody. Al-Khidr reminded Musa of his promise not to ask questions and Musa apologized for forgetting himself.

They continued on until they met a young man, whom al-Khidr killed. Musa questioned why an innocent person had been killed. Al-Khidr asked what had happened to the patience which Musa was supposed to be exercising. Musa again apologized and declared that if he asked anything more, then al-Khidr would be right to dismiss him.

They entered a town and asked for food, but no one offered them any hospitality. In spite of this shabby treatment, al-Khidr repaired a wall which was on the verge of falling down. Musa , forgetting himself once again, exclaimed that at least al-Khidr should have been paid for fixing it. At this third infraction of their agreement, al-Khidr declared that it was time for them to part, but first he would explain his actions to Musa .

The boat, he explained, belonged to men who needed it to earn their living. But a king was about to seize it from them by force, so al-Khidr damaged it to keep it out of the king's grasp. Later it could be repaired and put to use again by its rightful owners.

The young man who was killed was the son of righteous parents, but he himself had gone astray. In order to spare his parents the grief of seeing their son go bad, al-Khidr killed him, knowing that the parents would have another son who would be more loving and obedient.

The wall belonged to two young orphans in the inhospitable town. The orphans were the children of a righteous man. Beneath the wall was a buried treasure, which would now be safe, under the strengthened wall, until the orphans were old enough to claim their inheritance.

Thus Musa learned how limited was his human knowledge. What had appeared to be the loss of a possession had actually been the preservation of it. What had seemed to be the loss of a son had been an act of mercy on behalf of the parents. The rebuilt wall had not been merely a generous act for undeserving recipients, but rather insured that justice would be done to deserving orphans. Only Allah has the full knowledge to understand the seemingly unfair aspects of human life and human suffering. We must accept that all that is good and all that is bad comes from Allah. In his infinite wisdom and mercy, Allah knows what is best for us.

The story of Musa and his teacher can be found in al-Quran 18: 60-82.