In Quran, Allah Almighty has used stories and anecdotes to convey guidelines and message to the followers of Islam. The reason behind the use of stories and narration is that they are far effective in penetrating the heart of a person compared to simple guidelines without any invocation. Moreover, Quran reading enables the reciter to be able to learn the Quranic verses and relate narrations as a result of which the reader gets the message more quickly.
One of the renowned narrations in Quran is that of Prophet Moses (AS) speaking with Allah Almighty for the first time. It is only He who has been able to speak with Allah Almighty directly (He appeared in the form of fire) after Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) who spoke with Allah directly on the night of Mairaj. Besides the other details of the conversation, which Moses (AS) had with Allah, the lines below discuss the first ones in which Allah Almighty gave the message for people of Israel. The lines below discuss the important lessons that a Muslim can infer from the conversation of Moses (AS) with Allah Almighty.
Narration From Quran:
In Surah Taha of Quran, Allah Almighty gives the complete narration of the conversation that took place between Allah and Moses (AS) on the Toor mountain. The excerpt from the narration is as follows:
“And has the story of Moses reached you? When he saw fire and said to his family, “Stay here; indeed, I have perceived a fire; perhaps I can bring you a torch or find at the fire some guidance.” And when he came to it, he was called, “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). Indeed, I am Allah. There is no deity except Me, so worship Me and establish prayer for My remembrance. Indeed, the Hour is coming – I almost conceal it – so that every soul may be recompensed according to that for which it strives. So do not let one avert you from it who does not believe in it and follows his desire for you (then) would perish.” (20:9-16)
The Need of Guidance:
Although Moses (AS) was in literal dark and he saw literal fire, but on a symbolic level this incident represents the fact that in the world where there is tyranny and people have no way for finding their way through it, there is always a need for guidance. People always require the light of hope and guidance to get through the life of tyranny and sin. Therefore, considering that one is above and beyond guidance, or he or she cannot find guidance is absurd and a Muslim should always keep an eye for the signs of Allah Almighty and the pursuit and understanding of those signs will definitely lead to truth.
Allah Is Guidance And Light:
From the ayahs another thing that becomes clear is that it is Allah that is the true light of guidance. It is by reaching and following the light of Allah Almighty that a Muslim can find guidance. Whatever Allah Almighty has said in the form of Quran is the ultimate source of light of guidance that a Muslim needs to consult and consider in order to be among the people who are successful.
Allah Selects:
In the contemporary world people have this notion of what they are is due to the efforts they have put in or what they were capable of. A Muslim must realize that whatever good befalls a person whether it is wealth, peace, happiness or status, it is all from Allah Almighty and He is the one who selects to bestow a particular favor to a person. Therefore, it is imperative that a Muslim prays to Allah Almighty for being among the chosen ones instead of boasting of one’s own limited human capabilities.
Allah is One:
In His first speech with Moses (AS), the beginning of the speech of Allah was with the message that Allah is one and there is no other deity worthy of worship. This shows the message of Tauwheed that Islam embodies and makes it clear to a Muslim that the message of Oneness of Allah is not something which only Islam brought, rather it had been there since the first guidance sent by Allah Almighty.
Prayers Are Essential:
Like Islam, in His first speech with Moses (AS) after the message of Tauwheed, Allah Almighty gave the message of prayers. To Moses (AS) also Allah Almighty says that prayers are to be established and they are a means of remembering Allah Almighty. From this again the message becomes clear to a Muslim that prayers is not something new, rather it has been there with earlier nations as well and the imperativeness of it was the same for them as it is for Muslims at present. Hence, the establishing of prayers needs to be ensured.
Judgment Day Is Inevitable:
In the speech with Moses (AS), Allah Almighty speaks of the judgment day and tells him that it is to arriveand its time of arrival is concealed by Allah Almighty. This implies that the concept of Judgment day when a person will be rewarded for whatever deeds he or she has committed. From this it becomes clear to a Muslim that man has been warned about the arrival and inevitability of judgment day as back as the human history goes. Therefore, a Muslim must remain heedful of his or her deeds and try committing the deeds that are weighed in the good counter instead of falling prey to evil deeds, which destroy the life hereafter.
Warning:
Lastly Allah Almighty tells Moses (AS) to warn people about the wrongdoing and the ones who commit wrong deeds and do not follow the path, for them the warning is imminent and that is that they shall all disappear. Therefore, in no narration of Quran Allah Almighty tells that wrongdoing will not be punished, ergo, every Muslim must take his or her actions into consideration and beware of the fact that following the path of evil comes with severe punishment.
Conclusion:
In a nutshell, the first speech of Allah Almighty to Moses (AS) is Islam summarized. Allah told him about His Oneness, the importance of prayer, the inevitability of the judgment day and the fact that evil deeds will result in punishment. From this a Muslim can get an idea about the fact that the path of truth and guidance has always comprised of some basic factors which are the same in all the Abrahamic religions.
