Lesson 3 of 33 · Islamic books
Stories of the prophets - for children
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You are listening to the book Stories of the Prophets
Authored by Abu al-Hasan al-Nadwi
Narrated by Islam Adel
Notice
Gratitude and appreciation are due to Professor Maha Awad for her participation in reviewing and checking the pronunciation of the Quranic verses
Introduction
My dear nephew
I see you are keen on stories and tales
And so is every child of your age
You listen to these stories with all desire and read them with all desire
But I am sorry because I see in your hand nothing but tales of cats, dogs, lions, wolves, monkeys, and bears
And there is no blame on you for that, for that is what you find printed
You have begun to learn the Arabic language because it is the language of the Quran, the Messenger, and the language of the religion
And you have a strange desire to study it
But I am ashamed that you do not find anything among Arabic stories that suits your age
Except for stories of animals, legends, and myths
So I decided to write for you and your likes, the children of the Muslims
The stories of the Prophets and Messengers, upon them be the blessings and peace of Allah
In an easy style that suits your age and your taste
And so I did
This is the first book of the Stories of the Prophets for children
I dedicate it to you
In it, I have imitated the style of children and their nature
So I resorted to repeating words and sentences, the simplicity of the wording, and the ease of the story
I hope that this small book will be the first book that children read in the Arabic language and study in their schools
I will present to you, God willing, stories of the Prophets
Enjoyable, interesting, clear, easy, light, and beautiful
And then there will be nothing of falsehood in them
May Allah bring joy through you, O Muhammad, to the eyes of your parents, your uncle, and the eyes of Islam
And through you may He restore the blessings of your forefathers to this house and to the Muslims
Ali Al-Hasani
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
Who broke the idols?
One
The idol seller
Many, many days ago
There was a very famous man in a village
And the name of this man was Azar
And Azar used to sell idols
And there was a very big house in this village
And in this house were idols
Very many idols
And the people used to prostrate to these idols
And Azar used to prostrate to these idols
And Azar used to worship these idols
2- Azar was born
Azar had a rational son, a very rational son
The name of this son was Ibrahim
And Ibrahim used to see people prostrating to the idols
And he used to see people worshipping the idols
And Ibrahim knew that the idols were stones
And he knew that the idols do not speak and do not hear
And he knew that the idols do not harm and do not benefit
And he used to see that the fly sits on the idols and they do not push it away
And he used to see the mouse eat the food of the idols and they do not prevent it
And Ibrahim used to say to himself: Why do people prostrate to idols?
Ibrahim used to ask himself: Why do people ask the idols?
Ibrahim's advice
Ibrahim used to say to his father: O my father, why do you worship these idols?
And O my father, why do you prostrate to these idols?
Oh my father, why do you ask these idols?
Indeed, these idols do not speak and do not hear.
Indeed, these idols do not harm and do not benefit.
And for what thing do you place food and drink for them?
Indeed, these idols, oh my father, do not eat and do not drink.
And Azar would get angry and would not understand.
Ibrahim would advise his people.
And the people would get angry and would not understand.
Ibrahim said, 'I will break the idols when the people leave.'
And then the people will understand.
Ibrahim breaks the idols.
And the day of Eid came, so the people rejoiced.
And the people went out for the Eid and the children went out.
And Ibrahim's father went out and said to Ibrahim, 'Will you not go out with us?'
Ibrahim said, 'I am ill.'
And the people left, and Ibrahim remained in the house.
And Ibrahim came to the idols and said to the idols, 'Do you not speak? Do you not hear?'
This is food and drink, do you not eat? Do you not drink?
And the idols remained silent because they were stones that do not speak.
Ibrahim said, 'What is the matter with you, you do not speak?'
And the idols remained silent and did not speak.
At that moment, Ibrahim became angry and took the axe.
And Ibrahim struck the idols with the axe and broke the idols.
And Ibrahim left the biggest idol and hung the axe around its neck.
Who did this?
The people returned and entered the house of the idols.
And the people wanted to prostrate to the idols because it was a day of Eid.
But the people were amazed and astonished and the people were saddened and angry.
They said, 'Who did this to our gods?'
They said, 'We heard a young man mentioning them, he is called Ibrahim.'
They said: Did you do this to our gods, O Ibrahim?
He said: Rather, their biggest one did it, so ask them if they can speak.
And the people knew that the idols were stones.
And they knew that stones do not hear and do not speak.
And they knew that the biggest idol was also a stone.
And that the biggest idol cannot walk and move.
And that the biggest idol cannot break the idols.
So they said to Ibrahim,
You know that the idols do not speak.
Ibrahim said,
So how do you worship the idols when they do not harm and do not benefit?
How do you ask the idols when they do not speak and do not hear?
Do you not understand anything?
Do you not use your reason?
And the people fell silent and were ashamed.
Cold fire
The people gathered and said, What shall we do?
Indeed, Ibrahim broke the idols and insulted the gods.
And the people asked, What is the punishment for Ibrahim?
What is the recompense for Ibrahim?
The answer was: Burn him and support your gods.
And thus it was.
They kindled a fire and threw Ibrahim into it.
But Allah supported Ibrahim and said to the fire,
O fire, be coolness and safety upon Ibrahim.
And thus it was.
The fire was coolness and safety upon Ibrahim.
And the people saw that the fire does not harm Ibrahim.
And the people saw that Ibrahim was happy.
And that Ibrahim was safe.
And the people were amazed and confused.
Who is my Lord?
And one night, Ibrahim saw a star.
He said, 'This is my Lord.'
And when the star set, Ibrahim said, 'No, this is not my Lord.'
And Ibrahim saw the moon and said, 'This is my Lord.'
And when the moon set, Ibrahim said, 'No, this is not my Lord.'
And the sun rose, so Ibrahim said, 'This is my Lord, this is greater.'
And when the sun set at night, Ibrahim said, 'No, this is not my Lord.'
Indeed, Allah is Living and does not die; indeed, Allah is Everlasting and does not disappear.
Indeed, Allah is Powerful; nothing overcomes Him.
The star is weak, the morning overcomes it, and the moon is weak, the sun overcomes it.
And the sun is weak, the night overcomes it and the clouds overcome it.
And the star does not help me because it is weak.
And the moon does not help me because it is weak.
And the sun does not help me because it is weak.
And Allah helps me.
Because Allah is Living and does not die.
And is Everlasting and does not disappear.
And is Powerful, and nothing overcomes Him.
And Ibrahim knew that Allah is his Lord.
Because Allah is Living and does not die.
And that Allah is Everlasting and does not disappear.
And that Allah is Powerful and nothing overcomes Him.
And Ibrahim knew that Allah is the Lord of the stars.
And that Allah is the Lord of the moon.
And that Allah is the Lord of the sun.
And that Allah is the Lord of the worlds.
And Allah guided Ibrahim and made him a prophet and a close friend (Khaliil).
And Allah commanded Ibrahim to call his people and forbid them from worshipping idols.
Abraham's Call
And Abraham called his people to Allah and forbade them from worshipping idols.
Abraham said to his people, 'What do you worship?' They said, 'We worship idols.'
Abraham said, 'Do they hear you when you call out, or do they benefit you or harm you?' They said, 'No, but we found our forefathers doing the same.'
Abraham said, 'Then I do not worship these idols; rather, I am an enemy to these idols.'
I worship the Lord of the worlds.
The One who created me, and He guides me.
And the One who feeds me and gives me drink.
And when I am ill, He heals me.
And the One who will cause me to die and then bring me to life.
And indeed, the idols do not create and do not guide.
And they do not feed anyone, nor do they give drink.
And if someone gets ill, they do not heal.
And they do not cause anyone to die, nor do they bring to life.
Before the King
In the city was a king who was very great and very unjust, and the people used to prostrate to the king. The king heard that Abraham prostrates to Allah and does not prostrate to anyone, so the king became angry and summoned Abraham. Abraham came, and Abraham did not fear anyone except Allah. The king said, 'Who is your Lord, O Abraham?' Abraham said, 'My Lord is Allah.' The king said, 'Who is Allah, O Abraham?'
Abraham said, 'The One who brings to life and causes death.'
The king said, 'I bring to life and cause death.'
And the king called a man and killed him.
And he called another man and let him live.
And he said, 'I bring to life and cause death.'
I killed a man and let a man live.
And the king was very foolish.
And so is every polytheist.
And Abraham wanted to make the king understand and make his people understand.
So Abraham said to the king,
Indeed, Allah brings the sun from the east, so bring it from the west.
The king was bewildered and became silent, and the king was ashamed and found no answer.
The Father's Call
And Abraham wanted to call his father as well.
So he said to him
O my father, why do you worship what does not hear and does not see?
And why do you worship what does not benefit and does not harm?
O my father, do not worship Satan.
O my father, worship the Most Merciful.
And Ibrahim's father became angry and said
I will beat you, so leave me and do not say anything.
Ibrahim was forbearing.
So he said to his father, Peace be upon you.
And he said to him, I am leaving from here and calling upon my Lord.
And Ibrahim was very sorrowful.
And he wanted to go to another country
And worship his Lord and call people to Allah.
To Mecca.
A people hated Ibrahim, the king became angry, and Ibrahim's father became angry.
And Ibrahim wanted to travel to another country, worship Allah in it, and call people to Allah.
Ibrahim left his country and bade farewell to his father.
And Ibrahim headed to Mecca with his wife Hajar with him.
And Mecca had no grass or trees in it.
And Mecca had no well or river in it.
Mecca had no animals or humans in it.
And Ibrahim arrived at Mecca and settled there.
Ibrahim left his wife Hajar and his son Ismail.
And when Ibrahim wanted to leave
His wife Hajar said, Where are you going, my master?
Are you leaving me here? Are you leaving me when there is no water or food here?
Did Allah command you to do this?
Ibrahim said, Yes.
Hajar said, Then He will not let us be lost.
The Well of Zamzam
And Ishmael became thirsty once and his mother wanted to give him water to drink
But where is the water?
And Mecca has no well in it
And Mecca has no river in it
And Hagar was searching for water and running from As-Safa to Al-Marwa
And from Al-Marwa to As-Safa
And God helped Hagar and helped Ishmael
So He created water for them both
And the water came out from the earth
And Ishmael drank and Hagar drank
And the water remained and it was the well of Zamzam
And the water remained and it was the well of Zamzam
So God blessed this Zamzam
So God blessed Zamzam
And this is the well from which people drink during the Hajj
And they bring the water of Zamzam to their countries
Have you drunk the water of Zamzam?
Abraham's vision
And Abraham returned to Mecca after a period
And he met Ishmael and met Hagar
And Abraham rejoiced in his son Ishmael
Ishmael was a small boy
Running and playing and going out with his father
And Abraham loved Ishmael very much
And one night Abraham saw in a dream that he was slaughtering Ishmael
And Abraham was a truthful prophet
And his dream was a truthful dream
Abraham was the friend of God
So he wanted to do what God ordered him in the dream
Abraham said to Ishmael
I see in a dream that I am slaughtering you
So look at what you see
He said: O my father, do what you are commanded
You will find me, if Allah wills, among the patient
Ibrahim took Ismail with him
And he took a knife
And when Ibrahim reached him
He wanted to slaughter Ismail
And Ismail laid down on the ground
And Ibrahim wanted to slaughter him
So he placed the knife on Ismail's throat
But Allah loves to see if His Khalil (friend) will do what He commanded him to do
Does he love Allah more or does he love his son more?
And Ibrahim succeeded in the test
So Allah sent Gabriel with a ram from Paradise and said: Slaughter this and do not slaughter Ismail
And Allah loved the action of Ibrahim
So He commanded the Muslims to perform the slaughter on Eid al-Adha
May Allah bless Ibrahim the Khalil (friend of Allah) and grant him peace
And may Allah bless his son Ismail and grant him peace
The Kaaba
Ibrahim went and returned after that
And he wanted to build a house for Allah
And there were many houses, but there was no house for Allah where they would worship Allah
Ismail wanted to build a house for Allah with his father
And Ibrahim and Ismail carried stones from the mountains
Ibrahim was building the Kaaba with his hand
And Ismail was building the Kaaba with his hand
Ibrahim was remembering Allah and supplicating
And Ismail was remembering Allah and supplicating
Our Lord, accept from us, indeed You are the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing
So Allah accepted from Ibrahim and Ismail.
And He blessed the Kaaba.
We turn towards the Kaaba in every prayer.
And Muslims travel to the Kaaba during the days of Hajj.
And they circumambulate the Kaaba and pray near it.
May Allah bless the Kaaba and accept from Ibrahim and Ismail, may Allah bless Ibrahim and grant him peace, may Allah bless Ismail and grant him peace, and may Allah bless Muhammad and grant him peace.
Bayt al-Maqdis (Jerusalem).
Ibrahim had another wife named Sarah, and Ibrahim had another son from Sarah named Ishaq (Isaac).
And Ibrahim lived in the Levant (Ash-Sham), and Ishaq lived there too.
And Ishaq built a house for Allah in the Levant.
Just as his father and brother built a house for Allah in Makkah.
This mosque which Ishaq built in the Levant is Bayt al-Maqdis.
It is the Al-Aqsa Mosque which Allah has blessed around it.
And Allah blessed the children of Ishaq just as He blessed the children of Ismail.
Among them were prophets and kings.
And Ishaq had a son named Yaqub (Jacob).
And he was a prophet.
And Yaqub had twelve sons.
Among them was Yusuf (Joseph) ibn Yaqub.
And Yusuf has an amazing story in the Quran.
And here is this story for you.
The best of stories.
An amazing vision.
Yusuf was a young boy.
And he had eleven brothers.
And Yusuf was a beautiful boy.
And Yusuf was an intelligent boy.
And his father Yaqub loved him more than all his brothers.
One night, Yusuf saw an amazing vision.
He saw eleven stars.
And he saw the sun and the moon, all prostrating to him.
Young Yusuf was very surprised.
And he did not understand this vision.
How do the stars, the sun, and the moon prostrate to a man?
Young Yusuf went to his father, Ya'qub, and told him this strange vision.
He said, 'Oh my father, I saw eleven stars and the sun and the moon; I saw them prostrating to me.'
And his father, Ya'qub, was a prophet, so Ya'qub was very happy with this vision.
And he said, 'May Allah bless you, oh Yusuf, for you will have a high status.'
This vision is glad tidings of knowledge and prophethood.
Allah has bestowed favor upon your grandfather Ishaq, and Allah has bestowed favor upon your grandfather Ibrahim.
And He will bestow favor upon you, and upon the family of Ya'qub.
Ya'qub was an old man, and he knew the natures of people.
And he knew how the devil overcomes, and how the devil plays with man.
So he said, 'Oh my son, do not tell this vision to any of your brothers.'
For they will envy you and become enemies to you.
The envy of brothers.
Yusuf had another brother from his mother named Benjamin.
And Ya'qub loved them both very deeply.
And he did not love anyone like he loved them.
And the brothers envied Yusuf and Benjamin, and they were angry.
They used to say, 'Why does our father love Yusuf and Benjamin more?'
Why does our father love Yusuf and Benjamin when they are young and weak?
Why does he not love us like Yusuf and Benjamin, when we are strong young men?
This is a strange matter.
Yusuf was a young boy, so he told the vision to his brothers.
And the brothers became very angry when they heard the vision, so their envy intensified.
The brothers gathered one day and said, 'Kill Yusuf, or cast him into a far-off land.'
Then your father's attention will be solely for you, and his love will be solely for you.
One of them said, 'Rather, throw him into a well on a path; some travelers will take him.'
And all the brothers agreed to it.
A delegation to Jacob
And when they agreed on this opinion, they came to Jacob
And Jacob used to fear greatly for Joseph
And he knew that the brothers envied him and did not love him
And Jacob would not send Joseph with the brothers
And Joseph used to play with his brother and would not go far
And the brothers knew that, but they were determined to do evil
They said: O our father, why do you not send Joseph with us?
What do you fear? He is our dear brother and our little brother
And we are children of one father, and brothers always play together
So why do we not go and play all together?
That he may enjoy himself and play, and indeed we will be his guardians
Jacob was a very old man
And Jacob was wise and patient
And Jacob did not like for Joseph to be far away from him
And he feared greatly for Joseph
He said to his sons: I fear that the wolf will eat him while you are heedless of him
They said: Never! How could the wolf eat him while we are present?
And how could he eat him while we are strong young men?
And Jacob gave permission for Joseph
To the forest
And the brothers rejoiced greatly
When Jacob gave permission for Joseph
And they went to a forest and threw Joseph into a well in the forest
And they did not have mercy on young Joseph
And they did not have mercy on the very old man Jacob
Joseph was a small boy
And his heart was young
And the well was deep
And the well was dark
And Joseph was alone
But God gave Joseph good news and said to him do not grieve and do not fear
Indeed God is with you and you will have a great matter
Your brothers will come to you and you will tell them what they did
And when they finished their business
Your brothers will come to you and you will tell them what they did
And when they finished their business and threw Joseph into the well
They gathered and said what shall we say to our father
Some of them said our father used to say I fear that the wolf will eat him
So we say to him you were right O our father the wolf has eaten him
The brothers agreed to that
And they said yes we will say to him O our father the wolf has eaten him
Some of the brothers said but what is the proof of that
They said the proof of that is the blood
And the brothers took a ram and slaughtered it
And they took Joseph's shirt and stained it
And the brothers were very happy
And they said now our father will believe
In front of Jacob
And they came to their father at night weeping
They said O our father we went racing
And left Joseph at our belongings so the wolf ate him
And they brought his shirt with false blood
And they said this is the blood of Joseph
Their father Jacob was a prophet
And he was an old man
And he was wiser than his children
And Jacob knew that if a wolf ate a person it would wound him and tear his shirt
And Joseph's shirt was intact and was stained with blood
So Jacob knew that it was false blood
And the story of the wolf is a fabricated story.
He said to his children: Rather, this is a story you have fabricated, so patience is beautiful.
Jacob grieved for Joseph with intense grief, but he bore it with beautiful patience.
Joseph is in the well.
And the brothers returned to the house.
And they left Joseph in the well.
And the brothers ate the food.
And they slept on the bed.
And Joseph is in the well.
And there is no bed and no food.
And the brothers forgot Joseph.
And they slept.
And Joseph did not sleep.
And no one forgot.
And Jacob remained remembering Joseph.
And Joseph remained remembering Jacob.
Joseph was in the well.
And the well was deep.
And the well was in the forest.
And the forest was desolate.
And that was in the night.
And the night was dark.
From the well to the palace.
And a group was traveling in this forest.
And they became thirsty on the road.
And they searched for a well.
And they saw a well, so they sent a man to it.
To bring water for them.
The man came to the well.
And he lowered his bucket.
The bucket was lowered, and it was heavy.
He pulled it out, and there was a boy in the bucket.
The man was astonished and called out,
Oh, good news! This is a boy.
The people were very happy and they hid him.
They arrived in Egypt, stood in the market, and called out,
Who will buy this boy?
Who will buy this boy?
The Aziz bought Joseph for a few counted dirhams.
The merchants sold him, and they did not know Joseph.
The Aziz took him to his palace and said to his wife, 'Treat Joseph with honor; he is a smart boy.'
Loyalty and honesty.
The wife of the Aziz tempted Joseph to commit betrayal, but Joseph refused and said, 'No, I will not betray my master; he has treated me well and honored me; I fear Allah.'
The wife of the Aziz became angry and complained to her husband.
The Aziz knew that the woman was a liar.
And he knew that Joseph was honest.
So he said to his wife, 'You were among the sinners.'
Joseph was known in Egypt for his beauty.
If anyone saw him, they said, 'This is not a human; this is nothing but a noble angel.'
The woman's anger intensified, and she said to Joseph, 'Then you will go to prison.'
Joseph said, 'Prison is dearer to me.'
After some days, the Aziz decided to send Joseph to prison.
The Aziz knew that Joseph was innocent.
And Joseph entered the prison.
The lesson of the prison.
Joseph entered the prison.
And all the people of the prison knew that Joseph was a noble young man.
And that Joseph possessed great knowledge.
And that Joseph had a merciful heart in his chest.
And the people of the prison loved Joseph and honored him.
And the people rejoiced for Joseph and honored him
Two men entered the prison with him
And they recounted their visions to him
And one of them said, 'Indeed, I see myself pressing wine'
And the other said, 'Indeed, I see myself carrying bread on my head'
The birds eating from it
And they asked Joseph about the interpretation
Joseph was knowledgeable about the interpretation of dreams
And Joseph was a prophet among the prophets
And the people in his time were worshiping other than God
And they set up many lords of their own making
And they said, 'This is the lord of the land'
And this is the lord of the sea
And this is the lord of provision
And this is the lord of rain'
Joseph used to see all that and laugh
And Joseph used to know all that and weep
And Joseph wanted to invite them to God
And God had willed for that to be in the prison
Do not the people of the prison deserve the sermon?
Do not the people of the prison deserve mercy?
Are not the people of the prison servants of God?
Are not the people of the prison sons of Adam?
Joseph was in prison but he was free and bold
Joseph was poor but he was generous and bountiful
Indeed, the prophets proclaim the truth in every place
Indeed, the prophets bestow goodness in every time
The wisdom of Joseph
Joseph said to himself
Indeed, need has driven the two men to me
And indeed, the one in need becomes soft and submissive
And indeed, the one in need obeys and listens
If I had said something to them, they would have listened, and the people of the prison would have listened
But Joseph did not rush
Instead, he said to them
I will inform you both of the interpretation of the vision before your food comes to you
So they sat and felt reassured, then Joseph said to them, I am knowledgeable about the interpretation of that vision of yours from what my Lord has taught me
So they rejoiced and felt reassured, and here Joseph found the opportunity, so he began his sermon
The sermon of monotheism
Joseph said, that is from what my Lord taught me
But Allah does not give His knowledge to everyone
Indeed, Allah does not give His knowledge to the polytheist
Do you both know why my Lord taught me?
Because I left the way of the people of polytheism
And I followed the religion of my fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
It is not for us to associate anything with Allah
Joseph said, and this monotheism is not for us only
Rather, it is for all people
That is from the grace of Allah upon us and upon the people
But most people do not give thanks
Here Joseph stopped and asked them
You say the lord of the land, and the lord of the sea, and the lord of sustenance, and the lord of rain
While we say Allah is the Lord of the worlds
Are separate lords better, or Allah, the One, the Prevailing?
Where is the lord of the land, and the lord of the sea, and the lord of sustenance, and the lord of rain?
Show me what they have created from the earth, or do they have a share in the heavens?
Look at the earth and at the heaven, and look at the human being
This is the creation of Allah, so show me what those besides Him have created
And how can the lord of the land, and the lord of the sea, and the lord of sustenance, and the lord of rain exist?
They are names you have named, you and your fathers
Judgment is God's, sovereignty is God's, the earth is God's, the command is God's
Do not worship anything but Him; that is the upright religion
But most people do not know
The interpretation of the vision
And when Joseph finished his sermon, he told them the interpretation of the vision
He said, As for one of you, he will serve his master wine
And as for the other, he will be crucified and the birds will eat from his head
And he said to the first, Mention me to your master
And the two men went out
The first was a cupbearer to the king, and the other was crucified
And the cupbearer forgot to mention Joseph to the king
And Joseph remained in prison for years
The king of Egypt saw a strange vision
He saw in a dream seven fat cows
And seven lean cows eat these cows
And the king saw seven green ears of grain and seven dried ones
The king was amazed by this strange vision
And he asked his companions about the interpretation of the vision
They said, This is nothing
It is only that he sees many things that have no reality
But the cupbearer said, No
Rather, I will tell you the interpretation of this vision
And the cupbearer went to the prison
And he asked Joseph about the interpretation of the king's vision
Joseph was generous, noble, and compassionate towards God's creation
So he told him the interpretation
Joseph was generous and noble, knowing no stinginess
Joseph told the interpretation and indicated the management
He said, You will plant for seven years
And leave what you harvest in its ears, except for a little of what you eat
And there will be a general famine after that
You will eat in it what you have stored except for a little
And this famine will last for seven years
After that victory comes and the people become prosperous
The cupbearer went and told the king the interpretation of the vision
The king sends for Joseph
And when the king heard this interpretation and the plan he rejoiced greatly
And he said who is the author of this interpretation
And the king said who is this noble man who advised us and pointed to the plan
The cupbearer said this is Joseph the truthful and he is the one who informed me that I would be a cupbearer to my master the king
The king longed to meet Joseph and sent for Joseph and the king said
Bring him to me that I may appoint him for myself
Joseph asks for an investigation
And when the messenger came to Joseph and said to him the king invites you
Joseph was not satisfied to come out of prison like this
People would say this is Joseph, this one was in prison yesterday
That he betrayed the Aziz
Joseph was noble-minded and proud
Joseph was great of mind and intelligent
If someone else were in Joseph's place in prison
The king's messenger came to him and the king's messenger said to him the king invites you and is waiting for you
This man rushed to the prison door and came out
But Joseph did not rush, but Joseph did not hurry
Rather he said to the king's messenger I want an investigation, I want a search into my case
The king asked about Joseph, and the king learned, and the people learned that Joseph was innocent
And Joseph came out innocent and the king honored him
Over the storehouses of the land
Joseph knew that trustworthiness is rare among people
And Joseph knew that betrayal is common among people
And Joseph saw that people betray in the wealth of God
And he used to see that there were many treasures in the earth, but they were being lost.
