13. MENTION OF THE PILGRIMAGE OF MOOSA AND HIS DEATH
MENTION OF THE PILGRIMAGE OF MOOSA TO THE ANCIENT HOUSE AND THE DESCRIPTION OF IT
Imam Ahmad narrated on the authority of ‘Abdullah Ibn ‘Abbas (May Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) passed by Al-Azraq Valley and he asked, “Which valley is this?” They said, “It is Al-Azraq Valley.” He said, “It is as if I am now looking at Moosa coming down from the mountain track and he is calling upon Allah, the Almighty, the All-Powerful in a loud voice, saying, ‘Here I am, at Your service, O, Allah!’ – until he reached the mountain track of Harsha’.” He then asked them, “Which mountain track is this?” They said, “This is the mountain track of Harsha’.” He said, “It is as if I am now looking at Yoonus, son of Matta, riding on a red she-camel, with a cloak of wool around him and the reins of his she-camel are made from khulbah.” Hushaim said, “It (khulbah) means date-palm fibers – and he was calling upon Allah, saying, ‘Here I am, at Your service, O, Allah’!”
Imam Ahmad narrated on the authority of Mujahid that he said, “We were with Ibn ‘Abbas (May Allah be pleased with him) and someone mentioned Ad-Dajjal and it was said, “It is written between his eyes: ‘Kaf, Fa’, Ra’ ’.” He said, “What do they say?” He said, “They say, “It is written between his eyes: ‘Kaf, Fa’, Ra’.” Ibn ‘Abbas (May Allah be pleased with him) then said, “I did not hear him (i.e. the Prophet (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him)) say that, but he said, “As for Ibraheem, look at your companion (i.e. look at me), while as for Moosa, he was a well-built man, with curly hair and he rode a red camel, whose reins were made of khulbah. It is as if I am seeing him now going down into the valley and calling out, ‘Here I am, at Your service, O, Allah!’.” Hushaim said that khulbah means date-palm fibers.
DESCRIPTION OF MOOSA’S DEATH
Al-Bukhari narrated in his Saheeh on the authority of Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) that he said, “The Angel of Death was sent to Moosa (Peace be upon him). When he came to Moosa, he struck him. The angel returned to his Lord and said, “You have sent me to a slave who does not want to die.” Allah said, “Return to him and tell him to put his hand on the back of an ox and for every hair that will come under it, he will be granted one year of life.” Moosa said, “O, Lord! What will happen after that?” Allah replied, “Then death.” Moosa said, “Let it come now!” Moosa then requested Allah to let him die close to the Holy Land so that he would be at a stone’s throw distance from it.” Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) added, “The Messenger of Allah (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) said, ‘If I were there, I would show you his grave below the red sand dune at the side of the road’.”
Imam Ahmad narrated on the authority of Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) that he said, The Angel of Death came to Moosa (Peace be upon him) and he said, “Answer your Lord.” But Moosa struck the Angel of Death in the eye and knocked it out. The angel returned to Allah and said, “You sent me to a slave of Yours who does not wish to die.” He added, “And he has knocked out my eye!” Allah then restored his eye and said, “Return to My slave and say to him, ‘Is it life you desire? If you desire to live, then place your hand on the back of the bull. Then you will live as many years as the number of hairs covered by your hand’.” Moosa (Peace be upon him) asked, “Then what?” He was told, “Then death.” He said, “Then now, O, my Lord, or soon!” Imam Ahmad was alone in narrating this and it is mawqoof with this wording. It was narrated by Ibn Hibban in his Saheeh, on the authority of Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) from the Messenger of Allah (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him). Ibn Hibban was doubtful about it, and he explained it, saying, “When the Angel of Death said this, Moosa (Peace be upon him) did not know him, because he came to him in a form which Moosa (Peace be upon him) did not recognize, just as Jibraeel (Peace be upon him) came to the Prophet (Peace be upon him) in the form of a Bedouin and the angels came to Ibraheem (Peace be upon him) and Lot (Peace be upon him) in the form of young men and Ibraheem (Peace be upon him) and Lot (Peace be upon him) did not recognize them at first. Similarly, it seems likely that Moosa (Peace be upon him) did not recognize him for the same reason, and so he struck him and knocked out his eye, because he entered his house without seeking permission. This is in agreement with our law, which permits the removal of the eye of one who looks at you in your house without permission.”
Then he related the Hadith via ‘Abdur-Razzaq, on the authority of Ma‘mar, who reported on the authority of Hammam, who in turn reported 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, “The Angel of Death came to Moosa in order to take his soul and he said to him, ‘Answer your Lord.’ But Moosa struck the Angel of Death in the eye and knocked out his eye.”
It was as if he did not recognize him in that form; he did not know that the angel was speaking the truth, since at that time, he had not established that it was a noble angel, for there were many things that he hoped to see occur in his lifetime, such as their departure from the wilderness and their entry into the Holy Land. But it had already been ordained by Allah that he should die in the wilderness, after his brother, Haroon (Peace be upon him), as we shall make clear, if Allah, Most High, wills.
Some of them claimed that it was Moosa (Peace be upon him) who led them out of the wilderness and into the Holy Land – and this contradicts what the People of the Scripture and the majority of the Muslims believe.
Among the proofs for this is the saying of Moosa (Peace be upon him), when he chose death, saying, “My Lord! Bring as close as a stone’s throw to the Holy Land,” and if he had entered it, he would not have said that. But when he was with his people in the wilderness and the time of his death drew near, he wished to be close to the land to which he had migrated and he encouraged his people to go there. But fate intervened between them and it by a stone’s throw.
Imam Ahmad narrated on the authority of Anas Ibn Malik (May Allah be pleased with him) that he said, “The Messenger of Allah (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) said, “When I was raised up to the heaven, I passed by Moosa and he was standing in prayer in his grave, near the red sand dune.”
By Ibn Katheer
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