Editing Moses in Islam (section)

== Prophethood ==

=== Test of prophecy ===
According to [[Isra'iliyat|Isra'iliyat hadith]], when Moses is on the Pharaoh's lap in his childhood, he grabs the Pharaoh's beard and slaps him in the face. This action prompts the Pharaoh to consider Moses as the Israelite who would overthrow him, and the Pharaoh wanted to kill Moses. The Pharaoh's wife persuades him not to kill him because he is an infant. Instead, he decides to test Moses.<ref name="Of"/> Two plates are set before young Moses, one containing [[rubies]] and the other glowing coals.<ref name="Of">{{cite book |title=Dictionary of Islam |author1=Patrick Hughes |author2=Thomas Patrick Hughes |page=365 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=O84eYLVHvB0C&pg=PA365 |isbn=9788120606722 |year=1995 |publisher=Asian Educational Services |access-date=7 January 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160508105344/https://books.google.com/books?id=O84eYLVHvB0C&pg=PA365 |archive-date=8 May 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref> Moses reaches out for the rubies, but the angel [[Gabriel]] directs his hand to the coals. Moses grabs a glowing [[coal]] and puts it in his mouth, burning his tongue.<ref name=B>{{cite book |title=Abraham's Children: Jews, Christians, and Muslims in Conversation |author1=Norman Solomon |author2=Richard Harries |author3=Tim Winter |pages=63–66 |year=2005 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9A4JZ8CSJJwC&pg=PA63 |isbn=9780567081612 |publisher=Continuum International Publishing Group |access-date=7 January 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160504034852/https://books.google.com/books?id=9A4JZ8CSJJwC&pg=PA63 |archive-date=4 May 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref> After the incident, Moses suffers a speech defect, but is spared by the Pharaoh.<ref>{{cite book |title=First Encyclopaedia of Islam: 1913–1936 |author=M. The Houtsma |year=1993 |page=739 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fWNpIGNFz0IC&pg=PA739 |isbn=9789004097964 |publisher=Brill Academic Pub |access-date=7 January 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160516113623/https://books.google.com/books?id=fWNpIGNFz0IC&pg=PA739 |archive-date=16 May 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=The Prophets, Their Lives and Their Stories |author=Abdul-Sahib Al-Hasani Al-'amili |page=277 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9YyYS_hjKpEC&pg=PA277 |isbn=9781605067063 |publisher=Forgotten Books |access-date=7 January 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160602212351/https://books.google.com/books?id=9YyYS_hjKpEC&pg=PA277 |archive-date=2 June 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Escape to Midian and Marriage ===
[[File:Al Haql R01.jpg|thumb|The [[Midian Mountains]] near [[Haql]] on the coast of the [[Gulf of Aqaba]], which separates [[Midian]] in the northern part of the [[Arabian Peninsula]] and [[Syria (region)|Ash-Shaam]] from the [[Sinai Peninsula]] in present-day [[Egypt]]]]

After having reached adulthood, according to the Quran, Moses is passing through a city when he comes across an Egyptian fighting with an Israelite. The Israelite man is believed to be Sam'ana, known in the [[Bible]] to be a [[Samaritan]], who asks Moses for his assistance against the Egyptian who is mistreating him. Moses attempts to intervene and becomes involved in the dispute.<ref name="Concepts">{{cite book |title=Concepts of Islam |author=Naeem Abdullah |page=89 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1yaKvS1kHpoC&pg=PA89 |isbn=9781456852436 |year=2011 |publisher=Xlibris Corporation |access-date=7 January 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160529112435/https://books.google.com/books?id=1yaKvS1kHpoC&pg=PA89 |archive-date=29 May 2016 |url-status=live}}{{self-published source|date=December 2017}}</ref>{{Self-published inline|certain=yes|date=December 2017}} Moses strikes the Egyptian in a state of anger, which results in his death.<ref>{{cite book |title=The Religion of Islam |author=Maulana Muhammad Ali |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=etnEKz_rOfgC&pg=PT197 |page=197 |isbn=9781934271186 |year=2011 |publisher=Ahmadiyya Anjuman Ishaat Islam Lahore USA |access-date=7 January 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160603075445/https://books.google.com/books?id=etnEKz_rOfgC&pg=PT197 |archive-date=3 June 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref> Moses then repents to God, and the following day, he again comes across the same Israelite fighting with another Egyptian. The Israelite again asks Moses for help, and as Moses approaches the Israelite, he reminds Moses of his [[manslaughter]] and asks if Moses intended to kill the Israelite. Moses is reported, and the Pharaoh orders Moses to be killed. However, Moses flees to the desert after being alerted to his punishment.<ref name=" Rasamandala Das 17"/> According to Islamic tradition, after Moses arrives in [[Midian]], he witnesses two female shepherds driving back their flocks from a well.<ref name=Y/> Moses approaches them and inquires about their work as shepherds and their retreat from the well. Upon hearing their answers and about the old age of their father, although his identity is contested, generally accepted to be [[Shuaib|Prophet Shuaib]], Moses waters their flocks for them.<ref name=Y>{{cite book |title=Know Your Islam |author=Yousuf N. Lalljee |pages=77–78 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=w-vyFztUEjAC&pg=PA77 |isbn=9780940368026 |year=1993 |publisher=TTQ, Inc |access-date=7 January 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160506011330/https://books.google.com/books?id=w-vyFztUEjAC&pg=PA77 |archive-date=6 May 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref> The two shepherds return to their home and inform their father of Moses. They then invite Moses to a feast. At that feast, their father asks Moses to work for him for eight years in return for marriage to one of his daughters.<ref name="Concepts"/> Moses consents and works for him for ten years.<ref name="Concepts"/>