They are being lost because the rulers do not fear God regarding them.
So their dogs eat, while the people do not find what to eat.
And their houses are dressed, while the people do not find what to wear.
And no one benefits the people with the treasures of the earth except he who is a guardian and knowledgeable.
And whoever is a guardian but is not knowledgeable does not know where the treasures of the earth are and how they should be utilized.
And whoever is knowledgeable but is not a guardian eats from them and betrays the trust concerning them.
And Joseph was a guardian and knowledgeable.
And Joseph did not want to let the rulers consume the people's wealth.
Joseph could not bear to see people going hungry and dying.
And Joseph was not shy about [speaking] the truth.
So he said to the King, 'Appoint me over the treasures of the earth.'
'Indeed, I am a guardian and knowledgeable.'
Thus, Joseph was an honest guardian of the treasures of Egypt.
And the people rested greatly and praised God.
Joseph's brothers came.
There was a famine in Egypt and in the Levant as Joseph had foretold.
And the people of the Levant heard, and Jacob heard, that there was a merciful man in Egypt.
And that there was a generous, noble man in Egypt who was in charge of the treasures of the earth.
And people used to go to him and take food.
And Jacob sent his sons to Egypt with money to bring back food.
And Benjamin remained with his father because Jacob loved him very much.
And he did not want him to be far from him.
And Jacob was afraid for him just as he was afraid for Joseph.
And Joseph's brothers headed toward Joseph, and they did not know that he was their brother Joseph.
They do not know that he is Joseph who was in the well.
They think that he has died, and how would he not have died when he was in the well?
He was in the well, and the well was deep.
And the well was in the forest, and the forest was desolate.
And that was at night, and the night was dark.
And Joseph's brothers came and entered in to him, and he recognized them, while they were strangers to him.
They were strangers to Joseph; they did not recognize him.
But Joseph did not find them strange; rather, he recognized them.
Joseph knew that these were the ones who had thrown him into the well.
And that these were the ones who wanted to kill him, but God protected him.
However, Joseph did not say anything to them, and he did not expose them.
Between Joseph and his brothers.
And Joseph spoke to them and said to them,
Where are you from?
From Canaan.
Who is your father?
Jacob, son of Isaac, son of Abraham,
Upon them be prayers and peace.
Do you have another brother?
Yes, we have a brother whose name is Benjamin.
Why did he not come with you?
Because our father does not leave him and does not like him to be away from him.
For what reason does he not leave him?
Is he a very young boy?
No, but he had a brother whose name was Joseph.
He went with us one time,
And we went to race, and we left Joseph by our belongings,
And the wolf ate him.
And Joseph laughed to himself,
But he did not say anything.
And Joseph longed for his brother Benjamin.
And God wanted to test Jacob a second time.
So Joseph ordered food for them,
And he said, Bring me a brother of yours from your father,
And you will not find food if you do not bring him.
Joseph ordered that their money be placed in their belongings
Between Jacob and his sons
They returned to their father and told him the news and said to him
Send our brother with us, otherwise we will not find anything good with the Aziz
They asked Jacob for Benjamin and said: We will be his protectors
Jacob said: Shall I entrust you with him as I entrusted you with his brother before?
Have you forgotten the story of Joseph? Will you protect Benjamin as you protected Joseph?
Allah is the best protector, and He is the Most Merciful of the merciful
They found their money in their belongings and said to their father
The Aziz is a generous man, he returned our money and did not take a price from us
Send Benjamin with us so we may also receive his share
Jacob said to them: I will not send him with you until you pledge by Allah that you will bring him back
Unless you are overcome by circumstances
They pledged by Allah, and Jacob said: Allah is Witness over what we say
Jacob said to his sons: O my sons, do not enter from one gate
But enter from different gates
Benjamin is with Joseph
The brothers entered from different gates as their father commanded them and reached Joseph
When Joseph saw Benjamin, he rejoiced greatly and let him stay in his house
Joseph said to Benjamin: I am your brother
Benjamin felt reassured
Joseph met Benjamin after a long time
He remembered his mother and father, his home, and his childhood
Joseph wanted to keep Benjamin with him to see him every day, talk to him, and ask him about his home
But what is the way to do that?
Benjamin is returning tomorrow to Canaan
What is the way to do that?
The brothers pledged by Allah to bring him back with them
How can Joseph keep Benjamin with him without a reason?
And people would say the Aziz kept a Canaanite with him without a reason
Indeed, this is a great injustice.
But Joseph was intelligent and wise.
Joseph had a valuable vessel.
And he used to drink from it.
He placed this vessel in Benjamin's luggage.
Then a caller called out, 'You people are thieves!'
The brothers turned around and said,
'What are you missing?'
They said, 'We are missing the king's cup, his vessel.'
'And whoever brings it shall have a camel's load.'
They said, 'By Allah, you have certainly known that we did not come to cause corruption in the land, and we were not thieves.'
They said, 'What then is its punishment if you are liars?'
They said, 'Its punishment is that he in whose saddlebag it is found, he is the punishment for it. Thus do we recompense the wrongdoers.'
The vessel was brought out from Benjamin's luggage, and the brothers were ashamed.
But they said without shame,
'If Benjamin has stolen, then a brother of his, Joseph, stole before.'
Joseph heard this slander, but remained silent and did not get angry.
And Joseph was generous and patient.
They said, 'O العزيز (mighty one), he has a very old father.'
'So take one of us in his place. We see that you are of the doers of good.'
He said, 'I seek refuge in Allah from taking anyone except him with whom we found our possession.'
'Indeed, we would then be wrongdoers.'
And thus Benjamin remained with Joseph, and the brothers rejoiced, all of them.
Indeed, Joseph had been lonely for a long time, not seeing anyone from his family.
And Allah had brought Benjamin to him.
Should he not then keep him with him, to see him and talk to him?
And is it injustice for a brother to stay with his brother?
Never, never.
To Jacob.
And the brothers were confused as to how they would return to their father?
And the brothers wondered what they should tell their father.
Should they grieve him today regarding Benjamin?
As for their eldest, he refused to return to Jacob and said to his brothers:
Return to your father and say, 'O our father, indeed your son has stolen,'
'And we did not testify except to what we knew, and we were not guardians of the unseen.'
And when Jacob heard the story, he knew that Allah had a hand in that,
And that Allah was testing him.
Yesterday he was grieved for Joseph, and today he is grieved for Benjamin.
Indeed, Allah would not bring two calamities upon him.
Indeed, Allah would not grieve him over two sons like Joseph and Benjamin.
Indeed, Allah has a hidden hand in that.
Indeed, Allah has a hidden wisdom in that.
Indeed, Allah continues to test His servants, then He brings them joy and bestows favor upon them.
Then, the eldest son remained in Egypt as well and refused to return to Canaan.
Would he be grieved for a third also, when he had been grieved before for two?
This cannot be.
And here Jacob was reassured and said, 'Perhaps Allah will bring them all to me. Indeed, it is He who is the All-Knowing, the Wise.'
The secret will be revealed.
But Jacob was a human being, with a human heart in his chest, not a piece of stone.
So he remembered Joseph, and his sadness was renewed, and he said, 'Oh, my sorrow for Joseph!'
His sons blamed him and said, 'You will continue to remember Joseph until you perish.'
Jacob said, 'I only complain of my anguish and my sorrow to Allah, and I know from Allah what you do not know.'
Jacob knew that despair is disbelief, and Jacob had great hope in Allah.
And Jacob sent his sons to Egypt to search for Joseph and Benjamin and to strive in that.
And Jacob forbade them from despairing of the mercy of Allah.
And the brothers went to Egypt a third time.
They entered to Joseph and complained to him of their poverty and their calamity and asked him for bounty.
Here, sadness and love surged within Joseph, and he could not control himself.
The sons of my father and the sons of the prophets complain of their poverty and their calamity to a king among the kings.
Until when shall I hide the matter from them, and until when shall I see their state, and until when shall I not see my father?
Joseph could not control himself and said to them, 'Do you know what you did to Joseph and his brother when you were ignorant?'
The brothers knew that this secret was known only to Joseph and us, so they realized that it was Joseph.
Glory be to God! Is Joseph alive, or did he not die in the well?
Good heavens! Is Joseph the Aziz of Egypt? Is he the one who is over the treasures of the land?
He is the one who used to order food for us.
And there remained no doubt in them
that the one who is speaking to them is Joseph, son of Jacob.
They said, 'Are you indeed Joseph?'
He said, 'I am Joseph, and this is my brother.'
'God has favored us.'
'Indeed, whoever fears God and is patient,'
'then God does not let the reward of the doers of good be lost.'
They said, 'By God, God has certainly preferred you over us,'
'and indeed, we have been wrongdoers.'
And Joseph did not blame them for their deed, but rather said, 'May God forgive you, and He is the Most Merciful of the merciful.'
Joseph sends for Jacob.
And Joseph longed to meet Jacob.
And how could he not long for him when the separation had been long?
Why should he be patient now when the secret has been revealed?
How could food and drink be pleasant to him
while his father finds no pleasure in either drink, food, or sleep?
The secret has been unveiled, the secret has appeared, and God has willed that Jacob's eyes be comforted.
Jacob had gone blind from excessive weeping and sadness.
So Joseph said, 'Take this shirt of mine and cast it over my father's face, he will become seeing, and bring me all your family.'
Jacob is with Joseph.
And when the men arrived in Canaan with Joseph's shirt, Jacob sensed the scent of Joseph and said, 'Indeed, I perceive the scent of Joseph.'
They said, 'By God, you are still in your old delusion.'
But Jacob was truthful.
Then when the bearer of glad tidings arrived, he cast it over his face, and he returned to being sighted.
He said, 'Did I not tell you that I know from God that which you do not know?'
They said, 'O our father, ask forgiveness for us for our sins; indeed, we were sinners.'
He said, 'I will ask my Lord for forgiveness for you; indeed, it is He who is the Forgiving, the Merciful.'
And when Jacob arrived in Egypt, Joseph welcomed him, and do not ask about their joy and happiness.
It was a witnessed day in Egypt, and it was a blessed day.
And Joseph raised his parents upon the throne, and they fell down before him in prostration.
Joseph said,
This is the interpretation of my vision from before; my Lord has made it a reality.
Indeed, I saw eleven stars
And the sun and the moon, I saw them prostrating to me.
And Joseph praised God with a good and abundant praise.
And Joseph thanked God for that with a great thanks.
And Jacob and the family of Jacob remained in Egypt for a long time.
And Jacob and his wife died in Egypt.
The good end.
And this great kingdom did not distract Joseph from God, nor did it change him.
Joseph used to remember God, worship Him, and fear Him.
And Joseph used to judge with the judgment of God and carry out the commands of God.
And Joseph did not view the kingdom as much, nor did he consider it a big thing.
Joseph did not love to die the death of a king and be gathered with kings.
Rather, he loved to die the death of a servant and be gathered with the righteous.
And the prayer of Joseph was, 'My Lord, You have given me of the kingdom and taught me the interpretation of events.'
'Creator of the heavens and the earth, You are my protector in this world and the Hereafter.'
'Cause me to die as a Muslim and join me with the righteous.'
And God caused him to die as a Muslim and joined him with his fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
May the blessings and peace of God be upon them and upon our Prophet.
Noah's Ark.
After Adam.
God blessed the descendants of Adam, so there were many men and women among them.
And the descendants of Adam spread and multiplied.
So if Adam were to return and see his children, he would not know them.
And if it were said to him, 'This is your progeny, O Adam,' he would have been greatly amazed.
And he would have said, 'Glory be to Allah, are all these my children? Is all this my progeny?'
And the progeny of Adam had many villages, and they built many houses.
And they used to till the land, sow seeds, and live.
And the people were upon the religion of their father, Adam, worshipping Allah and not associating anything with Him.
And the people were one nation; their father was Adam, and their Lord was Allah.
Satan's Envy
But how would Iblis and his progeny be content with this?
Do the people still worship Allah?
Do the people still remain one nation, not differing?
That shall not be.
That shall not be.
Will the progeny of Adam enter Paradise, while Iblis and his progeny enter the Fire?
That shall not be.
That shall not be.
He did not prostrate to Adam, so Allah drove him away and cursed him.
Will he not take revenge on the children of Adam and make them enter the Fire with him?
That must happen.
That must happen.
Satan's Idea
And Satan saw that he should call the people to worship idols.
So they would enter the Fire and never enter Paradise.
And Satan knew that Allah does not forgive polytheism (Shirk).
And He forgives everything else if He wills.
So Satan wanted to call them to polytheism so they would never enter Paradise.
But how is there a way to that while the people are worshipping Allah?
If he were to go to the people and say to them, 'Worship idols and do not worship Allah,' the people would curse him and beat him.
They would say, 'Allah forbid that we associate partners with our Lord or worship idols.'
You are indeed a cursed Satan; you are indeed an evil Satan.
Satan's Trick
A door through which one enters into the minds of people
There were men who feared God
And they worshipped Him night and day
And they remembered Him very much
And they used to love God
And God used to love them and answer them
And people used to love them and revere them
And Satan knew that well
And these men have died and moved on to the mercy of God
Satan went to the people
And he mentioned these men
And he said, 'How was so-and-so, so-and-so, and so-and-so among you?'
They said, 'Glory be to God, the men of God and His close friends'
Those, if they prayed, He would answer them, and if they asked, He would give them'
Images of the righteous
Satan said, 'So how is your sadness for them?'
They said, 'Severe'
He said, 'And how is your longing for them?'
They said, 'Great'
He said, 'And why do you not look at them every day?'
They said, 'And how is the way to that, and they have died?'
He said, 'Make images for them and look at them every morning'
And the people were impressed by Iblis's opinion, and they portrayed the righteous, and they would look at these images every morning
And when they saw them, they remembered those righteous ones
From images to statues
And they moved from images to statues
And they made many statues for the righteous
And they placed them in their houses and in their mosques
And they used to worship God, not associating anything with Him
And they used to know that these were statues of the righteous
And that these are stones that neither benefit them, nor harm them, nor provide for them.
But they used to seek blessings from them and revere them.
Because they were statues of righteous people.
These statues became numerous among them and their reverence increased.
And when a righteous man died among them, they made a statue of him and named it after him.
From statues to idols.
These [people] passed away, and the children saw their fathers seeking blessings from them.
And they saw their fathers revering them with great reverence.
And they used to see them kissing these statues, touching them, and praying beside them.
And they used to see them lowering their heads and bowing down before them.
The children exceeded the fathers, and they began to prostrate to them, ask them [for things], and sacrifice for them.
Thus these idols became gods, and people began to worship them just as they used to worship God before, and these gods became numerous among them.
This is Wadd, that is Suwa', this is Yaghuth, that is Ya'uq, and this is Nasr.
God's anger.
And God was very angry with the people and cursed them.
And why would God not be angry with the people and not curse them?
Is this why He created them? Is this why He provides for them?
They walk on God's earth and disbelieve in God?
And they eat God's provision and associate partners with God?
Indeed, this is a great injustice.
Indeed, this is a great injustice.
God was angry with the people, withheld the rain, and made things difficult for them.
Agriculture decreased and offspring decreased.
But the people did not understand.
But the people did not repent.
The Messenger.
And God wanted to send to them a man from among them to speak to them and advise them.
Indeed, God does not speak to [each] one individually.
Indeed, God does not address every person, telling him 'do this' and 'do that'.
Indeed, kings do not speak to [each] one individually.
Kings do not go to everyone to tell them, 'Do this and do that.'
Kings are human beings like other people.
Everyone can see them and hear their words.
But no one can see God, hear His words, or speak to Him.
No one is capable of that except whomever God wills.
If God wills.
So God willed to send a messenger to the people to speak to them and advise them.
A human or an angel?
And God willed for this messenger to be a human.
And to be one of the people.
People know him and understand his words.
And if the messenger were an angel, the people would say,
What do we have to do with him?
He is an angel and we are humans.
We eat and drink.
And we have families and offspring.
So how can we worship God?
And if the messenger is a human,
He says, 'I eat and drink.'
And I have a family and offspring.
And I worship God.
So why do you not worship God?
And if the messenger were an angel, the people would say,
You do not get thirsty or hungry, you do not get sick or die, so you worship God and remember Him always.
But we are humans who get thirsty, hungry, sick, and die, so how can we worship God and remember Him always?
And if the messenger is a human, he says, 'I am like you; I get thirsty, hungry, sick, and I die, and yet I worship God and remember Him.'
So why do you not worship God and remember Him? Then the people's arguments are cut off, and they find no excuse.
Noah the Messenger.
And God willed to send Noah to his people.
Among the people were the wealthy and the leaders.
But God chose Noah for His message
And He did not choose anyone from among them
God knows who carries His message
And God knows who carries His trust
Noah was a righteous and generous man
Noah was a wise and forbearing man
Noah was an advisor and compassionate
Noah was truthful and trustworthy
God chose Noah for His message and revealed to him to warn your people before a painful torment comes to them
So Noah stood among his people saying to the people I am a trustworthy messenger to you
What did the people answer him?
When Noah stood among his people saying I am a trustworthy messenger to you
Some people stood up saying
When did this one become a prophet?
Yesterday he was a man from among us and today he says I am a messenger of God to you
And Noah's friends said
This one used to play with us in our childhood and sit with us every day
So when did prophethood come to him, by night or by day?
And the rich and the arrogant said, did God not find anyone other than him?
Did people die out entirely, was there no one found among the people except a poor man?
And the ignorant said, this is nothing but a human like you
And they said if God had willed, He would have sent down angels, we have not heard of this among our forefathers
And some people said that Noah wants to obtain leadership and honor through this way
Between Noah and his people
The people used to see that the worship of idols is the truth and that the worship of idols is wisdom
And they used to see that he who does not worship idols is in error and foolishness
And they used to say our forefathers used to worship idols so why does this one not worship them?
And Noah used to see that the worship of idols is an error and that the worship of idols is foolishness
Noah used to see that the forefathers were in error and foolishness
And that Adam, the father of the forefathers, did not worship idols but rather used to worship God
And that the people were in error and foolishness, as they worship stones and do not worship Allah who created them.
Noah stood among the people, saying at the top of his voice,
O my people, worship Allah; you have no god other than Him.
Indeed, I fear for you the punishment of a Great Day.
The chiefs of his people said, 'We see you clearly in error.'
He said, 'O my people, there is no error in me, but I am a messenger from the Lord of the worlds.'
I convey to you the messages of my Lord and advise you, and I know from Allah what you do not know.
The lowest among the people have followed you.
Noah strove hard that his people would believe and worship Allah and abandon the idols.
But only a few individuals among his people believed in Noah.
Only a few individuals who worked with their hands and earned a lawful living believed in him.
As for the wealthy among his people, their pride prevented them from obeying Noah.
Their wealth and children distracted them from thinking about the Hereafter.
They used to say, 'We are the noble, and these are the low.'
And when Noah invited them to Allah, they said,
Should we believe in you when the lowest people have followed you?
They demanded that Noah drive these poor people away.
But Noah refused and said, 'I will not drive away the believers.'
My door is not the door of a king; I am only a clear warner.
Noah knew that these poor people were sincere believers.
And that Allah would be angry if he drove these poor people away.
And then no one would defend him.
So Noah said, 'O my people, who would defend me against Allah if I drove them away?'
The argument of the wealthy:
The wealthy said, 'What Noah is calling to is not the truth and is not good.'
Why? Because we have experienced that we are always the first in every good thing.
We have every good food, we have every beautiful clothing, and the people follow us in everything.
And we have seen that good things do not miss us or bypass us in the city.
If this religion were good, it would have come to us before these poor people.
If it were good, they would not have preceded us to it.
The call of Noah
And he strove in giving advice, saying: O my people, indeed I am a clear warner to you, that you worship Allah and fear Him and obey me; He will forgive you of your sins and delay you to a specified term. Indeed, the term of Allah, when it comes, will not be delayed, if you only knew.
And Allah had withheld the rain from them and was angry with them, and cultivation decreased and offspring decreased.
So Noah said: O my people, if you believe, Allah will be pleased with you and this torment will cease.
And He will send down the rains upon you and bless you in your livelihood and your children.
And Noah called his people to Allah and said to them:
Do you not know Allah? These are the signs of Allah around you, do you not look at them?
Do you not look at the heaven and the earth? Do you not look at the sun and the moon?
Who created the heavens and made the moon in them a light and made the sun a lamp?
Who created you and made the earth a carpet for you?
But the people of Noah did not understand, and the people of Noah did not believe.
Rather, when Noah called them to Allah, they put their fingers in their ears.
How can one who does not listen understand, and how can one who does not want to hear listen?
Noah's supplication
Noah strove greatly and remained calling his people for a long time.
Noah remained among his people for a thousand years except fifty years.
Calling them to Allah.
But the people of Noah did not believe.
And they did not abandon the worship of idols.
And they did not return to Allah.
So until when will Noah wait?
Until when will he see the corruption of the earth?
Until when will he see stones being worshipped?
Until when will he see people eating the provision of Allah and worshipping other than Him?
Why does Noah not get angry?
He endured with patience such as no one else has endured.
A thousand years except fifty years.
Allah is the Greatest, Allah is the Greatest.
And Allah had revealed to Noah,
That no one will believe from your people except those who have already believed.
And the people of Noah said when Noah called them another time
O Noah, you have argued with us, and you have argued much with us
So bring us what you promise us, if you are among the truthful
And Noah was angry for the sake of Allah and despaired of them and said
O Allah, do not leave upon the earth anyone among the disbelievers
The ship
And Allah answered the prayer of Noah and willed to drown his people
But Allah also willed that Noah and the believers should be saved
So He commanded Noah to build a large ship
And Noah began to build a large ship
And his people saw him in this work, so they found work and began to mock him
What is this, O Noah? Since when did you become a carpenter?
Did we not say to you, do not sit with those low-class people?
But you heard our words and sat with the carpenters and the blacksmiths, and so you became a carpenter?
And where does this ship walk, O Noah?
Your whole affair is a wonder
Does this walk in the sand, or does it climb the mountain?
The sea is very far from here
Do the Jinn carry it, or do the oxen pull it?
And Noah was hearing all of that and was patient
And he had heard harsher things than this and was patient
But he used to say to them sometimes
If you mock us, then we mock you just as you mock
The flood
And the promise of Allah came, so we seek refuge in Allah
The sky rained, and rained, and rained, and rained
Until it was as if the sky was a sieve that does not hold water
And the water gushed forth and flowed until it surrounded the people from every side
And Allah revealed to Noah
Take with you those who believed in you from your people and your family
So Allah inspired Noah
To take with him from every animal and bird two pairs
A male and a female
Because the flood is general
Neither human nor animal will be saved from it
And so Noah did
So there were with him on the ship those who believed in him from his people
And from every animal and bird two pairs
And the ship sailed carrying them through waves like mountains
And the people climbed to every high place
And every hill, fleeing from the punishment of Allah
But there is no refuge from Allah except to Him
The son of Noah
Noah had a son who was among the disbelievers
And Noah saw his son in the flood and said
O my son, embark with us
And do not be with the disbelievers
He said I will take refuge on a mountain that will protect me from the water
He said there is no protector today from the command of Allah except for whom He has mercy
And the waves came between them and he was among the drowned
And Noah grieved for his son
And how could he not grieve when he is his son
He wanted his son to be saved from the Fire on the Day of Resurrection
Since he did not survive the water yesterday
Indeed the Fire is more severe than the water
And indeed the punishment of the Hereafter is harder
Did not Allah promise him that He would save his family
Yes indeed, the promise of Allah is true
So he wanted to intercede for his son with Allah
He is not of your family
And Noah called out to his Lord, and said,
Indeed, my son is of my family.
And indeed Your promise is the truth, and You are the wisest of the judges.
But Allah does not look at lineages,
Rather, He looks at deeds.
And Allah does not accept intercession for the polytheists.
And the polytheist is not of the Prophet's family, even if he were his son.
So Allah alerted Noah to that and said,
O Noah, indeed he is not of your family.
