He to Whom Allah Spoke – Fahmida Mehreen

In order to spread the knowledge and Deen of Islam, Allah sent many prophets to the mankind to guide them down the right path. Starting from Prophet Adam (PBUH) before time till Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) in 610 C.E., all the prophets and the associated books such as the Quran, Tawrat (Torah), Injil (Gospel), Zabur and Bible were revealed to different prophets at different timelines with the perspective of spreading Islam. However, the ideology of Islam did not get established till 610 C.E. after the final revelation of the holy book, the Quran, through Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).
Among the many prophets, besides Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), the other prophet who was extremely virtuous and holds a strong domicile in Islam is Prophet Musa (PBUH). He was the prophet, with whom Allah (SWT) has spoken. This is a fundamental reason as to why he is so highly acclaimed and worthy of who he is to the mankind. Besides this, he also possessed many potentials and merits which make him extraordinarily special and distinctive.
The Quran strikingly glorifies Prophet Musa (PHUB) in all aspects, starting from his physical traits, his personal mannerisms, his family and even his social life. In total, he is mentioned 169 by Allah in the Quran. It was for his indescribable goodness that Allah chose to spoke to him and promises him prophet-hood. As the Quran says:
“And mention in the Book, Moses. Indeed, he was chosen, and he was a messenger and a prophet.” [Al Quran; 19:51]
“And I produced you for Myself [O Moses].” [Al Quran; 20:41]
It is needless to say that such benevolence and divinity from Allah can only come in return of some of the resilient qualities that a man may possess. Among many qualities, below are some which has earned Prophet Musa (PBUH) the paramount of dignity and spirituality.

Putting trust solely in Allah:
Through all the trials and tribulations which the prophet had to encounter, which encompass homelessness, joblessness, friend and family-less life, and even sorcery of the Pharaoh, he put his full trust in Allah and believed in his protection. He was firm in his belief that Allah is his Guardian and shall protect him at all times. At a point in time, he assisted two women with politeness, expecting no favors in return from them unlike most married or unmarried men those days. Instead, he turned towards his closest Friend, Allah (SWT), and he withdrew under a tree to sincerely call to His Lord for help.
“So he watered [their flocks] for them; then he went back to the shade and said, “My Lord, indeed I am, for whatever good You would send down to me, in need.” [Al Quran; 28:24]
With such heartfelt and devoted demonstration of healthful trust, his Lord answered to his prayer without any delay:
“Then one of the two women came to him walking with shyness. She said, ‘Indeed, my father invites you that he may reward you for having watered for us.’ So when he came to him and related to him the story, he said, ‘Fear not. You have escaped from the wrongdoing people.’” [Al Quran; 28:25]

Wasting no time in turning to Allah:
Prophet Musa, like most of the other prophets, immediately turned to Allah for seeking guidance and help, for seeking forgiveness, and for seeking His Mercy. History, backed up with verses from the Holy Quran, tells that once a man from the slave-tribe of Bani Israel asked for help as a Coptic i.e. Pharaoh’s tribesman, quarreled with him on the street. In that instance, Musa (PBUH) hurried to defend him, when he accidentally killed the oppressive Coptic with an inadvertent hard knock in the chest. As soon as he realized what he had done, he repented gravely, sought forgiveness and swore future good conduct:
“He said, ‘My Lord, indeed I have wronged myself, so forgive me,’ and He forgave him. Indeed, He is the Forgiving, the Merciful. He said, ‘My Lord, for the favor You bestowed upon me, I will never be an assistant to the criminals.’” [Al Quran; 28:16-17]
Upon getting the news of his subsequent maltreatment by the Copts for this murder, he once again turned to Allah in solemn supplication, appealing for His true and sole guidance, as he secretly prepared to escape the town.
“So he left it, fearful and anticipating [apprehension]. He said, ‘My Lord, save me from the wrongdoing people.’ And when he directed himself toward Madyan, he said, ‘Perhaps my Lord will guide me to the sound way.’” [Al Quran; 28: 21-22]

Hastening to obey Allah:
Whenever Musa (PBUH) received a commandment from Allah, without further delay he hastened to act upon it. When Allah asked for Musa for a meeting on Mount T?r, he arrived earlier than the appointed time because he did not want to disappoint Allah by being late. As the Quran says:
“I hastened to You, O my Lord, so that You might be pleased.” [Al Quran; 20:84]

Helping the weak and oppressed selflessly:
Prophet Musa (PBUH) always stood for the helpless and the oppressed, considering that he knew exactly how it felt to be under oppression and helplessness. We all, more or less, know the story of Musa (PBUH) and realize how much he had to endure to stay alive, rest apart. As mentioned earlier, Musa (PBUH) had to run away from his town in order to save himself from Pharaoh’s men after he accidentally killed one of his men. His action was justified with his pure intention of saving an innocent life from the torturous men of Pharaoh. His quality of assisting people in need comes again under light when he enters a new town and finds two ladies in a predicament.
“And when he came to the well of Madyan, he found there a crowd of people watering [their flocks], and he found aside from them two women driving back [their flocks]. He said, ‘What is your circumstance?’ They said, ‘We do not water until the shepherds dispatch [their flocks]; and our father is an old man.’” [Al Quran; 28:23]
His empathetic characteristic, once again, made him help the girls resolve their issues once he witnessed them in trouble despite being on a run to save his own life. If that is not selflessness, then what is!
“So he watered [their flocks] for them; then he went back to the shade and said, ‘My Lord, indeed I am, for whatever good You would send down to me, in need.’” [Al Quran; 28:24]

Trustworthiness:
Prophet Musa (PBUH) was a man of high morals and indulgence and would never break one’s trust if put unto him. He was caring and supportive towards people. When in need and quandary, people sought help from him, which he attended tenderly with the help from Allah. He never let down people with distrust, betrayal, lies, or unfaithfulness. He always kept in his mind his devotion and dedication to towards the All-Supreme, and kept his feet down in the motion of attending to people’s smallest of the needs.
[Saying], “Render to me the servants of Allah. Indeed, I am to you a trustworthy messenger…” [Al Quran; 44:18]
There are countless goodness and virtues in Prophet Musa (PBUH). Had he not been exceptional, he would not be the chosen one to whom Allah spoke. That was among one of his definitive compensation or gift for his virtues. After testing his degree of sincerity and submission towards Allah, Allah chose him for himself, revealing later in the Quran:
“But when he came to it, he was called from the right side of the valley in a blessed spot – from the tree, ‘O Moses, indeed I am Allah, Lord of the worlds.’” [Al Quran; 28: 30]
I believe for any man in Islam, for any believer, this may be the ultimate gift from his Lord, besides attaining his abundant mercy and forgiveness. Let’s come to think of it: in today’s modern era when many of us are suffering from various types of physical and mental trauma with no respite, we at times run to the physicians and counselors for the ailment they have to offer. And here, Allah, the Most-Merciful and the Almighty has summoned for a private counsel and hired Prophet Musa (PBUH) on the most noble mission – the mission of spreading the Light of Islam among all of mankind.
May Allah gift us all with true righteousness and morality that will encircle our daily lives so that one day we, too, can be among the ones whom Allah chooses.

Ref: The translation of all Quranic Verses has been taken from The Sahih International.