===Preaching===
====Call to prophethood====
[[File:Mount Sinai.jpg|thumbnail|One of the suggested locations of the [[Biblical Mount Sinai]], where Moses first spoke to [[God in Islam|God]]]]
According to the Quran, Moses departs for [[Egypt]] along with his family after completing the contracted time period. During their travel, as they stop near [[Mount Sinai (Bible)|At-Tur]], Moses observes a large fire and instructs the family to wait until he returns with fire for them. When Moses reaches the [[Valley of Tuwa]], God calls out directly to him from the right side of the valley from a tree, on what is revered as ''[[Al-Buq‘ah Al-Mubārakah]]'' ("The Blessed Ground") in the Quran.<ref name="Uni">{{cite book |title=Universal Dimensions of Islam: Studies in Comparative Religion |author=Patrick Laude |page=31 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JsC-RUvVsywC&pg=PA31 |isbn=9781935493570 |year=2011 |publisher=World Wisdom, Inc |access-date=7 January 2016}}</ref> Moses is commanded by God to remove his shoes and is informed of his selection as a prophet, his obligation of prayer and the Day of Judgment. Moses is then ordered to throw his rod, which turns into a snake, and later instructed to hold it.{{cn|date=December 2024}} The Quran then narrates Moses being ordered to insert his hand into his clothes and when he revealed it, it shines a bright light.<ref name="I" /> God states that these are signs for the Pharaoh, and orders Moses to invite Pharaoh to the worship of one God.<ref name="I">{{cite book |title=Doctrines of Shiʻi Islam: A Compendium of Imami Beliefs and Practices |author1=Jaʻfar Subḥānī |author2=Reza Shah-Kazemi |page=67 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6h2UnIaoioQC&pg=PA67 |isbn=9781860647802 |year=2001 |publisher=I. B.Tauris |access-date=7 January 2016}}</ref> Moses expresses his fear of Pharaoh and requests God to heal his speech impediment and grant him Aaron as a helper. According to Islamic tradition, both of them state their fear of Pharaoh, but are assured by God that He would be observing them and commands them to inform the Pharaoh to free the [[Israelites]]. Therefore, they depart to preach to the Pharaoh.<ref name="Y" />

The Quran states that Moses was sent by God to confront the erstwhile [[Pharaohs in the Bible#In the Book of Exodus|(pharaoh)]] of [[ancient Egypt]] and to guide the [[Israelites]], who were enslaved by the former. The Quran directly validates Moses and Aaron as prophets chosen by God:

{{blockquote|And mention in the Book ˹O Prophet, the story of˺ Moses. He was truly a chosen man, and was a messenger and a prophet. We called him from the right side of Mount Ṭûr, and drew him near, speaking ˹with him˺ directly. And We appointed for him—out of Our grace—his brother, Aaron, as a prophet.|{{qref|19|51-53|c=y}}}}Because he is the only Prophet to be directly spoken to by God (evidenced in {{Qref|4|164|c=y}}, "[...] and to Moses, Allah spoke directly"), whereas the others would communicate through Angel Gabriel, Moses is titled ''Kaleem Allah'' ("Speaker of God"). 