Indeed, it is a deed not righteous.
So do not ask Me about that of which you have no knowledge.
Indeed, I advise you not to be among the ignorant.
And Noah realized and repented to Allah and said,
My Lord, indeed I seek refuge in You from asking You that of which I have no knowledge.
And unless You forgive me and have mercy on me, I will be among the losers.
After the flood,
And when what Allah willed happened and the disbelievers drowned, the sky held back and the water receded.
And the ark settled on Mount Judi, and it was said, away with the wrongdoing people.
And it was said, O Noah, descend in peace, and Noah and the companions of the ark descended walking on land in safety.
And the disbelievers of Noah's people perished,
So the heaven and the earth did not weep for them.
And Allah blessed the descendants of Noah,
So they spread throughout the earth and filled the earth.
And in them were nations, and in them were prophets and kings.
Peace be upon Noah among the worlds.
Peace be upon Noah among the worlds.
The storm,
After Noah,
Allah blessed the descendants of Noah, so they spread throughout the earth,
And from them was a nation called
Aad
And they were strong men
Their bodies were as if they were made of iron
They would defeat everyone and no one would defeat them
They feared no one, and everyone feared them
And God blessed Aad in everything
Aad's camels and sheep would fill the valley
And Aad's horses would fill the field
And Aad's children would fill the houses
And when Aad's camels and sheep went out to the pasture
They had a very beautiful sight
And when the children went out in the morning to play
They had a very beautiful sight
And the land of Aad was also a beautiful, green land
In it were many gardens and springs
Aad's disbelief
But Aad did not thank God for these many blessings
And Aad forgot the story of the flood that they had heard from their fathers
And they saw its traces in the earth
And they forgot why God had sent the flood upon the nation of Noah
And they began worshipping idols just as the nation of Noah used to worship idols
They would carve idols from stone with their own hands
Then they would prostrate to them and worship them
And they would ask them for their needs, call upon them, and slaughter for them
And they were following in the footsteps of the nation of Noah
Their minds did not prevent them from worshipping idols
And their minds did not guide them
They were intelligent in worldly matters, foolish in matters of religion
Aad's hostility
And Aad's strength became a disaster for them and for the people
Because they do not believe in Allah and they do not believe in the Hereafter.
So what prevents them from injustice?
What prevents them from aggression?
Why would they not wrong people when they do not see anyone above them?
And they do not fear a reckoning nor a punishment?
They were like beasts of the jungle.
The big one among them would wrong the small, and the strong one among them would eat the weak.
And when they were angry, they were like a raging elephant; it would not find anything except it would kill it.
When they fought, they would destroy the crops and the offspring.
And when they entered a village, they would corrupt it and make its honored people humiliated.
The weak were afraid of their evil and would flee from their injustice.
Their power became a calamity for them and for the people.
And likewise is everyone who does not fear Allah and does not believe in the Hereafter.
The Palaces of 'Ad
And 'Ad had no occupation except eating, drinking, amusement, and play.
Some of them would boast to others about building high palaces and spacious houses.
And their wealth was wasted on water, mud, and stones.
And they would not see an empty place or high ground,
Except that they would build lofty palaces upon it.
They would build houses as if they were living in them forever and would never die.
And they were building palaces without need, while people could not find what to eat or wear.
And the poor among them could not find a house to live in,
While the houses of the rich had no one dwelling in them.
And whoever saw them and saw their palaces knew that they did not believe in the Hereafter.
Hud the Messenger
To 'Ad a messenger.
Indeed, Allah is not pleased with disbelief for His servants.
Indeed, Allah does not love corruption on earth.
And 'Ad did not use their minds except for eating, drinking, amusement, play, and building houses.
And their minds had become corrupted because they did not use them for religion.
The people of 'Ad were wise in worldly matters but foolish in matters of religion.
They worshiped stones and did not understand.
So Allah wanted to send them a messenger to guide them.
Allah wanted this messenger to be from among themselves,
knowing him and understanding his speech.
Hud was that messenger.
He was born into a noble family in 'Ad.
And he grew up with intellect and righteousness.
Hud's Message
Hud stood before his people calling and saying:
O my people, worship Allah; you have no deity other than Him.
Hud said:
O my people, how do you worship stones and not worship the One who created you?
O my people, these stones that you carved yesterday,
how do you worship them today?
Verily, Allah created you and provided for you,
and blessed you with wealth, children, crops, and offspring,
and made you successors after the people of Nuh.
And He granted you strength in the body.
It was right for these blessings that you worship Allah and not worship anyone else.
Indeed, this dog to which you throw a bone
does not leave your house and follows you like a shadow.
Have you ever seen a dog that leaves its master
and goes to someone else?
Or have you seen an animal that worships a stone?
Or have you seen an animal that bows to an idol?
Is a human more wretched than an animal?
Or is he more exalted than an animal?
The answer of the people
The people were occupied with eating, drinking, amusement, and play.
And they were satisfied with the worldly life and felt secure in it
Their hearts were constricted by Hud's words
And some of them said to others
What is Hud saying?
What does Hud want?
We do not understand his speech, they said, he is foolish or mad
And when Hud invited them once again, the nobles of his people said
Indeed, we see you in foolishness, and we think you are among the liars
He said, O my people, there is no foolishness in me, but I am a messenger from the Lord of the worlds
I convey to you the messages of my Lord, and I am to you a trustworthy advisor
The wisdom of Hud
And he was speaking to them with wisdom and gentleness
Hud said
O my people, I am your brother and your friend from yesterday
Do you not know me?
O my brothers
Why do you fear me and run away from me?
I do not diminish anything from your wealth
O my people, I do not ask of you wealth for it
My reward is only from Allah
O my people, what do you fear?
If you believe in Allah
By Allah, you will not lose anything of your wealth
If you believe in Allah
Rather, Allah will bless you in your provision
And He will increase your strength
And O my people, why do you wonder at my message?
Indeed, Allah does not speak to each one individually
Indeed, Allah does not address every person and say to him
Do this and do that
Verily, Allah sends to every nation a man from among them,
to speak to them and to advise them.
And He has sent me to you to speak to you and to advise you.
Do you wonder that a reminder from your Lord has come to you
through a man from among you, so that he may warn you?
Hud's faith
And the people of 'Ad found no answer, and they did not know how to answer Hud.
But they said when they were unable to answer,
Our gods have become angry with you, and a disease has afflicted your mind.
A calamity from the gods has befallen you.
Hud said, these idols are stones that neither benefit anyone nor harm them.
And these idols are stones that do not speak, do not hear, and do not see.
Indeed, these idols possess no good and no evil.
And they do not possess any benefit or harm for anyone.
And you also do not possess any good or evil.
And you do not possess any benefit or harm for me.
Verily, I do not believe in your gods, nor do I fear them.
I am innocent of what you associate with Him.
And I do not fear you either, so plot against me all of you.
Verily, I have put my trust in Allah, my Lord and your Lord.
Everything is under His power.
And not a leaf falls except by His permission.
The stubbornness of 'Ad
The people of 'Ad heard all that, but they did not believe.
Hud's advice was lost on them.
Hud's wisdom was lost on them.
And they said, O Hud, you have no proof and no clear evidence.
And we will not abandon, O Hud, our ancient gods for your new words.
Shall we abandon the gods that our fathers used to worship
for the words of a speaker, never, never?
And O Hud, you do not believe in our gods and you do not fear them.
For we do not believe in your God and we do not fear His punishment.
And we hear you often mentioning the punishment.
So where is it, O Hud, and when will it come?
Hud said, 'The knowledge is only with Allah, and I am only a clear warner.'
The people of 'Ad said, 'Then we are waiting for that punishment and we long to see it.'
Hud was amazed by their audacity and Hud felt sorry for their foolishness.
The punishment.
The people of 'Ad were waiting for the rain every day and looking up to the sky.
But they did not see a single patch of cloud.
And they were in need of the rain.
They had a great longing for the rain.
One day, they saw a cloud coming toward them.
So they rejoiced greatly and shouted.
This is a rain cloud.
This is a rain cloud.
And the people danced in joy.
And they called out to one another and said,
A rain cloud.
A rain cloud.
But Hud understood that the punishment had come.
Hud said to them, 'This is not a cloud of mercy.'
Rather, it is a wind in which there is a painful punishment.
And it was so.
For a violent wind blew, such as the people had never seen its like.
And the people had never heard of its like.
The storm blew, uprooting trees and demolishing houses.
And it carried livestock and threw them to a faraway place.
The desert sands flew and the world darkened.
So a person could not see anything.
And terror entered them, so they entered their houses and closed their doors.
And the children embraced their mothers.
And the people clung to the walls.
And the people entered the rooms.
The children were crying and the women were screaming.
And the men were praying and crying for help.
And it was as if someone were saying, there is no escape today from the command of God.
That was for seven nights and eight days.
And the people died and were like palm trees that had fallen to the ground.
And it was a very strange sight.
The people were dead, being eaten by birds.
And the houses were in ruins, inhabited by owls.
And Hud and the believers were saved by their faith.
And the people of 'Ad perished due to their disbelief and stubbornness.
Indeed, 'Ad disbelieved in their Lord.
Indeed, away with 'Ad, the people of Hud.
Away with 'Ad.
Thamud inherited 'Ad, just as 'Ad inherited the nation of Noah.
And Thamud were in the footsteps of 'Ad.
Just as 'Ad was in the footsteps of the nation of Noah.
And the land of Thamud was also a beautiful, green land.
In it were gardens, springs, and orchards with rivers flowing beneath them.
And Thamud were like 'Ad in building, farming, and the abundance of gardens.
And they surpassed them in intellect and craftsmanship.
For they would carve spacious and beautiful houses out of the mountains.
And they would engrave marvelous designs into the stones.
And stone became soft for them due to their intellect and craftsmanship.
So they would make with it what a human makes with wax.
And if a person entered their city,
They would see a marvel.
He saw great palaces like mountains
As if the jinn had built them
And he saw beautiful flowers on the walls
As if spring had brought them forth
God had opened to Thamud blessings from heaven and earth
God had opened to Thamud the doors of everything
The sky gave them rains abundantly
And the earth gave them plants and flowers abundantly
And the gardens gave them fruits and produce abundantly
God blessed them in their provision and their lives
And God blessed them in their provision and their lives
The disbelief of Thamud
But all of that did not lead Thamud to gratitude and the worship of God Almighty
Rather, it led them to disbelief and tyranny
And they forgot God and rejoiced in what they were given, and they said: Who is stronger than us?
And they thought that they would never die and never leave their palaces and gardens
They thought that death would not enter these mountains and would find no path to them
Perhaps they thought that the nation of Noah only drowned because they were in the valley
And that 'Ad only perished because they were in the plain
And that they were in a safe place from fear and death
Worship of idols
And this was not enough for them
Rather, they carved stone and worshipped idols
And they began to worship stone just as the nation of Noah used to worship it
And likewise 'Ad
Indeed God had made them masters of stone
But out of their ignorance, they became worshippers of stone
Indeed God honored them and provided them with good things
But they degraded themselves and degraded the human being
Indeed God does not wrong people in the least, but people wrong themselves
How strange, that the stone they carve with their own hands, which neither refuses nor disobeys them, they have humbled themselves before it and fallen prostrate.
Does the strong worship the weak?
Does the master prostrate before his servant?
But they forgot Allah, so they forgot themselves, and they refused to worship Allah, so Allah humiliated them.
Salih, peace be upon him.
And Allah wanted to send them a messenger.
Just as He sent to the nation of Noah, and sent a messenger to 'Ad.
Indeed, Allah is not pleased with disbelief for His servants.
Indeed, Allah does not love corruption on the earth.
And there was among them a man named Salih.
He was born in a noble house and grew up with intelligence and righteousness.
And he was a very intelligent boy.
And he was a very sensible boy.
People point to him and say,
This is Salih, this is Salih.
The people had great hope in him, saying he would have a position, he would have a position.
People saw that Salih would be among their nobles and among their wealthy.
And they saw that he would have a beautiful palace and a large garden.
And his father saw that his son would earn great wealth with his intelligence and would go out among the people.
He would go out on a horse with servants behind him, and the people would greet him.
And they would say, this is the son of so-and-so.
This is the son of so-and-so.
And how great would his joy be,
If he heard the people saying that he is very happy,
That his son is very rich.
Indeed, Allah wanted to honor him with prophethood,
And send him to his people,
To lead them out of the darkness into the light.
And is there any honor above that?
Is there any nobility above that?
The call of Salih
And Salih stood among his people saying at the top of his voice
O my people, worship Allah, you have no god other than Him
The wealthy were busy with eating and drinking
And they were in amusement and play
And they were worshipping idols and seeing no god other than them
So the call of Salih did not please them
The wealthy of Thamud got angry and said who is this
The servants said this is Salih
They said what is he saying
They said he says worship Allah, you have no god other than Him
And he says that Allah will resurrect you after your death and reward you
And he says I am the Messenger of Allah, He sent me to my people
The wealthy laughed and said
Poor man, could this be a messenger?
He has no palace and no orchard
And he has no crops and no palm trees
So how can he be a messenger?
The propaganda of the wealthy
And the wealthy saw that some people were leaning towards Salih
So they feared for their leadership
And they said this is only a human like you who eats from what you eat from and drinks from what you drink
And if you obey a human like yourselves, then you will surely be losers
Does he promise you that when you die and become dust and bones that you will be brought out?
Far, far is that which you are promised
It is only our worldly life, we die and we live and we will not be resurrected
He is but a man who has invented a lie against Allah, and we will not believe him
And our assumption has failed
And the people disbelieved in Salih and did not believe him
And when Salih exhorted them and forbade them from worshipping idols, they said
Oh Salih, you were a very bright boy and you were a very sensible boy.
And we thought that you would be among the greatest of people and their nobles.
And we thought that you would be like so-and-so and so-and-so.
But you became nothing.
And those who were of your age and were lesser than you in intelligence,
became great men.
And you, Oh Salih, took the path of poverty.
Our opinion of you was mistaken.
Our hope in you has been disappointed.
Poor is your father; he gained no good from you.
Poor is your mother; her efforts on your behalf were wasted.
Salih heard all of this and felt sorry for his people.
And if Salih passed by a group of people, they would say,
May God have mercy on the father of Salih.
His son is lost.
Salih's advice
And Salih continued to advise his people and call them to God with wisdom and gentleness.
He says, Oh my brothers, do you think that you will be here forever?
Do you think that you will live in these palaces always?
Do you think that you will remain in these gardens and rivers?
And that you will continue to eat from these crops and trees?
And that you will continue to carve homes out of the mountains, being safe?
That will not be.
That will not be.
So why did your fathers die, Oh my brothers?
They had palaces,
And they also had gardens and springs,
And they had crops and palm trees,
And they used to carve homes out of the mountains to live in,
But all of that did not benefit them.
But all of that did not stop them
And the Angel of Death reached them and found a way to them
Likewise, you too will die, and God will resurrect you and ask you about this bounty
I do not ask you for any reward for it
And my brothers, why do you flee from me?
What are you afraid of?
I do not take anything away from your wealth
I do not ask anything of you
I advise you and convey to you the messages of my Lord
And I do not ask you for any reward for it
My reward is only from God, the Lord of the worlds
Oh my brothers
Why do you not obey me while I am a sincere advisor to you?
And why do you obey those who oppress people and consume their wealth?
And those who commit wickedness and corruption in the land and do not reform
The people were unable and did not find an answer to that
They said, 'You are only one of those bewitched'
You are only a human being like us, so bring a sign if you are of the truthful
The she-camel of God
Salih said, 'And what sign do you want?'
They said, 'If you are truthful, then bring forth for us from this mountain a pregnant she-camel'
The people knew that a she-camel is only born from a she-camel
And that a she-camel does not grow from the earth nor emerge from a rock
They were certain that Salih would fail and that they would succeed
But Salih was strong in faith in his Lord, and he knew that God is capable of all things
So Salih called upon God, and it was as the people requested
A pregnant she-camel emerged from the mountain and gave birth, and the people were bewildered and astonished
But only a few of them believed
The turn
Salih said, 'This is the she-camel of God, and this is the sign of God'
You asked, so He created it for you by His power.
So respect this she-camel and do not touch her with harm, or a near punishment will seize you.
And this she-camel eats in God's land, drinks, comes, and goes.
And her fodder and water are not your responsibility, for the fodder is abundant and the water is abundant.
And this she-camel was very large and strange in creation.
So their livestock used to fear her and shy away from her.
And whenever she came to drink, the livestock would shy away and flee.
Salih saw that, so he said, 'The she-camel has a day, and your livestock has a day.'
So one day this she-camel drinks, and one day your livestock drinks.
And that is how it was.
So when it was the she-camel's turn, she would go and drink.
And when it was the turn of the people's livestock, they would go and drink.
The tyranny of Thamud
But the people grew arrogant and transgressed.
And they said, 'Why does our livestock not drink every day?'
And the people became annoyed by this she-camel from which their livestock shy away.
And Salih had warned them against insulting this she-camel.
But they did not heed the warning.
They said, 'Who will kill this she-camel?'
A man stood up and said, 'I will.'
And another stood up and said, 'I will.'
And the two wretched men went and sat waiting for the she-camel to come out.
Until when the she-camel came out, the first shot her with an arrow and the second slaughtered her, so they killed her.
The punishment
And when Salih learned that the she-camel had been slaughtered,
He was deeply saddened and grieved, and he said to the people,
'Enjoy yourselves in your home for three days.'
'That is a promise that will not be belied.'
There were nine men in the city who caused corruption in the land and did not reform.
So they swore and said, 'We will kill Salih and his family at night.'
And if we are asked, we say we have no knowledge.
But Allah is the protector of Salih and his family.
And when the third day arrived, the torment came to them.
They woke up as was their custom.
Suddenly, there was a blast accompanied by a severe earthquake.
A blast from which hearts were shattered.
And an earthquake from which houses were demolished.
And it was a severe day for Thamud.
All the people died, and the city was ruined.
Salih and the believers emigrated from that wretched city.
And what are they doing there?
Salih went out, looking at his people while they were dead.
He said in a sad voice:
O my people, I have delivered the message of my Lord to you.
And I advised you, but you do not like the advisors.
And today, man sees there nothing but empty palaces and an abandoned well.
And he sees nothing but desolate villages where there is neither a caller nor a responder.
And when the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, passed,
By the dwellings of Thamud on his way to Ash-Sham,
He said to his companions: Do not enter the dwellings of those who wronged themselves, unless you are weeping, fearing that what afflicted them might afflict you.
Indeed, Thamud disbelieved in their Lord; indeed, away with Thamud.
From Canaan to Egypt.
Yaqub (Jacob), peace be upon him, moved to Egypt, and his children moved with him.
They moved to Egypt because Yusuf (Joseph), son of Yaqub, peace be upon them, was the master of Egypt, commanding and forbidding therein.
And they were in Canaan herding sheep, milking the ewes, and selling wool.
And Yusuf's slaves and servants were eating and living in comfort in Egypt.
So what are they doing in Canaan, and why do they not go to Egypt?
Yusuf sent to Yaqub and his family and invited them from Canaan.
And Yusuf found no pleasure in food or drink until he saw his father and his brothers.
And how could he find pleasure in food or drink, and how could he find pleasure in living while he was alone in Egypt?
And what would he do with palaces when his father and his brothers are in a small house in Canaan?
Jacob and his children came to Egypt, so Joseph welcomed them and rejoiced with great joy.
Egypt welcomed the family of its master and the family of its noble owner, and it rejoiced greatly for them.
The people of Egypt loved this noble household because they loved Joseph for his nobility and his kindness toward people.
And because they saw in Joseph an advisor and compassionate brother, and saw in Jacob a glorious and noble father.
Jacob was the elder of the land and the sheikh of Egypt, and the people of Egypt were like children to him.
Jacob and his sons found it pleasant to stay in Egypt, and it became a homeland for them.
After Joseph
After a period of time, Jacob died, so Joseph grieved for him, and the people of Egypt grieved for him.
They buried the sheikh in Egypt, as if they had lost their own father.
After a period of time, Joseph also died, so it was a difficult day for the people of Egypt.
The people of Egypt grieved deeply for him.
And they wept for him for a long time.
People forgot their sorrows, as if no calamity had befallen them before this day.
They also buried Joseph and consoled one another, for they were all the same regarding Joseph.
Every young person lost their father, and every elder lost their brother.
The people walked to Joseph's brothers and their children, consoling them and saying to them:
Oh masters, your loss today is not greater than our loss.
For we have lost in the person buried today a compassionate brother, a merciful master, and a just king.
He is the one who gave comfort to the people and removed injustice from the land.
He is the one who prevented the strong from oppressing the weak and prevented the powerful from consuming the vulnerable.
He is the one who aided the oppressed, gave sanctuary to the fearful, and fed the hungry.
He is the one who guided us to the truth and called us to God.
Before his arrival, we were like beasts, not knowing God and not knowing the afterlife.
He is the one who aided us during the days of famine, so we ate and were satisfied while people were dying in other lands.
We will never forget our noble king, and we will not forget, oh masters, that you are his brothers and his family.
How much our master rejoiced for you the day you came to Egypt, and how much we rejoiced in our master's joy.
The land is your land, and you have, oh masters, just as you had during the life of our master.
The Children of Israel in Egypt
And thus it was for a long time.
The people of Egypt remembered what they said and recognized the merit of the Canaanites.
These Canaanites, who were called the Children of Israel, were people of honor and wealth.
However, conditions changed after that.
Their morals corrupted, they abandoned the call to God and the invitation of creation to God, and they fell upon the worldly life.
The people also changed towards them.
They began to look at them differently than they looked at their forefathers.
They became like the rest of the people, not distinguished from them except by lineage.
People began to envy the rich among them and despise the poor among them.
The people of Egypt began to look at them as a stranger who came from another land.
And who has no right in Egypt.
The people of Egypt believed that they were the people of the land.
And that Egypt is for the Egyptians.
Some of the people of Egypt see that Joseph was a stranger who came from Canaan.
And the Aziz of Egypt bought him.
And it is not for the Canaanite to rule Egypt.
So many people forgot the merit of Joseph, his generosity, and his kindness.
Pharaoh of Egypt.
And pharaohs came to the throne of Egypt.
The kings of Egypt.
They hate the Children of Israel with intense hatred.
And a very tyrannical king came to the throne of Egypt.
He did not see that the Children of Israel were from the descendants of the prophets.
And that they were from the house of Joseph, the noble king of Egypt.
Rather, he did not see them as humans who deserve mercy and fairness.
And a very tyrannical king came to the throne of Egypt.
He saw that his people, the Copts, were of one kind.
And that the Children of Israel were of another kind.
The Copts are of the kind of kings created to rule.
And the Children of Israel are of the kind of slaves created to serve.
And Pharaoh used to treat the Children of Israel like donkeys and beasts of burden.
He uses them and gives them only their daily sustenance.
Pharaoh was a tyrannical and arrogant king who saw no one above him.
He did not believe in God, but rather used to say, 'I am your lord, the Most High.'
He was deluded by his kingdom, his palaces, and his power, and he would say,
'Is not the kingdom of Egypt mine, and these rivers flowing beneath me?'
'Do you not then see?'
It was as if he were a successor to Nimrod, the king of Babylon.
He would get angry if he knew of anyone who saw someone above him.
He called people to worship him and prostrate to him, and the people obeyed him.
The Children of Israel refused, because they believe in God and believe in His messengers.
Pharaoh's anger toward the Children of Israel intensified.
Slaughtering the children.
A Coptic priest went to Pharaoh and said to him,
'A newborn will be born among the Children of Israel, and your kingdom will vanish at his hands.'
Pharaoh went mad.
He ordered the police to slaughter every newborn born among the Children of Israel.
Pharaoh believed that he was the lord of the people, slaughtering whom he willed and sparing whom he willed.
Like the owner of sheep, slaughtering from his flock what he wills and sparing what he wills.
The police spread throughout Egypt, searching and investigating.
If they learned of a newborn born among the Children of Israel, they would take him and slaughter him just as a sheep is slaughtered.
The wolves lived in the forest, and the snakes and scorpions lived in the land, and no one disturbed them.
But there was no way for a newborn among the Children of Israel to live in the kingdom of Pharaoh.
Thousands of children were slaughtered in front of their fathers and mothers.
The day on which a child from the Children of Israel was born was a difficult day.
It was a day of sadness and crying.
The day on which a child from the Children of Israel was born was a day of mourning and lamentation.
He would slaughter hundreds of children in a single day like the Feast of Sacrifice,
In which hundreds of sheep, ewes, and cattle are slaughtered.
Indeed, Pharaoh exalted himself in the land and divided its people into factions,
Oppressing a group of them, slaughtering their sons and sparing their women.
