Tarikh (al-Tabari) 218
The story of Moses the one who spoke with Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)
لَمَّا أَهْلَكَ اللَّهُ فِرْعَوْنَ وَأَنْجَى بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ قَالُوا: يَا مُوسَى ائْتِنَا بِالْكِتَابِ الَّذِي وَعَدْتَنَا. فَسَأَلَ مُوسَى رَبَّهُ ذَلِكَ، فَأَمَرَهُ أَنْ يَصُومَ ثَلَاثِينَ يَوْمًا وَيَتَطَهَّرَ وَيُطَهِّرَ ثِيَابَهُ وَيَأْتِيَ إِلَى الْجَبَلِ - جَبَلِ طَوْرِ سِينَا - لِيُكَلِّمَهُ وَيُعْطِيَهُ الْكِتَابَ، فَصَامَ ثَلَاثِينَ يَوْمًا قَالَ جَمَاعَةٌ مِنَ السَّلَفِ; مِنْهُمُ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ، وَمَسْرُوقٌ، وَمُجَاهِدٌ: الثَّلَاثُونَ لَيْلَةً هِيَ; شَهْرُ ذِي الْقَعْدَةِ بِكَمَالِهِ، وَأُتِمَّتْ أَرْبَعِينَ لَيْلَةً بِعَشْرِ ذِي الْحِجَّةِ. فَعَلَى هَذَا يَكُونُ كَلَامُ اللَّهِ لَهُ يَوْمَ عِيدِ النَّحْرِ، وَفِي مِثْلِهِ أَكْمَلَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ لِمُحَمَّدٍ ﷺ دِينَهُ، وَأَقَامَ حُجَّتَهُ وَبَرَاهِينَهُ. وَالْمَقْصُودُ أَنَّ مُوسَى، عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ، لَمَّا اسْتَكْمَلَ الْمِيقَاتَ، وَكَانَ فِيهِ صَائِمًا، يُقَالُ: إِنَّهُ لَمْ يَسْتَطْعِمِ الطَّعَامَ. فَلَمَّا كَمَلَ الشَّهْرُ أَخَذَ لِحَا شَجَرَةٍ فَمَضَغَهُ، لِيُطَيِّبَ رِيحَ فَمِهِ، فَأَمَرَ اللَّهُ أَنْ يُمْسِكَ عَشْرًا أُخْرَى، فَصَارَتْ أَرْبَعِينَ لَيْلَةً. وَلِهَذَا ثَبَتَ فِي الْحَدِيثِ أَنَّ: خَلُوفَ فَمِ الصَّائِمِ أَطْيَبُ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ مِنْ رِيحِ الْمِسْكِ فَلَمَّا عَزَمَ عَلَى الذَّهَابِ، اسْتَخْلَفَ عَلَى شَعْبِ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ أَخَاهُ هَارُونَ الْمُحَبَّبَ الْمُبَجَّلَ الْجَلِيلَ، وَهُوَ ابْنُ أُمِّهِ وَأَبِيهِ، وَوَزِيرُهُ فِي الدَّعْوَةِ إِلَى مُصْطَفِيهِ، فَوَصَّاهُ وَأَمَرَهُ وَنَهَاهُ، وَلَيْسَ فِي هَذَا لِعُلُوِّ مَنْزِلَتِهِ فِي نُبُوَّتِهِ مُنَافَاةٌ، قَالَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى: وَلَمَّا جَاءَ مُوسَى لِمِيقَاتِنَا أَيْ; فِي الْوَقْتِ الَّذِي أُمِرَ بِالْمَجِيءِ فِيهِ، وَكَلَّمَهُ رَبُّهُ أَيْ; كَلَّمَهُ اللَّهُ مِنْ وَرَاءِ حِجَابٍ، إِلَّا أَنَّهُ أَسْمَعَهُ الْخِطَابَ، فَنَادَاهُ وَنَاجَاهُ، وَقَرَّبَهُ وَأَدْنَاهُ، وَهَذَا مَقَامٌ رَفِيعٌ، وَمَعْقِلٌ مَنِيعٌ، وَمَنْصِبٌ شَرِيفٌ، وَمَنْزِلٌ مُنِيفٌ، فَصَلَوَاتُ اللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ تَتْرَى وَسَلَامُهُ عَلَيْهِ فِي الدُّنْيَا وَالْأُخْرَى. وَلَمَّا أُعْطِيَ هَذِهِ الْمَنْزِلَةَ الْعَلِيَّةَ وَالْمَرْتَبَةَ السَّنِيَّةَ، وَسَمِعَ الْخِطَابَ، سَأَلَ رَفْعَ الْحِجَابِ، فَقَالَ لِلْعَظِيمِ الَّذِي لَا تُدْرِكُهُ الْأَبْصَارُ، الْقَوِّيُّ الْبُرْهَانِ: رَبِّي أَرِنِي أَنْظُرْ إِلَيْكَ قَالَ لَنْ تَرَانِي ثُمَّ بَيَّنَ تَعَالَى أَنَّهُ لَا يَسْتَطِيعُ أَنْ يَثْبُتَ عِنْدَ تَجَلِّيهِ تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى; لِأَنَّ الْجَبَلَ الَّذِي هُوَ أَقْوَى وَأَكْبَرُ ذَاتًا، وَأَشَدُّ ثَبَاتًا مِنَ الْإِنْسَانِ، لَا يَثْبُتُ عِنْدَ التَّجَلِّي مِنَ الرَّحْمَنِ، وَلِهَذَا قَالَ: وَلَكِنِ انْظُرْ إِلَى الْجَبَلِ فَإِنِ اسْتَقَرَّ مَكَانَهُ فَسَوْفَ تَرَانِي. وَفِي الْكُتُبِ الْمُتَقَدِّمَةِ أَنَّ اللَّهَ تَعَالَى قَالَ لَهُ: يَا مُوسَى، إِنَّهُ لَا يَرَانِي حَيٌّ إِلَّا مَاتَ، وَلَا يَابِسٌ إِلَّا تَدَهْدَهَ. وَفِي " الصَّحِيحَيْنِ "، عَنْ أَبِي مُوسَى، عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ أَنَّهُ قَالَ: حِجَابُهُ النُّورُ وَفِي رِوَايَةٍ: النَّارُ، لَوْ كَشَفَهُ لَأَحْرَقَتْ سُبُحَاتُ وَجْهِهِ مَا انْتَهَى إِلَيْهِ بَصَرُهُ مِنْ خَلْقِهِ وَقَالَ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ، فِي قَوْلِهِ تَعَالَى: لَا تُدْرِكُهُ الْأَبْصَارُ ذَاكَ نُورُهُ الَّذِي هُوَ نُورُهُ إِذَا تَجَلَّى لِشَيْءٍ لَا يَقُومُ لَهُ شَيْءٌ; وَلِهَذَا قَالَ تَعَالَى: فَلَمَّا تَجَلَّى رَبُّهُ لِلْجَبَلِ جَعَلَهُ دَكًّا وَخَرَّ مُوسَى صَعِقًا فَلَمَّا أَفَاقَ قَالَ سُبْحَانَكَ تُبْتُ إِلَيْكَ وَأَنَا أَوَّلُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ قَالَ مُجَاهِدٌ: وَلَكِنِ انْظُرْ إِلَى الْجَبَلِ فَإِنِ اسْتَقَرَّ مَكَانَهُ فَسَوْفَ تَرَانِي فَإِنَّهُ أَكْبَرُ مِنْكَ وَأَشَدُّ خَلْقًا، فَلَمَّا تَجَلَّى رَبُّهُ لِلْجَبَلِ فَنَظَرَ إِلَى الْجَبَلِ لَا يَتَمَالَكُ، وَأَقْبَلَ الْجَبَلُ فَدُكَّ عَلَى أَوَّلِهِ، وَرَأَى مُوسَى مَا يَصْنَعُ الْجَبَلُ، فَخَرَّ صَعِقَا. وروى الإمام أحمد بسنده عَنْ أَنَسٍ، أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ قَرَأَ: فَلَمَّا تَجَلَّى رَبُّهُ لِلْجَبَلِ جَعَلَهُ دَكًّا قَالَ: هَكَذَا بِأُصْبُعِهِ وَوَضَعَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ الْإِبْهَامَ عَلَى الْمَفْصِلِ الْأَعْلَى مِنَ الْخِنْصَرِ، فَسَاخَ الْجَبَلُ. لَفْظُ ابْنِ جَرِيرٍ وعَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ: مَا تَجَلَّى - يَعْنِي مِنَ الْعَظَمَةِ - إِلَّا قَدْرُ الْخِنْصَرِ، فَجَعَلَ الْجَبَلَ دَكًّا، قَالَ: تُرَابًا وَخَرَّ مُوسَى صَعِقًا أَيْ مَغْشِيًّا عَلَيْهِ. وَقَالَ قَتَادَةُ: مَيِّتًا. وَالصَّحِيحُ الْأَوَّلُ; لِقَوْلِهِ: فَلَمَّا أَفَاقَ فَإِنَّ الْإِفَاقَةَ إِنَّمَا تَكُونُ عَنْ غَشْيٍ. قَالَ: سُبْحَانَكَ تَنْزِيهٌ، وَتَعْظِيمٌ، وَإِجْلَالٌ أَنْ يَرَاهُ بِعَظَمَتِهِ أَحَدٌ. تُبْتُ إِلَيْكَ أَيْ: فَلَسْتُ أَسْأَلُ بَعْدَ هَذَا الرُّؤْيَةَ: وَأَنَا أَوَّلُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ أَنَّهُ لَا يَرَاكَ حَيٌّ إِلَّا مَاتَ، وَلَا يَابِسٌ إِلَّا تَدَهْدَهَ. وَقَدْ ثَبَتَ فِي " الصَّحِيحَيْنِ " عَنْ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ الْخُدْرِيِّ، قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ: لَا تُخَيِّرُونِي مِنْ بَيْنِ الْأَنْبِيَاءِ فَإِنَّ النَّاسَ يُصْعَقُونَ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ، فَأَكُونُ أَوَّلَ مَنْ يُفِيقُ، فَإِذَا أَنَا بِمُوسَى آخِذٍ بِقَائِمَةٍ مِنْ قَوَائِمِ الْعَرْشِ، فَلَا أَدْرِي أَفَاقَ قَبْلِي، أَمْ جُوزِيَ بِصَعْقَةِ الطُّورِ لَفْظُ الْبُخَارِيِّ، نزول التوراة على موسى وَقَالَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى: وَكَتَبْنَا لَهُ فِي الْأَلْوَاحِ مِنْ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ مَوْعِظَةً وَتَفْصِيلًا لِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ وَكَانَتِ الْأَلْوَاحُ مِنْ جَوْهَرٍ نَفِيسٍ، فَفِي " الصَّحِيحِ " أَنَّ اللَّهَ كَتَبَ لَهُ التَّوْرَاةَ بِيَدِهِ وَفِيهَا مَوَاعِظُ عَنِ الْآثَامِ، وَتَفْصِيلٌ لِكُلِّ مَا يَحْتَاجُونَ إِلَيْهِ مِنَ الْحَلَالِ وَالْحَرَامِ، وَالْحُدُودِ وَالْأَحْكَامِ، فَخُذْهَا بِقُوَّةٍ أَيْ; بِعَزْمٍ وَنِيَّةٍ صَادِقَةٍ قَوِيَّةٍ، وَأْمُرْ قَوْمَكَ يَأْخُذُوا بِأَحْسَنِهَا أَيْ، يَضَعُوهَا عَلَى أَحْسَنِ وُجُوهِهَا، وَأَجْمَلِ مَحَامِلِهَا، سَأُورِيكُمْ دَارَ الْفَاسِقِينَ أَيْ; سَتَرَوْا عَاقِبَةَ الْخَارِجِينَ عَنْ طَاعَتِي، الْمُخَالِفِينَ لِأَمْرِي، الْمُكَذِّبِينَ لِرُسُلِي. سَأَصْرِفُ عَنْ آيَاتِي أَيْ; عَنْ فَهْمِهَا، وَتَدَبُّرِهَا، وَتَعْقُّلِ مَعْنَاهَا الَّذِي أُرِيدَ مِنْهَا، وَدَلَّ عَلَيْهِ مُقْتَضَاهَا، الَّذِينَ يَتَكَبَّرُونَ فِي الْأَرْضِ بِغَيْرِ الْحَقِّ وَإِنْ يَرَوْا كُلَّ آيَةٍ لَا يُؤْمِنُوا بِهَا أَيْ; وَلَوْ شَاهَدُوا مَهْمَا شَاهَدُوا مِنَ الْخَوَارِقِ، وَالْمُعْجِزَاتِ، لَا يَنْقَادُوا لِاتِّبَاعِهَا، وَإِنْ يَرَوْا سَبِيلَ الرُّشْدِ لَا يَتَّخِذُوهُ سَبِيلًا أَيْ; لَا يَسْلُكُوهُ، وَلَا يَتَّبِعُوهُ وَإِنْ يَرَوْا سَبِيلَ الْغَيِّ يَتَّخِذُوهُ سَبِيلًا ذَلِكَ بِأَنَّهُمْ كَذَّبُوا بِآيَاتِنَا أَيْ; صَرَفْنَاهُمْ عَنْ ذَلِكَ; لِتَكْذِيبِهِمْ بِآيَاتِنَا، وَتَغَافُلِهِمْ عَنْهَا، وَإِعْرَاضِهِمْ عَنِ التَّصْدِيقِ بِهَا، وَالتَّفَكُّرِ فِي مَعْنَاهَا، وَتَرْكِ الْعَمَلِ بِمُقْتَضَاهَا، وَالَّذِينَ كَذَّبُوا بِآيَاتِنَا وَلِقَاءِ الْآخِرَةِ حَبِطَتْ أَعْمَالُهُمْ هَلْ يُجْزَوْنَ إِلَّا مَا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ. وَعَادَ مُوسَى وَلَا يَقْدِرُ أَحَدٌ أَنْ يَنْظُرَ إِلَيْهِ، وَكَانَ يَجْعَلُ عَلَيْهِ حَرِيرَةً نَحْوَ أَرْبَعِينَ يَوْمًا، ثُمَّ يَكْشِفُهَا لِمَا تَغَشَّاهُ مِنَ النُّورِ.
Translation
✧ When Allah destroyed Pharaoh and delivered the Children of Israel, they said: “O Moses, bring us the Book that you promised us.” So Moses asked his Lord for that, and He commanded him to fast thirty days, purify himself, purify his garments, and come to the mountain—Mount Ṭūr Sīnā—so that He might speak to him and give him the Book. So he fasted thirty days. A group of the Salaf, among them Ibn ʿAbbās, Masrūq, and Mujāhid, said: “The thirty nights are the complete month of Dhū al-Qaʿdah, and it was completed to forty nights with ten of Dhū al-Ḥijjah.” According to this, Allah’s speech to him was on the Day of the Sacrificial Feast, and on its like Allah, Mighty and Majestic, completed