Transcription
Many years ago, during ancient Egypt, the Pharaohs who ruled over Egypt were very cruel towards the descendants of Yakub, peace be upon Him. The descendants were known as the Bani Israel, or children of Israel, both meaning the same thing. They were kept as slaves and forced to work for small wages, and sometimes even for nothing. The Pharaoh wanted the Israelites to obey only him and worship only his Gods.
As time passed, a new Pharaoh took over. He hated the Israelites very much. He punished the Israelites at every given opportunity. He hated to see them multiplying and prospering in his kingdom.
One night, when the Pharaoh was sleeping, he had a dream. In his dream, he saw that a huge ball of fire came from the sky and burned down the city. The fire burned the houses of all Egyptians, but the houses of the Israelites stayed unharmed. Pharaoh was horrified. He didn't understand what the dream meant, so the next day he called his priests and magicians. He asked them about the dream he had. The priests said to him, "This means that a boy will be born to the Israelites very soon. Egyptians are going to perish at the hands of this boy."
The Pharaoh got very angry. He ordered to kill every male child born to the Israelites. Pharaoh's order was carried out, and the soldiers began to kill every male child born to the Israelites.
It was during that time that Prophet Musa, peace be upon him, was born. The prophet was born to a poor family. He had an elder brother named Haron, peace be upon him, and another sister. When Musa was born, his mother feared and did not know what to do, as she knew if they found the baby, they would kill him. However, Allah had a plan for the future prophet. He ordered his mother to place him in a basket and allow it to float downstream in the great Nile River.
Musa's mother did as she was told, and as she let him float in the river, her heart grieved for her son. However, she was aware that Allah cared for her son and she knew that no harm would come to him. As the basket floated away, she asked her daughter to follow the basket downstream and make sure that no harm came to her son.
The basket floated in the river for a long time. Allah was guiding the basket, and after floating on River Nile for some time, the basket entered a small stream. The Pharaoh's wife was bathing in that stream, and when she saw the basket, she asked her servants to bring it ashore. When she saw the baby, she fell in love with him. Pharaoh's wife was very different from the Pharaoh. She was a believer and she was also merciful. She was longing for a child, so when she saw the baby, she hugged and kissed him.
Pharaoh was surprised when he saw his wife hugging and kissing the baby. He was astonished as he saw her weeping with joy, which he had never seen before. "Let me keep this baby and let him be a son to us," she requested her husband. Pharaoh couldn't refuse her, and they decided to adopt the baby.
After some time, the baby started getting hungry and he started crying. The queen summoned a few nurses to feed the baby, but he refused to take any of their breast milk. It was then that the soldiers brought the sister to the queen. This girl was following the basket. Then the sister replied, "I was just following the basket out of curiosity, your highness." When she saw her brother crying, she was worried and she blurted out, "I know someone who can feed him." The queen agreed and she ordered the soldiers to fetch the woman that the little girl was talking about. The prophet's sister then brought their mother, and she started to feed him. As the child was put to her breast, he immediately started suckling the milk.
Pharaoh, who was watching all this, was astonished and asked, "Who are you? This child has refused to take any other breast but yours." The mother of the Prophet knew that if she told them the truth, they would kill them immediately, so she told them, "I am a woman of sweet milk and sweet smell, that's why no child refuses me." Her answer satisfied the Pharaoh, and she was appointed as his nurse.
Musa, peace be upon Him, grew up in the palace as a prince. Allah granted him good health, strength, knowledge, and wisdom. He had a kind heart, so the weak and the oppressed often turned to him seeking help.
One day, while he was walking in the city, he saw an Egyptian soldier beating an Israelite. When the Israelite saw the prophet, he begged him for his help. The prophet decided to help the poor man and asked the soldier to stop beating the Israelite. The soldier questioned his authority and said something that really angered the Prophet. The Prophet first tried to reason with the soldier, but he was not willing to listen. Then the prophet stepped forward and hit the soldier with such a powerful blow that he collapsed and died.