He was indeed one of the corrupters.
The birth of Moses.
And Allah willed that what Pharaoh feared and cautioned against would happen.
That newborn was born, whom Allah decreed that Pharaoh's kingdom would end at his hands.
That newborn was born, whom Allah decreed that the salvation of the Children of Israel would be at his hands.
That newborn was born, whom Allah decreed to bring people out of the worship of people to the worship of Allah.
That newborn was born, whom Allah decreed to bring people out of darkness into the light.
Moses, son of Imran, was born in spite of Pharaoh and his soldiers.
And Moses lived for three months in spite of the police and their surveillance.
In the Nile.
But Moses's mother feared for her beautiful newborn.
How could she not fear when the hunters of children were lying in wait?
How could she not fear, and the police had kidnapped dozens of children from their mothers' laps in their beds?
What is the poor mother to do?
And where can she hide this beautiful newborn?
And the police had the eyes of a crow and the keenness of ants.
There, Allah aided the poor mother and inspired her to place him in a box and throw it into the Nile.
Allah is the Greatest.
How can a compassionate mother place her child in a box and throw it into the Nile?
Who will breastfeed the child in the box, and how will the child breathe in the box?
The compassionate mother thought of all that, but she relied on Allah and trusted in Allah's revelation.
And the house is not safer for the child than the box.
There, the police are everywhere, and the enemy of children is lying in wait.
The police have the eyes of a crow and the keenness of ants.
And the poor mother did what Allah commanded her.
And she placed her beautiful child in a box and threw it into the Nile.
And the compassionate mother was terrified.
Then she exercised patience and relied on Allah.
And We inspired to the mother of Moses, "Suckle him,"
But when you fear for him, cast him into the sea.
And do not fear and do not grieve.
Indeed, We will return him to you and will make him one of the messengers.
In the palace of Pharaoh.
Pharaoh had many palaces on the bank of the Nile.
He used to move from palace to palace and promenade on the bank of the Nile.
One day he was sitting on the bank of the Nile, promenading and looking at the river flowing under his feet.
The Queen of Egypt was with him, promenading with the King and looking at the Nile flowing.
While they were promenading, their eyes fell upon a chest that the waves of the Nile were playing with as if flipping it over.
Do you see, my lord, that chest?
Where is the chest in the Nile? It is only a piece of wood that fell into the Nile.
No, my lord, it is indeed a chest.
The chest came closer, and the people said, 'Yes, this is a chest.'
The King ordered one of the servants and said, 'Bring me this chest.'
The servant went, brought out the chest, and opened the chest.
Lo and behold, inside it was a beautiful boy smiling.
The people were bewildered; everyone was taking it and seeing it.
Pharaoh was bewildered and saw it.
Some of the servants said, 'This boy is an Israelite.'
And the King must slaughter him.
The Queen saw him.
And his love entered her heart.
She embraced him to her chest and kissed him.
She interceded for him with the King and said,
'A comfort to the eye for me and for you; do not kill him.'
'Perhaps he will benefit us or we may adopt him as a son.'
And thus Musa bin Imran entered the palace of Pharaoh.
And he lived in spite of Pharaoh and his police.
And the police did not find this Israelite newborn.
And they have the eyes of a crow and the keenness of ants.
Allah wanted the enemy of children, Pharaoh, to raise a child who would cause his kingdom to perish at his hands.
Poor Pharaoh, he has made a mistake regarding Moses.
And his minister Haman and his soldiers made a mistake with him.
So the family of Pharaoh picked him up to be an enemy and a sorrow for them.
Indeed, Pharaoh, Haman, and their soldiers were wrongdoers.
Who will breastfeed the baby?
The new baby was, and the beautiful baby was, the toy of the palace and the amusement of the house.
Everyone takes him and kisses him, and everyone loves him and praises him.
Because the queen loves him with a great love.
So how could the ladies of the palace not love him?
And how could the servants of the palace not love him?
And everyone takes him and kisses him,
because the baby is beautiful.
And the queen requested a wet nurse to breastfeed the baby.
And she came and took the baby.
But the baby cries and refuses.
And the queen requested another wet nurse.
And she arrived and took the baby.
But the baby cries and refuses.
And a third, and a fourth, and a fifth,
but the baby cries and refuses.
Strange.
Why is the baby not breastfeeding?
For what reason is he crying?
The wet nurses strove to breastfeed the baby to please the queen and receive a reward from her.
But God forbade the wet nurses upon him.
And the baby became the talk of the palace and the preoccupation of the house.
Have you seen the new baby, my sister?
Yes, I have seen him, a very beautiful baby.
But he is a strange baby, not like other children.
He does not breastfeed.
And when a wet nurse takes him, he cries and refuses to breastfeed.
Poor thing, how will he live? He is dying.
Yes, days have passed for him, and he has not breastfed.
In his mother's lap.
And the affectionate mother said to Moses' sister,
Go, my daughter, and look for your brother, perhaps he is alive.
God has promised me that He will return the child to me and that He will protect him.
And Moses' sister went searching for her brother.
And she heard people talking about a beautiful child in the king's palace.
The lady went and stood listening to the women's conversation in the palace.
Has the wet nurse whom the queen requested from Aswan arrived?
Yes, my lady.
But the child also refused and did not breastfeed.
Good heavens, what is the matter with this child?
Perhaps this is the sixth one the queen has tried.
Yes, and they say she is a very clean wet nurse and everyone breastfeeds from her.
Moses' sister heard these words and said politely and gently,
I know a woman in town, the child must surely breastfeed from her.
One woman said, I do not believe it, we have already tried six wet nurses, but the child did not breastfeed.
Another said, and why don't we try the seventh? What do we have to lose?
The news reached the queen, so she summoned the maid and said, go and bring this woman with you.
And Moses' mother came, and a maid came and presented Moses to her.
And the child embraced the woman and began to breastfeed.
As if he had an appointment with her.
And why would he not breastfeed, when she is his affectionate mother?
And why would he not breastfeed, when he has been hungry for three days?
And the queen was amazed, and the people of the palace were amazed, and Pharaoh became suspicious.
And he said, why did this child accept this woman?
Is she his mother?
Moses' mother said, My lord, I am a woman of pleasant scent and pleasant milk; every child accepts me.
Pharaoh remained silent and provided her with her sustenance.
Moses' mother returned to her house with Moses in her arms.
So We returned him to his mother so that her eye would be comforted and she would not grieve.
And so that she would know that the promise of God is true.
But most of them do not know.
To the palace of Pharaoh.
And when Moses completed his nursing, she returned him to the palace.
Moses grew up in the king's palace just as the sons of kings grow up.
Thus, the awe of kings and the wealthy vanished from Moses' heart.
Moses saw with his own eyes how Pharaoh and his people lived in luxury.
And how the Children of Israel suffered so that Pharaoh and his people could live in luxury.
And how the Children of Israel went hungry so that Pharaoh's beasts could be full.
And how they treated the Children of Israel like donkeys and beasts of burden.
And how they used them and inflicted the worst torment upon them.
Moses used to see that morning and evening and remained silent.
But that used to anger Moses.
And how would the humiliation of his people and his family not anger him?
While they were the sons of the prophets and the sons of the noble.
What was the crime of the Children of Israel other than that they were not Copts?
Because they were from Canaan? This is not a crime.
This is not a crime.
The knockout blow.
And when Moses was a strong young man, God gave him wisdom and knowledge.
Moses used to loathe the oppressors and hate them.
And he loved the weak and the oppressed and supported them.
And such is every prophet.
Moses entered the city of Pharaoh once.
And the people were in amusement and busyness.
And he found therein two men fighting.
This one was from the Children of Israel and this one was from the Copts.
The enemies of the Children of Israel
So the Israelite cried out and called Moses to help him, and complained about the Copt.
Moses became angry and struck the Copt, and it was fatal.
The Copt died, and Moses deeply regretted it.
And he knew that this was the work of Satan.
So Moses repented to God and returned to Him.
And like every prophet, he said this is the work of Satan.
Indeed, he is a manifest, misleading enemy.
And God accepted Moses' repentance because Moses did not intend to kill the Copt.
Rather, he struck him, but it was fatal.
Moses praised God and said, 'Indeed, God has favored me and forgiven me, so I will never be a supporter of the criminals.'
He woke up in the city afraid, watching and cautious, wondering when Pharaoh's police would come for him, for they had the eyes of a crow and the scent of an ant.
He woke up afraid, watching for when the police would come and take him to the tyrant.
The police saw a dead Copt who was one of Pharaoh's servants.
They searched for the killer, but they could not find him.
Who could point them to the killer, when no one knew but Moses and the Israelite?
The dead man became the talk of the town and the preoccupation of the city.
Everyone was talking about him, and no one knew his killer.
Pharaoh became angry and said to the police,
You must search for the killer.
The secret will be revealed.
On the second day, Moses saw that same Israelite in a fight and dispute with another Copt.
The Israelite was not ashamed; rather, he cried out and called Moses for his help.
Moses said, 'You are certainly a misguided man.'
Are you still in a fight and argument with people, and are you still crying out and calling?
Am I still to support and help you? You are indeed clearly misguided.
But Moses wanted to discipline the Copt a little and advanced toward him.
The Israelite saw Moses' anger and heard his rebuke.
He was afraid that Moses would strike him and it would be fatal.
Just as he struck the Copt, and it was fatal.
He said, O Moses, do you want to kill me as you killed a person yesterday?
You only want to be a tyrant in the land,
And you do not want to be among the reformers.
There, the Copt knew that Moses was the killer from yesterday.
The Copt went and informed the police that Moses was the killer.
The news reached Pharaoh, so he became angry and said:
Is that young man, the ward of the palace and the nursling of the king?
But God wanted Moses to be saved from the evil of Pharaoh and his police.
Moses did not intend to kill the Copt, but he struck him a blow that was fatal.
But Pharaoh and his police do not accept that and do not accept any excuse for Moses.
God has destined that the kingdom of Pharaoh will end at the hands of Moses.
God has destined that the salvation of the Children of Israel will be at the hands of Moses.
God has destined that Moses will lead people from the worship of servants to the worship of God Almighty.
How can that be if the hands of the oppressive police reach him?
Pharaoh's men and his ministers were consulting and resolving to kill Moses.
And a man was hearing all of that and knew it.
So he came to Moses and told him the news.
He said, Leave, for I am among the sincere advisors to you.
So he left it, fearful and vigilant.
He said, My Lord, save me from the wrongdoing people.
From Egypt to Midian.
But where should Moses go?
And all of Egypt is a kingdom for Pharaoh.
Pharaoh's police are on the lookout.
They have the eyes of a crow and the keenness of ants.
God inspired Moses to go to Midian.
The Arab land.
Where the hand of Pharaoh cannot reach him.
Midian is a desert and villages,
It does not have the civilization of Egypt.
And there are no palaces of Egypt in it, nor markets of Egypt.
But it is a happy land.
Because it is far from Pharaoh.
And it is happy because it is a free land.
It is not under the rule of Pharaoh.
How excellent is nomadic life with freedom and justice!
And how miserable is city life with slavery and humiliation!
There, everyone becomes unafraid of Pharaoh's power and oppression.
There, everyone spends the night unafraid of Pharaoh's police and evil.
And there, the sons are not slaughtered.
Moses headed towards Midian.
And he left Egypt afraid and watchful.
Is anyone following him?
But the police missed him.
Moses went out in the name of God, calling upon God and asking Him for victory.
And when he turned toward Midian, he said, 'Maybe my Lord will guide me to the right path.'
In Midian.
Moses arrived in Midian, knowing no one and no one knowing him.
So who will shelter him at night, and where will he sleep?
Moses was bewildered, but he was certain that God would not let him go to waste.
And there was a well where people watered their sheep and livestock.
He found two women holding back their sheep and waiting for the people to water so they could water theirs.
Moses saw that, and in his heart was the tenderness of the noble and the compassion of a merciful father.
So he said, 'Why are you two not watering?'
They said, 'We cannot water our sheep until the people have watered.'
Because they are strong and we are weak, and because they are men and we are women.
As if she knew that Moses would ask them.
So why does no one from the men of your household water?
They anticipated him and said, 'And our father is a very old man.'
The tenderness of the noble surged in Moses.
And he watered for them and they left
Where is Moses going now?
Where will he find shelter at night and where will he sleep?
He does not know anyone and no one knows him
Then he turned to the shade and said, 'My Lord'
'Indeed, I am in need of whatever good You have sent down to me'
The Request
And the two girls reached the house before the expected time
Their father was surprised and asked them about the reason
He said to them, 'What made you hurry, my daughters?'
'And how did you arrive today before the expected time?'
The two girls said
'God has destined for us a noble man who watered for us'
The old man was surprised and knew that he was a stranger
Because no one had ever shown mercy to them
The old man said, 'And where did you leave the man?'
They said, 'We left him in his place'
A stranger who has no home
The old man said, 'You have done well, my daughters'
'A stranger who has done us a favor'
'And he has no shelter in the town'
'Where will he find shelter at night and where will he sleep?'
'He has a right of hospitality upon us'
'And he has a right of kindness upon us'
'Let one of you go and bring him with her'
And one of them came to him, walking with shyness
She said, 'Indeed, my father invites you to reward you for the watering you did for us'
And Moses knew that God had answered his prayer and provided for him
He did not hesitate
Moses went out in front of her so that his gaze would not fall upon her
And Moses walked the walk of the noble.
And when he reached the old man, he asked him about his name, his homeland, and his news.
And Moses told him his news and narrated his story to him.
The old man listened to all of that with patience and calm.
And when Moses finished his story, he said: Do not fear, you have been saved from the wrongdoing people.
Marriage
And Moses stood among them in the position of an honored guest.
Nay, he took among them the place of a dear son.
And the young lady said to her father one day with simplicity and purity:
O my father, hire him, for the best of those you can hire is the strong and the trustworthy.
The old man said:
And what is your knowledge of his strength and his trustworthiness, my daughter?
She said: As for his strength, it is because he lifted the cover from the well alone.
And it is not lifted except by a group.
And as for his trustworthiness, O my father, it is because he walked in front of me, not looking at me throughout the way.
And it is necessary for a hireling and necessary for a servant to be strong and trustworthy.
For if he is not strong, he will be too weak for the work.
And if he is not trustworthy, his strength will not benefit us along with his treachery.
And the young lady's words agreed with a desire in the heart of the old man.
But he thought about the matter as a father.
He thought about the matter as a wise old man.
The old man said to himself:
Who could be more deserving than this young man to be a son-in-law to me?
And where would I find in the world someone better than this young man?
As for in Midian, I have not found anyone worthy of that.
And perhaps God has driven this young man to me to be a son-in-law and an assistant.
So he said with dignity, compassion, and wisdom:
I wish to marry you to one of these two daughters of mine,
On the condition that you work for me for eight years.
This is your dowry.
As for these eight years, they are necessary.
But if you complete ten, that is from you.
And I do not wish to put you to hardship.
You will find me, God willing, to be of the righteous.
The old man feared that the young man would take his daughter and he would remain alone.
And the old man decided to test the young man as well.
Until he felt secure with him and bid him farewell.
Moses agreed to that.
And he saw that this was from God and that God would bless that.
Indeed, God had driven him to Midian and sent him to the old man.
And He cast into his heart tenderness and love.
So he said: That is between me and you.
But Moses wanted, with his wisdom and intellect,
To preserve for him the right of choice, perhaps he might grow tired.
So he said: Whichever of the two terms I fulfill, there shall be no grievance against me.
And God is Witness over what we say.
And when Moses had completed the term, he departed with his family.
He bid farewell to the old man, and the old man bid him farewell and prayed for him.
On God's blessing, my son; in God's protection, my daughter.
And Moses traveled with his family, and the whole night was cold and dark.
But where is the fire in the desert?
And what would they do if they did not find a fire to warm themselves with?
While they were walking and Moses was looking for fire,
He saw a fire and said to his family: Stay here, for I have perceived a fire.
Perhaps I will bring you a flame from it, or find guidance at the fire.
And Moses walked toward the fire on the wing of longing.
So when he came to it, he was called: O Moses.
Indeed, I am your Lord, so take off your sandals, for you are in the sacred valley of Tuwa.
There, God spoke to Moses and revealed to him.
And I have chosen you, so listen to what is revealed.
Indeed, I am Allah, there is no god but Me
So worship Me and establish the prayer for My remembrance
Indeed, the Hour is coming
In the hand of Moses was a staff
He used to carry it and rely upon it
And Allah the Exalted said
And what is that in your right hand, O Moses?
And Moses answered in simplicity and naivety
It is my staff
And Moses began to enumerate the benefits of this staff
In detail, because he wanted to speak to Allah and have a long conversation
It is my staff; I lean upon it, and I beat down leaves with it for my sheep, and I have other uses for it
He said, Throw it, O Moses, so he threw it, and suddenly it was a snake moving
He said, Take it and do not fear; We will restore it to its former state
And Moses was granted a second sign, which was the white hand
He said, And draw your hand to your side, it will come out white without disease, as another sign
And Allah commanded Moses after all of that to begin his work for which He created him
Indeed, Pharaoh has exalted himself in the land
Indeed, Pharaoh has spread corruption in the land
Indeed, the people of Pharaoh have disbelieved in Allah
Indeed, the people of Pharaoh have spread corruption in the land of Allah
Indeed, Allah does not approve of disbelief for His servants
Indeed, Allah does not love corruption in the land
So Allah wanted Moses to go to Pharaoh and his people
Indeed, they were a defiantly disobedient people
But how will Moses go to Pharaoh, and how will he confront the tyrant?
And he is the one who killed the Copt yesterday, and yesterday is not far off
And he is the one who left Egypt, fearing and vigilant
And the police know him, and the people of the palace know him
He said, My Lord, I killed one of them
So I fear that they will kill me
And Moses mentioned that there is a stutter in his tongue
But Allah knew all of that
And He wanted Moses to go despite all of that
And when your Lord called Moses, [saying], Go to the wrongdoing people
The people of Pharaoh; will they not fear [Allah]?
He said, My Lord, I fear that they will deny me
And my breast tightens and my tongue does not run [fluently]
So send to Aaron
And they have a charge against me, so I fear that they will kill me
He said, No. So go both of you with Our signs; indeed, We are with you, listening
So go to Pharaoh and say, Indeed, we are the messengers of the Lord of the worlds
That you send with us the Children of Israel
And Allah commanded Moses and Aaron to be gentle and kind with Pharaoh
Indeed, Allah loves kindness with His enemies to an extent, so He said
So speak to him a gentle word that perhaps he might remember or fear [Allah]
Before Pharaoh
And Moses and Aaron came to Pharaoh and stood in his council, calling him to Allah
And the tyrant became angry at the boldness of Moses and said in haughtiness and arrogance
Who are you, O young man, to stand in my council and preach to me?
Are you not that boy whom we picked up from the sea?
Did we not raise you among us as a child, and you remained among us for years of your life?
And you did your deed which you did, and you were of the ungrateful [or disbelievers]?
And Moses did not get angry, did not lie, did not deny, and did not apologize
Rather, he answered with clarity and dignity
He said, I did it then, while I was of those who were astray
So I fled from you when I feared you, then my Lord granted me judgment and made me one of the messengers
And Moses said, You, O Pharaoh, remind me of your favor of raising me
But you do not look at why I fell into your hands and how you were able to raise me
Indeed, if you had not ordered the killing of the children, my mother would not have cast me into the Nile, and I would not have fallen into your hands
Is this a favor that is worth counting and mentioning alongside your oppression and cruelty?
You treated all my people like donkeys and beasts of burden.
And you used to scold them as one scolds dogs.
And you used to subject them to the worst of torments.
So what merit is yours if you provided for one child among them?
And that was also out of ignorance and error.
And that is a favor you hold over me, that you enslaved the Children of Israel?
The call to Allah.
Pharaoh was rendered helpless and found no answer.
He wanted to get out of it, so he said,
And who is the Lord of the worlds that I hear you mentioning?
The one I hear you mentioning?
He said: The Lord of the heavens and the earth and what is between them, if you were to be certain.
Pharaoh was angered by this answer.
And he wanted to anger those in the assembly and make them wonder.
So he said to those around him, Do you not hear?
Moses did not stop speaking; rather, he dealt Pharaoh a second blow.
He said: Your Lord and the Lord of your first forefathers.
Pharaoh's anger intensified, and he could not be patient.
And he said: Indeed, your messenger who has been sent to you is mad.
And Moses did not stop speaking.
And he dealt Pharaoh a third blow.
He said: The Lord of the East and the West and what is between them, if you were to reason.
Pharaoh wanted to distract Moses from this bitter subject.
And Pharaoh wanted to stir the anger of his prominent people.
So he said: And what is the state of the former generations?
Pharaoh said to himself: If Moses says they were upon the truth, I will say, 'Then they used to worship idols.'
And if Moses says they were in error and folly, the people of the assembly will become angry and say, 'Moses has insulted our forefathers.'
But Moses was wiser than Pharaoh, and Moses was upon light from his Lord, so he said: The knowledge thereof is with my Lord in a record; my Lord neither errs nor forgets.
Then Moses began to say what Pharaoh was fleeing from and trying to escape.
My Lord does not err, nor does He forget
He who made the earth a cradle for you and traced paths for you therein
And sent down water from the sky
And Pharaoh was bewildered and dumbfounded
He did not know what to say
So he said what all kings say when they are incapable and angry
He said, 'If you take a god other than me'
I will surely make you one of the imprisoned'
The miracles of Moses
And when Pharaoh shot his arrow, Moses wanted to strike him with the arrow of God
He said, 'Even if I brought you something clear?'
He said, 'Then bring it, if you are among the truthful'
So Moses threw his staff, and behold, it was a manifest serpent
And he drew out his hand, and behold, it was white to the beholders
And Pharaoh found something to say to those sitting around him
He said to the assembly around him, 'Indeed, this is a learned magician'
And those in the assembly agreed, saying, 'Indeed, this is manifest magic'
Moses said, 'Do you say to the truth when it has come to you, is this magic? And the magicians will not succeed'
And Pharaoh shot another arrow at Moses and said
They said, 'Have you come to us to turn us away from what we found our fathers upon?'
And that greatness in the land might be for you both, and we will not believe in you'
And Pharaoh wanted to frighten the assembly about Moses, as kings do
So he said, 'He wants to drive you out of your land with his magic, so what do you command?'
The assembly advised the king to gather the magicians from his kingdom and cast them against Moses
And so it was
A call went out in the kingdom of Egypt
Lo, whoever knows magic, let him come to the king
And the magicians gathered from every corner of the kingdom
And the Day of Decoration was the appointed time
And it was said to the people, 'Are you going to assemble?'
Perhaps we will follow the magicians if they are the victors
To the square
And you see people leaving their houses in the morning
And walking to the square in groups
They walk to the square as children, young men, elders, men, and women
And no one remained in the house except the sick or the disabled
And you hear nothing in the city but talk of magic and the names of the magicians
Has the greatest magician of Aswan come as well?
Yes, and the magician of Luxor and the famous magician of Giza
What do you see, my brother? Who will win?
Verily Egypt has cast forth its own flesh and blood
Do you see anyone overcoming them?
And how could Moses and his brother overcome them, and where did he learn magic?
He grew up in the royal palace then left Egypt afraid and watching, and he was in Midian for years
So where did he learn magic? In Egypt? No. In Midian? We never heard that there is an art there
And the Children of Israel came, between despair and hope, and perhaps despair was stronger
May God have mercy on the son of Imran, may God give victory to the Children of Israel
And the magicians came, arriving with their arrogance and their pride
And they came out in colorful clothes
And they came out carrying staves and ropes
And they came out laughing and playing
Today is the day of art
Today the King will see our craft
Today the people will see our excellence
So when the magicians came, they said to Pharaoh
Will we surely have a reward if we are the victors?
He said, Yes, and indeed you will then be among those brought near
This is the prize of kings, and this is the bounty of kings
And this is what men are deceived by, and this is what heroes are hunted by
And the magicians rejoiced at the promises of Pharaoh
between the truth and the falsehood
Moses said to them, 'Cast down what you are going to cast.'
So they cast down their ropes and their sticks, and said, 'By the might of Pharaoh, indeed, we are surely the victors.'
And the people saw a wonder: snakes crawling in the square.
The people were astonished and retreated backward, and shouted, 'Snakes! Snakes!'
And the women cried out, and the children wept, and the shouting rose in the square: 'Snakes! Snakes!'
And Moses saw what the people saw, and he was amazed.
For their ropes and their sticks seemed to him, from their sorcery, to be crawling.
And a thought of fear crossed Moses' heart.
And why would Moses not fear?
