12. DESCRIPTION OF THE VIRTUES, GOOD QUALITIES AND CHARACTERISTICS OF MOOSA AND HIS DEATH
Allah, Most High, says, “And mention in the Book (this Qur’an) Moosa. Verily! He was chosen and he was a Messenger (and) a Prophet. And We called him from the right side of the Mount, and made him draw near to Us for a talk with him (Moosa). And We bestowed on him his brother Haroon, (also) a Prophet, out of Our Mercy.” (Soorah Maryam 19:51-53)
And He, Most High, says, (Allah) said, “O, Moosa! I have chosen you above men by My Messages, and by My speaking (to you).” (Soorah Al-A‘raf 7:144)
And we have mentioned previously that it is recorded in the Saheehain from the Messenger of Allah (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) that he said, “Do not ascribe to me superiority over the other Prophets, for on the Day of Resurrection the people will become unconscious and I will (feel that) I am the first to regain consciousness. Then I will see Moosa holding one of the legs of the Throne. I will not know whether he has come to his senses before me or that the shock he had received at the Mountain, (during his worldly life) was sufficient for him.”
And Imam Abu ‘Abdullah Al-Bukhari narrated on the authority of Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) that he said, “The Messenger of Allah (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) said, ‘(Prophet) Moosa was a shy person and used to cover his body completely because of his extensive shyness. One of the Children of Isra’eel hurt him by saying, He covers his body in this way only because of some defect in his skin, either leprosy or scrotal hernia, or he has some other defect. Allah wished to clear Moosa of what they said about him, so one day while Moosa was in seclusion, he took off his clothes and put them on a stone and started taking a bath. When he finished the bath, he moved toward his clothes so as to take them, but the stone took his clothes and fled; Moosa picked up his stick and ran after the stone saying, ‘O, stone! Give me my garment!’ Till he reached a group of the Children of Isra’eel who saw him naked then, and found him the best of what Allah had created, and Allah cleared him of what they had accused him of. The stone stopped there and Moosa took and put his garment on and started hitting the stone with his stick. By Allah, the stone still has some traces of the hitting, three, four or five marks. This was what Allah refers to in His Saying: “O, you who believe! Be you not like those who annoyed Moosa, But Allah cleared him of that which they alleged, and he was honorable in Allah’s Sight.” (Soorah Al-Ahzab 33.69)
And it is reported in the Saheehain in the narration of Qatadah, on the authority of Anas, who reported on the authority of Malik Ibn Sa’sa’ah, who reported from the Prophet (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) that on the night when he was raised up to the heavens, he met Moosa (Peace be upon him) in the sixth heaven and Jibraeel (Peace be upon him) said to him, “This is Moosa.” So he greeted him with salutations of peace; he said, “I greeted him with salutations of peace and he said, ‘Welcome to the righteous Prophet and righteous brother.’ When I proceeded on, he started weeping and when he was asked why he was weeping, he said, ‘I am weeping because followers of this youth who were sent after me will enter Paradise in greater numbers than my followers’.”
Allah, Most High, has mentioned Moosa (Peace be upon him) in the Qur’an in many places, praised him and related his story in His Noble Book a number of times and He has repeated it at length and in brief. He has praised him eloquently and in many places, He has coupled mention of him and his Book (the Towrah) with the mention of Muhammad (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) and His Book (the Qur’an), as in Soorah Al-Baqarah, where He says, “And when there came to them a Messenger from Allah (i.e. Muhammad) confirming what was with them, a party of those who were given the Scripture threw away the Book of Allah behind their backs as if they did not know!” (Soorah Al-Baqarah 2:101)
And He, Most High, says “And indeed We granted to Moosa and Haroon the criterion (of right and wrong), and a shining light (i.e. the Tawrah) and a Reminder for Al-Muttaqoon. Those who fear their Lord without seeing Him, while they are afraid of the Hour. And this is a blessed Reminder (the Qur’an) which We have sent down, will you then (dare to) deny it?” (Soorah Al-Anbiya’ 21:48-50)
And He, Most High, says, “Let the people of the Injeel (Gospel) judge by what Allah has revealed therein. And whosoever does not judge by what Allah has revealed (then) such (people) are the Fasiqoon (the rebellious i.e. disobedient (of a lesser degree) to Allah. And We have sent down to you (O, Muhammad,) the Book (this Qur’an) in truth, confirming the Scripture that came before it and muhaiminan (trustworthy in highness and a witness) over it (old Scriptures).” (Soorah Al-Ma’idah 5:47,48) So He has made the Qur’an as a judge over all of the previous Scriptures, a confirmation of them and an explanation of the alterations and substitutions that have occurred therein, because the People of the Scripture were entrusted with the Scriptures that were in their hands, but they were unable to preserve them, retain them and protect them. This is why alterations and substitutions occurred therein – because of their poor understanding, their deficient knowledge, their bad intentions and their betrayal of their Deity – may Allah’s Curse remain upon them until the Day of Resurrection. This is why their books contain clear errors regarding Allah and His Messengers – errors which are innumerable and indescribable, the like of which are not to be found and are unknown elsewhere.
In short, the law of Moosa (Peace be upon him) was great and the people of his nation were in large numbers; among them were Prophets, learned men, those who were devoted to worshipping Allah, ascetics, men of understanding, kings, princes, leaders and nobles. But they passed away and were replaced, and they altered their law and were turned into apes and swine. Then they abrogated them after all of the accounting of their nation and misadventures too numerous to mention befell them. However, we shall relate those which contain convincing arguments for those who wish to know it, if Allah wills. On Him we depend and on Him we rely.
By Ibn Katheer
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