Moses' Search 2

Both of them walked on the river bank for a long time, till they saw a boat which was taking travelers to the other side of the river.  The wise man and Moses joined the travelers and came to the other side of the river.  To Moses’ surprise, his companion dug a hole in the boat.

“What have you done?  This boat will drown the passengers.  This is a very dangerous step you have taken,” said Moses abruptly.

“Have I not mentioned before that you would not be able to control yourself?” said the wise man.

 Moses was sorry for his sudden outburst of anger and said, “I am really sorry, but it is my first mistake.  You are a great man and people like you always overlook the first slips. I will not disobey you again.”

“Alright, if you insist on accompanying me, don’t ask me any questions about my actions until I talk about them myself,” said the wise man.

After this conversation, they embarked on a new journey.  On the way, they met a young boy who was crossing the border of manhood.  Moses’ companion killed the young man.  Seeing this Moses again lost his control and said, “You have killed a human being who has not taken anyone’s life.  It is indeed a very bad thing.”

“Have I not told you before that you would not be able to keep quiet?” said the wise man.

Moses was mortified by his second outburst, but he apologized for his mistake and begged to remain with the wise man.  His apology was accepted and the journey restarted.

It was a long and tiring journey; both trudged on for a long time till they arrived at a village.  In those days, it was a tradition to offer food and shelter to strangers, because there were no hotels. However, the inhabitants of that village didn’t honor the tradition.  On the contrary, they jeered, humiliated, and scoffed at Moses and his companion and told them that they were tricksters who wanted free food without work. 

“You both are strong and healthy, so go and work.  You should be ashamed of yourselves bothering us poor people and not working.”

Moses was seething but controlled his anger.  To his utter surprise, he saw that his companion was mending a wall which was about to fall.  As he made the wall strong, Moses asked him a question: “Why have you worked for these rude villagers?  If you wanted you could ask them for remuneration.

The wise man declared, “We must part now.  However, before going I am going to explain my actions which you could not wait for my explanation.  The boat in which I dug a hole belonged to honest hard- working laborers.  They were earning their livelihood with this boat.  There is a very cruel king living on the other side of the river who seizes all the good boats for his fleet.  I dug a hole in it so the vicious king would refrain from confiscating a damaged boat.

“As for the juvenile delinquent, he was an unruly, rebellious, and wicked person who was always doing some abominable actions.  His parents were god-fearing and virtuous persons.  The fear was that he would implicate them in his unlawful activities because he had no respect or love for them.  In order to save his parents from the injurious effects of his actions, I killed him.  Now God is going to give the parents a son who will love and respect them.

“The last incident which shocked you was the repair of the wall.  This wall belonged to two orphan boys in the village; their father was a very honest and hard-working man who had buried a treasure beneath   the wall.  If the wall had fallen the villagers could have discovered, taken and used the treasure.   In order to prevent such an eventuality, I repaired the wall and made it strong.  When the boys grow up they will get the treasure.   These are the answers to your questions.  Moreover, my actions were not based on my judgment; they were done under directions from God.” With these words, the wise man departed.

This is an open-ended story in the Quran, which can be interpreted in many ways.  The technique used in this episode was not known before the time of the revelation of the Quran.   

Moses' Search 1

 (18:60-86)

The Search of Moses

            If one is an unsatisfied member of his existing society and finds no justice for the humble and downtrodden in it, one may try to introduce some changes in the static structure of the status quo.  To think of changing the society is one thing, but how that change is going to take place and affect the individuals is another.  What norms and values are to be replaced with new ones and why?  To carve out a reasonable niche and to gather supporters who agree with it is a challenge to the unsatisfied thinker.

          Moses was such a person before he was honored with prophet hood.  He was looking to and fro for guidance and asking people to help him find out the truth.  Someone (the name is not given in the Quran) pointed out to him that at the confluence he could find a man who would help him in his quest.  Moses took a companion, a fish for lunch, and before the day break embarked on the adventure to seek guidance from a wise man.

          The sky was full of stars when he started his journey; slowly and gradually the stars lost their luster.  The rays of the rising sun brightened the atmosphere, but he could not find any living soul.  His companion looked at him and said, “We are at the right place, where two rivers meet, but there is no living soul here.  What do you want to do now?”

 Moses replied, “I will not stop until I fulfill my mission.”