This is the day of the wager, and at the time of testing, a man is either honored or disgraced.
And if the sorcerers were to win, God forbid that.
And if Moses were to be defeated, may God not allow that.
Then what would happen, God save us?
It would not be the defeat of Moses, the defeat of a man, but the defeat of a religion before a king; rather, it is the defeat of truth before falsehood. God forbid that, may God not allow that.
But God encouraged him and said, 'Do not fear. Indeed, you are the superior. And throw what is in your right hand; it will swallow up what they have crafted. They have only crafted a sorcerer's trick, and the sorcerer will not succeed wherever he comes from.'
Moses said, 'What you have brought is sorcery.'
Indeed, God will bring it to nothing.
Indeed, God does not rectify the work of the corrupters.
And God will establish the truth by His words, even if the criminals dislike it.
And Moses cast his staff.
Then it swallowed up what they were fabricating.
So the truth was established, and what they were doing was nullified.
And the sorcerers were astonished and dumbfounded.
What kind of thing is this?
We know sorcery and its origin.
And we know sorcery and its types.
And we are masters of this art.
And we are leaders of this art.
This is not of sorcery.
This is not magic.
If it were magic, we would have countered magic with magic,
and countered art with art.
But our art withered before this,
and melted just as the dew melts before the sun.
So from where does this come?
This is from God.
The magicians were convinced that Moses is a prophet,
and that God had granted him a miracle, so they cried out and shouted: We believe in the Lord of Aaron and Moses.
And the magicians fell down prostrate.
They said: We believe in the Lord of the worlds, the Lord of Moses and Aaron.
Pharaoh's threat
And Pharaoh went mad with rage.
Pharaoh rose and sat (agitatedly).
And Pharaoh flashed and thundered (raged).
Poor Pharaoh.
What he did not hope for happened.
He wanted to defeat Moses with the magicians, so the magicians became the soldiers of Moses.
He wanted to turn people away from Moses,
so he brought the magicians, and they turned out to be the first of the believers.
Indeed, his arrows backfired on him.
Pharaoh used to believe that he was the owner of minds,
just as he is the owner of bodies,
and that he had authority over hearts,
just as he had authority over tongues.
And no one in Egypt was allowed to believe anything,
or have faith in anything except by his permission.
So he said in arrogance and tyranny:
Have you believed in him before I gave you permission?
And Pharaoh threw at them one of the arrows of kings.
He said: He is your chief who has taught you magic.
And he threw at them a second arrow and said:
This is surely a plot you have plotted in the city,
to drive its people out of it.
So you shall come to know.
And he threw at them a third poisoned arrow,
and it is the last arrow in the quiver of kings:
I will surely cut off your hands and your feet on opposite sides,
and I will surely crucify you all.
The believers received all the arrows
with the shield of faith and patience and said:
There is no harm; indeed, we are to our Lord returning.
We hope that our Lord will forgive us our sins
because we were the first of the believers.
And they said with faith and enthusiasm:
Indeed, we have believed in our Lord so that He may forgive us our sins
and what you compelled us to do of magic.
And Allah is better and more lasting.
Pharaoh's foolishness.
Pharaoh was very concerned about the matter of Moses, and his sleep fled.
Pharaoh remained without finding joy in food or drink.
Others also provoked his anger and said:
Will you leave Moses and his people to cause corruption in the land and abandon you and your gods?
Pharaoh grew angry and was stirred up.
He said: We will kill their sons and keep their women alive,
and indeed we are dominant over them.
Pharaoh wanted to turn the Children of Israel and the people of Egypt away from Moses by every trick.
Pharaoh called out among his people and said:
O my people, does not the kingdom of Egypt belong to me, and these rivers flowing beneath me?
Do you not then see?
Or am I better than this one who is despicable and can barely express himself?
And Pharaoh said with composure and forbearance,
O you assembly, I do not know of any god for you other than me.
As if he had investigated much, thought much, and given sincere advice to his people,
And he said with folly and madness,
So kindle for me, O Haman, a fire upon the clay, and construct for me a tower,
That I may look at the God of Moses, and indeed, I think he is among the liars.
And Haman kindled the fire upon the clay and built a tower, but to where?
Haman grew tired, and the builders grew tired, and the clay and bricks ran out.
And Pharaoh remained far away, not reaching the clouds, let alone the moon.
And he did not reach the moon, let alone the sun.
And he did not reach the sun, let alone the stars.
And he did not reach the stars, let alone the heaven.
And Pharaoh failed, and was ashamed, and was helpless, and sat down.
Poor man, does he not know that Allah created the earth and the high heavens?
To Him belongs what is in the heavens and what is on the earth,
And what is between them, and what is under the soil.
And He is the One who is God in heaven and God on earth.
And Pharaoh found no trick except to kill Moses.
And his pretext was that Moses would spread corruption in the land.
And Pharaoh said, 'Leave me to kill Moses,'
'And let him call upon his Lord. Indeed, I fear that he will change your religion,'
'Or that he will spread corruption in the land.'
The believer from the family of Pharaoh
And when Pharaoh wanted to kill Moses,
A man from the family of Pharaoh stood up, concealing his faith, and said,
'Do you kill a man because he says, "My Lord is Allah," while he has brought you clear proofs from your Lord?'
And the wise man from the family of Pharaoh said,
Why do you interfere with Moses and why do you harm him?
If you do not believe in him, then leave him to his business and clear his path.
If he is a liar, his lie will be upon him
And if you harm him and speak ill of him, and he is a prophet, then woe to you
And if he is truthful, some of what he promises you will befall you
And oh my brothers, do not be deceived by your kingdom, nor be deceived by your power and your soldiers
O my people, the kingdom is yours today, prevailing in the land
So who will defend us against the punishment of Allah if it comes to us?
And the reply of Pharaoh was that he said
I do not show you except what I see
And I do not guide you except to the path of right conduct
And the wise man wanted to warn his people of the evil outcome and the fate of the oppressors, so he said
And oh my people, indeed I fear for you the like of the day of the confederates
Like the custom of the people of Noah, and 'Ad, and Thamud, and those who came after them
And Allah does not intend injustice for the servants
And the wise man warned them of the Day of Resurrection
And what is the Day of Resurrection?
The day when a person will flee from his brother, and his mother, and his father, and his wife, and his children
For every man among them that day will be a matter enough to keep him occupied
Close friends that day will be enemies to one another, except for the righteous
And there will be no lineage between them that day, nor will they ask about one another
The day the All-Powerful King will call out, 'To whom does the kingdom belong today? To Allah, the One, the Irresistible.'
The day people will be terrified and will scream, and they will call out to one another
And the day they turn their backs, fleeing; they will have no protector from Allah
So the wise man said
And oh my people, indeed I fear for you the Day of Calling
The day you turn your backs, fleeing; you will have no protector from Allah
And whoever Allah leads astray, he has no guide
The wise man said
Indeed, Allah has bestowed upon you a blessing, but you did not recognize its merit
And you did not value it as it truly deserved to be valued
Until when it was gone, you regretted it
That is Joseph the Prophet, may the prayers and peace of God be upon him
whom you did not know and whose worth you did not estimate
but when he died you said
Glory be to God, a prophet like Joseph
a king like Joseph
a man like Joseph
and who will have a prophet for us after him?
who will have the likes of him for us?
never will anyone come like him
And Joseph had come to you before with clear proofs, yet you remained in doubt about what he brought you
until when he perished you said, 'God will not send a messenger after him'
Likewise you will do after this prophet also and you will regret it
The advice of the man
and the man exhorted his people and offered them his affection and his advice
And the one who believed said, 'O my people, follow me; I will guide you to the way of righteousness'
and the righteous man knew that the people were in an intoxication from the life of this world
and that Pharaoh was deluded by his kingdom and his power
but this life is a dream from among dreams
and that the world is a fading shadow
and the man knew what prevented the people from following Moses
that is because they are drunk with the intoxication of the world
and the drunkard does not hear and does not feel
that is because they are in a state where they do not hear the voice of Moses
so he wanted to alert them from their heedlessness, so he said
O my people, this worldly life is only a temporary enjoyment, and indeed the Hereafter is the home of permanence
The ignorant among his people began calling him to disbelief and polytheism and calling him to the religion of their forefathers
so when he said to them, 'Come to God', they said to him, 'Return to the religion of the forefathers'
and when they persisted in the invitation, he said to them
And O my people, how is it that I call you to salvation, while you call me to the Fire?
You call me to disbelieve in God and to associate with Him that of which I have no knowledge
And I invite you to the Almighty, the Ever-Forgiving.
The wise man said to them,
Which prophet has come from your gods?
And which book has been revealed?
And who has called to Him?
They are nothing but names which you and your fathers have named.
Allah has sent down no authority for them.
And these are the messengers of Allah who called to Allah.
That is Abraham, may Allah bless him and grant him peace.
And Joseph, and this is the prophet of Allah, Moses.
And in everything, there is a sign for Him.
And in every place, there is a call to Him.
Undoubtedly, that which you invite me to,
It has no response in this world or in the Hereafter.
And when the man despaired of their guidance,
And the man became weary of their stupidity,
He left them and said to them,
You will soon remember what I say to you,
And I entrust my affair to Allah.
Indeed, Allah is All-Seeing of His servants.
And the people became angry, and the family of Pharaoh wanted to kill him.
But Allah protected him and destroyed his enemies.
So Allah protected him from the evils of what they plotted, and the evil punishment encompassed the family of Pharaoh.
Pharaoh believed that he was the owner of minds just as he was the owner of bodies.
And that he had authority over hearts just as he had authority over tongues.
And no one in Egypt was to believe in anything or have faith in anything except by his permission.
And when anyone believed in Moses in the farthest part of the kingdom of Egypt, Pharaoh would go mad.
Pharaoh would stand and sit, and Pharaoh would flash and thunder (in rage).
And he would say, 'How can he believe in Moses before I give him permission?'
He lives in my kingdom, disobeys me, eats my provision, and denies me.
I am more entitled to every man in Egypt than he is to himself.
And Pharaoh forgets that he lives in God's kingdom and disobeys Him.
And he eats God's provision and disbelieves in Him.
And God showed him a sign in his house, a sign in his family.
God showed him that he does not possess minds just as he possessed bodies.
And that he has no authority over hearts as he has authority over tongues.
And that God comes between a man and his family.
And that God comes between a man and his heart.
Faith entered Pharaoh's house while he did not realize and possessed nothing.
And Pharaoh's wife believed in God and disbelieved in Pharaoh.
And she believed in Moses despite her husband, the King of Egypt.
She believed in Moses, the most knowledgeable of God's creation about Pharaoh, and the dearest of people to him.
And Pharaoh's police did nothing and did not realize that.
And they have the scent of ants and the eyes of a crow.
And Pharaoh did not realize that, even though he was the closest person to her.
And if Pharaoh had known about that, what would he have done?
He possesses the body, but he does not possess the mind.
And he has authority over the tongue, but he has no authority over the heart.
It is incumbent upon a woman to obey her husband.
But there is no obedience to a created being in the disobedience of the Creator.
It is incumbent upon a child to obey his parents.
And to be righteous and wise towards them.
But he must not obey them in polytheism.
And if they strive to make you associate with Me that of which you have no knowledge, do not obey them.
And accompany them in this world with kindness.
And follow the way of those who turn back to Me; then to Me is your return, and I will inform you of what you used to do.
And Pharaoh's wife remained steadfast in faith.
And she was worshipping God in the house of the enemy of God.
And she was fearing God and disavowing to God what Pharaoh was doing.
And God was pleased with Pharaoh's wife, and God saved her from Pharaoh and his deeds, and God set her as an example for the believers for her faith and courage.
The ordeal of the Children of Israel
And when the people learned of Pharaoh's hostility toward the Children of Israel, they drew closer to Pharaoh by showing their enmity and harming them.
Even the children grew bold against the Children of Israel, and the dogs barked at them.
For every day there was a new ordeal, and every day a calamity befell them, while Moses, peace and blessings be upon him, advised them to be patient and said to them: Seek help from God and be patient, for the earth belongs to God, He bequeaths it to whom He wills of His servants, and the final outcome is for the righteous.
The Children of Israel grew weary of this ordeal and this harm, and they said to Moses: You have not benefited us at all, you have not spared us anything. They said: We were harmed before you came to us and after you came to us. But Moses did not despair, and Moses did not lose hope.
He said: Perhaps your Lord will destroy your enemy and make you successors in the land, so He may see how you act.
And Moses said: O my people, if you have believed in God, then rely upon Him, if you are those who submit.
So they said: In God we have placed our trust. Our Lord, do not make us a trial for the wrongdoing people.
And save us by Your mercy from the disbelieving people.
Pharaoh used to prevent the Children of Israel from worshipping God.
And he would get angry if he saw them worshipping God and praying to Him.
He used to prevent them from building mosques for God on His earth.
And he would get angry that God was worshipped on His earth.
How ignorant Pharaoh was!
The earth belongs to God, not to Pharaoh.
And who is more unjust than one who prevents God's servants from worshipping God on God's earth?
And who is more unjust than one who calls for his own worship on God's earth?
But Pharaoh was not able to prevent anyone from doing what he willed in his own home.
So God commanded the Children of Israel, through the tongue of Moses,
Make your homes places of worship (qiblah), and establish prayer.
Pharaoh and his police were unable to come between the Children of Israel and the worship of God.
And who can come between a servant and his Lord?
Who can come between a Muslim and the worship of God?
The Famine
And when Pharaoh transgressed and exceeded all bounds in negligence and stubbornness,
God wanted to alert him.
Indeed, God is not pleased with disbelief for His servants.
Indeed, God does not love corruption on earth.
And Pharaoh was very dull-witted.
Wisdom and admonition were lost on him.
And the donkey does not take notice until it is struck
So Allah wanted to alert him
And Egypt is a fertile, green country
A land of bounty, fruits, and grains
And you have known how Egypt aided distant countries during the days of famine
In the era of Joseph, peace be upon him
And how Egypt aided the people of the Levant and the people of Canaan
And the Nile is what waters the land of Egypt and irrigates their crops
And it is the source of happiness and goodness in Egypt
And Pharaoh and the people of Egypt used to think that the Nile was the key to sustenance
And that Egypt, with the Nile, had no need for rain or for anything else
And they did not know that with Allah are the keys of sustenance
And that Allah extends provision for whom He wills and restricts it
And that the Nile flows by His command and overflows by His command
And Allah commanded the Nile, so its water receded and went into the earth
So what will irrigate the crops of the people of Egypt?
Their fruits decreased, their grains decreased, and there was famine after famine
Pharaoh was helpless, Haman was helpless, and Pharaoh's police were helpless against any trick
There, the people of Egypt knew that Pharaoh was not their Lord and that sustenance is in the hand of Allah
But that did not benefit Pharaoh, did not benefit the people of Egypt, and did not alert them
And Satan stood between them and the admonition and the lesson
They said, 'These famines and these years are from the bad omen of Moses and his people'
Oh, the wonder! Had Moses not been there before?
Had the Children of Israel not been there for a long time?
Rather, that is from the bad omen of their deeds
Rather, that is from the bad omen of their disbelief
And Pharaoh and his people were stubborn and said
We will not submit to this magic
Five signs
And Allah sent upon them another sign
He sent rain down upon them, and the Nile flooded.
The sky rained and rained and rained and rained.
Until the crops and fields were drowned.
And the grains and fruits were ruined.
And the rain returned upon them as a disaster.
While they were complaining about the scarcity of water,
Suddenly they were complaining about the abundance of water.
Then He sent locusts upon them to eat the crops and the fields,
And they fell upon the trees, leaving nothing of them.
Pharaoh's soldiers and police were unable to fight the army of God.
How could they fight it when swords have no effect on it, and arrows have no effect on it?
There, the people of Egypt realized Pharaoh's weakness, Haman's inability, and the police's lack of resourcefulness.
But they did not take heed, but they did not wake up.
So God sent upon them another army.
That was the lice.
And the lice overwhelmed them, so God save us.
Lice in the beds,
Lice in the clothes,
Lice on the head,
And lice in the hair.
So their sleep was gone,
And they spent the night crushing the lice and cursing them,
Until the morning came.
And how could they fight it?
When swords have no effect on lice,
And arrows have no effect on them,
And their soldiers and police could not save them from that.
Then God sent frogs upon them.
So in the food there were frogs,
And in the drink there were frogs.
And between their clothes were frogs
And they grew weary of these frogs
And their life became unpleasant
And the frogs spread and proliferated throughout all parts of the house
This one croaks and that one leaps here
And that one jumps over there
And they do not kill one but ten come
And they do not remove one but five appear
As if they were born in the house
The guards failed and the police failed regarding the frogs
And God sent upon them a fifth sign
That is the blood
And nosebleeds flowed from their noses, and they became weak and very tired
And the doctors were unable to cure them, and no medicine benefited them
And whenever they saw a sign, they said to Moses
Pray to your Lord for us to lift the affliction from us
And we will repent and believe and send the Children of Israel with you
But when God lifted the affliction from them, they broke their covenant
So We sent upon them the flood, the locusts, the lice, the frogs, and the blood as distinct signs
But they were arrogant and were a criminal people
The Exodus
And the land of Egypt became narrow for the Children of Israel even though it was wide
And what do they do with the fertility of Egypt and its riches
While they are in prisons, tasting all kinds of torture and humiliation every day
Until when will they be patient?
Are they not children of Adam who feel harm and pain?
And God inspired Moses to travel with the Children of Israel by night and to take them out of Egypt
And Pharaoh's police sensed that
And they have the eyes of a crow and the smelling sense of an ant
And they informed Pharaoh of that
Moses traveled with the Children of Israel at night toward the Holy Land.
They were twelve tribes.
Every tribe had a leader.
And the path to the Levant is a clear, known path.
A land route connecting the two lands, and Moses had crossed it twice.
But Moses intended one thing, and God intended another.
And what God intended, happened.
Moses missed the way, and where Moses missed, fate hit the mark.
Moses thought he was walking with the Children of Israel toward the north side.
Only to find themselves in the darkness of the night on the east side.
And there they were in front of the Red Sea, its waves crashing.
O Protector, O Veiler, where are we?
The answer was that we are in front of the sea.
And they turned back to see rising dust.
And a great army that had blocked the horizon.
There, voices were raised.
O son of Imran!
What did you disapprove of from us that you plotted our killing?
And you brought us to the shore of the sea,
For Pharaoh to kill us like mice,
Where there is no escape and no salvation.
We do not recall any evil toward you.
So why this vengeance?
Was not what befell us of hardship and affliction for your sake enough for you?
Until you brought us to this place.
There is the sea in front of us,
And there is the enemy behind us,
And we have nothing but death.
There, the world darkened in the eyes of the Children of Israel,
And eyes drifted, despair took hold, and then voices faded.
Everyone there shook with fear
And it was fitting for the firm mountains to shake
But Moses' faith in his Lord did not shake
And the people heard a voice containing the majesty of prophethood
He said: No, indeed my Lord is with me, He will guide me
And God commanded Moses to strike the sea with his staff
So he struck it, and the sea parted, and the water stood on each side like a mountain
And there were 12 paths for 12 tribes, each tribe having a path
And the people became safe and reached the shore of security and peace
Pharaoh drowned
And Pharaoh saw how the Children of Israel traveled and crossed the sea safely
And Pharaoh said to his soldiers: Look at the sea, how it parted in obedience to my command
So that I may seize these fugitives
And Pharaoh advanced with his soldiers
So the Children of Israel panicked once again
Is it the enemy? Is it the tyrant?
He wants to cross the path to us
And nothing prevents him from reaching us
And he will catch up to us and take us to Egypt as captives and humiliated
Or he will kill us in this wilderness as strangers
And Moses wanted to strike the sea with his staff
So it would return to being a sea as it was
But God inspired him
Leave the sea calm, for they are an army that will be drowned
And when Pharaoh and his soldiers reached the middle of the sea, which was dry land, it closed over them
And when Pharaoh saw the reality, his intoxication faded
Until when the drowning overcame him, he said: I believe that there is no god except He in whom the Children of Israel believe, and I am of the Muslims
But alas, repentance is not for those who commit evil deeds
Until when death approaches one of them, he says: I have repented now
And the day some of the signs of your Lord come, a soul's faith will be of no benefit to it
She had not believed before, nor had she earned any good through her faith.
So it was said to him: 'Now? When you had disobeyed before and were among the corrupters?'
And Pharaoh died in the sea, drowning.
The tyrant who had killed thousands of children and men by slaughter and strangulation died.
The tyrant who had killed millions by confinement and hanging died.
The King of Egypt died far from his throne, far from his palace, far from his power.
There was no doctor to heal him, no friend to console him, and no eye to weep for him.
The Children of Israel were in doubt about his death, saying: 'Pharaoh does not die.'
Did we not see him spending days without eating or drinking?
Then the sea cast out his body, and they became certain of his death.
And God Almighty said to Pharaoh:
'So today We shall save you in your body, that you may be a sign to those who come after you.'
The body of Pharaoh was a sign for the observers and a lesson for those who take heed.
Pharaoh's army drowned, every one of them, and not a single one survived.
They left Egypt behind them and could not find even a forearm's length of space in its vast land for a burial place.
How many gardens and springs they left behind!
And crops and noble dwellings!
And comfort wherein they were jubilant.
Thus, and We caused another people to inherit them.
Neither heaven nor earth wept for them, and they were not given respite.
In the wilderness.
The Children of Israel reached the shore of safety and peace.
And they breathed in its air like free, honorable people.
There, they did not fear Pharaoh.
And they did not fear Haman.
And they did not fear his police.
There, they walked in safety and tranquility.
They feared no one except God.
However, they were people of civilization (city-dwellers).
And the sun would trouble them in the wilderness.
And they were the guests of God.
Have you not seen how kings honor their guests?
And how they set up tents for them,
To protect them from the heat of the sun.
Indeed, the honor of God is above all honor.
And God commanded the clouds to shade them,
So they used to walk in the shade of the clouds,
And the clouds would travel with them wherever they traveled,
And stop wherever they stopped.
And the Children of Israel thirsted, and there was no water in the wilderness, no river, and no well.
They went to Moses complaining to him of thirst,
Just as a child complains to his mother and seeks her help.
And Moses called upon his Lord, and who does he have but Him?
He said, 'Strike the stone with your staff.'
And there gushed forth from it twelve springs.
Every group of people knew their drinking place.
And the Children of Israel hungered, so they complained to Moses of hunger,
Just as a child complains to his mother and seeks her help.
And they said, 'You have brought us out of Egypt,'
'The land of fruits and produce,'
'And the land of goodness and good things.'
'So who will provide us with food in this wilderness?'
Moses called upon his Lord,
And who does he have but Him?
So He sent down food upon them.
He sent down for them upon the leaves of the trees something like candy, and sent them birds that they could take from the trees with ease.
That is the manna and the quail, God's hospitality to the Children of Israel in the wilderness.
The ingratitude of the Children of Israel.
But the Children of Israel had had their taste and morals corrupted by long-term slavery,
And they would not settle on anything, and they would not be satisfied with anything.
In their nature, they were like children: they were little in gratitude, much in complaining, quick to get bored; they loved what they were forbidden and hated what they were given.
And it was not long before they said to Moses, 'We have become bored of this single food, and we have become bored of this meat and this manna, and we desire the vegetables and the legumes.'
'O Moses, we will not be patient with one type of food, so call upon your Lord for us,'
'That He may bring forth for us from what the earth grows: its herbs, its cucumbers, its garlic, its lentils, and its onions.'
Moses was amazed by this strange request.
And he said with a voice full of disapproval, astonishment, and reproach:
'Would you exchange what is better for what is inferior?'
'Legumes and cucumbers instead of birds and manna which no human hand has touched?'
'The food of farmers instead of the food of kings?'
'Oh, the corruption of taste!'
'Oh, the poorness of choice!'
But the Children of Israel
did not back down from their request,
and they continued to demand the vegetables and the legumes.
So Moses said,
'Indeed, what you have asked for'
'is found in every village in Egypt.'
'Go down to Egypt,'
'for you will have what you have asked for.'
The stubbornness of the Children of Israel
The Children of Israel were like children in their nature,
and stubborn children at that.
Every time they were ordered to do something, they would contradict it and mock it,
as if they saw it as a duty to change what was told to them,
like a stubborn child:
if told to stand up, he sits down,
if told to sit down, he stands up,
if told to be quiet, he speaks,
if told to speak, he remains quiet.
