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The Story of Moosaa and the Gentleman

All perfect praise is due to Allaah; I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah and that Muhammad is His Slave and Messenger; may Allaah exalt his mention, as well as that of his family and all his companions.

One of the great stories in the Qur’aan is that of Prophet Moosaa, may Allaah exalt his mention, and the gentleman who sought his rescue; Allaah says:

ودخل المدينة على حين غفلة من أهلها فوجد فيها رجلين يقتتلان هذا من شيعته وهذا من عدوه فاستغاثه الذي من شيعته على الذي من عدوه فوكزه موسى فقضى عليه قال هذا من عمل الشيطان إنه عدوٌ مضلٌ مبينٌ * قال رب إني ظلمت نفسي فاغفر لي فغفر له إنه هو الغفور الرحيم * قال رب بما أنعمت علي فلن أكون ظهيراً للمجرمين * فأصبح في المدينة خائفاً يتقرب فإذا الذي استنصره بالأمس يستصرخه قال له موسى إنك لغويٌ مبينٌ * فلما أن أراد أن يبطش بالذي هو عدوٌ لهما قال يا موسى أتريد أن تقتلني كما قتلت نفساً بالأمس إن تريد إلا أن تكون جباراً في الأرض وما تريد أن تكون من المصلحين

which means: “And he [i.e., Moosaa] entered the city at a time of inattention by its people and found therein two men fighting: one from his faction and one from among his enemy. And the one from his faction called for help to him against the one from his enemy, so Moosaa struck him and [unintentionally] killed him. [Moosaa] said: ‘This is from the work of Satan. Indeed, he is a manifest, misleading enemy.’ He said: ‘My Lord! Indeed I have wronged myself, so forgive me,’ and He forgave him. Indeed, He is the Forgiving, the Merciful. He said: ‘My Lord! For the favour You bestowed upon me, I will never be an assistant to the criminals.’ And he became inside the city fearful and anticipating [exposure], when suddenly the one who sought his help the previous day cried out to him [once again]. Moosaa said to him: ‘Indeed, you are an evident, [persistent] deviator.’ And when he wanted to strike the one who was an enemy to both of them, he said: ‘O Moosaa! Do you intend to kill me as you killed someone yesterday? You only want to be a tyrant in the land and do not want to be of the amenders.’” [Al-Qasas: 15-19]

Prophet Moosaa, may Allaah exalt his mention, grew up in the palace of Pharaoh, and this lecture will give some details of his later life, until he left his hometown.

Prophet Moosaa, may Allaah exalt his mention, attained full wisdom, maturity and strength at the age of thirty, although some scholars have stated that it was actually forty.

He, may Allaah exalt his mention, fled Egypt, heading towards a city called Madyan, and entered it just before midday, as Ibn ‘Abbaas, may Allaah be pleased with him, stated. He, may Allaah exalt his mention, had fled due to him having accidentally killed an Egyptian man who was of the followers of Pharaoh.

The story is as follows: When Moosaa, may Allaah exalt his mention, was in Egypt, he saw two men physically fighting. One of the men was from his own people, meaning the Children of Israel, while the other was from the people of Pharaoh. The first man requested his assistance.

Having been brought up in the house of Pharaoh, Prophet Moosaa, may Allaah exalt his mention, was a person of authority and might in the sight of the people, and this is why his assistance was sought.

All that Prophet Moosaa, may Allaah exalt his mention, did was to strike the man from the people of Pharaoh once with his hand, although some scholars have stated that it was with a stick. Prophet Moosaa, may Allaah exalt his mention, certainly did not intend to kill the disbeliever. All he wished to do was to give him a jolt, and yet he, may Allaah exalt his mention, would later mention that this was an act that Satan would whisper to a person to do. Prophet Moosaa, may Allaah exalt his mention, said this because he killed an innocent soul that Allaah had not commanded him to kill, despite the man being a disbeliever.