====Arrival at Pharaoh's court====
When Moses and Aaron arrive in the court of Pharaoh and proclaim their prophethood to the Pharaoh, the Pharaoh begins questioning Moses about the God he follows. The Quran narrates that Moses answers the Pharaoh by stating that he follows the God who gives everything its form and guides them.<ref>{{qref|20|50|b=y}}</ref> The Pharaoh then inquires about the generations who passed before them, and Moses answers that knowledge of the previous generations is with God.<ref>{{qref|20|51-52|b=y}}</ref> The Quran also mentions the Pharaoh questioning Moses: “And what is the Lord of the worlds?”<ref>{{qref|26|23|b=y}}</ref> Moses replies that God is the lord of the heavens, the earth and what is between them. The Pharaoh then reminds Moses of his childhood with them and the killing of the man he has done.<ref>{{cite book |title=Islam, Judaism, and Christianity: Theological and Historical Affiliations |author=Heribert Husse |page=94 |isbn=9781558761445 |publisher=Markus Wiener Publishers |year=1998}}</ref> Moses admits that he has committed the deed in ignorance, but insists that he is now forgiven and guided by God. Pharaoh accuses him of being mad and threatens to imprison him if he continues to proclaim that the Pharaoh is not the true god. Moses informs him that he has come with manifest signs from God.<ref>{{cite book |title=The Koran For Dummies |author=Sohaib Sultan |chapter=Meeting Pharaoh |page=131 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rkbPidh4plUC&pg=PT131 |isbn=9781118053980 |year=2011 |publisher=John Wiley & Sons |access-date=7 January 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160513152231/https://books.google.com/books?id=rkbPidh4plUC&pg=PT131 |archive-date=13 May 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref> When the Pharaoh demands to see the signs, Moses throws [[Staff of Moses|his staff]] to the floor, and it turns into a serpent.<ref>{{cite book |author=Heribert Busse |title=Islam, Judaism, and Christianity: Theological and Historical Afflictions |page=95 |publisher=Markus Wiener Publishers |isbn=9781558761445 |year=1998}}</ref> He then draws out his hand, and it shines a bright white light. The Pharaoh's counselors advises him that this is [[Magic (paranormal)|sorcery]], and on their advice he summons the best sorcerers in the kingdom. The Pharaoh challenges Moses to a battle between him and the Pharaoh's magicians, asking him to choose the day. Moses chose the day of a festival.

====Confrontation with sorcerers====
[[File:Pharaoh watches a serpent devour a person in the presence of the Moses (6125069974).jpg|thumb|[[Pharaoh (Bible)|Pharaoh]] watches a serpent devour a demon in the presence of Moses; from a manuscript of ''Qisas al-Anbiya'', c. 1540.]]
When the sorcerers come to the Pharaoh, he promises them that they would be among the honored among his assembly if they won. On the day of the festival of Egypt, Moses grants the sorcerers the chance to perform first and warned them that God would expose their tricks. The Quran states that the sorcerers bewitch the eyes of the observers and cause them terror.{{cn|date=December 2024}} The summoned sorcerers throw their rods on the floor, and they appear to change into snakes by the effect of their magic. At first, Moses becomes concerned witnessing the tricks of the magicians, but is assured by God to not be worried. When Moses does the same his rod, the serpent devours all the sorcerers' snakes.<ref>{{cite book |title=A Reader on Classical Islam |first=Francis E. |last=Peters |page=23 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KnAO36Jh6bMC&pg=PA23 |isbn=9780691000404 |year=1993 |publisher=Princeton University Press |access-date=7 January 2016}}</ref> The sorcerers realize that they have witnessed a miracle. They proclaim belief in the message of Moses and fall onto their knees in prostration despite threats from the Pharaoh. The Pharaoh is enraged by this and accuses them of working under Moses. He warns them that if they insist in believing in Moses, he would cut their hands and feet on opposite sides, and [[crucify]] them on the trunks of palm trees for their betrayal of the Pharaoh. The magicians, however, remain steadfast to their newfound faith and die as believers.<ref>{{cite book |title=A Christian Guide to the Qur'an: Building Bridges in Muslim Evangelism |author1=Raouf Ghattas |author2=Carol Ghattas |page=179 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=A1LzBWkiASUC&pg=PA179 |year=2009 |isbn=9780825426889 |publisher=Kregel Academic |access-date=7 January 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160623201301/https://books.google.com/books?id=A1LzBWkiASUC&pg=PA179 |archive-date=23 June 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref>