They had the stubbornness of children combined with the malice of the wicked.
in harming the enemies, in the foolishness of the madmen
they wanted to inhabit a village and eat their delicious food of vegetables and legumes
but when they were told: inhabit this village and eat from it wherever you wish, in abundance
and enter the gate bowing and say: 'Hittah' (forgive us), We will forgive your sins for you and will increase the good-doers
they grew angry at this divine command and entered the village reluctantly, dragging themselves on their backsides
so those who did wrong changed the word to other than what they were told
so Allah sent down upon them a calamity and sent upon them a plague, from which they died like rats
and when they were ordered with a command, they increased the questioning and picking (at details)
the manner of a man who does not want to work, so he increases the questioning and picking (at details)
an incident of killing occurred among the Children of Israel
this worried the Children of Israel
and they could not find the killer
and the question about the killer was the talk of the people; they came to Moses, peace and blessings be upon him, and said: Help us, O Prophet of Allah, in this matter, and pray to Allah to make the killer clear to us
The Cow
and Moses prayed to his Lord, and He revealed to him to command them to slaughter a cow
there the disaster began, and the Children of Israel started asking and mocking
and when Moses said to his people: Indeed, Allah commands you to slaughter a cow
they said: Do you take us in mockery?
he said: I seek refuge in Allah from being among the ignorant
and here they sent the questions
they said: Call upon your Lord for us to make clear to us what it is
he said: He says that it is a cow, neither too old nor too young
a medium age between that, so do what you are commanded
and they did not stop at this question
but they started asking about its color
they said: Call upon your Lord for us to make clear to us what its color is
he said: He says that it is a yellow cow, bright its color, pleasing to the beholders
and they did not find a question, so they posed the question again
they said: Call upon your Lord for us to make clear to us what it is
indeed, the cows have become indistinguishable to us, and indeed, if Allah wills, we will be guided
He said, 'He says that it is a cow that is neither broken-in to till the earth nor to irrigate the field, sound, with no blemish on it.'
And they were successful this time because they said, 'And we, if God wills, will be guided,' and so they were guided.
But their questions made the matter difficult for them.
For had they slaughtered any cow, it would have sufficed, but they were strict, so God made it strict upon them.
And they searched for the middle-aged cow, bright yellow in its color,
Which neither tills the earth nor irrigates the field, sound, with no blemish on it.
And the existence of this strange cow was rare, for it is either an old cow or a young heifer,
Or it is middle-aged but not yellow,
Or it is a middle-aged yellow cow but its color is not bright,
Or it is a middle-aged, bright yellow cow,
But it is a cow broken-in to till the earth,
Or it is a middle-aged, bright yellow cow that does not till the earth,
But it irrigates the field.
And they searched and searched and knew the consequence of this nitpicking.
What is it? What is its color? What is it? And they became tired.
And God desired good for an orphan.
So they found this cow, which God described, in their possession.
So they bought it for a very expensive price.
Then they slaughtered it, and they were barely going to do it.
And God commanded that the murdered man be struck with a part of the cow's parts,
So he would live and tell the name of the killer.
And so it was.
The Law.
And the Children of Israel emerged from living like beasts to living like people.
And they began living in the wilderness like free, noble people.
There, they needed a divine law to judge between them and light their way.
Humanity cannot live as humans except with a divine law and a light from their Lord.
The whole world is darkness upon darkness, except for the one upon whom a light from his Lord has shone.
And that light is the light of the prophets, by which people are guided.
And whoever is not guided by this light is in misguidance, wandering aimlessly.
For beliefs without this light are illusions and myths that children laugh at.
Have you not heard the beliefs of the polytheists, the disbelievers, the Jews, and the Christians, and their myths and legends?
Is their knowledge anything but ignorance, speculation, conjecture, and doubt?
They follow nothing but conjecture, and surely conjecture does not avail anything against the truth.
And morals [without revelation] are negligence, excess, falling short, and extravagance.
Have you not seen those who do not follow the prophets?
How they infringe upon rights?
And how they overstep the boundaries?
Governance and politics [without faith] are injustice, tyranny, and reckless trampling upon people's wealth, rights, and blood.
Have you not seen the rulers among those who do not fear Allah and do not follow the Sharia?
How they betray trusts, and how they trifle with the wealth of Allah, and how they trifle with the blood and rights of people?
And how they enslaved people and divided them into factions, slaughtering their men and sparing their women?
Do you know how many were killed in the first war and how many were killed in the second war?
For the whole world is darkness upon darkness upon darkness.
Except for the one for whom a light from his Lord has shone.
Darkness, some of it above other [darkness].
When he brings out his hand, he can hardly see it.
And whoever Allah has not granted light, he has no light.
And the Prophet teaches people how to worship Allah.
And likewise, he teaches them how they should treat one another.
The Prophet teaches people the etiquettes of life along with the etiquettes of religion.
And he teaches them the etiquettes of eating and the etiquettes of drinking.
And the etiquettes of sleeping and the etiquettes of sitting.
And the etiquettes of everything.
He teaches them etiquette as a compassionate father teaches his dear children.
And people are like young children.
They need the upbringing of the prophets in their adulthood.
More than they need the upbringing of their fathers in their childhood.
And those who have not received this prophetic upbringing,
And have not learned etiquette from the prophets are like wild trees.
It grew and developed on its own, so crookedness, thorns, and corruption are seen in it.
The Torah.
And Allah wanted the Children of Israel not to be lost as other nations were lost without a book or guidance from Allah.
And He wanted them not to stumble blindly as other nations had stumbled blindly.
Allah commanded Moses to purify himself and to fast for thirty days.
Then to come to Mount Sinai.
So that his Lord might speak to him and he would receive a book that would be a guide for them.
Moses chose seventy men from his people.
To be witnesses to that.
Because the Children of Israel are a people of denial.
And he said to his brother Aaron, 'Replace me among my people, do right, and do not follow the path of the corrupters.'
Because a community must have a leader.
Moses went to the appointed time of his Lord.
But longing for his Lord urged him on, so he hurried and reached the mountain ahead.
Allah said, 'What made you hasten from your people, O Moses?'
He said, 'They are here behind me, and I hastened to You, my Lord, so that You may be pleased.'
And Allah commanded him to complete the appointed time of his Lord to forty nights.
Moses reached Mount Sinai, and his Lord spoke to him, communed with him, brought him near, and drew him close.
This increased his longing, so he said, 'My Lord, show me, that I may look at You.'
And Allah knows that Moses cannot do that because vision cannot encompass Allah, but He encompasses vision, and He is the Subtle, the Acquainted.
And the mountains cannot bear His speech, let alone His light.
If We had sent down this Quran upon a mountain, you would have seen it humbled and split asunder from the fear of Allah.
So He said, 'You will not see Me, but look at the mountain; if it remains in its place, then you will see Me.'
But when his Lord appeared to the mountain, He leveled it, and Moses fell unconscious.
Then when he recovered, he said, 'Exalted are You, I have repented to You, and I am the first of the believers.'
He said, 'O Moses, I have chosen you over the people with My messages and My speech.'
So take what I have given you and be among the grateful.
Moses took the tablets, and in them was everything the Children of Israel needed.
A lesson and a detail for all things.
And Allah commanded him to take them with strength and to command his people to take the best of them.
And when Moses arrived with seventy men from his people and informed them of what God had bestowed upon him
They said with insolence and boldness: We will not believe you until we see God openly
God was angry at this insolence and audacity, so the lightning bolt seized them while they were looking
And they saw that they could not bear this lightning bolt that God had created
So how could they bear the light of God
And Moses called upon his Lord and said
My Lord, if You had willed, You could have destroyed them before, and me as well
Will You destroy us for what the foolish among us have done
And God answered his prayer and resurrected them after their death, so that they might be grateful
The Calf
The Children of Israel had been living with the polytheists in Egypt for centuries
And the Copts used to worship many things in Egypt
And the Children of Israel were seeing that with their own eyes
And the hatred of polytheism had vanished from them
And the love for it seeped into them
Just as water seeps into a weak and old house
Every time they found an opportunity, they descended into polytheism
Just as water descends into a slope
And their hearts deviated
And their taste was corrupted
So if they see the path of righteousness
They do not take it as a path
And if they see the path of error
They take it as a path
They crossed the sea
Then they came upon a people who were devoted to idols of theirs
They said: O Moses, make for us a god just as they have gods
And Moses became angry and said: Indeed, you are a people who are ignorant
Oh, the wonder! Oh, the injustice!
Indeed, God has bestowed His favor upon you, favored you, and given you what He has not given to anyone in the worlds
Should I seek a god for you other than Allah, while He has preferred you over the worlds?
Moses went to the Mount and was away from them for days, so they became the prey of Satan and the victim of polytheism.
A man stood up among them who was called al-Samiri.
He brought out for them a calf, a body that had a lowing sound.
So they said: 'This is your god and the god of Moses,' so he forgot.
And the Children of Israel were tempted by this calf.
And they fell before it, deaf and blind.
Do they not see that it cannot return any speech to them?
And it does not possess any harm or benefit for them.
Do they not see that it does not speak to them, nor does it guide them to a way?
Aaron forbade them from that, strove to convince them, and said:
'O my people, you are only being tested by it.'
'And indeed, your Lord is the Most Merciful, so follow me and obey my order.'
But the Children of Israel were infatuated with the magic of al-Samiri.
And they had absorbed the worship of the calf into their hearts, so they said:
'We will never cease being devoted to it until Moses returns to us.'
The punishment.
And when Allah informed Moses that the Children of Israel had been led astray by al-Samiri,
He returned to his people, angry and sorrowful.
He was angry with his people and angry for the sake of Allah with his brother Aaron.
He said, 'O Aaron, what prevented you when you saw them going astray'
'From following me? Have you disobeyed my command?'
Aaron apologized and said:
'I feared that you would say: You caused division among the Children of Israel,'
'And you did not observe my words.'
'The people oppressed me and nearly killed me.'
He said, 'My Lord, forgive me and my brother,'
'And admit us into Your mercy, for You are the Most Merciful of the merciful.'
Then Moses turned to al-Samiri.
He said, 'So what is your affair, O Samiri?'
The Samiri confessed to his crime and said
That is what my soul tempted me to do
He said: 'Go, for your fate in life is to say: Do not touch me'
Moses punished him with isolation
He walks alone and lives alone like a beast, neither befriending nor being befriended
And what punishment is greater than this
He who contaminated thousands of people with polytheism must be loathed and shunned by people
He who separated between God and His worshippers must be separated from people
He who called for polytheism in God's land is a sinner, and the whole earth must be a prison for him
Then Moses turned to the cursed calf, ordered it to be burned, and it was burned, then he scattered it into the sea
The Children of Israel saw the fate of the worshipped calf and saw its weakness and helplessness
Then Moses turned to the Children of Israel and said
O my people, you have wronged yourselves by taking the calf
So repent to your Creator and kill yourselves
That is better for you in the sight of your Creator
And so they did
Those who did not worship the calf killed those who worshipped it
And thus God accepted their repentance
And God Almighty said
Those who took the calf will be struck by anger from their Lord
And humiliation in the worldly life
And thus do We reward the fabricators
And likewise are the worshippers of the calf until the Day of Resurrection
And likewise are the polytheists until the Day of Resurrection
The cowardice of the Children of Israel
The Children of Israel grew up in slavery in Egypt
And in humiliation and disgrace
Children grew up with it, and youths aged with it
And the blood grew cold in their veins
And they no longer dreamed of sovereignty, nor spoke of conquest or jihad
The Children of Israel were spending their days in exile
They had no homeland and no rule
So Moses, by God's revelation, wanted to enter the Holy Land and live in it as free kings
But Moses knew the nature of cowardice and weakness in the Children of Israel
So he wanted to excite them and make the matter easier for them
Because the Holy Land had been seized by a powerful people
Possessors of strength and great might
The Children of Israel would not enter the Holy Land until these powerful people left it
So he reminded them of God's blessings upon them and how He favored them over the worlds
So that they might be motivated for jihad in the way of God
And so that they would hate this humiliating, unworthy life
And when Moses said to his people: O my people, remember the blessing of God upon you
When He placed prophets among you and made you kings and gave you what He had not given anyone in the worlds
Then he said to them: The Holy Land is before you
You have only to rise up and seize it from your enemies
And if God decrees and ordains something for someone
Then it is easy for him to take it, for there is no one who can turn back God's decree
O my people, enter the Holy Land which God has decreed for you
And he feared that their nature of cowardice would overcome them, so he said
And do not turn back on your heels, or you will turn back as losers
And what Moses feared came to pass
Their answer to all that Moses said was: O Moses, there are a powerful people in it, and we will never enter it until they leave it
And they said with solemnity and stillness: If they leave it, then we will enter
Two men from among those who were God-fearing and whom God had blessed said: Enter upon them through the gate, for if you enter it, you will be victorious
And rely upon God if you are believers
But that did not affect them, and they said: If entry is unavoidable, then you enter with a miracle
And if we hear that you have entered it, we will come and enter ourselves, safe and sound
They said: O Moses, we will never enter it as long as they are in it, so go, you and your Lord, and fight; we are sitting right here
There, Moses became angry and despaired of them
He said: My Lord, I do not control anything but myself and my brother, so separate us from the disobedient people
He said, 'Then it is forbidden to them for forty years; they will wander through the earth, so do not grieve over the defiantly disobedient people.'
And during this period, this generation, which grew up in Egypt under slavery and humiliation, dies out.
And another generation grows up, growing up in this wandering, experiencing hardship and difficulty, and that is the nation of the future.
And this is the destiny of the Jews in every time.
A lost nation that lives on slavery and humiliation.
In the pursuit of knowledge.
The Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, said:
Moses stood as a preacher among the Children of Israel, and he was asked:
'Which person is the most knowledgeable?'
He replied, 'I am the most knowledgeable.'
So God admonished him, as he did not attribute the knowledge to God.
Then God revealed to him that one of My servants at the confluence of the two seas is more knowledgeable than you.
He said, 'My Lord, how can I reach him?' It was said to him, 'Carry a fish in a basket, and when you lose it, he is there.'
So he set out, and set out with his young attendant, Joshua son of Nun, and they carried a fish in a basket until they were at the rock, where they laid down their heads and slept.
Then the fish slipped out of the basket and made its way into the sea as if by a tunnel, and it was a wonder for Moses and his attendant.
They set out for the rest of their night and their day, and when morning came, Moses said to his attendant, 'Bring us our lunch, for we have encountered much fatigue from this journey of ours.'
And Moses did not feel any fatigue until he had passed the place he was commanded to reach.
His attendant said to him, 'Do you remember when we took shelter at the rock? For indeed, I forgot the fish.'
Moses said, 'That is what we were seeking.'
So they returned upon their tracks, retracing their steps.
When they reached the rock, behold, there was a man wrapped, covered in a garment, so Moses greeted him.
Al-Khidr said, 'And how is there peace in your land?'
He said, 'I am Moses.'
He said, 'Moses of the Children of Israel?'
He said, 'Yes.'
Moses said,
He said, 'May I follow you on [the condition] that you teach me from what you have been taught of sound judgment?'
He said, 'Indeed, with me you will never be able to have patience.'
O Moses, I am upon a knowledge from the knowledge of God which He has taught me, which you do not know.
And you are upon a knowledge which God has taught you, which I do not know.
Moses said, "You will find me, God willing, patient, and I will not disobey any command of yours."
So they set off, walking along the seashore, having no boat.
A ship passed by them, and they spoke to them to take them aboard.
Al-Khidr was recognized, so they took them aboard without a fee, without payment.
Then a bird came and perched on the edge of the ship.
And it pecked once or twice into the sea.
Al-Khidr said, "O Moses, my knowledge and your knowledge have not diminished from God's knowledge,
except as much as this bird's peck into the sea."
Then Al-Khidr went to a plank of the ship's planks and pulled it out.
Moses said, "People who took us aboard without a fee,
you have targeted their ship and breached it to drown its people?"
Al-Khidr said, "Did I not say that you would not be able to have patience with me?"
Moses said, "Do not hold me accountable for what I forgot, and do not be hard on me in my affair."
So the first incident from Moses was out of forgetfulness.
Then they set off, and there was a boy playing with other boys.
Al-Khidr took him by his head from above and tore his head off with his hand.
Moses said, "Have you killed an innocent soul without [a life for] a life?"
He said, "Did I not tell you that you would not be able to have patience with me?"
Then they set off until they came to the people of a town and asked them for food.
But they refused to host them.
Then they found in it a wall that was about to collapse.
So Al-Khidr set it upright with his hand, and he straightened it.
Moses said, "If you had wished, you could have taken a payment for it."
He said, "This is the parting between me and you."
The Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, said,
"May God have mercy on Moses.
We wish he had been patient so that he could have told us more of their story."
The interpretation.
Then Al-Khidr informed Moses, saying, "As for the ship, it belonged to poor people working at sea.
So I intended to damage it, for there was behind them a king who seizes every sound ship by force."
As for the boy, his parents were believers, and we feared that he would impose upon them rebellion and disbelief.
So we intended that their Lord should replace him for them with one better than him in purity and closer in affection.
And as for the wall, it belonged to two orphan boys in the city.
And there was a treasure beneath it belonging to them.
And their father was a righteous man.
So your Lord intended that they should reach their maturity.
And extract their treasure, as a mercy from your Lord.
And I did not do it of my own accord; that is the interpretation of that about which you could not have patience.
There, Moses realized that no one can encompass the knowledge of God.
And that some of His knowledge is with some, and some is with others.
And above every possessor of knowledge is the All-Knowing.
The Children of Israel after Moses.
Moses passed away while the Children of Israel were wandering in the land as a punishment from God and a recompense for their deeds.
And God struck upon them humiliation and wretchedness, and they returned with anger from God.
They had enraged God, who had placed prophets among them and made them kings.
And gave them what He had not given anyone among the worlds in their era.
Those whom He saved from the people of Pharaoh, who were afflicting them with the worst of punishment.
They were slaughtering their sons and keeping their women alive.
He who split the sea for them, saved them, and drowned the people of Pharaoh while they watched.
Those for whom He shaded with clouds and sent down manna and quails.
He who caused springs to gush forth for them from the earth and provided for them abundantly in food and drink.
And the recompense for all of that was that they disbelieved in the signs of God, disobeyed, and transgressed.
And they angered their prophet Moses, the most compassionate of God's creation toward them, and more compassionate toward them than their own fathers and mothers.
The one who used to care for them with the tenderness of a nursing mother for her weaned child and the compassionate mother for the orphan.
The one who, whenever they insulted him, he prayed for them, and whenever they mocked him, he wept for them, and whenever they treated him harshly, he pitied them.
The one who saved them from the captivity of Pharaoh and brought them out from the prison of Egypt to the land of freedom and honor.
And from the life of miserable slaves to the life of honorable free people.
They angered him, harmed him, defied him, mocked him, and made him the most insignificant man among them, while he was honorable in the sight of God.
Do they not deserve this punishment, disgrace, humiliation, wretchedness, and eternal wandering?
And that they shall never succeed.
Indeed, they deserve all of that and more for their deeds.
And Allah did not wrong them, but they used to wrong their own souls.
The story of our master Shu'ayb, peace be upon him.
A look at the previous stories.
You read the story of our master Ibrahim and our master Yusuf.
And you read the story of our master Nuh, our master Hud, and our master Salih.
You read the story of our master Musa in some detail and length.
You read all of that with longing, desire, reverence, and appreciation.
And they occupied in your souls and hearts the place of beloved and cherished stories.
Your memory stored them, and your tongues recited them.
And people saw you telling them to your younger siblings and repeating them to your parents and older siblings, while you savor them and might become enthusiastic in telling them.
2- The story of the struggle between truth and falsehood.
And it is no wonder.
For they are interesting and exciting stories, and they are the story of the struggle between truth and falsehood, between knowledge and ignorance, between light and darkness, and between humanity and savagery.
And between certainty and conviction, and conjecture and guessing.
Furthermore, it is a story of the victory of truth over falsehood.
And knowledge over ignorance.
And the weak over the strong.
And the few over the many.
A story that contains knowledge, wisdom, an admonition, and a reminder.
And Allah the Almighty has spoken the truth.
In their stories, there was a lesson for those of understanding.
It was not a fabricated narrative.
But a confirmation of what was before it.
And a detailed explanation of all things, and guidance and mercy for a people who believe.
And to Madyan, their brother Shu'ayb.
And what we have told you of the stories of the prophets,
Is not all that Allah has related in the Quran of their stories and accounts.
For in the Quran are stories other than these stories.
In it is the story of the Prophet of Allah, Shu'ayb.
Who Allah sent to Madyan and the companions of the Al-Aykah
And they were people of trade and goods
For they were on the great trade route between Yemen and the Levant
And between Iraq and Egypt on the coast of the Red Sea
They used to associate others with Allah
Just as the nations of the prophets were in every era
And in addition to that, they used to diminish the measure and the scale
And they would give short measure and waylay the caravans
Threatening them, frightening them, and spreading corruption in the land
As is the way of the wealthy and powerful who do not hope for an accounting and do not fear a punishment
So Allah sent to them His messenger Shu'aib, inviting them and warning them, and saying to them
O my people, worship Allah; you have no god other than Him
And do not diminish the measure and the scale
Indeed, I see you in prosperity, and indeed I fear for you the punishment of an all-encompassing day
And O my people, give full measure and weight with justice
And do not deprive people of their belongings
And do not commit abuse on the earth, spreading corruption
The invitation of Shu'aib, peace be upon him
And he speaks to them with ease, and unties a knot within their souls, which is the knot of love for money and increase
So he says, 'What remains for you of profit after fulfilling the measure and the scale is better for you than taking people's wealth through injustice and betrayal'
And if you look at your lives and the lives of those who grew rich and gathered wealth
You would find that what they acquired through giving short measure, deprivation, and betrayal
Its fate was destruction, loss, corruption, or calamity
Either it was stolen, looted, or spent in ways that do not please Allah
Or someone was unleashed upon it who destroyed it and tampered with it
And the little that is beneficial is better than the much that is not beneficial
Say, 'The evil and the good are not equal, even if the abundance of the evil might impress you'
And my advice to you is sincere and pure
And Allah is the Watcher over you alone
He speaks with gentleness, wisdom, knowledge, and insight
What is left by Allah is better for you if you are believers, and I am not a guardian over you.
A merciful father and a wise teacher.
He varies his address to them and employs various methods in giving advice, like a merciful father and a wise teacher.
So he says,
O my people, worship Allah; you have no god other than Him.
A clear proof has come to you from your Lord.
So fulfill the measure and the weight.
And do not deprive people of their things.
And do not spread corruption in the land after it has been set in order.
That is better for you if you are believers.
And do not sit on every path, threatening and obstructing from the way of Allah those who believe in Him,
and seeking to make it crooked.
And remember when you were few, and He increased you.
And see how was the end of the corrupters.
The answer of his people:
Their clever ones examined this invitation and its reasoning deeply, and they said in arrogance and pride, as if they had discovered a secret or solved a riddle,
O Shuaib, does your prayer command you that we should leave what our fathers worship, or to do with our wealth whatever we wish? Indeed, you are the forbearing, the rightly guided.
Shuaib explains his invitation.
And Shuaib was gentle with them.
He did not become harsh and he did not become angry.
And he made them understand that he was not driven to this invitation and advice
after a long silence and not addressing what they were upon
of corrupt morals and unjust behaviors,
except for what Allah honored him with finally
through prophethood and revelation,
and what He expanded his breast for and gave him a light from Himself,
and that jealousy does not drive him to that.
For Allah has enriched him and provided him with good, lawful sustenance,
and that he is happy with that,
at ease, content, and peaceful.
Thankful to God Almighty with heart and tongue
Furthermore, he does not forbid them from a matter and then commit it himself
And he does not prevent them from something and then do it himself
And he is not of those who command people to do good
While forgetting themselves
Nor of those who say what they do not do
He only wants their reform and their happiness
And to save them from the punishment that hovers over their heads
And all grace belongs to God Almighty, and upon Him is his reliance
He said, 'O my people, have you considered if I am upon a clear evidence from my Lord and He has provided me with a good provision from Him?'
'And I do not wish to differ from you into that which I forbid you from'
'I only intend reform as much as I am able'
'And my success is not but through God; upon Him I have relied, and to Him I return'
'We do not understand much of what you say'
The people were ignorant of what Shuaib meant, as if he were speaking to them in a foreign language
Even though he is a son of the land and a brother of the people
And as if he was unclear in his speech, not eloquent
Even though he was one of the most eloquent of them in speech and the most articulate of them in expression
And this is what people say when advice becomes heavy upon them and doing the work becomes difficult for them
Shuaib is amazed at his people
And they excused themselves by his weakness and his isolation, and that were it not for his clan and their kinship to him
They would have stoned him with stones and gotten rid of him
Shuaib denounced that and was amazed
That God, the Almighty, the Capable, the Powerful, the Subduer
Would be less significant to them than a clan that is prone to diseases, destruction, weakness, and helplessness
They said, 'O Shuaib, we do not understand much of what you say'
'And indeed, we see you among us as weak'
'And if not for your clan, we would have stoned you'
'And you are not respected by us'
He said, 'O my people, is my clan more respected by you than God?'
