The prophet most frequently
mentioned as an example in the
Qur’an is the Prophet Musa (as).
Many verses offer detailed
accounts of his difficulties with
his people and Pharaoh, his
struggle in communicating the
message to his people, his moral
excellence, his faith in and
submission to Allah and his
sincerity
Reading these verses about the
Prophet Musa (as) ensures
following this messenger whom
Allah made superior in many
ways, and adopting what he
preached to his people.
The Prophet Musa (as) Told
Pharaoh That He Was
AMessenger Of Allah And That If
He Adhered To Him, He Would
Be Guided
At the behest of Allah, the
Prophet Musa (as) first
communicated Allah’s message
to Pharaoh. Pharaoh was an
extremely insolent man who
declared himself a deity and his
people simply submitted
themselves to him because of
the material power which he
possessed. Allah wanted Musa
(as) to go to Pharaoh. This is
related in a verse as follows:
Go to him and say, “We are your
Lord’s Messengers so send the
tribe of Israel away with us and
oppress them no more. We have
brought you a Sign from your
Lord. Peace be upon those who
follow the right guidance. It has
been revealed to us that the
scourge will fall on those who
deny His signs and give no heed
to them.” (Surah Ta Ha, 47-48)
In another verse, Allah gave the
Prophet Musa (as) the following
command:
Go to Pharaoh—he has
overstepped the limits and say:
‘Do you resolve to purify
yourself? I will guide you to
your Lord so that you may fear
Him.’” (Surat an-Nazi’at, 17-19)
Upon Allah’s revelation, the
Prophet Musa (as) went to
Pharaoh in the company of his
brother Harun (as) and conveyed
the message to Pharaoh:
Musa said, “Pharaoh! I am truly a
Messenger from the Lord of all
the worlds, and am duty-bound
to say nothing about Allah
except the truth. I have come to
you with a Clear Sign from your
Lord. So send the tribe of Israel
away with me.” (Surat al-A’raf,
104-105)
The Prophet Musa (as) Told
Pharaoh That Allah Created
Everything And He Had
Knowledge Of Everything
The following conversation
between the Prophet Musa (as)
and Pharaoh is related in the
Qur’an:
Pharaoh said, “Who then is your
Lord, Musa?” He said, “Our Lord
is He Who gives each thing its
created form and then guides it.”
He said, “What about the
previous generations?” He
replied, “He alone has knowledge
of them, recorded in a Book. My
Lord does not err nor does He
forget.” (Surah Ta Ha, 49-52)
As the verses above relate, the
Prophet Musa (as) answered
Pharaoh’s questions about the
existence of Allah very wisely. He
told of Allah’s existence and
grandeur first by saying that He
is the Creator of everything and
then elaborating on His names.
The Prophet Musa (as) Declared
That Allah Is The Lord Of
Everything
The Prophet Musa (as) told
Pharaoh of Allah’s infinite might
as follows:
Pharaoh said, “Who is the Lord
of all the worlds?” He replied,
“The Lord of the heavens and
the Earth and everything
between them, if only you had
faith!” Pharaoh said to those
around him, “Are you listening?”
Musa went on, “He is your Lord
and the Lord of your
forefathers.” (Surat ash- Shu’ara’,
23-26)
Musa said, “He is the Lord of the
East and the West and
everything between them, if
only you could
understand!” (Surat ash-Shu’ara’,
28)
The Prophet Musa (as) Warned
Pharaoh And His Magicians
Against Allah’s Wrath
Like all other disbelievers, upon
the Prophet Musa’s (as)
declaration that Allah is the sole
deity, Pharaoh resorted to
cruelty. He threatened the
Prophet Musa (as), saying that he
would be sent to prison. The
conversation between the
Prophet Musa (as) and Pharaoh is
related in the Qur’an as follows:
Pharaoh said, “If you take any
god other than me, I will
certainly throw you into prison.”
Musa said, “Even if I were to
bring you an undeniable
sign?” (Surat ash- Shu’ara’,
29-30)
Then the Prophet Musa (as)
performed miracles, for which
reason Pharaoh, with his
unswerving insistence on denial,
accused him of sorcery.