===Exodus===
====Plagues of Egypt====
After losing against Moses, the Pharaoh continues to plan against Moses and the Israelites, ordering
meetings with the ministers, princes and priests. According to the Quran, the Pharaoh is reported to have ordered his minister, Haman, to build a tower so that he "may look at the God of Moses".<ref>{{qref|28|38|b=y}}</ref> Gradually, the Pharaoh begins to fear that Moses may convince the people that he is not the true god, and wants to have Moses killed. After this threat, a man from the family of Pharaoh, who had years ago warned Moses, comes forth and warns the people of the punishment of God for the wrongdoers and reward for the righteous. The Pharaoh defiantly refuses to allow the Israelites to leave Egypt. The Quran states that God decrees [[Plagues of Egypt|punishments]] over him and his people. These punishments come in the form of floods that demolish their dwellings, swarms of [[locust]] that destroy the crops,<ref>{{cite book |title=Islam, Judaism, and Christianity:Theological and Historical Affiliations |author=Heribert Busse |page=97 |publisher=Markus Wiener Publishers |isbn=9781558761445 |year=1998}}</ref> pestilence of [[lice]] that makes their life miserable,<ref name="D">{{cite book |title=Dictionary of Islam |author1=Patrick Hughes |author2=Thomas Patrick Hughes |page=459 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JherW50tVyAC&pg=PA459 |isbn=9788120606722 |year=1995 |publisher=Asian Educational Services |access-date=7 January 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160501233915/https://books.google.com/books?id=JherW50tVyAC&pg=PA459 |archive-date=1 May 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref> toads that croak and spring everywhere, and the turning of all drinking water into blood. Each time the Pharaoh is subjected to humiliation, his defiance becomes greater. The Quran mentions that God instructs Moses to travel at night with the Israelites and warns them that they would be pursued. The Pharaoh chases the Israelites with his army after realizing that they have left during the night.<ref>{{cite book |title=A Christian Guide to the Quran:Building Bridges in Muslim Evangelism |author1=Raouf Ghattas |author2=Carol Ghattas |page=125 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=A1LzBWkiASUC&pg=PA125 |isbn=9780825426889 |year=2009 |publisher=Kregel Academic |access-date=7 January 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160506063210/https://books.google.com/books?id=A1LzBWkiASUC&pg=PA125 |archive-date=6 May 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref>

