A Life of Inherited Trust in the Divine Deliverance
Musa (عليه السلام) is a prophet well known to all religions of the world as a great leader. He was a man who not only had compassion for his people and a deep connection to his own family and even more importantly to his Lord, but he was a man for whom difficulties became the very vessel that evolved into his success and accomplishment.
What made the important difference in his life and his own deliverance is the element of trust. It was a trust that not only did he himself encompass, but perhaps more importantly, something that was passed on to him by those closest to him.
There is a remarkable symmetry in the life of Musa (عليه السلام).
His journey began upon the waters of a river, placed as a helpless infant into a woven basket by a mother whose only certainty was her trust in Allah. What appeared to be a path toward danger became the very means of his protection.
Years later, after a lifetime of trials, prophethood, struggle, and steadfast reliance upon his Lord, Musa (عليه السلام) once again found himself standing before water. This time it was not a river, but a sea.
As a newborn child, the waters seemed capable of ending his life. As a prophet, the sea appeared capable of ending the mission entrusted to him and the people who followed him.
Yet in both moments, Allah transformed what appeared to be an obstacle into a means of deliverance.
The river carried him toward safety.
The sea opened before him and carried his people toward freedom.
Perhaps it is no coincidence that Allah reminds us in the Qur'an:
"And We made from water every living thing." (Qur'an 21:30)
Throughout the life of Musa (عليه السلام), water appeared repeatedly not as a symbol of destruction, but as a means through which Allah preserved life, fulfilled His promise, and demonstrated His power. What seemed threatening became protective. What appeared to block the way became the very path forward.
Between those two bodies of water stretched a lifetime of faith, trust, patience, and reliance upon Allah's promise.
From Difficulties to Deliverance
The infant carried by water in a woven basket would one day stand again before water at the culmination of his mission. What first appeared to be a threat became, by Allah's decree, a means of deliverance.
After living in the care of the Pharoah’s wife and living in the luxury and benefitting from the nourishment and training, he went away into exile to escape the punishment in the land as he had committed a major crime. This led to his ultimate marriage and catapulted a series of events.
Later still, a shepherd walks the desert, tending his flock beneath a vast sky, unaware of the role Allah has prepared for him.
A prophet stands before the most powerful ruler of his age, armed not with armies or wealth, but with faith and a message, accompanied and empowered by the presence of his eloquently speaking brother.
Finally, this servant of Allah stands before a sea, with his people behind him and an enemy’s army advancing from the rear.
At every stage of his life, the story of Musa (عليه السلام) was a story of trust, which not always revolved directly around Musa (عليه السلام), but around those who were his support group from the time of his birth until his later adulthood and prophethood.
Trust before the miracle.
Trust before the answer.
Trust before deliverance.
It is perhaps for this reason that centuries later, when the Prophet Muhammad (صالى الله عليه وسلم) arrived in Madinah and found the Jews fasting in remembrance of Musa (عليه السلام) and the deliverance of the Children of Israel, he immediately recognized the significance of that day.
When Musa (عليه السلام) ultimately arrived with his people in his following at the edge of Egypt to deliver them both physically as well as spiritually from the torment of the ruling Pharoah, he understandably became terrified at the immediate prospect of the physical obstacle and the impact of their predicament.
Pharoah had reluctantly permitted Musa (عليه السلام) to lead the people out of the land only after having suffered multiple miraculous and terrifying plagues in the land. These were all divine signs designed to impress upon the Pharoah that he was not the ultimate diety. It was a concept that Pharoah did not understand or accept until his final moment of his death as the parted sea caved in on him. Even then, his repentance was not of true penance, and Allah never accepted those empty words from him. (see Qur’an, S. Yunus, 10:90-92)
It took a lifetime of events, many of them propelled or facilitated by the women in his life, to get him to the stage of his ultimate prophethood and strength as one of Allah’s greatest messengers and a truthful and caring leader of his people.
A Fate Shaped by Divine Prophecy & Select Women
A young mother stands beside a river, watching a small basket drift away from her arms – desperate to save her newborn baby, the first-born male of the family, and keep him safely in her arms. Yet she knew that that the only true safety for him lay in that basket. She had been divinely inspired to settle him into the basket, with the faith that Her Lord and Creator and Sustainer would not abandon her or her son in their moments of need.
She needed an escape route for her beloved son from the fate of Pharoah, as he had declared to have all the first-born males of the Israelites to be mercilessly killed. He had seen in a vision that it would be a male child from amongst the Israelites that would be his own demise – creating immeasurable fear in his deep soul.