Believing that Musa’s (as) magic
could be undone by sorcery, he
called magicians from all over
the country to confront Musa
(as) and promised them a
reward in return for defeating
Musa (as).
Musa said to them, “Woe to you!
Do not fabricate lies against Allah
or He will annihilate you with His
scourge. Impostors are bound to
fail.” (Surah Ta Ha, 61)
The Prophet Musa (as) Told The
Magicians That Allah Would
Render Their Magic Void
As we saw in the life histories of
the previous messengers, Allah
gave the good news that He
would always protect men of
faith, and disbelievers would
never be able to harm them
against His Will. When the time of
confrontation came, the Prophet
Musa (as) told the magicians that
their performance was mere
sorcery, which would be
rendered void by the Will of
Allah:
... When they had thrown, Musa
said, “What you have brought is
magic. Allah will certainly prove it
false. Allah does not uphold the
actions of corrupters.” Allah
confirms the Truth by His words,
even though the evil-doers may
hate it. (Surah Yunus, 81-82)
Despite this, the magicians
insisted on struggling against
the Prophet Musa (as) and
employed all their means to
defeat him.
The related verses read:
Musa said to them, “Throw
whatever it is you are going to
throw!” They threw down their
ropes and staffs and said, “By
the might of Pharaoh we are the
winners.” (Surat ash- Shu’ara’,
43-44)
At this, Allah revealed to the
Prophet Musa (as) the following:
“Throw down what is in your
right hand. It will swallow up
their devices for their devices
are just magicians’ tricks.
Magicians shall not prosper
whatever they do.” (Surah Ta Ha,
69)
Indeed, Allah’s promise came
true and the Prophet Musa (as)
worked a real miracle by his
staff:
But Musa threw down his staff
and at once it swallowed up
what they had fabricated. The
magicians prostrated themselves
in adoration, saying, “We now
believe in the Lord of all the
worlds.” (Surat ash-Shu’ara’,
45-47)
At Pharaoh’s Threat Of Murder,
The Prophet Musa (as) Declared
That He Trusted In Allah Alone
No doubt, the violation of the
established system infuriated
Pharaoh, for it conflicted with his
personal interests. This was the
main reason for his threatening
Musa with murder, saying, “… Let
me kill Musa and then let him call
upon his Lord! I am afraid that
he may change your religion and
bring about corruption in the
land.” (Surah Ghafir, 26)
At Pharaoh’s threat, the Prophet
Musa (as) showed great
resoluteness, as did other
messengers, and answered thus:
... “I seek refuge in my Lord and
in your Lord from every tyrant
who does not believe in the Day
of Reckoning.” (Surah Ghafir, 27)
The Prophet Musa (as) Declared
That Pharaoh And His Inner
Circle Would Never Attain
Salvation
Pharaoh and his inner circle
considered Musa’s (as) miracles
granted to Him by Allah as
sorcery. Musa (as) answered
these people, who accused him
of being a magician saying, “…
we have not heard of this
[religion] among our
forefathers:”
“… My Lord knows best who has
come with guidance from Him
and who will have the best Home
in the end. The wrongdoers will
certainly not be
successful.” (Surat al- Qasas, 37)
In the Qur’an, Allah tells us about
the existence of people who
reject Allah’s signs, while in their
inner beings they are convinced
thereof. Pharaoh was one of the
most insolent of such people.
Despite the clear evidence
brought by Prophet Musa (as), he
ignored them. Furthermore,
when Allah inflicted upon the
followers of Pharaoh a number
of calamities, they asked Musa
(as) to pray to Allah for them—
although they stated that they
disbelieved—, declaring that
they would believe if their wish
was granted. (Surat al- Araf,
130-135)
The Prophet Musa (as) addressed
Pharaoh, who arrogantly
ignored the truth, as follows:
We gave Musa nine Clear Signs.
Ask the tribe of Israel about
when he came to them and
Pharaoh said to him, “Musa, I
think you are bewitched.” He
replied, “You know that no one
sent these down but the Lord of
the heavens and Earth as clear
proofs. Pharaoh, I can see that
you are doomed.” (Surat al-Isra’,
101-102)
The Prophet Musa (as) Enjoined
Patience And Trust In Allah
The Prophet Musa (as) told
believers to remain patient in the
face of Pharaoh’s accusations
and attacks, and gave the good
news that Allah would grant
absolute victory to believers
over disbelievers:
They said, “We were oppressed
before you came to us and
oppressed we shall remain.” He
said, “It may well be that your
Lord is going to destroy your
enemy and make you the
successors in the land, so that He
can see how you behave.” (Surat
al-A’raf, 129)
In yet another verse, the Prophet
Musa (as) admonished his people
to trust in Allah:
Musa said, “My people! If you
believe in Allah, then put your
trust in Him, if you are
Muslims.” (Surah Yunus, 84)
When people face a difficulty,
acting with patience and trusting
in Allah, as the Prophet Musa (as)
advised his people to do, and,
owing to this sound mindset,
taking rational decisions and
being moderate always bring
success to believers.
The Prophet Musa (as) Set An
Example To His People With His
Patience
In compliance with Allah’s
command, the Prophet Musa (as)
and his people secretly left
Egypt. Pharaoh thereupon
mobilised his soldiers and set out
after the children of Israel.
By the time the children of Israel
had reached the banks of the
Red Sea, Musa’s (as) people said
they had no place to escape:
“… Indeed, we are to be
overtaken...” (Surat ash-Shu’ara’,
61)
At that very moment, the way
Musa (as) conducted himself is
an example for all believers. He
remembered that he should
never lose faith in Allah’s help:
Musa said, “Never! My Lord is
with me and He will guide
me.” (Surat ash-Shu’ara’, 62)
This committed attitude,
assumed by the Prophet Musa
(as) at such a time of difficulty,
no doubt sets an example to all
Muslims. No matter what a
person encounters, he should
never forget that Allah has
control over everything and that
everything happens as He wills.
Indeed, in return for this
profound faith, Allah divided the
waters of the sea, leaving a dry
path in the middle, which the
children of Israel immediately
followed. When Pharaoh and his
soldiers blindly set foot on the
path that divided the sea, the
waters suddenly began to close
in on them and they all drowned.
This event is surely clear
evidence that Allah’s help and
support is always with believers.
Reminding his people about
Allah’s blessings upon them, the
Prophet Musa (as) warned his
people about not being ignorant.
After Pharaoh and his soldiers
were drowned in the sea, Musa
(as) set off with his tribe to a
safer place where they met some
people who practised a
polytheistic religion. They
thereupon asked the Prophet
Musa (as) to give them a god just
like those people had and
thereby displayed their deviant
understanding of faith. The
Prophet Musa (as) described the
situation of people who worship
beings other than Allah, and
reminded them about the
blessings they enjoyed, so as to
prevent them from displaying
ingratitude:
Musa said, “You are indeed an
ignorant people. What these
people are doing is destined for
destruction. What they are doing
is purposeless.” Then he asked,
“Should I seek something other
than Allah as a god for you when
He has favoured you over all
other beings?” [And he reminded
them of this word of Allah.]
“Remember when We rescued
you from Pharaoh’s people who
oppressed you cruelly, killing
your sons and letting your
women live. In that there was a
terrible trial from your
Lord.” (Surat al-A’raf, 138-141)
Allah grants countless blessings:
being able to think, speak, see,
the beauties surrounding one,
the way the world is created in a
way to meet all one’s needs and
hundreds and thousands of
other blessings that are
impossible to count here…
Feeling grateful for these
blessings is a form of worship
for believers. One who ponders
upon them and is able to see
Allah’s mercy to him becomes
more devoted to our Lord and
can never dare to be ungrateful
towards Him. For this reason,
messengers reminded their
people about Allah’s blessings
and, in compliance with Allah’s
commands, reminded them to
remember them, as the Prophet
Musa (as) did:
Remember when Musa said to
his people, “My people!
Remember Allah’s blessing to
you when He appointed
prophets among you and made
you kings, and gave you what
He had not given to any other
nation!” (Surat al- Ma’ida, 20)
The Prophet Musa (as) Warned
His People Against Being
Ungrateful To Allah
After saving the Children of
Israel from Pharaoh’s cruelty,
Allah granted them many
material and spiritual blessings.