They were sitting on a stone at the bank of the river talking to each other.  When Moses resumed his journey with undaunted determination to find the person, his companion followed him but forgot to carry the fish.  The fish, which was alive, slowly slipped into the river.

          Moses and his companion walked a long way till they were exhausted.  Moses stopped and said to his companion, “Let’s stop here and refresh ourselves with the lunch.”  The companion intended to sear the fish, but it was not in his bag.   He exclaimed with surprise, “The fish is not in the bag; when we stopped near the river, it slipped into the water, and I have forgotten to mention it to you.” 

Moses took a long breath and said, “I think that was our destination, but we overlooked its importance.”

Moses retraced his steps.  This time, he was able to meet the wise man he was looking for – a man on whom God had bestowed knowledge, revelation, and rahmat.  They talked for a while.  Moses told him about his dissatisfaction with the prevailing social system, the basic ideas on which the structure of society was formed, and values; he expressed the desire for change in the right direction, etc.  As the wise man stood up to depart Moses asked him, “Will you allow me to stay with you, so that I learn from the knowledge which God had so graciously bestowed upon you?”

The wise man replied, “You can accompany me on one condition.  You must not ask me questions about my actions unless I explain them to you. But what I have learned about you so far tells me that you will not be able to control yourself about the things you can’t understand, and you will start pestering me for a quick explanation.”

“If I do that, don’t keep me as a companion with you,” replied Moses.   

Jonah and the Fish 1

(10:98)(4:163)(68:48)(6:87)(37:140-148)(21:87-88)

Jonah and the Fish

          Nearly all the prophets in the Quran have one common feature; they tell their nations that the results of their deeds are entering into the final stage.  If the people do not change their behavior, the consequences of their deeds are going to destroy them.   However, these warnings fail to produce any results, and the anticipated destruction comes.

          The story of Jonah is an exception to this rule.  Jonah’s time is approximately seven hundred B.C.  He was preaching a few miles north of Nazareth, in small towns and villages, when he was directed to preach in the business center of Nineveh.

 Jonah entered the great capital with only the experience of preaching in villages and small towns; he met with an organized opposition in this capital city.  The well-settled groups of various kinds, with vested interests in the economy, religion, and power-sharing, all combined their resources together to work vigorously against his mission.  They ridiculed, jeered, and made fun of his appearance, mission, and every possible thing that belonged to him.

          Jonah felt that he was helpless against this type of onslaught; he could not withstand an allied attack without forming an exaggerated opinion about the vices of the opposition.  He was a brilliant preacher who was propounding factual statements based on logic and reasoning.  The opposition was answering him with ridicule and twisting his arguments in a grotesque way.   His message was misrepresented everywhere.  The effect of sober thought and reason was lost in the atmosphere of jeering, taunting and misrepresentation. 

          One fine evening, Jonah had a bitter encounter with the opposition; distraught and furious, he was walking on the bank of a river.  Suddenly, he thought, “Why am I wasting my time with these stubborn people? I am so polite and reasonable with them, but they don’t care for the truth.  Why shouldn’t I go to another place and spend my time with reasonable people, who could appreciate the value of my time and mission.” This idea struck him like a bolt of thunderous lightning and overwhelmed him. On the bank of the river, he saw a boat full of passengers, ready to leave.  Without thinking, he jumped into the boat to leave the land.

          In the lives of many prophets, a time comes when they are directed by God to leave the native land: this is known as migration (hijrat).  This is not an escape from struggle or unfavorable circumstances; it is an effort to find the most suitable circumstances for preaching.  The time and place for migration is decided by God.

The Story of Job

(21:83)(38:41-44)(56-46)(4:63)(6:85)

The Story of Job

The story of Job is mentioned in the Quran.  In verse 6:85, a list of prophets is given to show that all of these great prophets, in their respective times, are given the same guidance by God.   In this list of prophets, one sees the name of Job.

  The details of his work are not provided by the Quran.  The Quran only points out one single event of his life: when he cries out in pain, “Oh, God, an adversity has afflicted and surrounded me.  Please help me in my ordeal, since you are the most magnanimous helper.”  In verses 38:41-45 we are told that Job suffered from a snake bite.

In modern times, when many hospitals and doctors are available, a snake bite may not cause a very serious problem.  However, this story was told about three thousand or two thousand seven hundred years ago.  It was an age of superstition.   Without the light of science, the human beings were groping and fumbling in the darkness of ignorance.  The human mind was trying to solve the riddle of life, death, the universe, and stars, etc. with the help of imagination by creating gods and goddesses.

