Tafsir of Surah Al-Ahzab - Verse 69

The Fabrications of the Jews against Musa

Al-Bukhari recorded in the Book of Hadiths about the Prophets, that Abu Hurayrah said that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

«إِنَّ مُوسَى عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ كَانَ رَجُلًا حَيِيًّا سِتِّيرًا لَا يُرَى مِنْ جِلْدِهِ شَيْءٌ اسْتِحْيَاءً مِنْهُ، فَآذَاهُ مَنْ آذَاهُ مِنْ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ فَقَالُوا: مَا يَتَسَتَّرُ هَذَا التَّسَتُّرَ إِلَّا مِنْ عَيْبٍ فِي جِلْدِهِ إِمَّا بَرَصٌ وَإِمَّا أُدْرَةٌ وَإِمَّا آفَةٌ. وَإِنَّ اللهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ أَرَادَ أَنْ يُبَرِّئَهُ مِمَّا قَالُوا لِمُوسَى عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ، فَخَلَا يَوْمًا وَحْدَهُ فَخَلَعَ ثِيَابَهُ عَلَى حَجَرٍ ثُمَّ اغْتَسَلَ، فَلَمَّا فَرَغَ أَقْبَلَ إِلَى ثِيَابِهِ لِيَأْخُذَهَا، وَإِنَّ الْحَجَرَ عَدَا بِثَوْبِهِ فَأَخَذَ مُوسَى عَصَاهُ وَطَلَبَ الْحَجَرَ فَجَعَلَ يَقُولُ: ثَوْبِي حَجَرُ، ثَوْبِي حَجَرُ، حَتْى انْتَهَى إِلَى مَلَإٍ مِنْ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ، فَرَأَوْهُ عُرْيَانًا أَحْسَنَ مَا خَلَقَ اللهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، وَأَبْرَأَهُ مِمَّا يَقُولُونَ، وَقَامَ الْحَجَرُ، فَأَخَذَ ثَوْبَهُ فَلَبِسَهُ، وَطَفِقَ بِالْحَجَرِ ضَرْبًا بِعَصَاهُ، فَوَاللهِ إِنَّ بِالْحَجَرِ لَنَدَبًا مِنْ أَثَرِ ضَرْبِهِ ثَلَاثًا أَوْ أَرْبَعًا أَوْ خَمْسًا قَالَ: فَذَلِكَ قَوْلُهُ تَعَالَى:

يأَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ لاَ تَكُونُواْ كَالَّذِينَ ءَاذَوْاْ مُوسَى فَبرَّأَهُ اللَّهُ مِمَّا قَالُواْ وَكَانَ عِندَ اللَّهِ وَجِيهاً »

(Musa, peace be upon him, was a shy and modest man who would never show anything of his skin because of his shyness. Some of the Children of Israel annoyed him by saying: "He only keeps himself covered because of some defect in his skin, either leprosy or scrotal hernia or some other defect." Allah, may He be glorified, wanted to clear Musa, peace be upon him, of what they were saying. One day Musa was alone, so he took off his garment and put it on a rock, then he took a bath. When he had finished, he turned back to pick up his garment, but the rock moved away, taking his garment with it. Musa picked up his stick and chased the rock, saying, "My garment, O rock! My garment, O rock!" Until he reached a group of the Children of Israel, who saw him naked and found that he was the best of those whom Allah had created. Thus he was cleared of what they had said about him. Then the rock stood still, so he took his garment and put it on. He started hitting the rock with his stick, and by Allah, the marks of that beating were left on the rock, three or four or five. This is what is referred to in the Ayah: (O you who believe! Be not like those who annoyed Musa, but Allah cleared him of that which they alleged, and he was honorable before Allah.)) This Hadith is one of those which were recorded by Al-Bukhari but not Muslim. Imam Ahmad recorded that `Abdullah (bin Mas`ud) said: "One day, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ distributed some booty and a man among the Ansar said, `This division was not done for the sake of Allah.' I said, `O enemy of Allah! I am going to tell the Messenger of Allah ﷺ what you have said.' So, I told the Prophet about it. His face reddened and he said,

«رَحْمَةُ اللهِ عَلَى مُوسَى لَقَدْ أُوذِيَ بِأَكْثَرَ مِنْ هَذَا فَصَبَر»

(May Allah have mercy on Musa. He was annoyed with worse than this, yet he remained patient.)" This was recorded in the Two Sahihs.

وَكَانَ عِندَ اللَّهِ وَجِيهاً

(and he was honorable before Allah. ) means, he had a position of status and honor before his Lord, may He be exalted and glorified. Al-Hasan Al-Basri said: "His supplications would be answered by Allah." Some of them said that part of his great standing before Allah was that he interceded for his brother Harun, asking Allah to send him with him as a Messenger, and Allah granted his request and said:

وَوَهَبْنَا لَهُ مِن رَّحْمَتِنَآ أَخَاهُ هَـرُونَ نَبِيّاً

(And We granted him his brother Harun, (also) a Prophet, out of Our mercy.) (19:53)

يأَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ اتَّقُواْ اللَّهَ وَقُولُواْ قَوْلاً سَدِيداً - يُصْلِحْ لَكُمْ أَعْمَـلَكُمْ وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ ذُنُوبَكُمْ وَمَن يُطِعِ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ فَقَدْ فَازَ فَوْزاً عَظِيماً

Commentary

That causing pain to Allah and His Messenger brings fatal consequences was the subject of the previous verse. The present verse instructs Muslims that they should particularly guard against falling into any stance of hostility to Allah and His Messenger because it causes pain to them.