==== Dividing the sea ====
[[File:Ramses2_(2).jpg|alt=Ramses2 (2)|thumb|218x218px|The mummy of [[Ramesses II]], the Pharaoh most commonly associated with Quran 10:92]]
Having escaped and now being pursued by the Egyptians, the Israelites stop when they reach the seafront. The Israelites exclaim to Moses that they would be overtaken by Pharaoh and his army. In response, God commands Moses to strike the [[Red Sea]] with his staff, instructing them not to fear being inundated or drowning in sea water. Upon striking the sea, the sea is split by God, forming a path that allows the Israelites to pass through. The Pharaoh witnesses the sea dividing alongside his army, but as they also try to pass through, the sea closes in on them.<ref>{{qref|7|136|b=y}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=Islam and the Koran- Described and Defended |author=Halim Ozkaptan |page=41 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Ajbt7jOhp14C&pg=PA41 |isbn=9780557740437 |year=2010 |publisher=Hal Ozkaptan |access-date=7 January 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160509072159/https://books.google.com/books?id=Ajbt7jOhp14C&pg=PA41 |archive-date=9 May 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref> As he is about to die, Pharaoh proclaims belief in the God of Moses and the Israelites, but his belief is rejected by God.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Quran translation Comparison {{!}} Quran 10:90 {{!}} Alim |url=http://www.alim.org/library/quran/ayah/compare/10/90 |access-date=2020-12-16 |website=www.alim.org |language=en}}</ref> One authentic hadith mentions that Angel Gabriel shoved sand into Pharaoh's mouth to stop him from saying anything more, fearing God would forgive him despite his insincerity.<ref>{{Cite book |last=[[At-Tirmidhi]] |first=Muhammad |title=Jami' At-Tirmidhi |date=November 2007 |publisher=[[Darussalam Publishers|Darussalam]] |isbn=978-9960-9967-8-3 |edition=1st |location=[[Riyadh]], [[Saudi Arabia]] |pages=417 |language=English}}</ref> The Quran states that the body of the Pharaoh is made a sign and warning for all future generations. As the Israelites continue their journey to the Promised Land, they come upon people who are worshipping idols. The Israelites request to have an idol to worship, but Moses refuses and states that the polytheists would be destroyed by God.<ref>{{cite book |title=A Reader on Classical Islam |author=Francis.E.Peters |page=24 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KnAO36Jh6bMC&pg=PA24 |isbn=9780691000404 |year=1993 |publisher=Princeton University Press |access-date=7 January 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160514181256/https://books.google.com/books?id=KnAO36Jh6bMC&pg=PA24 |archive-date=14 May 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref> They are granted [[manna]] and [[quail]] as sustenance from God, but the Israelites ask Moses to pray to God for the earth to grow lentils, onions, herbs and cucumbers for their sustenance.<ref>{{cite book |title=Moses in the Quran and Islamic Exegesis |author=Brannon.M.Wheeler |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=By7D11xMzlcC&pg=PA107 |page=107 |isbn=9780700716036 |year=2002 |publisher=Routledge |access-date=7 January 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160424112556/https://books.google.com/books?id=By7D11xMzlcC&pg=PA107 |archive-date=24 April 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref> When they stop in their travel to the Promised Land due to lack of water, Moses is commanded by God to strike a stone, and upon its impact twelve springs came forth, each for a specific tribe of the Israelites.<ref>{{qref|2|60|b=y}}</ref>

===Years in the wilderness===
====Revelation of the Torah====
[[File:The Ten Commandments (Bible Card).jpg|thumb|The revelation of the Torah at Mount Sinai as depicted in Biblical illustrations]]

After leaving Egypt, Moses leads the Israelites to [[Mount Sinai]] (''Tur''). Upon arrival, Moses leaves the people, instructing them that Aaron is to be their leader during his absence. Moses encountered [[Iblis]] at [[Mount Sinai]] and Moses asked him why he refused to prostrate before [[Ādam]].{{Citation needed|date=November 2024}} Moses is commanded by God to fast for thirty days and to then proceed to the valley of Tuwa for guidance. God orders Moses to fast again for ten days before returning. After completing his fasts, Moses returns to the spot where he had first received his miracles from God. He takes off his shoes as before and goes down into prostration. Moses prays to God for guidance and begs God to reveal himself to him.<ref>{{cite book |title=Islam, the Straight Path: Islam interpreted by Muslims |author=Kenneth.W.Morgan |page=98 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Y3jz6n7xhfwC&pg=PA98 |isbn=9788120804036 |year=1987 |publisher=Motilal Banarsidass Publishers |access-date=7 January 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160503075622/https://books.google.com/books?id=Y3jz6n7xhfwC&pg=PA98 |archive-date=3 May 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref> It is narrated in the Quran that God tells him that it would not be possible for Moses to perceive God, but that He would reveal himself to the mountain, stating: "You cannot see Me! But look at the mountain. If it remains firm in its place, only then will you see Me." When God reveals himself to the mountain, it instantaneously turns into ashes, and Moses loses consciousness. When he recovers, he goes down in total submission and asks forgiveness of God.<ref>{{qref|7|143|b=y}}</ref>