Furthermore, the snake was considered a mysterious entity in ancient times; we find it playing an amazing role in all ancient mythologies.  In Hindu mythology, the god Shiva wore a snake around his neck. The Rani Kunti, mother of Pandoes, the winners of the Mahabharat, was affiliated with the Nagh (snake) kingdom.   In Egyptian mythology, the cobra was considered to be a friend of Pharaoh.  Even in this age of science and technology, snakes are worshiped in some Indian temples.

In the time of Job, snakes were shrouded in mystery.  Many strange procedures were created and adopted to cure snake bite.  A snake charmer played many tricks and pretended to awake the snake goddess to cure a person.  Job, in spite of his excruciating pain, refused to take part in this humbug.  All his friends, family, and relatives denounced him; he was left alone to suffer for his refusal to submit himself to the superstitious curing process.

 He exhibited extraordinary courage and perseverance in his time of distress, along with remarkable mental and emotional strength during his long illness.  He faced every calamity with patience and never once did his fortitude waver from his scruples; he was an obedient slave of God and never left the path of truth due to prolonged suffering and pain.  During his illness, he never bowed to the whim of the snake charmer who prattled absurdities with the greatest seriousness.  With his unflagging faith, he remained steadfast in his conviction that health would come from his synchronizing with the laws of God.  

  Many springs in the mountains pass through a passage which is full of minerals and chemicals; while running through such mountains the water absorbs the minerals and chemicals.   Job was directed to such a spring by God. This mineral water worked as a medicine for the snake bite.  Moreover, Job was told to make a stack of herbs and rub it on the wound.  The mineral water and herbs cured the wound.

 He singled himself out as one unique towering figure; a symbol of perseverance, fortitude, and courage.  He was not carried away with the flow of the tide, but stood as a pillar of light pointing towards the right path.   After a while his old companions rejoined him and his new friends; he lived a peaceful, happy life after a long struggle with adversity.

King Solomon 5

In order to make a comprehensive plan for war, King Solomon called a meeting of his generals.  In it he made his intention clear; he declared that the common man was not responsible for the decision of war.  Therefore, it was not appropriate to punish them for the deeds of their superiors.  As soon as King Solomon finished his speech, one general got up and said, “With great respect, King Solomon, some type of damage to the enemy and its belongings is inevitable in the time of war.”

“I am aware of it. The only way to minimize it is to make the time of war short.  Now, I want to know which one of you can make it short and how?”

          One intelligent chieftain, with great insight in the matters of war, from the unruly nomadic tribe said,” “The best way to do so is not to wage war on the out skirts of Queen Sheba’s territory. We should straight away attack the capital city of the country and conquer it.  I am an honest and trustworthy person and I can do this before you order the army to reach the next stop.”

          Another officer, who was fully aware of the correspondence which had taken place between Queen Sheba and King Solomon, said, “I can do it in a jiffy. In no time, the throne of the queen will be in your possession.” King Solomon approved his plan and he was appointed to complete the mission, which he successfully did with great care and efficiency.  Queen Sheba was presented in front of King Solomon, along with her embellished throne, treasury, and other precious items.

          When King Solomon saw all that, he bowed in front of God—as a sign of his gratefulness –and declared that it had all happened because God had given him every tangible means to achieve this victory.  Then he turned toward Queen Sheba and said, “Is this the wealth which made you so proud as not to accept the truth.”  Queen Sheba hung her head in embarrassment and replied, “Yes, power and wealth corrupt the wisdom of those who possess it.  Moreover, we were depending on our gods for victory and they did not protect us.”

          After this straightforward answer the relations between the two countries became cordial; King Solomon treated her as a royal guest, not as a defeated enemy.  He ordered that as a guest of honor she should stay in a glass castle.  Queen Sheba, when she approached the glass guest house, became slightly nervous and thought that it was water.  At that point in time, she had no idea of this industry.  King Solomon guessed the cause of her confusion and told her that it was glass and not water.

          “Is this standard of living the result of Nezam-e-Rabubiyyit which you have introduced in the country?” she asked.

“Yes,” he replied. “This system oppresses none; it allows everyone to obey the laws of God in a systematic and organized way. God does not want to take anything from the human beings.  In obeying the laws of God we don’t give him anything; on the contrary, we make our lives better and happier,” replied King Solomon.