And you cast it behind your backs
Indeed, my Lord encompasses what you do
The final arrow
And when their argument was cut off
They released the final arrow that the arrogant ones released
From every nation against their prophet and their followers
The eminent ones who were arrogant among his people said
We will surely evict you, O Shu'ayb, and those who have believed with you from our town
Or you must return to our religion
A decisive argument
His response was the response of one proud of his religion
Jealous/zealous for his belief and his conscience
He said, 'Even if we were unwilling?'
We would have invented a lie against Allah
If we returned to your religion after Allah saved us from it
And it is not for us to return to it unless Allah our Lord should will
Our Lord encompasses all things in knowledge
Upon Allah we have relied
Our Lord, decide between us and our people in truth
And You are the best of those who decide
Rather, they said the same as what the former ones said
But that did not benefit them
Rather, they said the same as what the former ones said
They said, 'You are only one of those affected by magic'
And you are but a human like us
And indeed, we think you are among the liars
Then let fall upon us fragments from the sky if you are of the truthful
The consequence of a nation that denied its prophet
And the consequence was the same
The consequence of every nation that denied its prophet and disbelieved in the favor of Allah
So the earthquake seized them, and they lay prostrate in their homes.
Those who denied Shu'ayb, it was as if they had not prospered there.
Those who denied Shu'ayb, they were the losers.
He delivered the message and fulfilled the trust.
And the affair of Shu'ayb was the affair of every prophet who delivered the message, fulfilled the trust, and established the argument.
So he turned away from them and said, 'O my people, I have delivered to you the messages of my Lord and advised you.'
How then can I grieve over a disbelieving people?
The story of our master David and our master Solomon, peace be upon them both.
The Quran did not limit itself to mentioning the days of Allah and what the prophets and messengers encountered in terms of denial, mockery, insult, and persecution from the nations to whom they were sent.
And what these nations encountered in terms of punishment, torment, destruction, and ruin for their denial of the messengers, their mockery of them, their plotting against them, and their intent to kill them.
As has passed before you of the stories of the prophets.
The Quran speaks about the blessings of Allah.
Rather, the Quran spoke much about the blessings of Allah.
And it recounted, sometimes at length and sometimes briefly, about many favors.
Which He bestowed upon many of the prophets.
Among them are David and Solomon.
And among them are Job, Jonah, Zechariah, and John.
As for David and Solomon,
Allah established them on the earth.
And He expanded their kingdom.
And He increased them in knowledge.
And He taught them much of what people were ignorant of.
He subjected to them the strong and the equipment.
And what does not submit of animals and inanimate objects.
So he said,
And We indeed gave David and Solomon knowledge.
And they said, 'Praise be to Allah who has favored us over many of His believing servants.'
And Solomon inherited David and said,
'O people, we have been taught the language of birds, and we have been given of all things. Indeed, this is clearly the manifest favor.'
The blessing of Allah upon David.
As for David, God subjected the mountains and the birds to him, responding with him in supplication and glorification.
And He taught him the craft of making armor, and He softened iron for him.
And We indeed gave David bounty from Us.
O mountains, repeat with him, and the birds, and We softened iron for him.
Make full coats of mail and measure the links, and do righteous deeds.
I am All-Seeing of what you do.
And He says,
And We subjected with David the mountains, exalting [God], and the birds, and We were the doers.
And We taught him the making of garments [armor] for you, to protect you from your violence.
Are you, then, grateful?
His gratitude for this blessing.
David, with this vast kingdom and skillful, strong hand, was a humble, repentant servant.
Always remembering, long in supplication and glorification.
A just ruler who judges between people with truth and does not show favoritism.
God Almighty says, O David, We have made you a successor on the earth.
So judge between people with truth and do not follow desire, for it will lead you astray from the way of God.
Indeed, those who go astray from the way of God will have a severe punishment because they forgot the Day of Reckoning.
God's blessing upon Solomon.
As for Solomon, God subjected the wind to him, flowing by his command and carrying him from place to place.
So he reaches it in the nearest time and fastest duration.
And He subjected to him the strong and skillful ones among the jinn, and the rebellious among the devils.
They execute his orders and complete his giant urban and construction projects.
And to Solomon, the wind, blowing, flowing by his command to the land which We have blessed.
And We were of all things Knowing.
And among the devils were those who dove for him and did work other than that.
And We were watchers over them.
And to Solomon, the wind, its morning journey was a month, and its evening journey was a month.
And We made a spring of molten copper flow for him, and among the jinn were those who worked before him by the permission of his Lord.
And whoever among them deviates from Our command, We will make him taste from the punishment of the Blaze.
They made for him what he willed of prayer chambers, statues, basins like reservoirs, and anchored pots.
Work, O family of David, in gratitude, and few of My servants are grateful.
Precise jurisprudence and profound knowledge.
His intelligence and his ability to make correct judgments became apparent in a case that was brought to his great father.
There was a group who owned a vineyard, whose vines had grown.
Some sheep belonging to a group of people entered it and ruined it.
David judged that the sheep should be given to the owner of the vineyard.
Solomon said, 'Something else, O Prophet of God.'
He said, 'And what is that?'
He said, 'You hand over the vineyard to the owner of the sheep, so he tends to it as it was before.'
'And you hand over the sheep to the owner of the vineyard, so he may benefit from them.'
'Until the vineyard is as it was, you return the vineyard to its owner and return the sheep to their owner.'
And God distinguished him with precise jurisprudence and profound knowledge, so He said:
And David and Solomon when they judged concerning the field, when the sheep of the people strayed into it.
And We were witnesses to their judgment.
And We gave Solomon the understanding of it, and to each of them We gave judgment and knowledge.
Solomon knew the language of birds and animals.
And the Quran told a wise and enjoyable story in which was manifested the alertness of Solomon in managing his kingdom and the awe of his authority.
How God combined for him the happiness of the worldly life and the hereafter.
And between kingship and empowerment, and prophethood and the message in religion.
And he knew the language of birds and animals.
And he assembled his soldiers from the jinn, mankind, and birds one time.
And he rode among them in splendor and majesty.
And they were in complete order.
And they were under the command of their leaders.
Then Solomon passed over the valley of the ants.
An ant feared for its tribe that the horses might crush them with their hooves.
And Solomon and his soldiers would not perceive that.
So she ordered them to enter their dwellings.
Solomon understood that, and he was not overcome by arrogance or vanity because he was a prophet of the prophets of God.
Rather, it moved him to praise God Almighty and thank Him for His blessing.
And the prayer for success in righteous deeds and for joining the ranks of the righteous servants of Allah.
The Story of the Hoopoe.
The hoopoe was his guide and his eye, showing him the places of water and the locations of the army.
He did not find him, so he disapproved of that and threatened him.
He was absent for a short time, then he came.
He said to Solomon, I have discovered what you have not discovered, you and your soldiers.
And I have brought you true news from Sheba and its queen.
They have a great kingdom and a vast state.
And I found them, despite this intellect, cleverness, kingdom, and leadership, to be people of foolishness and ignorance.
And they prostrate to the sun instead of Allah.
And they do not understand that, nor are they guided to the worship of Allah alone.
Solomon invites the Queen of Sheba to his religion.
And it weighed heavily on the Prophet of Allah that there should be, near his kingdom,
A king and a nation that he did not know and to whom his call had not reached.
And that still worships the sun.
And his prophetic religious zeal was stirred.
And he saw it as correct to write to its queen and its polytheist ruler,
Inviting her to Islam, obedience, and submission,
Before he would march upon her lands with his overwhelming armies.
So he wrote a succinct letter to her, and in it invited her to Islam and submission.
And the letter combines gentleness and sternness,
And the humility of prophets and the zeal of kings.
The queen consults the pillars of her state.
For Solomon was someone who combined both [qualities].
And the woman who ruled these lands was wise, not hasty in judgment.
She possessed wide experience from the biographies of kings and the news of conquerors.
Her mind only failed her in recognizing the God and worshipping Him.
So the zeal of kings did not overcome her, and she did not act autocratically in her opinion.
She informed the people of counsel among the pillars of her state of this letter,
Which was not like other letters.
It is a book from one of the greatest kings of her time and from a prophet calling to God
And when the pillars of her state began to display their power and the abundance of their armies out of appeasement and flattery
The affair of the companions of kings and rulers in every time and place
She did not accept their statement and did not agree with them upon it
Rather, she warned them of the evil of the outcome
And she reminded them of the conduct of the conquering kings among the conquered nations
And their fate after defeat and collapse
And she said this will be the affair of our land and our nation
And she said to them, I will send to Solomon with gifts and rarities and I will test him with them
So if he accepts the gift, then he is a king, so fight him
And if he does not accept it, then he is a prophet, so follow him
A bribe of negotiation
And she sent to him a great gift befitting kings
So when it reached Solomon, he turned away from it, showed no desire for it, and said
Do you attempt to bribe me with wealth so that I would leave you to your polytheism and your kingdom?
And that which God has given me of kingdom, wealth, and soldiers is better than what you are in
And the matter is serious, not a joke, and the issue is an issue of calling and obedience, not an issue of negotiation
And he threatened them with his intent toward them and his march upon their kingdom
The queen comes submissively
So when this delegation returned to the Queen of Sheba
And related the story to her
She heard and obeyed, she and her people
And she came traveling toward him with her soldiers, submissive
And when Solomon, peace be upon him, realized their arrival to him
He rejoiced at that and praised God
And he wanted to show her a sign from the signs of God
So that it would be more indicative of the power of God and His blessings upon Solomon
So he wanted to bring her throne, which she had entrusted to strong and trustworthy men
So he asked his assembly to bring him her throne before the arrival of this great procession
And what Solomon wanted was achieved in the fastest time and it was a miracle
Sulaiman ordered it, so some of its features were changed
In order to test her knowledge and her firmness when seeing it
And if the matter was confusing to her, it would be evidence of the limitation of her vision in matters more subtle and harder to attain than it
A great palace of glass
And Sulaiman ordered the builders among the humans and the jinn
So they built for her a great palace of glass and made water flow underneath it
So whoever does not know its nature thinks that it is water
But the glass comes between the walker and the water
And it was certain that the queen would mistake it for water and uncover her shins
And there, she would realize the error and perceive the limitation of her vision and her being deceived by appearances
She and her people used to prostrate to the sun because it is the greatest manifestation of light and life
Which are among the attributes of God Almighty
And there, the veil is lifted from her eyes
So she would know that just as she erred in treating the glass as water
When she uncovered her shins, she also erred in treating the sun as the Creator
So she prostrated to it and worshipped it, and that was more eloquent than a hundred sermons and a thousand proofs
And she submitted with Sulaiman to God, Lord of the worlds
That is how it was, for she had become entangled, despite her cunning and intelligence, in this grave error
And she mistook the glass for flowing, waving, clear water
So she uncovered her shins and intended to wade through it
There, the Prophet of God, Sulaiman, alerted her to her mistake and said
It is a palace made smooth of glass
And the veil was lifted from her eyes
And she realized her ignorance in judging the manifestation based on the outward appearance
And the worship of the sun and prostrating to it
And she hurried to say
My Lord, I have wronged myself and I submit with Sulaiman to God, Lord of the worlds
The Quran tells the story of Sulaiman
And read this interesting and enjoyable story in the Quran
God Almighty says
And he inspected the birds and said,
Why is it that I do not see the hoopoe? Or is he among the absent?
I will surely punish him with a severe punishment,
or I will surely slaughter him,
or he must bring me a clear authority/reason.
But he did not stay long, then he said,
I have encompassed that which you have not encompassed,
and I have come to you from Sheba with certain news.
Indeed, I found a woman ruling over them, and she has been given of all things, and she has a great throne.
I found her and her people prostrating to the sun instead of Allah,
and Satan has made their deeds appear pleasing to them, so he has averted them from the way, and they are not guided,
so that they do not prostrate to Allah, who brings forth what is hidden in the heavens and the earth,
and He knows what you conceal and what you declare.
Allah! There is no god but He, Lord of the Great Throne.
He said, We will see whether you have told the truth or were among the liars.
Take this letter of mine and deliver it to them, then turn away from them and see what they will return with/answer.
She said, O nobles, indeed, a noble letter has been delivered to me.
Indeed, it is from Solomon, and indeed, it is in the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful,
that you do not exalt yourselves against me and come to me in submission.
She said, O nobles, advise me in my affair; I would not decide a matter until you are present with me.
They said, We are people of strength and of severe fighting, but the command is yours, so see what you will command.
She said, Indeed, kings, when they enter a city, they ruin it and make the honored among its people humiliated. And thus do they do.
And indeed, I am sending them a gift, and I will see with what the messengers return.
So when he came to Solomon, he said, Do you want to aid me with wealth?
But what Allah has given me is better than what He has given you. Rather, it is you who rejoice in your gift.
Return to them, for we will surely come to them with soldiers that they have no power to face,
and we will surely drive them out from it in humiliation, and they will be abased.
He said, O nobles, which of you will bring me her throne before they come to me in submission?
An ifrit from the jinn said, I will bring it to you before you rise from your place,
and indeed, I am for it strong and trustworthy.
The one who had knowledge from the Book said, 'I will bring it to you before your glance returns to you.'
And when he saw it placed before him, he said, 'This is from the favor of my Lord, to test me whether I am grateful or ungrateful.'
And whoever is grateful, he is only grateful for himself, and whoever is ungrateful, then my Lord is Self-Sufficient, Generous.
He said, 'Disguise her throne for her; we will see whether she will be guided or be of those who are not guided.'
So when she came, it was said, 'Is your throne like this?' She said, 'It is as if it were it.' And we were given knowledge before it, and we were Muslims.
And what she used to worship instead of Allah had averted her; she was from a disbelieving people.
It was said to her, 'Enter the palace.' But when she saw it, she thought it was a body of water and uncovered her shins. He said, 'It is a palace made smooth from glass.'
She said, 'My Lord, I have wronged myself, and I submit with Solomon to Allah, the Lord of the worlds.'
And thus is the Prophet of Allah, Solomon; you have seen his stances in the call to Allah and to Monotheism.
And his wisdom, his understanding, and his zeal for his religion and his creed.
And Solomon did not disbelieve, but the devils disbelieved.
The Jews attributed to him what is not befitting a believer, a monotheist whose chest Allah has expanded for faith.
Let alone a sent prophet whom Allah gave wisdom, honored with prophethood, and dignified with vicegerency.
So they attributed to him magic, disbelief, compromise with polytheism, and confusion in the matter of monotheism because of his wives.
But Allah cleared him of all that, so He said,
And Solomon did not disbelieve, but the devils disbelieved, teaching people magic.
And He said, 'And We gave to David, Solomon; an excellent servant, indeed he was one who frequently returned to Allah.'
And He said, 'And indeed, for him is nearness to Us and a good place of return.'
The story of our master Job and our master Jonah, peace be upon them both.
The story of Job is another style of stories.
The story of Job in the Quran is another style of stories.
And another manifestation of the manifestations of Allah's blessings upon His believing servants.
The patient, the grateful, and the beloved prophets.
For he had of animals, livestock, and crops a great deal.
And offspring that were pleasing.
Then he was tested in all of that.
And it all went away, down to the last of it.
Then he was tested in his body.
So nothing remained of it sound except his heart and his tongue.
He would remember Allah, the Almighty and Majestic, with them both.
Until his companion found him repulsive
And he was isolated in a part of the town
And there remained no one among the people who felt compassion for him
Except for his wife, who used to take care of his affairs
And she was also in need, so she began serving people for his sake
The patience of Job
And despite all of that, he was patient, grateful, his tongue constantly occupied with remembrance and thanks
He did not complain, nor did he reproach, nor did he grumble, nor did he get angry
And he remained like that for long years, cast upon the refuse heap of the Children of Israel, with worms moving in his body
A trial and a gift
An elevation of ranks and contentment with the divine decree
He inspired him to offer the answered supplication
In which his helplessness and misery were manifest
And that there is no refuge from Allah except unto Him
And that He is capable of all things
And Allah restored his health and his family to him
And returned his wealth to him and blessed him in all of that
So it became manifold and multiplied
Allah, Blessed and Exalted, says
And Job, when he called to his Lord, 'Indeed, adversity has touched me'
And You are the Most Merciful of the merciful
So We answered him and removed what was of harm from him, and gave him his family and the like thereof with them, as a mercy from Us and a reminder for the worshippers
The story of Jonah and its wisdom
And the story of Jonah comes coupled with the story of Job, supporting it in establishing the power of Allah the Almighty and His kindness to His servants and His succor for them
When hope is cut off and deadly despair and pitch-black darkness overwhelm
And all outlets are blocked
Then there is no light, no air, no hope, and no expectation
The millstone of death turns, strong and fast
Grinding the grain of life, fine and small
There, the hand of Divine Power appears
The irresistible power
The merciful, the wise
So He brings that weak human out of the jaws of the fierce lion and the lethal death
So he comes out safe, without a scratch
Complete, without being diminished
As if he had been in his bed in his house
Protected among his family
Yunus among his people
And this is the story of Yunus
God sent him to the people of his town, Nineveh
So he called them to God Almighty
But they refused him and persisted in their disbelief
So he left them, angry with them
And he promised them punishment after three days
When they became certain of that from him
And they knew that the prophet does not lie
They went out to the desert with their children, their livestock, and their cattle
And they separated between the mothers and their offspring
Then they pleaded to God, the Almighty and Majestic
And they cried out to Him
And the camels and their young calves bleated
And the cows and their calves lowed
And the sheep and their lambs bleated
So God lifted the punishment from them
God the Almighty said
If only there had been a town that believed
And its faith had benefited it, except the people of Yunus
When they believed, We removed from them the punishment of disgrace in the worldly life and gave them enjoyment for a while
Yunus in the belly of the whale
As for Yunus, peace be upon him, he went and rode with some people on a ship
So it leaned with them and they feared that they would drown
So they drew lots for a man they would cast out from among them to lighten the load
So the lot fell upon Yunus
But they refused to cast him out
Then they repeated it and it fell upon him again
They refused
Then they repeated it and it fell upon him again
God the Almighty said
So he took part in the draw and was among those who lost
Meaning the lot fell upon him
So Yunus, peace be upon him, stood up and took off his clothes
Then he threw himself into the sea
God, glory be to Him and Most High, had sent a whale cleaving the seas until it came
And it swallowed Yunus when he threw himself from the ship
So God inspired that whale saying do not eat his flesh and do not break his bone
And God answered his prayer
He was in the darkness of the whale's belly, in the darkness of the sea, in the darkness of the night; darkness upon darkness
How intense is the darkness and how far is safety
He stayed as long as God willed that he stay
Then God inspired him with the words that dissipate darkness and uncover distress
And bring down mercy from above seven heavens
And listen to the Quran telling this strange and unique story
Which contains solace for every miserable, distressed, and desperate, troubled person
For whom the earth, despite its vastness, has become narrow
And his own soul has become narrow for him
And he saw clearly that there is no refuge from God except to Him
And (remember) Dhu al-Nun, when he went off in anger and thought that We would not decree against him
And he called out in the darkness, 'There is no deity except You, glory be to You'
Indeed, I have been of the wrongdoers
So We responded to him and saved him from the distress, and thus do We save the believers
The story of our master Zechariah
Zechariah's supplication for a righteous child
And another color from God's blessings upon His servants and signs of His power
That surrounded everything
Manifested in Zechariah's supplication for a righteous, pleasing, dutiful, and pious child to inherit from him and inherit from the family of Jacob
And to undertake the call to God, and that was when he reached old age, his bones grew weak, and his hair turned white
And hope had ceased that his wife could give birth, but God answered his prayer, belied the people's assumptions, and invalidated old experiences
So He granted him a rational child, characterized early on by brilliance, wisdom, clemency, knowledge, and the Book
He was distinguished by affection, righteousness, piety, kindness to parents, gentleness, tenderness, and humility
God strengthened Zechariah's heart and showed him signs indicating God's vast power
And that He does what He wills; He showed him His disposal over His creation and his own body's limbs, moving what He wills and disabling what He wills
And it became clear to him that the entire universe is in His hand
He brings forth the living from the dead
And He brings forth the dead from the living
And He provides for whom He wills without measure
The vow of the wife of Imran
The wife of Imran, from the family of our master Zechariah, peace be upon him, had made a vow
She was a righteous woman who loved God and loved His religion
That if she gave birth to a male, she would dedicate this child to God for the service of His religion
She asked God to accept this child and to benefit His religion and His servants through him
And that he be a caller to God and an imam among the imams of guidance
She said, 'My Lord, I have delivered a female'
The righteous woman wanted one thing, and God wanted another
And God is most knowing of the best interest of His servants
So when she gave birth to a female, she became sad for that, and sorrow overcame her
But the newborn was not like any other female
Rather, she was stronger in worship and higher in aspiration in acts of obedience and good deeds than many young men
And if God decreed for a wisdom He knows that it be a female, and the burdens of prophethood are only borne by men
Then God decreed that she would be the mother of a righteous prophet who would have a great stature
When the wife of Imran said, 'My Lord, indeed I have vowed to You what is in my womb, consecrated'
So accept it from me; You are indeed the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing.
But when she delivered her, she said, 'My Lord, I have delivered a female,' and Allah is most knowing of what she delivered, 'and the male is not like the female. And I have named her Maryam, and I seek refuge for her in You and [for] her descendants from Satan, the expelled [from the mercy of Allah].'
Allah's care for the righteous young woman.
She was under the guardianship of our master Zechariah due to her status with him and under the care of Allah the Almighty.
Allah used to honor her with fruits and produce in other than their season and in other than their place.
She would eat of it whatever she wished and give of it whatever she wished.
So her Lord accepted her with a good acceptance.
And caused her to grow in a good manner and put her in the care of Zechariah.
Every time Zechariah entered the prayer chamber upon her, he found with her provision.
He said, 'O Maryam, from where is this [coming] to you?'
She said, 'It is from Allah.'
Indeed, Allah provides for whom He wills without measure.
An inspiration from the Most Merciful Lord.
And Allah inspired Zechariah, and he is a prophet among the prophets.
And among the wise and intelligent [people].
That whoever is able to honor a righteous young woman,
Her mother was sincere in the vow for her and in praying for her,
And she was sincere in obedience and worship,
With fruits that are before their time or delayed from their season,
Is able to grant a man, who has reached old age, has grey hair, and has been weakened by frailty,
A child for whom hope had been cut off due to advanced age and the barrenness of the wife.
And it is customary that a man in this condition does not have children.
So his soul stirred, his ambition rose, and hope was revived.
And his trust in the Lord grew strong.
So his tongue overflowed with a prayer to which the angels said 'Amen'.
And the mercy of Allah was moved by it.
And it was all an inspiration from the Most Merciful Lord.
And a decree from the Almighty, the Exalted.
There, Zechariah called upon his Lord, saying,
'My Lord, grant me from Yourself a good offspring.'
Indeed, You hear the supplication.
Good news of a son.
And Allah answered his prayer.
And the good news of a righteous son whose time of birth was near came to him.
And man was created of haste.
So he asked for a sign of the possibility of this great event and the proximity of its manifestation.
He said, 'My Lord, appoint for me a sign.'
He said, 'Your sign is that you will not speak to the people for three days, except by signal.'
And remember your Lord often and exalt Him with praise in the evening and the morning.
For the Almighty, who is able to take away the properties of things,
And makes the speaking tongue mute,
Unable to move with a word,
Is able to deposit whatever He wills of properties into whatever He wills of His creations.
And the Powerful, who is able to withhold, is able to give.
And the signs of Allah and His power appeared in his body, then in his house and his family.
And Yahya was born, so his eyes were comforted by him, his strength was reinforced by him, and his call lived through him.
And listen to the Quran narrating this story, sometimes briefly and sometimes in detail.
It says, 'And Zakariya, when he called his Lord, 'My Lord, do not leave me alone, while You are the best of the inheritors.'
So We responded to him and gave him Yahya and amended for him his wife.
Indeed, they used to hasten to good deeds and supplicate to Us in hope and fear, and they were to Us humbly submissive.
Yahya takes on the burdens of the call.
And Yahya is born, becoming a comfort to the eyes of his parents and a successor to his great father.
So he takes on the burdens of calling to Allah and to the pure religion.
And the signs of nobility appear in him from childhood.
So he approaches knowledge with passion while he is a young boy.
And he is adorned with righteousness and piety while he is a young man.