the religion for Muḥammad ﷺ, established His proof, and His demonstrations. The intended point is that Moses ﷺ, when he completed the appointed time, and during it he was fasting—it is said that he did not seek food. When the month was complete, he took the bark of a tree and chewed it, to sweeten the odor of his mouth. Then Allah commanded that he abstain ten more, so it became forty nights. For this reason it is established in the ḥadīth that: “The change in the mouth of the fasting person is sweeter to Allah than the scent of musk.” When he resolved to go, he appointed as his deputy over the people of the Children of Israel his brother Aaron, the beloved, the revered, the majestic, and he was his brother from his mother and father, and his minister in calling to His chosen one. So he enjoined him, commanded him, and forbade him, and there is no contradiction in this to the loftiness of his station in his prophethood. Allah, Exalted be He, said: “And when Moses came to Our appointed time” (Qurʾān 7:143), that is, at the time in which he was commanded to come, “and his Lord spoke to him,” that is, Allah spoke to him from behind a veil, except that He made him hear the address, so He called him and conversed secretly with him, and drew him near and brought him close. This is a lofty station, an impregnable stronghold, a noble position, and an exalted rank. So may Allah’s prayers upon him be continuous and His peace upon him in this world and the Hereafter. When he was given this elevated station and sublime rank, and he heard the address, he asked for the removal of the veil. So he said to the Almighty, whom sights do not perceive, the Possessor of mighty proof: “My Lord, show me [Yourself] that I may look at You.” He said, “You will never see Me.” Then He, Exalted be He, made clear that he could not remain firm at His manifestation, Blessed and Exalted be He, because the mountain, which is stronger and greater in essence, and more firmly established than man, would not remain firm at the manifestation of the Most Merciful. For this reason He said: “But look at the mountain; if it remains firm in its place, then you will see Me.” In the earlier scriptures, Allah, Exalted be He, said to him: “O Moses, no living thing sees Me except that it dies, and no dry thing except that it crumbles.” And in the two Ṣaḥīḥs, from Abū Mūsā, from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ that he said: “His veil is light”—and in another narration: “fire”—“if He were to remove it, the glories of His Face would burn whatever His sight reaches of His creation.” And Ibn ʿAbbās said regarding His saying, Exalted be He: “Sights do not perceive Him” (Qurʾān 6:103): “That is His light, which