“I believe in the magnanimous and open-handed God of King Solomon,” Queen Sheba cried out in ecstasy.  “He has such awe-inspiring powers; along with that He bestows his bounties munificently on human beings when they synchronize their lives with his laws.” 

King Solomon 4

(27:18-19)(27:36-45)

King Solomon 4

          The messenger sent by Queen Sheba failed in the mission to win King Solomon over by bribing him with money. On the contrary, King Solomon returned the messenger with a warning that he would invade the territory of Queen Sheba, with such formidable forces that she would not be able to protect herself and her kingdom, if she did not comply with his demands. The effort to negotiate peace proved fruitless.  Both the states declared war.

          The news of an impending war permeated the whole atmosphere.  There were no international rules at that time governing war.  War was like a black twister dispersing death and misery everywhere it passed, without any discrimination; or it was like a death shroud ready to gulp everything on which it could spread its tentacles.  The name of war terrified many rulers; they directed their subjects to leave the path on which King Solomon and his army were to move.     

         Another queen’s territory, which King Solomon had to cross over to reach the battleground, was governed by a wise woman known as Namel.  She said, “King Solomon is a powerful king; he may not heed our position in the war.  We are a small country and our existence or elimination would not put a dint in his power.  The best course of action for us is to leave his path.”  She sent special officers to guide people to hide in appropriate places so that they could save themselves from the widespread devastation of war.

          When all this news reached King Solomon’s palace, he smiled and gratefulness for God, who had bestowed so many bounties on him, swelled in his heart.  He prayed to Him and said, “My magnanimous giver, as you have given me such great power, please add with it such strength of character that I use it to help the poor and needy and not to destroy the humble and weak. The people fear me because they don’t distinguish between an army of a king and an army of a messenger of God.”    

          King Solomon advanced with his forces, but all the time he was thinking about the non-combatant civilians.  He was a compassionate man with a lot of sympathy for all mankind.  The dwellers of Queen Sheba’s kingdom were idol-worshipers, but still they were human beings.  It was not their fault that their queen had decided to wage a war; therefore, he wanted to do as little damage to the kingdom and inhabitants as possible.

         

King Solomon 3

(34:15-19)(21:79-82)(27:15-19/ 36-44)(38:36)

King Solomon 3

Another memorable event in King Solomon’s life was his encounter with Queen Sheba.  One day his horses were marching in front of him for inspection; he ordered the military officer to bring the disappearing array of horses back so he could pat them.  While he was looking at their manes, his heart swelled with gratitude for God, who had bestowed such a marvelous army upon him.  In those times, the army of swift horses was a terror for enemies.  The mere name of Solomon’s horse- battalion struck terror in the hearts of the enemies; they used to disperse in the wilderness and never dared to face him on the battlefield.  Furthermore, King Solomon proclaimed that he loved his horses because they helped him to work for God. 

During the inspection, King Solomon noticed that a high-ranking officer, Hoopoe, was absent during the parade.  Not to be present at the time of the king’s inspection was a great breach of discipline; it infuriated King Solomon.  He declared that there was no place for such an irresponsible individual in his army.  He further added that if Hoopoe would not be able to give a justifiable cause for his absence he would have to face dire consequences.

But Hoopoe came with an amazing story.  He told King Solomon that a woman was ruling a neighboring territory.  Her name was Sheba.  She was a very wise ruler with an up-to-date means of irrigation.  The people of her country had built a dam to store water and many canals to irrigate the land.  Sheba had concentrated on commerce and the capital city was a hub for the merchants from all over the world, especially Indians who brought merchandise to be sent to Africa and other parts of the Arabian Peninsula.  International trade brought a lot of wealth into the country, and the queen along with her countrymen multiplied it by investing it in agricultural products of fertile land.

The wise Queen Sheba and her nation were very proud of their gods.  They worshipped the sun god and were unwilling to take cognizance of Allah, the mighty creator of the universe. The prosperity and wealth made them very proud and selfish; they discouraged competition and wanted to restrict the international trade to themselves only.

          King Solomon listened to the statement of Hoopoe with great interest and sent his other agents to verify it.  After verification, he sent a messenger to Queen Sheba’s court with a letter, telling her to mend her ways and not to disobey his mandate.