When he realized what he had done, a cold sweat broke out from his forehead. He said to himself, "This is the evil work of Shayan. He misled me." The prophet knew that it was a sin to kill anyone. He knelt on the ground and prayed to Allah, "Oh my Lord, I have indeed wronged my soul. Please forgive me."
The next day, he saw the same Israelite fighting with another man. The prophet helped the weaker one and said, "You seem to be involved in fights every day with one or the other." The Israelite got scared and said, "I'm so sorry, please don't kill me like how you killed the soldier yesterday." The Egyptian with whom the Israelite was fighting overheard the remarks and he reported this to the authorities.
The next day, when Musa was walking in the city, a man came running to him. "Musa, the soldiers are coming to arrest you. Get away while there is still time," said the man. The prophet knew that the penalty for killing an Egyptian was death, so he decided to leave Egypt. The prophet left Egypt in a hurry, so he didn't even bother to change his clothes. He was not prepared for traveling, so he didn't have an animal to ride, nor did he have a caravan. He left as soon as the man warned him.
Prophet Musa wandered in the desert for many days and nights. He traveled in the direction of Midian, which was a nearby region near Egypt. His only companion in the desert was Allah, and his only provision was piety. The hot sand burned the soles of his feet, but fearing pursuit by the soldiers, he forced himself to keep walking. Like this, he walked for eight days and nights.
The prophet finally managed to cross the desert and he reached the outskirts of Midian. After walking for some more time, he decided to rest under a tree to rest for some time. As he caught his breath, he noticed two women standing aside with their sheep. They were standing far away, hesitant to approach the crowd. The prophet sensed that the women needed help, so being a man of honor, he ignored his thirst and went to them. "Can I help you in any way? Why are you standing aside?" he asked them.
Then the older sister replied, "We are waiting until the men finish watering their sheep." "Why are you waiting?" he asked them again. "We are helpless," they said. "Our father is very old and he doesn't have the strength to face this crowd. If we go forward, these strong men will push us aside. So when these people are finished, then we take our animals to the water. It's our daily routine," they explained.
The prophet took the women's sheep to the water hole, where he easily pushed in amongst the men. When he approached the water, he saw that the shepherds had put a large rock to cover the well. The prophet single-handedly lifted the rock and he let the animals drink. The people standing there were a-struck when they saw him lifting the stone with just one hand. He then returned to sit in the shade of the tree. That's when he realized that he had forgotten to drink. "Oh Lord, whatever good you can bestow on me, I am surely in need of it now."
When the daughters returned home earlier than usual, their father was surprised. The daughters then explained what happened at the oasis and why they reached early. Their father wanted to thank the stranger, so he sent one of his daughters to invite the stranger to his home. One of the daughters returned to the prophet and told him, "My father wants to reward you for your kindness and he invites you to our home." He agreed and accompanied the daughter to her father.
When they reached the house, the prophet introduced himself and told him the story of his life. He then told them why he had to flee from Egypt. The old man comforted him, "Be grateful to Allah that you have managed to escape from those tyrants. You do not need to be afraid now." The old man and his daughters really liked the gentle behavior of the Prophet. They invited him to stay with them for a few days, and the prophet was more than happy to accept their invitation.
The hosts soon realized that the prophet was a trustworthy man. One day, the old man approached him and said, "I wish to marry you to one of my daughters." The prophet was happy to hear this, but on one condition. "You must agree to work for me for a period of 8 years," he said. The prophet was a stranger in a strange land, exhausted and alone. This offer suited him very much. He married one of the daughters and looked after his animals for 10 long years.
Time passed, and he stayed far away from his family and his people. This period of 10 years was very important for the prophet. It was a time for major preparation for his next move. Then completed 10 years of service as he had promised, and one day suddenly he was overcome by homesickness. He started missing his family in the land of Egypt. He desperately wanted to return to Egypt. That night he went to his wife and said, "We shall leave for Egypt tomorrow." His wife agreed, and they started packing their belongings.
