Moses in Qur'an and Bible

Chapter 3: Moses Kills an Egyptian and Is Warned

"And when he attained his maturity and became full-grown, We granted him wisdom and knowledge and thus do We reward those Who do good. And he went into the city at a time of unvigilance on the part of its people. He found therein two men fighting, one being of his party and the other of his foes, and he who was of his party cried out to him for help against him who was of the enemies.

Moses struck him with his fist and despatched him. He said: This is of the devil's doing; surely he is an open enemy leading astray. He said: My Lord! Surely I have done harm to myself, So do Thou protect me. So He protected him; Surely He is the Forgiving, the Merciful. He said: My Lord! Because Thou hast bestowed a favour on me I shall never be a backer of the guilty.

And he was in the city fearing, awaiting, when lo! he who had asked his assistance the day before was crying out to him again for aid. Musa said to him: Thou art plainly a most depraved person. And when he would have laid violent hands on him who was their common foe, he said: 0 Musa! Dost thou intend to kill me as thou killed a person yesterday? Thou desirest nothing but that thou shouldst be a tyrant in the land and thou desirest not to be of those who act aright. And a man came running from the remotest part of the city.

He said: O Musa! Surely the chiefs are consulting together to slay thee. Therefore begone at once. Surely I counsel thee as a friend. So forth he went there from fearing, looking warily about him and said: My Lord! Deliver me from the unjust people." (28:14-21)

Moses's slaying the Egyptian was accidental and not intentional, for striking with the fist as ordinary people always do is not sufficient to cause the death of a person. Moses's taking the law into his own hands to punish a guilty man was owing to his being confused at the moment as to the step he should take. So he call it as a devil's doing who misleads men. He therefore at once realises his mistake and prays for Divine protection.

Chapter 4: Flight to Midian and Marriage

"And when the turned his face towards Midian he said: May be my Lord guide me in the right path. And when he came to the water of Midian, he found on it a group of men watering and he found beside them two women keeping back their flocks. He said: What is the matter with you? They said: We cannot water until the shepherds take away their sheep from the water, and our father is a very old man. So he watered their sheep for them, then went back to the shade and said: My Lord! Surely I stand in need of whatever good Thou mayest send down to me. Then one of the two women came to him walking bashfully.

She said: My father invites thee that he may give thee the reward of thy having watered for us. So when he came to him and gave to him the account, he said: Fear not. Thou art secure from the unjust people. Said one of them: O my father! Employ him, surely the best of those that thou canst employ is the strong man, the faithful one.

He said: I desire to marry one of these two daughters of mine to thee on condition that you shouldst serve me for eight years, but if thou complete ten, it will be of thine own free will, and I do not wish to be hard to thee. If Allah please, thou wilt find me one of the good.2 He said: This shall be an agreement between me and thee: whichever of the two terms I fulfill, there shall be no wrongdoing to me and Allah is a witness of what we say." (28:22-28)

Chapter 5: The Call of Moses to Prophethood

"So when Musa had filled the term and journeyed with his family, he perceived on the side of the mountain a fire. He said to his family: Wait, I have seen a fire, maybe I will bring to you from it some news or a brand or fire, so that you may warm yourself And when he came to it, a Voice was uttered from the right side of the valley in the blessed spot of the bush, saying, 'O Musa! Surely I am Allah, the Lord of the worlds.'" (28:29-30)

"Surely I am thy Lord: so put of thy shoes, for thou art (in the sacred valley which is blessed twice. I have chosen thee: so hearken to what shall be revealed: verily I am Allah, there is no god but I, therefore serve Me and keep up prayers for My remembrance And what is that in thy right hand, O Musa! He said: This is my staff; I recline on it and I best the leaves with it to make them fall upon my sheep and I have other uses for it.

He said: Cast it down, O Musa! So he cast it down, and behold! it was a serpent running. He said: Take hold of it and fear not. We will restore it to its former state; and thrust thy hand into thine armpit: It shall come out white without hurt. That will be another sign - that We may show thee of Our greater signs." (20:22-23)

According to 17:101, Moses was given altogether nine signs. These signs are mentioned in detail in the following verses:

And certainly We overtook Fir'aun's people with droughts and diminution fruits that they may be mindful. But, when good befell them they said: This is due to us. And when evil afflicted them, they attributed it to the ill-luck of Musa and those with him. Surely their evil fortune is only from Allah but most of them do not know.

And they said: whatever sign thou mayest bring to us to charm us with, we will not believe in thee. Therefore We sent upon them widespread death, and the locusts, and the lice, and the frogs, and the blood, clear signs, but they behaved haughtily and they were a guilty people. And when the plague fell upon them they said: O Musa! Pray for us to thy Lord as He has promised with thee.

If thou remove the plague from us, we will certainly believe in thee and we will certainly send away with thee the children of Israel. But when We removed the plague from them till a term which they should attain, lo! they broke their promise." (7:130-135)

So these nine signs were:

  1. the rod,
  2. the shining hand,
  3. the drought,
  4. the loss of fruits,
  5. the widespread death,
  6. the locusts,
  7. the lice,
  8. the frogs,
  9. the blood.