Moses in Islam

This article covers the views on Moses specific to Islamic theology. For a general overview, see Moses.
Prophet
Musa
موسى
Moses
Known forSplitting the Red Sea
PredecessorShu'ayb
SuccessorHarun
SpouseṢaffūrah
RelativesYūkābid (mother)
Asiya (adoptive mother)
Miriam (sister)
Hārūn (brother)

Mūsā ibn ʿImrān (Arabic: موسى ابن عمران, lit. 'Moses, son of Amram')[1] is a prominent prophet and messenger of God and is the most frequently mentioned individual in the Quran, with his name being mentioned 136 times and his life being narrated and recounted more than that of any other prophet.[2][3] He is one of the most important prophets and messengers of Islam.

According to the Quran, Musa was born to an Israelite family. In his childhood, he is put in a basket which flows towards Nile, and eventually Musa is discovered by Pharaoh's (Fir'awn) wife (not named in the Quran but called Asiya in Hadith), who takes Musa as her adopted son. After reaching adulthood, Musa then resides in Midian, before departing for Egypt again to threaten the Pharaoh. During his prophethood, Musa is said to have performed many miracles, and is also reported to have personally talked to God, who bestows the title 'Speaker of God' (Kalīm Allāh) upon Musa. The prophet's most popular miracle is him dividing the Red Sea, with a miraculous staff provided by God. Apart from the Quran, Musa is also described and praised in the Hadith literature as well. After Pharaoh's death, Musa and his followers travel towards Jerusalem, where the prophet eventually dies. Afterwards, he is reported to have met Muhammad in the seven heavens following the latter's ascension from Jerusalem during the Night Journey (’Isrā’ Miʿrāj).[4] During the journey, Musa is said by Muslims to have repeatedly sent Muhammad back, and request a reduction in the number of required daily prayers, originally believed to be fifty, until only the five obligatory prayers remained.[5][6]

Musa is viewed as a very important figure in Islam. According to Islamic theology, all Muslims must have faith in every prophet and messenger of God, which includes Musa and his brother Harun. The life of Musa is generally seen as a spiritual parallel to the life of Muhammad, and Muslims consider many aspects of the two individuals' lives to be shared.[1] Islamic literature also describes a parallel relation between their people and the incidents that occurred in their lifetimes; the exodus of the Israelites from ancient Egypt is considered to be similar in nature to the migration of Muhammad and his followers from Mecca to Medina as both events unfolded in the face of persecution—of the Israelites by the ancient Egyptians, and of the early Muslims by the Meccans, respectively.[7] His revelations, such as the Ten Commandments, form part of the contents of the Torah and are central to the Abrahamic religions of Judaism and Christianity.[8][9] Consequently, Jews and Christians are designated as "People of the Book" for Muslims and are to be recognized with this special status wherever Islamic law is applied. Musa is further revered in Islamic literature, which expands upon the incidents of his life and the miracles attributed to him in the Quran and hadith, such as his direct conversations with God.

Generally, Moses is seen as a legendary figure by biblical scholars, some of whom consider it possible that Moses or a Moses-like figure existed in the 13th century BCE.[10][11][12][13][14]

Part of a series on
Musa
Revelations
Family
Miracles
Related articles
Islam portal
  1. ^ a b Meddeb, Abdelwahab; Stora, Benjamin (27 November 2013). A History of Jewish-Muslim Relations: From the Origins to the Present Day. Princeton University Press. ISBN 9781400849130. Archived from the original on 3 May 2016. Retrieved 7 January 2016.
  2. ^ Ltd, Hymns Ancient Modern (May 1996). Third Way (magazine). p. 18. Archived from the original on 17 June 2016. Retrieved 7 January 2016.
  3. ^ Annabel Keeler, "Moses from a Muslim Perspective", in: Solomon, Norman; Harries, Richard; Winter, Tim (eds.), Abraham's Muslims in conversation Archived 29 April 2016 at the Wayback Machine, T&T Clark Publ. (2005), pp. 55–66.
  4. ^ Sahih Muslim, 1:309, 1:314
  5. ^ "Shadia: From 50 prayers a day to five". Daily Pilot. 28 June 2012. Retrieved 17 July 2021.
  6. ^ Stacey, Aisha (16 June 2008). "The Night Journey and the Ascension (part 5 of 6): In the Presence of God". www.islamreligion.com. Retrieved 17 July 2021.
  7. ^ Clinton Bennett (2010). Studying Islam: The Critical Issues. Continuum International Publishing Group. p. 36. ISBN 9780826495501. Archived from the original on 27 May 2016. Retrieved 7 January 2016.
  8. ^ H. Isaacs, Ronald. "The Ten Commandments". My Jewish Learning. Retrieved 17 July 2021.
  9. ^ "The Ten Commandments - Nature of God in Christianity - GCSE Religious Studies Revision - OCR". BBC Bitesize. Retrieved 17 July 2021.
  10. ^ Nigosian, S.A. (1993). "Moses as They Saw Him". Vetus Testamentum. 43 (3): 339–350. doi:10.1163/156853393X00160. Three views, based on source analysis or historical-critical method, seem to prevail among biblical scholars. First, a number of scholars, such as Meyer and Holscher, aim to deprive Moses all the prerogatives attributed to him by denying anything historical value about his person or the role he played in Israelite religion. Second, other scholars,.... diametrically oppose the first view and strive to anchor Moses the decisive role he played in Israelite religion in a firm setting. And third, those who take the middle position... delineate the solidly historical identification of Moses from the superstructure of later legendary accretions….Needless to say, these issues are hotly debated unresolved matters among scholars. Thus, the attempt to separate the historical from unhistorical elements in the Torah has yielded few, if any, positive results regarding the figure of Moses or the role he played on Israelite religion. No wonder J. Van Seters concluded that "the quest for the historical Moses is a futile exercise. He now belongs only to legend
  11. ^ William G. Dever (2001). What Did the Biblical Writers Know and When Did They Know It?: What Archeology Can Tell Us About the Reality of Ancient Israel. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. p. 99. ISBN 978-0-8028-2126-3. A Moses-like figure may have existed somewhere in southern Transjordan in the mid-late 13th century s.c., where many scholars think the biblical traditions concerning the god Yahweh arose.
  12. ^ Beegle, Dewey (23 October 2023). "Moses". Encyclopædia Britannica.
  13. ^ "Moses". Oxford Biblical Studies Online.
  14. ^ Miller II, Robert D. (25 November 2013). Illuminating Moses: A History of Reception from Exodus to the Renaissance. BRILL. pp. 21, 24. ISBN 978-90-04-25854-9. Van Seters concluded, 'The quest for the historical Moses is a futile exercise. He now belongs only to legend.' ... "None of this means that there is not a historical Moses and that the tales do not include historical information. But in the Pentateuch, history has become memorial. Memorial revises history, reifies memory, and makes myth out of history.