Musa left Midian with his family and traveled through the desert. They traveled for many days and finally reached near Mount Si. "I think we have lost our way," said the Prophet. The Prophet was confused, so he decided to camp there for the night. He then left searching for firewood to light up a fire. He kept searching and reached Mount T. As he walked, he noticed a fire burning on the top of the mountain. Musa walked towards the fire, and as he did, he heard a voice, "Oh Musa, I am Allah, the Lord of the universe," said the voice.
The prophet realized that it was indeed God talking to him, and so he walked towards the fire. God then revealed to him that he had been chosen for a special mission and asked him to follow his instructions. "And what is it in your right hands?" Allah asked him. "This is my staff on which I lean and with which I beat down the branches for my sheep." "Throw down your staff," the voice commanded. The prophet threw down his staff, which then turned into a wriggling snake. Musa was frightened and he started to run, but the voice said, "Fear not and grasp your stick. We shall return it to its former state."
The prophet was terrified of the snake. He then trusted the voice and placed his hand over the snake. It immediately transformed back into his staff again. The fear of Musa subsided and was replaced by peace, as he realized that he was indeed talking to God. Allah then commanded him to go to Egypt and face the Pharaoh. He told him that the Pharaoh had become arrogant and was suppressing the Israelites.
Musa feared that he would be arrested if he returned to Egypt, so he said, "Oh Allah, I have killed a man among them and I fear they will kill me." Then Allah comforted him by saying, "Go and deliver this message to them. Show them the path of the truth. Take your brother Haron to assist you. They will not be able to harm you at all." Allah assured him of his safety, and the prophet was convinced.
The prophet then took his family and set off in the direction of Egypt. They walked for many days and finally they arrived in Egypt. When they reached outside the city, his brother Harun, peace be upon him, was waiting for him. Haron was a prophet as well. He had received a vision from God, and in the vision, he had seen that his younger brother would soon arrive to set the Israelites free. When Musa realized that this was his brother, he was in tears of joy. Then both of them walked toward the palace.
The prophet had not been to Egypt for many years, and he knew that his life was in danger. Nothing could have brought him back except the command of Allah. Musa now stood in front of the Pharaoh along with his brother. The prophet spoke to the Pharaoh about Allah and his Mercy, but the Pharaoh refused to listen because he considered himself as a God. He listened to the prophet's speech with disdain. He thought the prophet was crazy to question his supreme position.
After the prophet finished delivering Allah's message, Pharaoh raised his hand and asked, "What do you want?" "I want you to send the children of Israel with us," answered the prophet. "The Israelites are my slaves. Why should I send them with you?" Pharaoh replied. "They are not your slaves, they are the slaves of Allah." This answer angered the Pharaoh. "Are you not Musa?" the prophet shook his head and answered, "Yes." "We picked you up from River Nile and brought you up, didn't we?" asked the Pharaoh. "Are you not Musa who killed an Egyptian man? You are a fugitive of justice, and how dare you come and speak to me?"
The prophet ignored his sarcasm and explained that he killed the Egyptian in an accident. It was never deliberate. He then informed the Pharaoh that Allah had granted him forgiveness and that he was now one of his messengers. The Pharaoh asked Musa to show a sign to prove that he was the messenger of God. The prophet threw his stick to the floor, and it turned into a serpent. It started slithering and sliding along the floor. The Pharaoh was terrified at first, but he tried hard not to show it.
Pharaoh laughed arrogantly and said, "We have many sorcerers in our kingdom who can match your magic." The Pharaoh detained the prophet and his brother at the palace. He then summoned all the magicians in his kingdom to the palace. The Pharaoh promised huge rewards to them if their magic was found better than the prophet's. The magicians threw their sticks and ropes, and suddenly the ground floor was flooded with a sea of serpents. The crowd was amazed when they saw this and they thought the prophet was never going to beat such powerful magic. Musa was afraid too, but he knew that God was on his side.
The prophet threw his stick to the floor, and suddenly it transformed into a huge serpent. The serpent then ate all the other small ones lying on the ground. When the crowd saw this, they cheered for the Prophet. The magicians were surprised as well. They knew that this was not just a trick and that the serpent was real. They realized that Musa was not just a magician or a sorcerer. The magicians knew that Musa's power came from something greater, so they fell on their knees seeking forgiveness from Allah.