         Queen Sheba gathered all her ministers in the court and said, “I have received a polite letter from King Solomon; in it he writes about acting on the program of Rabubiyyat, which would make the means of livelihood available to all the people in the land.  If I reject his proposal and do not join his court, it may result in war with the powerful armies of King Solomon, so give me your advice because I would not take any step without consulting you.”                              The courtiers replied, “Act as you think is proper for us and our land; if King Solomon has a great army, you need not fear it because we are neither cowards nor afraid of fighting.  We will fight till death for our land and queen.”  The queen was delighted with the ardent reply from her courtiers and smilingly replied, “I knew that you would not hesitate to fight, but when war comes to a country it completely changes the structure of its society. The nobles become lowly and the spineless folks emerge as the nobles; I would like to take a step of diplomacy before declaring war against King Solomon.  I am going to send a messenger with rich presents to gage the depth and sincerity of his program.”

          All the courtiers agreed with the proposal of the queen and an ambassador with rich presents was sent to his court.   When King Solomon saw pearls, diamonds, silk, incense, precious stones, and other expensive items, he said, “Do you people want to bribe me with wealth?  What God has already given me is much superior to yours.”  After this conversation, the messenger failed to reach a compromise and the mission was aborted.

King Solomon 2

(38:34-36) (21-79-82)(27-15-17)(2-102)

King Solomon 2

King Solomon’s kingdom was a living example of human achievement through hard work, under the guidance of God‘s laws.  King Solomon and his father King David both were given wisdom, great power of judgment, and knowledge.  They used all their abilities for the betterment of humanity and produced wonderful results in the form of a prosperous kingdom, which was considered the number one power on land and at sea.

King Solomon’s successor was devoid of all the good qualities which his father and grandfather possessed.  He sat on the throne because he was the son of King Solomon, although he had none of his father’s talents and abilities.  As inevitably happens in all such unfortunate cases of inheritance, the system broke; the country was divided and sank into abject poverty.  The new rulers were asked, “Why do you not govern us as King Solomon did?  He brought so much prosperity and wealth to the country; you are ruling the same land and we have nothing except misery and disaster.”

The Jewish leaders did not want to give a straight and true answer, so in order to hide their lack of good judgment and knowledge they coined a mysterious and unverifiable term.  They declared that what had happened in the kingdom of King Solomon was not the result of his talent, but was due to magic. A lot of stories were invented to show that King Solomon had supernatural workers (jinns).  They had worked all these wonders for him.

  One story suggested that two angels, Harut and Marut, came from the heavens to teach magic to the people.  Both these angels taught magic to the people, but they also frankly told them that learning magic was not good for them.  The people, after knowing the reality, deliberately learned the magic because they wanted to bring discord between man and wife. This story was a well thought-out device that gave divine approval to the institution of magic.

Three thousand years ago, the wicked people were deliberately covering the personality of King Solomon in the shroud of superstition, magic, and mystery.  They presented him as a symbol of supernatural powers and workers who were interfering in the lives of ordinary human beings, etc.  These stories provided fuel for imaginative and romantic thinking in the absence of scientific means to verify the truth of magic.  Nobody knew exactly what magic was or how it operated.  The only thing sorcerers did was chant meaningless words, light fires, and draw circles around them.  During this period, they sang songs and danced to please or force the deities to yield favorable results.

Another invention to undermine the worth of Solomon’s work was a story of a ring with Ism-i-Azam.  According to the story, all the extraordinary qualities of his work were due to this ring.  One of his ministers stole the ring, disguised himself as Solomon, and occupied the throne.  The real King Solomon was powerless without the ring, so he ran away from the capital city and wondered aimlessly in the region.  The impostor king sent many spies to trace and kill the real king.  In order to escape the calamity, the real King Solomon became a cook and hid himself in the palace of another king.  The king’s daughter fell in love with Solomon.  This incident infuriated the royal family and they turned both of them out into a jungle.  One day a fisherman was passing by; the princess bought a fish from him.  As Solomon was cleaning the fish he found his lost ring in its stomach.  Beside himself with happiness, he put the ring on and reclaimed his kingdom from the impostor.

Nearly fifteen hundred years ago, without any scientific research, the Quran declared that King Solomon had nothing to do with magic. His achievements were the result of God’s blessings, his undaunted constant work for the betterment of humanity, and his following the laws of God revealed to him.  These stories attributed to him did not have any trace of truth in them.