Prophet Musa (Moses)

Musa ibn Imran (Moses, peace be upon him) is one of the five greatest prophets of Islam (Ulu al-Azm) and the most frequently mentioned prophet in the Quran, appearing in over 130 verses across dozens of surahs. He was sent specifically to the Children of Israel to liberate them from slavery and to Pharaoh and his court to call them to the worship of Allah alone. He is honored with the title Kalimullah — the one to whom Allah spoke directly.

He was born during Pharaoh's campaign of killing Israelite newborns. His mother was inspired by Allah to place the infant Musa in a basket on the Nile. Allah says in Surah Ta Ha (20:39): "Saying: 'Cast him into the chest and cast it into the river, and the river will throw it onto the bank; there will take him an enemy to Me and an enemy to him.'" The basket reached Pharaoh's household; his wife Asiya convinced Pharaoh to spare the child, and Allah arranged for Musa's own mother to be brought as his wet nurse. As a young man, Musa accidentally killed an Egyptian defending an Israelite, then fled to Madyan, where he spent ten years as a shepherd.

On his return journey, he saw a fire on Mount Sinai and approached it. There Allah spoke to him directly for the first time. Surah Ta Ha (20:11-13): "He said, 'O Moses, indeed I am your Lord, so remove your sandals. Indeed, you are in the sacred valley of Tuwa. And I have chosen you, so listen to what is revealed [to you].'" He was given two miraculous signs: his staff transformed into a living serpent and his hand shone with white light. With his brother Harun, he confronted Pharaoh and defeated his magicians in a public contest: Surah Al-Araf (7:120-122): "And the magicians fell down in prostration. They said, 'We have believed in the Lord of the worlds — the Lord of Moses and Aaron.'"

Despite nine great signs — plagues, locusts, lice, frogs, blood, and more — Pharaoh refused to release the Israelites. When the divine command came to depart at night and Pharaoh pursued with his army, Allah commanded Musa to strike the sea with his staff. The Red Sea split into dry paths and the Israelites crossed safely. When Pharaoh's army followed, the waters closed over them. Pharaoh's body was preserved as a sign. Surah Yunus (10:92): "So today We will save you in body that you may be to those who succeed you a sign."

Allah revealed the Torah to Musa on Mount Sinai across forty nights of seclusion and spoke to him directly, a conversation preserved in Surah Ta Ha and Surah Al-Araf. Musa guided the Israelites through the wilderness for forty years despite their frequent disobedience and ingratitude. His encounter with al-Khidr, recorded in Surah Al-Kahf (18:60-82), is among the most studied passages in the Quran on divine wisdom and the limits of human understanding. The Prophet Muhammad ☪ met Musa in the sixth heaven during the Night Journey. Musa's mission connects the prophetic line from Ibrahim and Ishaq directly through the Children of Israel, preparing centuries of revelation that would culminate in the prophethood of Isa and ultimately the final messenger Muhammad ☪.