Allah forgave them, but the Pharaoh grew furious. "How can you believe in his God before I gave you my permission?" he asked them angrily. But the magicians replied, "Do what you wish, but we fear the punishment of Allah much more than you." Pharaoh was angry when he heard this. He now realized that he had a problem.
As the prophet kept asking him to free the Israelites, God commanded Musa to warn the Pharaoh that he and the Egyptians would suffer a severe punishment if the children of Israel were not set free. The prophet agreed and went to meet the Pharaoh again. He then made another demand to release the Israelites, but the Pharaoh refused.
It was then that God afflicted Egypt with a severe drought. Even the lush green and fertile valleys of the Nile began to wither and die. The crops failed, and the animals began to die. Even as the Egyptians suffered because of the famine, the Pharaoh refused to obey and he remained arrogant.
Then God sent a huge flood to devastate the land of Egypt. Villages were drowned, the crops were destroyed, and many Egyptians were killed. Then the people, including the chief ministers, appealed to Musa, "Oh Musa, please help us. We shall believe in you and your God if you remove this punishment from us. We shall let the children of Israel go with you." The prophet then prayed to God, and the land returned to normal. The land became fertile, and the crops grew again.
But the children of Israel were still enslaved. They were not allowed to leave. As promised, the prophet asked them to fulfill their promise, but they paid no attention to his request. They ignored him and walked away. He prayed to God again, and this time Allah sent plagues of locusts to Egypt. The locusts attacked the crops and swallowed everything in their path. The people rushed to the prophet begging for his help. The ministers promised to let go of the Israelites if he would send the locusts away. The prophet prayed to God again, and the locusts departed, but even now they didn't let the Israelites leave as they promised.
Once again, God then sent a plague of lice, spreading disease among the Egyptians. It was followed by a plague of frogs that harassed and terrified the people. The people rushed to the prophet begging to save them. Every time God sent his warnings and punishments, they promised to free the Israelites. Every time, but when God withdrew the punishments, they refused to let go of them.
Then the last sign, the sign of blood, was revealed. The water of the River Nile turned into blood. The water appeared normal when the Israelites drank from the river. However, if any Egyptian filled his cup with water, the water turned into blood. They hurried to the prophet as usual, and as soon as everything returned to normal, they turned their backs on Allah once again.
The Egyptians refused to believe in Allah despite the miracles that Musa performed. Finally, God withdrew his mercy and gave order for Musa to lead his people out of Egypt. The people carried their jewels and their other belongings with them. This mass migration was later known as Exodus.
The prophet led his people towards the Red Sea. By now, Pharaoh realized that the Israelites had left the city. He got really angry and he assembled an army to follow and capture the Israelites. By early morning, Musa and his followers had reached the Red Sea. In front of them was the Red Sea, and to their back was Pharaoh's army. Fear and panic began to spread through the people.
Musa, peace be upon Him, walked towards the edge of the Red Sea and looked out at the horizon. It was then a servant of Musa, peace be upon Him, turned to the prophet and asked, "In front of us is this impassable barrier, the sea, and our enemy is approaching from behind. Surely death cannot be avoided." But the prophet did not panic. He stood silently and waited for God to keep his promise to free the children of Israel.
At that moment, Allah commanded the prophet to strike the sea with his staff. Musa did as he was commanded, and a fierce wind began to blow. The sea began to swirl and spin, and suddenly the sea parted, revealing a path for Musa and his people to escape. It was a miracle. The prophet then led his people across the sea. As they ran, the waves stood like a mountain on each side. The prophet ensured that everyone crossed the sea safely.
When he looked back, he could see the Pharaoh and his men approaching. The Pharaoh and his army had seen this miracle as well, but the Pharaoh was a liar. He wanted to take the credit for this miracle, so he shouted to his men, "Look, the sea has opened at my command so that we may arrest them." They rushed across the parted waters, following the Israelites.