Prophet Moosaa, may Allaah exalt his mention, regretted his act and sought forgiveness from Allaah because to do so is the only way back from committing a sin. This sin is the one that will make him, may Allaah exalt his mention, terrified on the Day of Judgement, as mentioned in a long narration in which Prophet Muhammad sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said: “…Moosaa will say: `Today my Lord has become angrier than He has ever been before, and He will never be this angry again. I killed a man whom I had not been ordered to kill. I fear for myself… `” [Al-Bukhaari & Muslim]

Despite the fact that he, may Allaah exalt his mention, killed a disbeliever, and in support of an oppressed man, he, may Allaah exalt his mention, still considered his act a sinful one, because he was not ordered to kill him. Prophets are far more sensitive towards their actions than regular people, who may even kill intentionally and yet be indifferent about it.

As a sign of his repentance, he, may Allaah exalt his mention, pledged to Allaah never to support an oppressor. The scholars took this verse as an evidence for the prohibition of supporting an oppressor, or offering any type of assistance to him.

Prophet Moosaa, may Allaah exalt his mention, feared that Pharaoh and his followers would find out about him killing a man from their people, so he walked very apprehensively about the town. Suddenly, the same man that he had assisted the day before called out for his help again. Prophet Moosaa, may Allaah exalt his mention, expressed his contempt towards this man, who seemed to be getting himself into trouble frequently, by saying what means: “…Indeed, you are an evident, [persistent] deviator.” [Al-Qasas: 18]

When Prophet Moosaa, may Allaah exalt his mention, walked up to him to assist him once again, the man assumed that he was coming to punish him for getting in trouble two days in succession, and so he very foolishly mentioned the incident of the previous day. He said this in front of the other man, who was also from the people of Pharaoh, and thus the action of Prophet Moosaa, may Allaah exalt his mention, was exposed. Prophet Moosaa, may Allaah exalt his mention, was now in danger of being executed.

Allaah then says:

وجاء رجل من أقصى المدينة يسعى قال يا موسى إن الملأ يأتمرون بك ليقتلوك فاخرج إني لك من الناصحين * فخرج منها خائفاً يترقب قال رب نجني من القوم الظالمين* ولماتوجه تلقاء مدين قال عسى ربي أن يهديني سواء السبيل

which means: “And a man came from the farthest end of the city, running. He said: ‘O Moosaa! Indeed the eminent ones are conferring over you [intending] to kill you, so leave [the city]; indeed, I am to you of the sincere advisors.’ So he left it, fearful and anticipating [apprehension]. He said: ‘My Lord! Save me from the wrongdoing people.’ And when he directed himself toward Madyan, he said: ‘Perhaps my Lord will guide me to the sound way.’” [Al-Qasas: 20-22]

At this point, the believing gentleman from the people of Pharaoh came running, in an attempt to rescue Prophet Moosaa, may Allaah exalt his mention, and inform him of the conspiracy that was hatched against him. He informed him that the elite from the followers of Pharaoh were discussing his matter and had decided to kill him, and that he therefore must flee.

He therefore fled towards a city called Madyan which he had heard of but did not know how to get to. He, may Allaah exalt his mention, supplicated his Lord to guide him to it, and sure enough, Allaah responded to his supplication and guided him to it.

The following are some of the many benefits one can deduce from this great story:

· Prophet Moosaa, may Allaah exalt his mention, rebuked the man from the Children of Israel who got into trouble, the result of which was that his actions were exposed, which instigated the wrath of the people of Pharaoh against himself and all of the Children of Israel. It is worth noting that at that time, the Children of Israel were oppressed and weak, and were not in a position to repel the oppression. It is therefore understood that it is incorrect for a believer in such a weak position to do anything that would provoke and instigate his enemies to take aggressive action against him.

· The blessing of supplicating Allaah and relying on Him, while having positive thoughts about Him and the certainty that He responds to supplications: Prophet Moosaa, may Allaah exalt his mention, left the city alone, terrified, confused and with no provision for his journey, but Allaah nevertheless responded to his supplication and rescued him from the people of Pharaoh.

· When oppressors gather to harm the believer, he must immediately leave their vicinity. Prophet Moosaa, may Allaah exalt his mention, did not attempt to see his mother before he fled, rather he left as soon as he received the warning from the believing gentleman.