She responded with full faith in her Lord that He would care for him and provide for him. Allah delivered his promise so as to relieve her heavy heart by removing her extreme sadness as well as returning the babe to her cuddling arms and chest.
A young girl follows from a distance, careful not to reveal herself, yet unable to turn away from the fate of her little brother. She was concerned for him, but also afraid for her own existence and that of their beloved mother. Great care was needed to be taken to ensure the tyrant king and his armies did not find them nor discover their hidden secret of their true relation to the babe in the basket.
A young woman from Pharoah’s camp intercepted the babe, and took him to remain in the care of Pharoah’s wife, to be raised as their own.
Pharoah’s wife was also no ordinary woman, for living in the household of Pharoah and witnessing first hand his oppressive tyrannical manners, she remained faithful. She is known to have prayed to Allah to establish for her a palace in heaven to replace her torment on this earth as Pharoah’s wife. (see Qur’an, S. Al-Tahrim, 66:11)
The physical and elegant pleasures of the royal household were not enough to satisfy her spiritual needs. She could see through it all to understand the ultimate pleasure and peace that only Allah can offer.
When the babe would not accept the feeding from any of the nursemaids available to the Pharoah’s household, the guardian sister suggested to them a final option. The baby Musa (عليه السلام) accepted without cry or question, and thereby Allah’s promise to the young mother was realised, as the two were united and her heart was calmed and reassured. (see Qur’an, S. Al-Qasas, 28:11-12 and S. Ta-Ha, 20:40)
Years later, a young man flees Egypt with uncertainty before him and danger behind him. He had killed a man, and needed to flee the fate of his crime. His life evolved into self-inflicted exile only to return later to take his rightful place as the guide and leader of his people. His exile led him ultimately to his life companion and soulmate, who reinforced him and supported him along his path toward his ultimate role as prophet and guide for his own people. (see Qur’an, S. Al-Qasas, 28:15 and 28:20)
The Fulfillment of a Prophecy
After completing his contract with his father-in-law and serving him for a period of 10 years, Musa (عليه السلام) and his wife began their own journey to seek out a home and sustenance of their own .
During their journey, Musa (عليه السلام) stopped for some rest, and there was the legendary “burning bush” nearby, to which Musa (عليه السلام) responded to the call. (see Qur’an, S. Al-Qasas, 28:29)
The message given him was the divine order for him to return to the land of Pharoah, Egypt, to reason with Pharoah to “let his people go”.
But how could he think of returning when he had previously fled in exile to avoid the death penalty in the first place? How could he consider approaching Pharoah when his own speech was tied and difficult? How could he imagine to face off Pharoah and his teams of sorcerers when he himself had no power, no leverage and no armies to back him?
The Pharoah ruling Egypt prior and during Musa's (عليه السلام) existence was one of the worst tyrants in the history of Egypt. It was under his rule that the Jews were captive slaves, living in not only poverty and indignation, but suffering many torments at the hands of the Pharoah’s army under his command.
It was not an easy command for Musa (عليه السلام) to accept and follow, but he did so with the blessing from Allah and the promise that he and his brother would not be alone, as Allah promised them that He would be with him at every moment and space. (see Quran, S. Ta-Ha, 20:46)
A Prophet who Understands and Admits His Own Human Limitations
Although Musa (عليه السلام) was a strong man, known well for his fortitude in his stance of his faith in Allah and his dedication to promoting the message he was endowed with, he was also a very compassionate and genuinely caring man. He publicly admitted his own human weaknesses or faults and his fear of his own limitations to prevent him from delivering the message as directed.
It was from this viewpoint that Musa (عليه السلام) requested from Allah that He first open his heart, and then to strengthen him in presence and speech so as to override his own speech impediment, and to permit him to walk on his journey in accompaniment with his brother, to meet with the Pharoah and challenge him with a more eloquent tongue .
Allah mercifully granted Musa's (عليه السلام) prayer without question, and added on to the answer reminder of His blessings on Musa (عليه السلام) from the beginning by protecting him from ultimate death as the first-born male of the family, followed by His protection of Musa (عليه السلام) in the basket in the river, and ultimately winding up to be raised by the Pharoah’s wife, to be cared for as one of their own. (see Qur’an, S. Ta-Ha, 20:24-42)
Even centuries later, Musa’s (عليه السلام) compassion for people remained evident.
