Musa (AS) Talks to Allah

In the 10 years Musa (AS) worked as a shepherd in Madian, he learned much of the skills he needed to be a prophet. Allah makes every messenger he sends work as a shepherd for part of their lives, and this is because a lot of the skills it takes to be a good shepherd are also a lot of the skills it takes to be a messenger. You need great patience and wisdom, and to learn both how to be soft and hard with people. As well as this, being alone with nothing other than sheep for a long time allows you to become closer to Allah, as you do not have the distractions of the rest of the world. So these 10 years were training for what would come next in Musa’s (AS) life.

After this period was over, Musa (AS) felt like he wanted to go back to Egypt. Even though he had run away 10 years ago out of fear of death, he took his family and set off across the desert back to the land in which he was born.

Along the way, Musa (AS) and his family stopped at Mount Sinai for the night. There, Musa (AS) noticed the glow of a fire in the distance, and so he set off towards it to bring back a burning branch to warm his own family.

When Musa (AS) reached the fire, he heard a voice calling out to him, ‘O Musa! Indeed, I am your Lord! Take off your shoes as you are in the sacred valley of Tuwa. I have chosen you, so listen to what I reveal to you. Indeed, I am Allah! No one is worthy of worship other than Me, so worship me and make sincere prayers. Indeed, The Hour is coming, and I keep it hidden so that everyone may be correctly rewarded for what they do. Do not let the one who does not believe but only follows his own desires lead you away from my path or you will be destroyed. And what is in your right hand, O Musa?’

This was none other than the voice of Allah talking directly to Musa (AS). This was a great honour for Musa (AS), as Allah only spoke directly to a handful of prophets. Because of this, Musa (AS) has the title of Kalimullah (the one who Allah spoke to) in Islam.

Musa (AS) was shaken, but he responded, ‘This is my stick, which I lean on and which I use to beat down branches for my sheep.’

‘Throw it down, O Musa.’ Allah commanded. Musa (AS) obeyed, and immediately the stick became a live snake. Musa (AS) was terrified and turned to run, but Allah ordered, ‘Grab it, and do not be scared. Indeed, you are safe. We will return it to how it was before.’

Musa (AS) trusted in the power of Allah like a true believer, and so he picked up the snake for it to become a stick again. This was the first miracle that Allah gave to Musa (AS) to use in his coming mission. Then Allah said, ‘And take your right hand and press it to your left side under your shirt. It will come out white and shining and without disease as another sign. These are two signs from your Lord to Firown and his chiefs. Indeed, they are a disobedient people. Go to Firown! Indeed, he has gone past the limits!’

This was the beginning of Musa’s (AS) mission, and his beginning a messenger of Allah. Now he knew why he was going back to Egypt, and he knew what he had to do.

But there were still a few worries that Musa (AS) had. The first was the murder that he had committed 10 years before. He worried that before he even had a chance to meet Firown, he would be arrested for this crime. The second was fear of the actual mission itself. Musa (AS) did not know how he would confront the powerful Pharaoh and he was worried that he would not be able to properly get the message of Allah across in the court of Firown in front of all his chiefs. So he turned to Allah and made a du’a that we use to this day, ‘O my Lord, open my chest (make me confident), ease my task for me and unknot my tongue so that they understand my speech.’ He then made another request, which was to allow his older brother, Haroon (AS), to join him on his mission as he was a good speaker. Allah allowed this, and so Haroon (AS) became a messenger of Allah due to Musa’s (AS) request.