In the Qur’an, the blessings given
to them are enumerated as
follows:
And We shaded you with clouds
and sent down manna and quails
to you: “Eat of the good things
We have provided for you.”
They did not wrong Us; rather it
was themselves they were
wronging… Remember when We
said, “Go into this town and eat
from it wherever you like, freely.
Make your way reverently
through the gates and say, ‘We
repent!’ Your mistakes will be
forgiven. We will bestow
abundance on the righteous
among you.” (Surat al-Baqara,
57-58)
And when Musa was looking for
water for his people, We said,
“Strike the Rock with your staff.”
Then twelve fountains gushed
out from it and each tribe knew
their drinking place. “Eat and
drink of Allah’s provision and do
not go about the Earth
corrupting it.” (Surat al-Baqara,
60)
However, his people turned
ungrateful; they told Musa (as)
that they would no longer put up
with a monotonous diet and
asked him to implore Allah for
green vegetables, grains, lentils
and onions. In return for this
ungrateful attitude of his people,
Prophet Musa (as) said the
following:
… And when you said, “Musa, we
will not put up with just one kind
of food, so ask your Lord to
supply to us some of what the
earth produces—its green
vegetables, cucumbers, grains,
lentils and onions,” he said, “Do
you want to replace what is
better with what is inferior? Go
to any town, then you will have
what you are asking for.” Shame
and misery were stamped upon
them. They incurred the wrath of
Allah. That was because they
rejected Allah’s Signs and killed
His prophets without any right
to do so; and because they
rebelled and went beyond the
limits. (Surat al-Baqara, 61)
As we see in this story about the
Prophet Musa (as), Allah’s
messengers always reminded
their peoples to feel grateful for
the blessings they had and
warned them against a terrible
scourge if they failed to carry
out divine worship. Those
assuming a contrary attitude
should fear facing the end that
befell those ungrateful nations
of the past. The Prophet Musa
(as) reminded his people who
swerved from the right path
about Allah’s promise and His
punishment, and summoned
them to ask for repentance.
Upon Allah’s command, the
Prophet Musa (as) left his people
behind and headed for Mountain
of Tur, leaving his people in the
care of Harun (as). However
during his absence, his people
were lured away from the
remembrance of Allah by a man
named Samiri who built a statue
of a calf for them to worship.
When Musa (as) returned to his
tribe, he asked them:
“My people, did not your Lord
make you a handsome promise?
Did the fulfilment of the promise
seem too long to you in coming,
or was it to incur your Lord’s
anger that you failed
me?” (Surah Ta Ha, 86)
The Prophet Musa (as)
summoned his people to repent
one by one. After explaining to
them their wrongdoing, he told
them that it would be better for
them if they repented:
And when Musa said to his
people, “My people, You
wronged yourselves by
adopting the calf, so turn
towards your Maker and kill your
own [guilty] selves. That is the
best thing for you in your
Maker’s sight.” And He turned
towards you. He is the Ever-
Returning, the Most Merciful.
(Surat al-Baqara, 54)
The Prophet Musa (as)
Humiliated the Samiri Who
Forced His Tribe into Idolatry,
and Glorified Allah
“Begone!” cried Musa. “An
outcast shall you be in this life,
nor shall you escape your
appointed doom. Look at your
god which you served with such
devotion. We will burn it to
cinders and then scatter its ashes
far and wide over the
sea.” (Surah Ta Ha, 97)
As seen in the above verse, the
Prophet Musa (as) took a
definitive precaution against a
hypocrite who had led his
people astray. He drove Samiri
away, so as to hinder him from
causing further corruption
among his people. To this end,
Musa (as) burnt the idol Samiri
had built and then scattered its
ashes in the sea. Thus, nothing
remained of this statue. This
attitude of the Prophet Musa (as)
also gives a hint about how
believers should take action in
such situations. This aside, the
Prophet Musa (as) told Samiri
about the kind of torment he
would face both in this world
and beyond. Then, the Prophet
Musa (as) reminded his people
that their god was Allah alone:
“Your god is Allah alone, there is
no god but Him. He encompasses
all things in His
knowledge.” (Surah Ta-Ha, 98)