It was Musa (عليه السلام) who advised Prophet Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم)during his journey of Isra’ wal-Mi’raj (the travel of the late night and ascension) to request lower requirements for the people concerning the prescription of the prayers. He knew from his own experience of his own people that their level of tolerance and ability to oblige to many religious obligations would be low. His compassion led him to instruct Prophet Muhammad to negotiate – albeit with Allah directly.(see hadith: Sunan an-Nasa’I, 450) .
When Faith Meets the Impossible
A lifetime had passed since the basket drifted down the river.
A lifetime had passed since a frightened mother entrusted her child to Allah's care.
A lifetime had passed since a young girl watched from a distance.
A lifetime had passed since exile, shepherding, marriage, and the call to prophethood.
Yet once again, Musa (عليه السلام) found himself standing before what appeared to be an impossible situation.
Before him lay the sea.
Behind him advanced Pharaoh and his army.
Around him stood a frightened people who could see no escape.
To the human eye, every route was closed.
Yet the story of Musa (عليه السلام) had never really been about what human eyes could see.
It had always been about trusting Allah before the solution became visible.
The same Lord who protected him as an infant in a basket.
The same Lord who reunited him with his mother.
The same Lord who guided him through exile and strengthened him before Pharaoh.
The same Lord now commanded him to continue forward.
And when all worldly means appeared exhausted, Allah made a way where no way seemed possible.
The sea miraculously parted for Musa (عليه السلام) and his people to cross .
Once again, the waters that appeared capable of destruction became a means of life and deliverance.
Pharoah, being the tyrant that he was, could not resist the temptation to follow after them in attempt to capture them and either kill or torment them even further.
Why We Still Remember Musa (عليه السلام)
Musa (عليه السلام) was a prophet who understood and recognized his own human characteristics and weaknesses, and yet accepted the challenge that came with answering the call of Allah .
Filled with compassion for his people and fortified by his commitment to serve Allah, Musa’s (عليه السلام) life story embodied the ultimate example of trust before the promise of the miracle became clear .
It is perhaps for this reason that centuries later, when the Prophet Muhammad (صلى الله عليه و سلم) arrived in Madinah and found the Jews fasting in remembrance of Musa (عليه السلام) and the deliverance of the Children of Israel, he immediately recognized the significance of that day.
When he first learned of it, Ashura was so important that Prophet Muhammad (صلى الله عليه و سلم) was so inclined (by means of divine inspiration, of course) to advise his companions that this was a day of mandatory fasting. Later that same year, the divine revelation was highlighted which prescribes the mandatory fast of the month of Ramadan.
The Day of Ashura (which is the 10th of Muharram) has evolved into a widely recognized and celebrated day of voluntary fasting for Muslims, commemorating the deliverance of the Children of Israel from the fate of Pharoah’s tyranny.
Yet more than that – it is a commemoration and remembrance of the life that led us all to that deliverance, and the reinforcement of the power of having faith even before the promise of the deliverance actually appears.
It is the faith that we put in Allah, that He will not let us despair and He will reward us for that faith, with an ultimate deliverance from the perils we were facing when we opt to put our faith in him.
Ibrahim (عليه السلام) before him had the faith that Allah would not forsake him or his family when he was guided to take them to reside in a faraway deserted land with no obvious means of sustenance. He was also commanded to sacrifice his beloved first-born son, but in that instance was also delivered from the act by an offering of mercy created by Allah.
Hajar (عليها السلام) also put her trust in the Lord Allah, the Creator and Sustainer, that He would not forsake her or her newborn son, when they were left by Ibrahim in the valley of Makkah before any inhabitants or civilization or any means of sustenance were available .
After the expanse of Musa’s (عليه السلام) lifetime and those two bodies of water that marked a beginning and an end, stretched a lifetime of faith, trust, patience, and reliance upon Allah's promise.
Musa’s (عليه السلام) life and prophecy did not end with the sea – this was merely the closing of only one chapter. His life continued in prophecy and deliverance of his people, and becoming a grand example for the prophets and people to follow after .
Like sheep who wander from their shepherd, his people began to stray time after time, and needed the consistent reminders that only a patient and caring man such as Musa (عليه السلام) could provide.
The story of Musa (عليه السلام) did not end with the crossing of the sea. Its memory continues to live on each year through the observance of Ashura—a day of fasting, gratitude, and remembrance. For a deeper reflection on the significance of Ashura and its connection to the story of Musa (عليه السلام), see my article: Ashura: A Day of Gratitude, Deliverance, and Reflection.
The lesson carries on in the trust that is followed by the divine fulfillment of a promise of deliverance.
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