Editing Moses in Islam (section)

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{{Infobox person
| honorific_prefix   = [[Prophets and messengers in Islam|Prophet]]
| name               = Musa
| image              = Musa with a cane in his hand.jpg
| native_name        = {{lang|ar|موسى}}
| native_name_lang   = 
| disappeared_status = 
| resting_place_coordinates = <!-- {{Coord|LAT|LONG|type:landmark|display=inline}} -->
| years_active       = 
| known_for          = Splitting the [[Red Sea]]
| notable_works      = 
| style              = 
| predecessor        = [[Shu'ayb]]
| successor          = [[Aaron in Islam|Harun]]
| opponents          = 
| spouse             = [[Zipporah|Ṣaffūrah]]
| partner            = 
| relatives          = [[Yūkābid]] (mother)<br />[[Asiya]] (adoptive mother)<br />[[Miriam#Quranic account|Miriam]] (sister)<br />[[Harun]] (brother)
| module2            = 
| module3            = 
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| module5            = 
| module6            = 
| footnotes          = 
}}
[[Moses]] ({{langx|ar|موسى ابن عمران}} {{tlit|ar|Mūsā ibn ʿImrān}}, {{Literal translation|Moses, son of [[Amram]]}})<ref name="books.google.com">{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Wbg1AAAAQBAJ&pg=PA52 |title=A History of Jewish-Muslim Relations: From the Origins to the Present Day |isbn=9781400849130 |access-date=7 January 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160503163556/https://books.google.com/books?id=Wbg1AAAAQBAJ&pg=PA52 |archive-date=3 May 2016 |url-status=live |last1=Meddeb |first1=Abdelwahab |last2=Stora |first2=Benjamin |date=27 November 2013 |publisher=Princeton University Press}}</ref> is a prominent [[Prophets and messengers in Islam|prophet and messenger]] of [[God in Islam|God]] and is the most frequently mentioned individual in the [[Quran]], with [[#Quranic references|his name being mentioned 136 times]] and his life being narrated and recounted more than that of any other [[prophet]].<ref>{{cite book |title=Third Way (magazine) |page=18 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=u20z-dBo6SIC&pg=PA18 |date=May 1996 |last1=Ltd |first1=Hymns Ancient Modern |access-date=7 January 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160617045158/https://books.google.com/books?id=u20z-dBo6SIC&pg=PA18 |archive-date=17 June 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Keeler">Annabel Keeler, "Moses from a Muslim Perspective", in: Solomon, Norman; Harries, Richard; Winter, Tim (eds.), [https://books.google.com/books?id=9A4JZ8CSJJwC&pg=PA55 ''Abraham's Muslims in conversation''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160429081221/https://books.google.com/books?id=9A4JZ8CSJJwC&pg=PA55|date=29 April 2016}}, T&T Clark Publ. (2005), pp. 55–66.</ref> Apart from the Quran, Moses is also described and praised in the [[Hadith]] literature as well. He is one of the most important prophets and messengers within Islam.

According to the Quran, Moses was born to an [[Israelite]] family. In his childhood, he is put in a basket which flows towards the [[Nile]], and is eventually discovered by Pharaoh's ([[Fir'awn]]) wife (not named in the Quran but called [[Asiya]] in [[Hadith]]), who takes Moses as her adopted son. After reaching adulthood, Moses then resides in [[Midian]], before departing for Egypt again to threaten the Pharaoh. During his prophethood, Moses is said to have performed many miracles, and is also reported to have personally talked to God, who bestows the title 'Speaker of God' ({{Transliteration|ar|Kalīm Allāh}}) upon Moses. The prophet's most famous miracle is dividing the Red Sea, with a miraculous staff provided by God. After Pharaoh's death, Moses and his followers travel towards the Promised Land and the prophet dies within sight of the land. Moses is reported to have met [[Muhammad]] in the seven heavens following his ascension from [[Old City (Jerusalem)|Jerusalem]] during the [[Isra and Mi'raj|Night Journey]] ({{Transliteration|ar|’Isrā’ Miʿrāj}}).<ref name="muslim">{{Hadith-usc|usc=yes|muslim|1|309}}, {{Hadith-usc|muslim|1|314}}</ref> During the journey, Moses 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 [[Salah|five obligatory prayers]] remained.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2012-06-28 |title=Shadia: From 50 prayers a day to five |url=https://www.latimes.com/socal/daily-pilot/opinion/tn-dpt-0628-shadia-20120627-story.html |access-date=2021-07-17 |website=Daily Pilot |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Stacey |first=Aisha |date=16 June 2008 |title=The Night Journey and the Ascension (part 5 of 6): In the Presence of God |url=https://www.islamreligion.com/articles/1547/night-journey-and-ascension-part-5/ |access-date=2021-07-17 |website=www.islamreligion.com |language=en}}</ref>

Moses 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 Moses and his brother [[Aaron in Islam|Aaron]]. The life of Moses 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.<ref name="books.google.com" /> Islamic literature also describes a parallel relation between their people and the incidents that occurred in their lifetimes; the [[The Exodus|exodus of the Israelites from ancient Egypt]] is considered to be similar in nature to the [[Hegira#Migration|migration of Muhammad and his followers from Mecca to Medina]] as both events unfolded in the face of persecution—[[Book of Exodus|of the Israelites by the ancient Egyptians]], and [[Persecution of Muslims by Meccans|of the early Muslims by the Meccans]], respectively.<ref>{{cite book |author=Clinton Bennett |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pSujZMpI7wAC&pg=PA36 |title=Studying Islam: The Critical Issues |publisher=Continuum International Publishing Group |year=2010 |isbn=9780826495501 |page=36 |access-date=7 January 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160527055555/https://books.google.com/books?id=pSujZMpI7wAC&pg=PA36 |archive-date=27 May 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref> 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]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=H. Isaacs |first=Ronald |title=The Ten Commandments |url=https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/the-ten-commandments/ |access-date=2021-07-17 |website=My Jewish Learning |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=The Ten Commandments - Nature of God in Christianity - GCSE Religious Studies Revision - OCR |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/zf626yc/revision/3 |access-date=2021-07-17 |website=BBC Bitesize |language=en-GB}}</ref> 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. Moses 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 [[legend]]ary figure by biblical scholars, some of whom consider it possible that Moses or a Moses-like figure existed in the 13th century BCE.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Nigosian |first1=S. A. |title=Moses as They Saw Him |journal=Vetus Testamentum |date=1993 |volume=43 |issue=3 |pages=339–350 |doi=10.1163/156853393X00160 |quote="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"}}</ref><ref name="Dever2001">{{cite book |author=William G. Dever |title=What Did the Biblical Writers Know and When Did They Know It?: What Archeology Can Tell Us About the Reality of Ancient Israel |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6-VxwC5rQtwC&pg=PA99 |year=2001 |publisher=Wm. B. Eerdmans |isbn=978-0-8028-2126-3 |page=99 |quote=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.}}</ref><ref name="Enclyc Brit Moses">{{cite encyclopedia |last1=Beegle |first1=Dewey |title=Moses |date=23 October 2023 |url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Moses-Hebrew-prophet |encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Moses |url=http://www.oxfordbiblicalstudies.com/article/opr/t94/e1284 |website=Oxford Biblical Studies Online}}</ref><ref name="Miller">{{cite book |first=Robert D. |last=Miller II |title=Illuminating Moses: A History of Reception from Exodus to the Renaissance |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bXZfAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA21 |date=25 November 2013 |publisher=Brill |isbn=978-90-04-25854-9 |pages=21, 24 |quote=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.}}</ref>

{{Musa}}