And he is distinguished from his peers in love, tenderness, and kindness to his parents.
He is pointed out with fingers for that.
So Allah the Exalted says, addressing him:
O Yahya, take the Book with determination.
And We gave him wisdom while he was a child.
And affection from Us and purity, and he was devout.
And dutiful to his parents, and he was not a tyrant or disobedient.
And peace be upon him the day he was born and the day he dies and the day he is raised alive.
The story of our master Jesus, son of Mary, upon him be prayers and peace.
An extraordinary story.
And the turn of our master Jesus comes.
And he is the last of the messengers before our Prophet Muhammad, the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace.
It is a story in which God's compelling will, absolute power, and precise wisdom were manifested.
For his entire affair is extraordinary, and his birth is extraordinary.
Intellects were confused by it, and natural laws were superseded in it.
Belief and faith in it were difficult for those who believed in natural laws.
As a god that does not cease and does not change.
And believed in experimentation, observation, and the laws of medicine and nature.
As a law that does not change and does not alter.
And were ignorant of God's power which encompassed everything.
And prevailed over everything.
And His will which nothing stands in the way of.
His command is only when He intends a thing that He says to it, 'Be,' and it is.
And this faith was easy for those who believed in God as a capable and willing deity.
A Creator, a Maker.
He is God, the Creator, the Inventor, the Shaper.
To Him belong the most beautiful names.
Whatever is in the heavens and the earth glorifies Him.
And He is the All-Mighty, the All-Wise.
And they believed in the creation of Adam from water and clay.
And without a mother or a father.
And a birth without a father is easier and simpler.
Easier and simpler to believe than a birth without a mother or a father.
And for that, God Almighty says:
Indeed, the example of Jesus to God is like that of Adam.
He created him from dust, then said to him, 'Be,' and he was.
His entire affair is wondrous.
And the entire affair of our master Jesus is a marvel.
His birth took place in an era when the Greeks had reached their peak in intellectual and mathematical sciences.
Medicine had both influence and dominance.
The submission of the Jews to apparent causes.
And the Jews, who were a nation with many prophets among them, submitted to the prevailing sciences of their time.
The denial of the spirit and whatever relates to it became widespread among them.
And they were accustomed to interpreting everything they saw with a materialistic interpretation.
For nothing existed for them, and no event was possible, except by cause and effect.
So the miracles with which God honored our master Jesus were,
A remedy for the narrow materialistic mind, a need of the era, and a call of the time.
The Jews persisted in stopping at the surface and clinging to the shells without the core.
They held onto appearances instead of the truth.
They went to extremes in sanctifying lineage and blood.
And in the love of money and material things.
They became excessively immersed in life, and their hearts hardened.
And their natures became dry.
They do not have mercy for the weak, nor do they show compassion to the poor.
And they treat those in whose veins the Israelite blood does not flow,
As they treat animals, dogs, or inanimate objects that have no soul.
They submit to the strong and the wealthy.
And they act arrogantly toward the small and the poor.
They are harsh when they have power, and submissive when they are powerless.
A life of humiliation and servitude, which they lived under Roman rule, was born within them.
Which lasted for a long time in Syria and Palestine.
Hypocrisy, submissiveness, deceit, and cunning.
And resorting to conspiracy and secrecy.
Contempt and rebellion.
And there was born in them contempt for the prophets and audacity against them,
even to the point of killing, dealing in usury, and tampering with religious teachings.
Harshness and callousness,
and a weakness of human emotion,
and the hearts of many of them were stripped of pure love for God and mercy for mankind,
regardless of their origin or background, and respect for humanity.
They nearly forgot the meanings of solace and equality,
and righteousness and generosity.
They used to believe in prophecies and messages,
and prophets were numerous among them,
and their scriptures were full of their stories.
But in later times, they became,
believing only in what aligned with their desires,
and supported them in their conduct and character.
As for those who criticized them and held them accountable,
and called them to the true religion and clear truth,
and to the correction of their state,
they opposed him and fought him.
They had the audacity to lie and slander,
and to conceal the truth and give false testimony.
God's favor upon the Children of Israel.
They were a nation distinguished from contemporary nations in every era by the creed of monotheism.
And that is the secret of their preference over others.
And God Almighty said,
O Children of Israel, remember My favor which I have bestowed upon you and that I preferred you over the worlds.
Ingratitude for favor.
But there seeped into them, due to interaction and proximity to pagan polytheistic peoples,
and due to the long passage of time away from the teachings of the prophets, false beliefs and ignorant customs.
They worshipped the calf in Egypt and exaggerated in the sanctification and glorification of Uzair,
until they crossed with him the limits of humanity.
Their insolence reached the point of attributing some acts of polytheism and idolatry
and acts of sorcery, disbelief, and heinous deeds to some of the prophets
and they did not fear God regarding them
Arrogance and vanity
Despite all that, they were very proud of their lineage
heavily reliant on wishes and dreams
They say we are the children of God and His beloved
and they say the Fire will not touch us except for a few numbered days
The birth of the Messiah challenges what is known and tangible
The birth of the Messiah, his life, his call, and his living
was a challenge to all of that
a challenge to the established tangible
a challenge to the common norms
and the followed customs
and the established laws
and the high ideals that the Jews believe in
and the customs they compete over
and fight over
So he was born in an unusual way
and he spoke to people in the cradle
and he grew up in the embrace of a poor, devout mother
and lived in an atmosphere full of slander and disparagement
far from the manifestations of greatness and wealth
He sits with the poor, eats with them, feels for them, and comforts the weak and the strangers
and he does not differentiate between poor and rich, ruler and ruled, noble and commoner
The miracles of the Messiah
And God honored him with prophethood and revelation and gave him the Gospel
and supported him with the Holy Spirit and dazzling miracles
Through him, God heals the sick whom doctors were unable to treat
and he heals the blind and the leper and revives the dead by the permission of God
And he creates for the people from clay like the form of a bird,
he blows into it, and it becomes a bird by the permission of Allah,
and he tells them what they eat and what they store in their houses,
reinstating with all of that the trust in what came in the Torah of news of the miracles of the messengers,
and news of the divine power,
and renewing the faith in them,
and refuting the worship of sense and experience.
So those who deny the extent of the divine power and the strength of the divine will stood up,
and decided that there is no new thing and no addition to what they knew and witnessed.
His call to the religion and his refuting of the Jews,
and he refuted the Jews in much of what they imagined and exaggerated in,
and they forbade what Allah made lawful, and made lawful what Allah forbade.
He calls them to the spirit of religion, its essence, its origin, and its truth,
and the love for Allah with a love that overcomes every love, and mercy for humanity, respecting it, and consolation for the poor,
he calls them to pure monotheism and the rejection of everything that entered the religion of the prophets from ignorant customs and false beliefs.
And all of that was hard upon the Jews, and they waged war against him,
and they attacked him as one man, and pelted him with accusations and missiles,
and they treated him with ugly insults and vulgar speech,
and they treated his mother, Maryam the Virgin, with slander and defamation,
and they opposed him and chased him,
and they incited the rabble against him and blocked the paths in his face.
The story of Isa in the Quran,
then they wanted to kill him and get rid of him,
so Allah protected him and returned their plot against them,
and raised him to Himself and honored him.
Read his story in the Quran:
When the angels said, O Mary, indeed Allah gives you glad tidings of a word from Him, his name is the Messiah, Isa, the son of Mary,
honored in this world and the Hereafter and among those brought near,
and he will speak to the people in the cradle and in maturity and will be among the righteous.
She said, My Lord, how will I have a child when no man has touched me?
He said, 'Thus does Allah create what He wills.'
When He decrees a matter, He only says to it, 'Be,' and it is.
And He will teach him the Scripture and wisdom and the Torah and the Gospel
And [will make him] a messenger to the Children of Israel, [saying], 'Indeed I have come to you with a sign from your Lord in that I design for you from clay [that which is] like the form of a bird'
So I blow into it and it becomes a bird by the permission of Allah, and I heal the blind and the leper, and I bring the dead to life by the permission of Allah.
And I inform you of what you eat and what you store in your houses; indeed, in that is a sign for you, if you are believers.
And confirming what is before me of the Torah, and to make lawful for you some of that which was forbidden to you, and I have come to you with a sign from your Lord, so fear Allah and obey me.
Indeed, Allah is my Lord and your Lord, so worship Him. This is a straight path.
When Jesus sensed disbelief from them, he said, "Who are my helpers toward God?"
The disciples said, "We are the helpers of God; we have believed in God, and bear witness that we are Muslims."
Our Lord, we have believed in what You revealed and have followed the messenger, so register us among the witnesses.
And they planned, and Allah planned, and Allah is the best of planners.
When Allah said, 'O Jesus, indeed I will take you and raise you to Myself and purify you from those who disbelieve and make those who follow you [in submission to Allah alone] superior to those who disbelieve until the Day of Resurrection.
Then to Me is your return, and I will judge between you concerning that over which you used to differ.'
As for those who disbelieved, I will punish them with a severe punishment in this world and the Hereafter, and they will have no helpers.
But as for those who believed and did righteous deeds, He will give them their rewards in full; and Allah does not love the wrongdoers.
That is what We recite to you of the verses and the wise Reminder.
Indeed, the example of Jesus to Allah is like that of Adam; He created him from dust; then He said to him, 'Be,' and he was.
The truth is from your Lord, so do not be among the doubters.
His biography and his call in the Quran.
And they read His description, Exalted be He, of his biography and his mission in His saying:
He said, 'Indeed, I am the servant of Allah. He has given me the Scripture and made me a prophet.'
And He has made me blessed wherever I am, and He has enjoined upon me prayer and zakah as long as I remain alive.
And [He made me] dutiful to my mother, and He has not made me a tyrant, miserable.
And peace be upon me the day I was born, and the day I die, and the day I am raised alive.
An ancient conflict.
And what happened to the prophets before him happened to our master Jesus.
So the leaders and chiefs moved away from him, and the rich and powerful abandoned him.
And they saw in believing in him and following him a disgrace and a flaw.
And it was difficult for them to relinquish what they held in terms of leadership, prominence, privilege, and sovereignty.
And true is the saying of God Almighty: 'And We did not send any warner to a township, but those who were given the worldly wealth and luxury among them said, "We are disbelievers in that which you have been sent with." And they said, "We are more in wealth and in children, and we shall not be punished."'
The faith of the common people and the poor
And when Jesus despaired of them and witnessed their stubbornness and disbelief
And he saw that they had denied the clear signs and brilliant miracles that he had brought, which their own souls had verified, and they belittled them because he was not a man of power and authority, he turned to the common people and their poor
For their hearts had softened and their souls were pure, because they eat by the toil of their hands and the sweat of their brows; they do not boast of lineage, nor do they act arrogantly with status and position
So a group of them believed, among whom were the fullers, the fishermen, and the people of crafts and trades
We are the helpers of God
So they believed in the Messiah, gathered around him, placed their hands in his, and said, 'We are the helpers of God.'
God Almighty says: 'When Jesus felt from them disbelief, he said, "Who are my helpers for the sake of God?"'
The disciples said, 'We are the helpers of God. We have believed in God, and bear witness that we are Muslims.'
'Our Lord, we have believed in what You revealed and have followed the messenger, so register us among the witnesses.'
His travels and his call
And our master Jesus used to spend most of his time traveling and moving
From place to place
Calling the Children of Israel to God
And guiding their stray sheep to their Lord and Master
And in these tours and journeys, he experienced ease and hardship, and distress and prosperity
And he endured that with patience and accepted this with gratitude, and he would persevere through hunger and make do with what sustains life
The disciples request the heavenly banquet
As for the disciples, they were not of his level in patience, endurance, asceticism, and abstinence
And something of that befell them
So they asked our master Jesus to pray to God to send down to them a banquet from heaven
That they might eat from it and be satisfied after hunger, and find comfort after hardship
Poor manners
And they were not polite in their request
So they said, 'Is your Lord able to send down for us a banquet from heaven?'
And the question did not please Jesus
And he disliked the style in which they addressed him
And all the prophets demand of their nation belief in the unseen
And they enjoin it upon them
And miracles are not magic tricks used to amuse children,
And with which the ignorant are distracted.
They are merely signs from Allah, which He manifests at the hands of His prophets whenever He wills.
And through them, the proof of Allah is established against His servants.
So they are given no respite after their manifestation and denial.
Warning his people of the evil outcome.
Therefore, our master Jesus feared for them,
And warned them of the evil outcome,
And forbade them from testing Allah the Almighty.
For He is higher and more glorious than that.
Persistence and insistence.
But the disciples clung to their request,
And mentioned that they were serious about this question,
They do not intend a test,
They only want reassurance,
So that it may be a remembrance for the coming generations,
And a story to be told and recounted throughout the days,
So that it becomes proof of the truthfulness of this religion,
And the status of the first believers and the truthful disciples.
The Quran tells the story,
So let the Quran tell this story.
When the disciples said: O Jesus, son of Mary,
Is your Lord able to send down to us a table from the sky?
He said: Fear Allah if you are believers.
They said: We want to eat from it and for our hearts to be reassured, and to know that you have told us the truth, and to be among the witnesses to it.
Jesus, son of Mary, said: O Allah, our Lord, send down to us a table from the sky, to be for us a festival for our first and last, and a sign from You, and provide for us, for You are the best of providers.
Allah said: I will send it down to you, but whoever among you disbelieves after that, I will punish him with a punishment I will not inflict upon anyone from the worlds.
The Jews are trying to get rid of our master Jesus,
The patience of the Jews was exhausted, and the cup of their hostility and stubbornness overflowed,
So they wanted to get rid of our master Jesus.
So they raised his case to the Roman ruler and said
That he is a rebellious, anarchist man who has abandoned our religion
And he has captivated our youth so they have been infatuated with him and divided our affairs
And he has mocked our dreams and preoccupied our minds
The style of the resentful and the politicians
And he is a danger to the state; he does not submit to a system, nor is he bound by a law, nor does he exalt anyone great, nor does he sanctify anything ancient
And he is a revolutionary man; if his evil is not restrained, it will escalate, and no spark should be considered small, no matter how trivial it is
Cunning and deceit
And it was speech filled with cunning and deceit, dyed with a political hue
And they knew that the religious aspect would not provoke the rulers nor agitate them
For it was their policy not to interfere in the religious affairs of the Jews
Therefore, they mixed the speech with politics
A problem
And it was difficult for the foreign, polytheistic rulers to verify the truth of the matter
With administrative matters
But the insistence of the Jews intensified and their repeated coming lasted long
So they wanted to get rid of this case that had become the talk of the town
Our master Christ in the court
And that was on Friday afternoon, the night before the Sabbath
And the Jews would do no work on the Sabbath day
And it was a day of rest and abstinence from work
So they were very keen that the verdict be issued before sunset on Friday
And to rest from the affair of Christ
So they would sleep with peace of mind and wake up feeling at ease, with nothing to disturb them
And the ruler had grown weary of the case
And he had no desire in it, nor was there any interest for his nation in it
And the Jews had gathered to hear the verdict
They were between shouting, cheering, mocking, and ridiculing
And the ruler was annoyed and time was short
And the sun had tilted towards sunset
So he issued the verdict of death by crucifixion against him
Criminal law in that era
And the criminal law in that era required the one sentenced to crucifixion to carry his own cross upon which he would be crucified
The place of crucifixion was far away as was the custom in civilized lands
The crowd was dense with people tumbling over one another
The police officers, most of whom were foreigners, were appointed officials with no personal interest in this case
The Israelites seemed alike to them and they found it difficult to distinguish them
They could not tell them apart, as is the way of foreigners in the eyes of foreigners
It was evening and darkness had already stretched its curtain
Some of the Jews and the foolish, enthusiastic youth
Were descending upon the Lord Christ and pushing against him
They were insulting him, mocking him, and wanting to harm and humiliate him
Jesus endured the harm
The Lord Christ was weary, exhausted by the exertion, the long time standing in court, and enduring the harm, and the cross was heavy and he had been tasked to carry it so he could not walk quickly
Divine providence
Here, the policeman assigned to him ordered an Israelite youth to carry the wood, and he was the most enthusiastic of his peers, the most foolish of them, and the most eager to harm the Lord Christ
As an initiative on his part so that the matter would end quickly and he could get rid of this burdensome responsibility
But it was made to appear so to them
And so the procession reached the gate of the crucifixion site
The officer of the crucifixion site stepped forward and received the order from the civil police
They saw the youth carrying the cross
The situation became confused and chaotic, and the noise grew louder
He took the hand of the youth carrying the cross
He had no doubt that he was the one sentenced to crucifixion
He was shouting, crying out, and declaring his innocence, and that he had nothing to do with the verdict or the crucifixion
And that he was forced to carry the wood under duress and injustice, but the crucifixion site police paid no attention to that
And they did not understand his language because they were from Rome and Greece, the ruling nation
Executing a sentence
Every criminal tries to evade their crime, and every criminal has shouting and wailing
They took him and executed the sentence upon him
And the Jews were standing at a distance
And the world was night and darkness
And they thought with every certainty that the crucified one was the Messiah
Jesus was raised to heaven
As for our master Jesus, son of Mary
God Almighty saved him from the plot of the Jews
And He raised him unto Himself, honored and purified from those who disbelieved
The Quran speaks about the story
And that is His saying, the Almighty, as He speaks about the Jews
And for their disbelief and their statement against Mary as a great falsehood
And their saying, 'Indeed, we killed the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, the Messenger of God'
But they did not kill him, nor did they crucify him; but it was made to appear so to them. And indeed, those who differ over it are in doubt about it. They have no knowledge of it except the following of assumption. And they did not kill him, for certain
Rather, God raised him to Himself. And God is Exalted in Might, Wise
And he is in heaven as God Almighty wills, and He is capable of all things
His birth was a wonder, his life was a wonder, and his affair from its beginning to its end was a wonder
Extraordinary, proving the absolute divine power
The descent of Jesus at the Resurrection
And he will descend from heaven when God wills it
And he will establish the argument against those who were negligent regarding him and those who were extreme
From among the Jews and the Christians
And he will support the truth and suppress the people of falsehood
Just as our Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, informed us
And authentic reports and continuous hadiths have come regarding it
And Muslims have believed in it in every age
And God Almighty has spoken the truth
And there is none from the People of the Scripture but that he will surely believe in him before his death
And on the Day of Resurrection, he will be a witness against them
His glad tidings of the mission of our master Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him
And our master the Messiah did not complete his mission in the call
Due to the intensity of the Jews' fighting and their plotting against him
and his weakness and the scarcity of his supporters
so he bid farewell to the people and complied with the command of his Lord
and gave glad tidings to the people of a messenger who would come after him
to complete what he had begun and universalize what he had specialized
and through him, God's favor is completed upon His servants
and His proof is established against His creation
And when Jesus, son of Mary, said: O Children of Israel
Indeed, I am the Messenger of God to you
confirming what came before me of the Torah
and bringing good news of a messenger who will come after me, whose name is Ahmad
from pure monotheism to a mysterious creed
and among the strange things in the history of religions
and what causes the eye to tear and hearts to melt
is that the call of Christ for pure monotheism and the easy, palatable religion
far from all ambiguity, complexity, superstition, and far-fetched interpretation
the call to worship God alone and ask of Him
and to turn to Him and purely love Him, turned into a mysterious creed and complex philosophy
so his followers exaggerated about him and praised him in a way that took him out of the boundaries of humanity
to the boundaries of divinity
they said: Christ is the son of God
and they said: God has taken a son
and they said: God is the Christ, son of Mary
and they made of the One, the Eternal God
who neither begets nor is born
a family composed of three members
all of whom are God
so they said: The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit
and they believed in Mary, the mother of Christ
and they treated her in a way that reached the level of sanctification and worship
so they said: The Mother of God
Statues and images of her became widespread in the churches
Christians submit to her through seeking refuge, supplication, making vows, and bowing
God Almighty said, denouncing what they believed and condemning what they did
The Messiah, son of Mary, is no more than a messenger; messengers have passed away before him
And his mother was a woman of truth; they both used to eat food
See how We explain the verses to them, then see how they are deluded
Say, 'Do you worship besides God that which has no power to harm or benefit you?'
And God is the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing
Jesus calls to the worship of God alone
He has called, like other prophets, to the worship of God alone
So it came from his words in the Gospel
'It is written: You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only shall you serve'
And his saying: 'It is written: You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only shall you serve'
God Almighty has said
Because you have been teaching the Book and because you have been studying it
And he would not command you to take the angels and the prophets as lords
Would he command you to disbelieve after you have submitted [to God]?
The Quran clarifies Jesus' message
The Quran, which is the Book confirming what came before it and a guardian over it, has conveyed
The declaration of our master Jesus of pure monotheism and the call to it
In a clear, explicit style to which nothing can be added
They have certainly disbelieved who say, 'God is the Messiah, the son of Mary'
And the Messiah said, 'O Children of Israel, worship God, my Lord and your Lord'
Indeed, he who associates others with God, God has forbidden him Paradise, and his abode is the Fire. And for the wrongdoers there are no helpers
The status of monotheism in his message
And he spoke in a beautiful, eloquent style appreciated by everyone who knows the status of monotheism and the biography of the prophets and messengers
And the nature they were imprinted with of knowing God Almighty, submitting to Him, and fearing Him
The Messiah will never disdain to be a servant to God
Nor will the angels near [to Him]
And whoever disdains His worship and is arrogant, He will gather them to Himself all together
As for those who believed and did righteous deeds, He will pay them their rewards in full and increase them from His bounty.
But as for those who were disdainful and arrogant, He will punish them with a painful punishment.
And they will not find for themselves, besides Allah, any protector or helper.
A magnificent scene from the scenes of the Resurrection.
The Quran has depicted, in its eloquence and miraculous nature,
A scene from the magnificent scenes of the Resurrection.
In which our master Jesus disavows what people say about him
And how they treated him regarding it.
And he clarifies his message with strength and honesty.
And he condemns, in this matter, those who hold extreme views from his nation.
And that they are the only ones responsible for this crime.
Read the Quran and sense the majesty of the situation and the splendor of the scene.
And when Allah said, 'O Jesus, son of Mary,'
'Did you say to the people, "Take me and my mother as two deities instead of Allah?"'
He said, 'Exalted are You! It was not for me to say that to which I have no right.'
'If I had said it, You would have known it.'
'You know what is within myself, and I do not know what is within Yourself. Indeed, it is You who is the Knower of the unseen.'
'I did not say to them except what You commanded me: "Worship Allah, my Lord and your Lord." And I was a witness over them as long as I was among them.'
'But when You took me up, You were the Observer over them, and You are, over all things, Witness.'
'If You should punish them - indeed they are Your servants; but if You forgive them - indeed it is You who is the Exalted in Might, the Wise.'
Allah said, 'This is the Day when the truthful will benefit from their truthfulness. For them are gardens [in Paradise] beneath which rivers flow, wherein they will abide forever.'
Allah is pleased with them, and they are pleased with Him. That is the great attainment.
To Allah belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth and whatever is within them, and He is over all things competent.
From an obscure creed to blatant paganism.
The advocates of Christianity moved to Europe based on their own motivation.
And blatant paganism had spread among them for a long time, and they were submerged in it up to their chins.
The Greeks were pagans, and they had imagined the attributes of God in the form of various deities.
They carved statues for them and built temples and shrines for them.
So for sustenance there is a god, for mercy a god, and for subjugation a god.
The Roman civilization was deeply rooted in paganism and adherence to superstitions.
And paganism had blended into their flesh and blood
And it ran through them like soul and blood
The Romans used to worship various gods
When Christianity reached them and Constantine the Great became a Christian in 306 AD
And he embraced the new religion, adopted it, and made it the official religion of the state
Christianity began to take much from pagan beliefs, Roman traditions, and Greek philosophy
And it drew closer to them little by little
And it began to lose its prophetic authenticity, its Eastern simplicity, and its monotheistic fervor
Some hypocrites entered it and flavored it with their old beliefs and pagan taste
And from that emerged a new religion in which Christianity and paganism appear equally
Thus, the encroaching, conquering Christianity went on a path other than the one Christ took it on
And invited to it
It was like a traveler on a road who strays from the path
Intentionally or unintentionally in the darkness of the night
So he continues his journey on a road that does not meet the first road in the end
And for this precise wisdom
Which no one knows except those who read the history of this religion
God described them as being astray when He described the Jews as those who incurred [His] wrath
So He said, on the tongue of the Muslims
Guide us to the straight path
The path of those upon whom You have bestowed favor, not of those who have evoked [Your] anger or of those who are astray
And there was in that a tragedy for Europe and a tragedy for humanity
Which Europe led for a long time
And it is still dominating and controlling it
And to God belongs the command before and after
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