Moses is then given the [[Ten Commandments]] by God as Guidance and as Mercy. Meanwhile, in his absence, a man named [[Samiri]] creates a Golden Calf, proclaiming it to be the God of Moses.<ref>{{cite book |title=Al-Islam: Inception to Conclusion |author=Iftikhar Ahmed Mehar |page=121 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=O0gypGNaj3kC&pg=PA121 |isbn=9781410732729 |year=2003 |publisher=BookSurge Publishing |access-date=7 January 2016}}</ref> The people begin to worship it. Aaron attempts to guide them away from the Golden Calf, but the Israelites refuse to do so until Moses returns. Moses, having thus received the [[scripture]]s for his people, is informed by God that the Israelites has been tested in his absence, and they have gone astray by worshiping the Golden Calf. Moses comes down from the mountain and returns to his people.<ref>{{qref|20|85-88|b=y}}</ref> The Quran states that Moses, in his anger, grabs hold of Aaron by his beard and admonishes him for doing nothing to stop them, but when Aaron tells Moses of his fruitless attempt to stop them, Moses understands his helplessness, and they both pray to God for forgiveness. Moses then questions Samiri for creating the [[Golden Calf]]. Samiri replies that it had simply occurred to him, and he had done so.<ref>{{cite book |title=Dictionary of Islam |author1=Patrick Hughes |author2=Thomas Patrick Hughes |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=O84eYLVHvB0C&pg=PA241 |isbn=9788120606722 |year=1995 |publisher=Asian Educational Services |access-date=7 January 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160427130810/https://books.google.com/books?id=O84eYLVHvB0C&pg=PA241 |archive-date=27 April 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref> Samiri is exiled, and the Golden Calf is burned to ashes, and the ashes are thrown into the sea. The wrong-doers who have worshipped the Calf are ordered to be punished for their crime.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Lo9jAavEHdIC&pg=PA205 |title=Prophets in the Quran: An Introduction to the Quran and Muslim Exegesis |author=Brannon M. Wheeler |page=205 |isbn=9780826449566 |year=2002 |publisher=Continuum International Publishing Group |access-date=7 January 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160514033708/https://books.google.com/books?id=Lo9jAavEHdIC&pg=PA205 |archive-date=14 May 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Moses then chooses 70 elites from among the Israelites and orders them to pray for forgiveness. Shortly thereafter, the elders travel alongside Moses to witness the speech between Moses and God. Despite witnessing the speech between them, they refuse to believe until they see God with their own eyes, so as punishment, a thunderbolt kills them. Moses prays for their forgiveness, and they are resurrected. They return to camp and set up a tent dedicated to worshiping God, as Aaron had taught them from the Torah.{{Citation needed|date=November 2024}} They resume their journey towards [[Promised Land|the Promised Land]].

====The Israelites and the cow====
Islamic [[exegesis]] narrates the incident of an old and pious man who lives among the Israelites and earns his living honestly. As he is dying, he places his wife, his little son, and his only possession—a calf in [[Tawakkul|God's care]]—instructing his wife to take the calf and leave it in a forest.<ref>{{cite book |title=A Comprehensive Commentary on the Quran: Comprising Sale's Translation and Preliminary Discourse with Additional Notes and Emendations |volume=1 |author1=Elwood Morris Wherry |author2=George Sale |page=314 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vUKO434qBTIC&pg=PA314 |isbn=9780415245272 |year=2001 |publisher=Routledge |access-date=7 January 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160429060538/https://books.google.com/books?id=vUKO434qBTIC&pg=PA314 |archive-date=29 April 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref> His wife does as she is told, and after a few years, when the son has grown up, she informs him about the calf. The son travels to the forest with a rope.<ref>{{cite book |title=After Hardship Cometh Ease: The Jews As Backdrop for Muslim Moderation |author=Zeʼev Maghen |page=136 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dzS3VS89xO0C&pg=PA136 |publisher=Walter De Gruyter Inc |isbn=9783110184549 |year=2006 |access-date=7 January 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160511214158/https://books.google.com/books?id=dzS3VS89xO0C&pg=PA136 |archive-date=11 May 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref> He prostrates and prays to God to return the calf to him. As the son prays, the now-grown cow stops beside him. The son takes the cow with him. The son is also pious and earns his living as a [[lumberjack]].