· The importance of advice: the believing gentleman came from the far end of the city and advised Prophet Moosaa, may Allaah exalt his mention, which rescued his life.

· If one fears being killed in a particular location, then it is impermissible for him to surrender himself to the oppressors. He must flee the area if he can.

· If one is forced to commit one of two evils, then he must choose to do the lesser of them. Prophet Moosaa, may Allaah exalt his mention, was faced with one of two harmful choices: to remain in Egypt and risk being killed, or to escape to an unknown city, to which he had neither directions nor a guide. He, may Allaah exalt his mention, chose to escape without a guide since that represented a greater chance of salvation.

· If one is uncertain of a particular matter or issue, then he must supplicate and seek the help of Allaah to guide him to the right path, just as Prophet Moosaa, may Allaah exalt his mention, did when he fled Egypt.  Not only did Allaah guide Prophet Moosaa, may Allaah exalt his mention, to his destination, but He also blessed him and made him one of His Messengers.

· The obligation of being grateful and thanking Allaah, practically, for His favours and bounties. When Allaah forgave Prophet Moosaa, may Allaah exalt his mention, for killing the man, he pledged to never support a criminal or an oppressor.

· The evil consequences of befriending a foolish person. The foolish man from the Children of Israel caused a multitude of problems for Prophet Moosaa, may Allaah exalt his mention. If one notices that a certain friend of his is a source of trouble, then he must stay away from him.

· The natural fear that Prophet Moosaa, may Allaah exalt his mention, felt when he left Egypt, does not entail Shirk (i.e., associating with Allaah in worship), as he, may Allaah exalt his mention, had every reason to feel this natural type of fear.

· A person is not permitted to be a supporter of an oppressor in any way. The Prophet sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said: “Allaah commanded the angels to lash a slave in his grave one hundred times. When he asked why he was lashed, he was told: `You prayed a prayer without being in the state of ablution, and you also passed by an oppressed person and failed to support him.” [Al-Munthiri]

A man asked Imaam Sufyaan Ath-Thawri, may Allaah have mercy upon him: “I make clothes for the Sultan; am I considered an aid to the oppressor?” He, may Allaah have mercy upon him, replied: “Rather you are one of the oppressors. The aid is the one who buys thread and needle from you.” [End of quote]

Some of the Salaf, may Allaah have mercy upon them, would consider a person as a supporter of an oppressor: “Even if he sharpens his pencil or washes his clothes for him.” [End of quote]

Imaam Ath-Thahabi, may Allaah have mercy upon him, reported a story which illustrates the evil consequences of oppression and working with oppressors; he said: “Once, I saw a one-armed man in the street shouting to every passer-by: `Let him who witnesses my predicament never oppress anyone.’ I walked up to him and asked him what his story was. He said: `Once, when I was working with and supporting oppressors, I saw a fisherman holding a huge fish in his hands. I walked up to him and demanded that he give me the fish, but he refused, emphasising that it was the only source of food for his family. I therefore struck him and took it by force (due to having the protection of the oppressors). I carried the fish on my back and began walking home. On the way, the fish bit my thumb hard, causing me intense pain. When I got home, my thumb hurt so much that I could not sleep that night, so I went to the doctor who informed me that it had become gangrenous, and that I had better amputate it before it spreads further. So he amputated it. Shortly afterwards, the pain moved up to my palm, and the doctor informed me that this too had become gangrenous and that I had better amputate it. This continued to be the case until he amputated my whole arm. Some people inquired how this happened, and when I told them, they urged me to go to the man from whom I had seized the fish in order to seek his forgiveness. I went looking everywhere for the man, until I finally found him. When I did, I fell on his feet and kissed them, begging him to forgive me. When he heard my story, he cried and forgave me, telling me that he had supplicated against me. After this incident, I pledged to never again support an oppressor or oppress anyone myself.” [End of quote]

We should note that in the story, Prophet Moosaa, may Allaah exalt his mention, did not support an oppressor, rather he supported an oppressed person, but accidentally killed another man in the process. This is why he considered it a sin and sought forgiveness.

· Allaah supports His pious slaves, guides them to the correct path, blesses them with a good end, and facilitates for them all their affairs.

From islamav.com