In the first verse (69), by mentioning an event relating to Sayyidna Musa (علیہ السلام) an event in which his people had caused pain to him, Muslims have been warned that they should never do something like that. From this, it does not necessarily follow that Muslims may have actually done so. Instead of that, by relating this incident, they have been forewarned as a matter of precaution. As for the incident of some Sahabah ؓ reported in a narration, it is likely that they would have not realized at that time that the word being said would cause pain to the Holy Prophet ﷺ . That a Sahabi would intentionally cause pain to the Holy Prophet ﷺ is not possible. Whatever incidents of intentional causing of pain there are, they all relate to hypocrites. Then, by citing the incident relating to Sayyidna Musa (علیہ السلام) ، the Holy Prophet ﷺ has himself explained the meaning of this verse as it has been reported by Imam al-Bukhari from Sayyidna Abu Hurairah ؓ in Kitabut-Tafsir and Kitabul-Anbiya'. There it is said that Sayyidna Musa (علیہ السلام) was a man of modesty and very particular in keeping his body properly covered. No one had the occasion to see his body uncovered. Whenever he needed a bath, he would take it inside a screened place. Conversely, his people, the Bani Isra'il, had a common custom of their own. Among them, men would bathe naked before everybody. So, some of them started saying that the reason why Sayyidna Musa (علیہ السلام) would not take a bath before anyone is that he had some defect in his body, either leprosy or enlarged testicles or some other evil-fated deformity because of which he preferred to remain hidden. Allah Ta’ ala willed that Sayyidna Musa (علیہ السلام) be cleared from the attribution of such defects. On a certain day, Sayyidna Musa (علیہ السلام) went in for a bath in private while he put off his clothes and placed these on a rock. When done with his bath, he moved to pick up his clothes from the rock. At that time, this rock (moving under Divine command) started running away. Sayyidna Musa (علیہ السلام) with his staff in hand, went after the rock saying: ثَوبِی حَجَرُ ثَوبِٰ حَضَرُ (0 rock, my clothes! 0 rock, my clothes! ). But the rock kept moving until it stopped at a place crowded with the people of Bani Isra'il. At that time, when the Bani Isra'il saw Sayyidna Musa (علیہ السلام) undressed from the head to the feet, they saw a body that was perfect (having no defect attributed by them). Thus, Allah Ta’ ala made it clear before everyone that Sayyidna Musa (علیہ السلام) was free from these supposed defects. The rock had stopped at this place. Once Sayyidna Musa (علیہ السلام) had picked up his clothes and put these on, he started beating up the rock with his staff. "By Allah," said the Holy Prophet ﷺ "the strikes of Sayyidna Musa (علیہ السلام) against the rock left some three or four or five traces on it!"

After having recounted this event, the Holy Prophet ﷺ said: This is what this verse of the Qur'an means, that is, the verse under study: كَالَّذِينَ آذَوْا مُوسَىٰ (Like those who caused pain to Musa (علیہ السلام) . - 33:69). The explanation of the pain caused to Sayyidna Musa (علیہ السلام) in this incident has been reported from the Holy Prophet ﷺ himself. There is yet another story relating to the pain caused to Sayyidna Musa (علیہ السلام) reported from the noble Sahabah ؓ which is also necessarily appended to it. But, the weightier Tafsir or explanation is the one that is present in the Hadith reported from the Holy Prophet ﷺ himself.

At the end of verse 69, it was said: وَكَانَ عِندَ اللَّـهِ وَجِيهًا (And he was honorable in the sight of Allah). The Arabic word used for Sayyidna Musa (علیہ السلام) wajih denotes the honor and elegance of someone who deserves regard and consideration. When used with: عِندَ اللَّـهِ ` indallah: in the sight of Allah), it would mean a person whose prayer is answered by Allah Ta’ ala and whose wish He does not turn down. Hence, the station of Sayyidna Musa علیہ السلام as a person whose prayers were answered (popularly known as: mustajab-ud-da’ awat) is proved from many events mentioned in the Qur'an where he prayed to Allah for something and He answered it the way he wanted it to be. Most unique of these is the prayer he made about Sayyidna Harun (Aaron) (علیہ السلام) where he wished that he be made a prophet. Allah Ta'ala accepted his prayer and made him a co-prophet with Sayyidna Musa (علیہ السلام) - although, the high office of prophethood is not given to someone on someone's recommendation. (Ibn Kathir)

The injunction refrains believers from harassing the Prophet Muhammad, as did the Jews to the Prophet Moses. The verse was revealed in the backdrop of the following incident. Once when the Prophet was in Madinah, he received some goods, which he distributed among the people. Subsequently, one of the Ansars (followers of the Prophet who hailed from Madina) criticized him, saying: ‘By God, Muhammad has sought neither the pleasure of God nor a home in the Hereafter, by this distribution.’ When this incident was brought to the notice of the Prophet, he said, ‘May the Mercy of God be on Moses. He was given much more trouble, but he remained patient.’ (Tafsir ibn Kathir). There are two types of utterances—the straightforward and the devious. The straightforward utterance is that which exactly conforms to the facts; which is based on factual analysis and which is presented with the support of solid arguments. As opposed to this, the devious utterance is that which is not reality-oriented, which is based on guesses and conjectures and simply amounts to expressing an opinion: it is not factual reporting. The first mentioned is the utterance of the believer (mu’min), while the second is that of the hypocrite.