One wealthy man among the Israelites dies and leaves his wealth to his son. The relatives of the wealthy son secretly murder the son in order to inherit his wealth. The other relatives of the son come to Moses and ask for his help in tracing the killers. Moses instructs them to slaughter a cow, cut out its tongue, and then place it on the corpse; this would reveal the killers.<ref>{{cite book |title=After Hardship Cometh Ease: The Jews As Backdrop for Muslim Moderation |author=Zeʼev Maghen |page=133 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dzS3VS89xO0C&pg=PA133 |isbn=9783110184549 |year=2006 |publisher=Walter De Gruyter |access-date=7 January 2016}}</ref> The relatives do not believe Moses and do not understand why they are instructed to slaughter a cow when they are trying to find the killers. They accuse Moses of joking, but Moses manages to convince them that he is serious. Hoping to delay the process, the relatives ask the type and age of the cow they should slaughter, but Moses tells them that it is neither old nor young but in-between the two ages.<ref>{{qref|2|68|b=y}}</ref> Instead of searching for the cow described, they inquire about its colour, to which Moses replies that it is yellow.<ref>{{cite book |title=God's Breath: Sacred Scriptures of the World – The Essential Texts of Buddhism, Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Sufism |page=406 |author1=John Miller |author2=Aaron Kenedi |author3=Thomas Moore |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GoJB8w8N7S8C&pg=PA406 |isbn=9781569246184 |year=2000 |publisher=Da Capo |access-date=7 January 2016}}</ref> They ask Moses for more details, and he informs them that it is unyoked, and does not plow the soil nor does it water the [[tilth]]. The relatives and Moses search for the described cow, but the only cow that they find to fit the description belongs to an orphaned youth.<ref>{{cite book |title=Dictionary Of Islam |author1=Patrick Hughes |author2=Thomas Patrick Hughes |page=364 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=O84eYLVHvB0C&pg=PA364 |isbn=9788120606722 |year=1995 |publisher=Asian Educational Services |access-date=7 January 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160505023850/https://books.google.com/books?id=O84eYLVHvB0C&pg=PA364 |archive-date=5 May 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref> The youth refuses to sell the cow without consulting his mother. All of them travel together to the youth's home. The mother refuses to sell the cow, despite the relatives constantly increasing the price. They urge the orphaned son to tell his mother to be more reasonable. However, the son refuse to sell the cow without his mother's agreement, claiming that he would not sell it even if they offered to fill its skin with gold. At this, the mother agrees to sell it for its skin filled with gold. The relatives and Moses consent, and the cow is slaughtered and the corpse is touched by its tongue.<ref>{{cite book |title=The Masnavi |author=Jalāl al-Dīn Rūmī (Maulana), Jawid Ahmad Mojaddedi |page=237 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=J99Cn4FWLyYC&pg=PA237 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=9780199212590 |year=2007 |access-date=7 January 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160516060811/https://books.google.com/books?id=J99Cn4FWLyYC&pg=PA237 |archive-date=16 May 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref> The corpse rises back to life and reveals the identity of the killers.

==== Meeting with [[Al-Khidr]] ====
One [[hadith]] recounts that when Moses is delivering an impressive sermon, an Israelite inquires if there were anyone more knowledgeable than him.<ref name="Earth"/> When Moses denies any such person exists, he receives a revelation from God, which admonishes Moses for not attributing absolute knowledge to God and informs Moses that there is someone named [[Al-Khidr]] who is more knowledgeable than him.<ref name="Earth">{{cite book |title=An Emerald Earth: Cultivating a Natural Spirituality and Serving Creative Beauty in Our World |author=Felicia Norton Charles Smith |pages=10–11 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jD2bE_whAzMC&pg=PA10 |isbn=9780615235462 |year=2008 |publisher=TwoSeasJoin Press |access-date=7 January 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160527124531/https://books.google.com/books?id=jD2bE_whAzMC&pg=PA10 |archive-date=27 May 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref> Upon inquiry, God informs Moses that Al-Khidr would be found at the junction of two seas. God instructs Moses to take a live fish and at the location where it would escape, Al-Khidr would be found.<ref name="Earth"/> Afterwards, Moses departs and travels with a boy named [[Joshua in Islam|Yusha]] (''Yeshua bin Nun''), until they stop near a rock where Moses rests. While Moses is asleep, the fish escapes from the basket. When Moses wakes up, they continue until they stop to eat. At that moment, Yusha remembers that the fish had slipped from the basket at the rock. He informs Moses about the fish, and Moses remembers God's statement, so they retrace their steps back to the rock. There they see Al-Khidr. Moses approaches Al-Khidr and greets him. Al-Khidr instead asks Moses how people are greeted in their land. Moses introduces himself, and Al-Khidr identifies him as the prophet of the Israelites. According to the Quran, Moses asks Al-Khidr: "May I follow you, provided that you teach me some of the right guidance you have been taught?"<ref>{{qref|18|66|b=y}}</ref> Al-Khidr warns that he would not be able to remain patient and consents on the condition that Moses would not question his actions.<ref name="Earth"/>

