Prophet Musa(AS) part 2

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by EshmiMithila

by EshmiMithila

Allah told Musa that he was to be a prophet. His mission was to go to the Pharoah of Egypt and tell him that there is no god but Allah. If the Pharoah and his people did not change their evil ways Allah would punish them.

Then Allah said, "What is that in your right hand, O Musa?" He answered, "It is my rod," Allah said "Throw it, O Musa!" When he threw the rod, it hit the ground and started to move by itself. At first Musa stood there gazing at it. Then he turned and started to run. Allah told Musa not to run because, as long as Allah was with him, there was nothing to be afraid of. Musa came back and looked at the rod again. It had turned into a brown snake, slithering and hissing on the ground. He bent down to pick it up by its tail. As soon as he grabbed it, the snake became rigid and was a rod again.

Then Allah ordered Musa to placed his hand on his chest. When Musa did this his right hand radiated with light. To make his hand normal again, he simply put his hand back on his chest. Allah ordered Musa to go to the Pharoah with these two miracles and to warn him of Allah's command. Before Musa left the blazing bush, he asked Allah to make him brave and to let him bring his brother Aaron with him. Allah granted both of these requests to Prophet Musa and assured him that he and his followers would win over the Pharoah.

Musa now stood at the royal palace with his brother Aaron alongside him. He had not seen Egypt for many years and he knew that his life was in danger. Nothing could have brought him back except the command of Allah. Prophet Musa could still hear the words of Allah ringing in his ears: "Go to the Pharaoh and tell him to let the Israelites leave the land of Egypt." Musa climbed the golden steps that led to Pharaoh's throne. When he reached the top he said, "O Pharaoh, I am the Apostle of the Lord of the Worlds. Let the Israelites go with me and do not harm them. There will be peace to all those who follow the guidance of Allah."

Musa went on to warn the Pharaoh of all the calamities that would occur if he did not follow the guidance of Allah. But the Pharaoh refused to listen because he truly thought that he himself was a god. He looked about him and saw the riches he had and he was sure that there could never be anyone more powerful than he.

The Pharaoh asked Musa to show a sign from Allah so the Prophet threw down his rod and it began to move and slither. At first the Pharaoh was scared but tried hard not to show it. "Ha!" said the Pharaoh in a prideful way, "I have sorcerers that can match your magic."

Then Musa showed his radiant hand. It glowed with a shining white light. Still, the Pharaoh did not believe that Musa was the Apostle of Allah. He said, "I can build a throne that is as high as your Lord's throne, Musa. And I will prove that your power from Allah is weak compared to my power." The Pharaoh searched the land of Egypt for the best sorcerers available. When he found them, he brought them to his court and told them that if their magic was better than Musa's they would be rewarded handsomely. The sorcerers readily agreed to the plan because they did not know who Musa was. Musa did not have any magic but he had something that was much more powerful; he had true signs from Allah.

On the day of the contest the Pharaoh's court was filled with many people. Everyone in the room sided with the Pharaoh and left Musa all alone. But Musa remembered that Allah was with him. The sorcerers assembled their ropes and rods and asked Musa if he wished to have the first throw. Musa said, "No, you have the first throw." And they did. All of the sudden Musa saw snakes and wiggly things and their magic appeared to be powerful. Allah said to Prophet Musa, "Throw your rod now." When the rod fell to the ground it turned into a snake also and it swallowed all the ropes and other snake-like objects. After the last sorcerer's rope had been swallowed, Musa grabbed the snake and it became a rod once again. A hush fell over the crowded court and the sorcerers looked at each other in a perplexed fashion. They turned to Musa now realizing that Musa was not a magician or a sorcerer. They knew that Musa's power came from something greater than anything human.

The sorcerers then fell on their knees to beg for forgiveness from Allah for their evil ways. Allah forgave them but the Pharaoh grew furious. "How can you believe in Allah before I give you permission?" he said angrily. "If you don't get up right now, I'll have your arms and legs cut off and you will be crucified." The sorcerers said, "Do what you will, but we fear the punishment of Allah much more than any torture you could do to us."

The Pharaoh now realized he had a problem. Musa once again demanded that the Israelites go with him out of Egypt but the Pharaoh still would not allow it. Then Allah brought down a drought that stopped crops from growing and made cattle die of thirst. The Pharaoh promised to let the Israelites go if the drought would stop. Allah stopped the drought but the Pharaoh broke his promise. Many punishments came on Egypt and during each calamity the Pharaoh would make a promise to Musa. After the calamity had passed, however, he would go back on his word. Plagues, lice, locusts and frogs came, each more horrible than the last. Even the water in Egypt turned to blood, but still the Pharaoh refused to let the Israelites go.

Finally, Allah told Musa to take the people out of Egypt during the night. Prophet Musa and the Israelites were well out of Egypt before the Egyptians knew what had happened. When the Pharaoh found out the Israelites had escaped he ordered all his forces to go and catch them and bring them back. He himself climbed into a golden chariot drawn by four white horses. He whipped them as hard as he could in order to catch Musa.