But when they reached midway, the water came crashing on them. Pharaoh realized that he was going to die. He shouted out of fear, "I believe that there is no God other than Allah, and I surrender to you." But it was too late. The waves fell on the Pharaoh and his men, and the waves carried his body to the shore. When the Egyptians saw his dead body, they realized that the man they had worshiped could not even escape his own death. They now knew that he was never a God. God had favored the children of Israel, and he led them safely out of Egypt.
The people kept traveling through the desert for days and days. They were walking with no destination, day and night, morning and evening. Eventually, they entered the Sin. The prophet realized that this was the place where he had spoken to God before his journey to Egypt. Musa, peace be upon Him, decided to climb the mountain, so he called his brother and asked him to take charge of the people while he was gone. But before climbing the mountain, God ordered the prophet to fast for 30 days. On the 30th day, God then asked the prophet to fast for 10 more days. After the fast was completed, Musa was ready to speak to the Lord once again. He then started climbing the mountain. The climb was long and difficult. Once he reached the top, God gave the special laws to govern the Israelites.
Musa had gone for 40 days, and the people grew restless, complaining and acting impulsively. Among them, there was a man named Samiri, who was more inclined towards evil. He suggested that they needed another guide and he told them that the prophet had deserted them. "In order to find true guidance, you need a true God," he shouted to the Israelites. "I shall provide you one." He started collecting all their jewelry. At first, then he dug a hole in the ground and created a fire. He then put all the jewelry together and melted it, which Samiri then made a golden calf. It was as if they had succeeded in making a god.
Haron, peace be upon him, was afraid to stand up to the people at first, but when he saw the idol, he spoke up. "You are committing a grave sin," he shouted to them. He warned them of the consequences for their actions. "We shall stop worshiping this God only when Musa returns," they replied. Those who remained true to their belief separated themselves from the idol worshippers. They stood along with Harun.
When Musa returned, he saw his people dancing around the idol. His heart was filled with shame and anger. He then rushed to Harun and cried, "What held you back when you saw them doing this? Why did you not fight them?" "Oh brother, I was afraid they would kill me," he replied. The prophet understood Harun's helplessness and he began to handle the situation calmly and wisely. He called Samiri and said, "Get away from here. You shall live the rest of your life alone." The prophet sent him to exile forever. He knew that God was going to punish them for worshipping the idol. "Rush towards Allah and repent for what you have done," he said to his people. He then started climbing Mount Si with the 70 elders.
Once they reached the top, the prophet asked the elders to wait for him, and he walked ahead. There he started communicating with God. The elders could hear Musa speaking with Allah, but they could not see him. The prophet returned after some time, and the elders told him, "Oh Musa, we shall never believe in you until we see Allah ourselves." Their stubborn demand was rewarded with punishing thunderbolts and an earthquake that killed all of them instantly.
The prophet was very sad. Now he wondered what he would say to the children of Israelites. Those 70 men were the best of the people. So he turned to God and prayed for forgiveness. Allah heard his prayers, and he raised the dead people back to life.
The children of Israel wandered in the desert for many years. The prophet suffered greatly because of the ignorance of his people. He suffered everything for the sake of his people. God never let them reach the promised land because of the sins committed by the Israelites. After a few years, while they were wandering in the desert, Prophet Harun passed away.
When the time of death for Musa arrived, the angel of death was sent to him. But when the angel came to the prophet, he slapped him on the eye. The angel returned to Lord and said, "You had sent me to a slave who didn't want to die." Then Allah said, "Return to him now. When you meet him, ask him to put his hand on the back of an ox. Tell him that for every hair that comes under his arm, he will be granted one year of life." The angel returned to the prophet and gave him Allah's message. "What will happen after that?" "Death," said the angel. "Then let it come now," replied the Prophet.
The Prophet then requested Allah to let him die close to the Holy Land so that he could at least see it from a distance. Allah granted his request, and he died shortly after. Prophet Musa, the one to whom Allah spoke directly, met his death with a contented soul and a faithful heart.
That is the end of the story. Comment down below your favorite part of the story. If you have enjoyed, drop a like and subscribe to not miss the next. See you in the next video. Take care, brothers and sisters.