They walk on the seashore and pass by a ship. The crew of the ship recognize Al-Khidr and offer them to board their ship free of charge. When they are on the boat, Al-Khidr takes an [[adze]] and pulls up a plank.<ref name="JR">{{cite book |title=Friends of God: Islamic Images of Piety, Commitment, and Servanthood |author=John Renard |page=85 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Rd4gRp4Jy7UC&pg=PA85 |isbn=9780520251984 |year=2008 |publisher=University of California Press |access-date=7 January 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160516030644/https://books.google.com/books?id=Rd4gRp4Jy7UC&pg=PA85 |archive-date=16 May 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref> When Moses notices what Al-Khidr is doing, he is astonished and stops him. Moses reminds Al-Khidr that the crew has taken them aboard for free. Al-Khidr admonishes Moses for forgetting his promise of not asking. Moses states that he has forgotten and asks to be forgiven. When they leave the seashore, they pass by a boy playing with others. Al-Khidr takes hold of the boy's head and kills him.<ref name="JR"/> Moses is again astonished by this action and questions Al-Khidr regarding what he had done.<ref name="Muhammad Hisham Kabbani 155">{{cite book |title=Classical Islam And The Naqshbandi Sufi Tradition |author=Muhammad Hisham Kabbani |page=155 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=64U41q5MgLYC&pg=PA154 |isbn=9781930409101 |year=2003 |publisher=Islamic Supreme Council of America. |access-date=7 January 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160617174157/https://books.google.com/books?id=64U41q5MgLYC&pg=PA154 |archive-date=17 June 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref> Al-Khidr admonishes Moses again for not keeping his promise, and Moses apologizes and asks Al-Khidr to leave him if he again questions Al-Khidr. Both of them travel on until they happened upon a village. They ask the villagers for food, but the inhabitants refuse to entertain them as guests. They see therein a wall which is about to collapse, and Al-Khidr repairs the wall. Moses asks Al-Khidr why he had repaired the wall when the inhabitants refuse to entertain them as guests and give them food. Moses states that Al-Khidr could have taken wages for his work.

Al-Khidr informs Moses that they are now to part ways as Moses has broken his promise. Al-Khidr then explains each of his actions. He informs Moses that he had broken the ship with the adze because a ruler who reigns in those parts took all functional ships by force; Al-Khidr has created a defect in order to prevent their ship from being seized.<ref name="Muhammad Hisham Kabbani 155"/> Al-Khidr then explains that he has killed the child because he was defiant and disobedient to his parents, and Al-Khidr fears that the child would overburden them with his misconduct, and explained that God would replace him with a better child who is more obedient and has more affection. Al-Khidr then explains that he has fixed the wall because it belongs to two helpless orphans whose father was a pious man. God wishes to reward them for their piety. Al-Khidr states that there is a treasure hidden underneath the wall, and by repairing it, it would not break until the orphans are of age to be able to reclaim it.<ref>{{cite book |title=Islamic Sainthood in the Fullness of Time: Ibn Al-Arabi's Book of the Fabulous Gryphon |author=Gerald T. Elmore |page=491 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mD5ogBK5eS8C&pg=PA491 |isbn=9789004109919 |year=1999 |publisher=Brill}}</ref>

==== Other incidents ====
[[File:Khalili Collection Islamic Art mss 0620 rotated.jpg|thumb|right|upright|alt=Refer to caption|[[Musa va 'Uj]], a 15th-century painting showing Moses (on the right, haloed) slaying the giant [['Uj]] by striking his feet with a staff]]
The sayings of Muhammad (hadith), Islamic literature and Quranic [[exegesis]] also narrate some incidents of the life of Moses. One story goes that because of his extreme ''[[Haya (Islam)|hayaa'<nowiki/>]]'' (shyness/modesty), Moses would bathe alone and apart from the other Israelites who all bathe together. This leads the Bani Israel to say that Moses does so due to a [[scrotal hernia]]. One day, when Moses is bathing in seclusion, he puts his clothes on a stone, and the stone flees with his clothes. Moses rushes after the stone, and when the Bani Israel see him, they say, 'By God, Moses has got no defect in his body". Moses then beats the stone with his clothes, and Abu Huraira states, "By God! There are still six or seven marks present on the stone from that excessive beating".<ref name ="Bukhari">{{hadith-usc|bukhari|1|5|277}}</ref> In a hadith, Muhammad states that the stone still has three to five marks due to Moses hitting it.<ref name ="Bukhari"/>