is His light; when it manifests to something, nothing can stand before it.” For this reason He, Exalted be He, said: “So when his Lord manifested Himself to the mountain, He made it crumble to dust, and Moses fell down thunderstruck. When he recovered, he said, ‘Glory be to You! I repent to You, and I am the first of the believers’” (Qurʾān 7:143). Mujāhid said: “‘But look at the mountain; if it remains firm in its place, then you will see Me,’ for it is greater than you and stronger in creation. So when his Lord manifested Himself to the mountain, he looked at the mountain, and it could not hold itself together. The mountain came forward and was crushed at its foremost part, and Moses saw what the mountain was doing, so he fell down thunderstruck.” Imām Aḥmad narrated with his chain from Anas that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ recited: “So when his Lord manifested Himself to the mountain, He made it crumble to dust,” and he said: “Like this, with his finger,” and the Prophet ﷺ placed his thumb on the uppermost joint of his little finger, and the mountain sank. This is the wording of Ibn Jarīr. And from Ibn ʿAbbās: “Nothing of His greatness manifested—meaning of the majesty—except the amount of the little finger, and it made the mountain crumble to dust.” He said: “dust.” “And Moses fell down thunderstruck,” meaning he fell unconscious. Qatādah said: “dead.” The first view is correct, because of His saying: “When he recovered,” for recovery only occurs from a swoon. He said: “Glory be to You,” a declaration of His transcendence, magnification, and reverence, that no one can see Him in His greatness. “I repent to You,” meaning: I will not ask for the vision after this. “And I am the first of the believers” that no living thing sees You except that it dies, and no dry thing except that it crumbles. It is established in the two Ṣaḥīḥs from Abū Saʿīd al-Khudrī, who said: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “Do not prefer me over the prophets, for the people will swoon on the Day of Resurrection, and I will be the first to recover. Then I will find Moses holding onto one of the legs of the Throne, and I will not know whether he recovered before me or was recompensed for the swoon of Ṭūr.” This is the wording of al-Bukhārī. The revelation of the Torah to Moses: Allah, Exalted be He, said: “And We wrote for him on the Tablets of everything—an admonition and a detailed explanation of all things” (Qurʾān 7:145). The Tablets were of precious substance, for in the Ṣaḥīḥ, Allah wrote the Torah for him with His own hand, and in it were admonitions against sins and a detailed explanation of all that they needed of the lawful and the unlawful, the prescribed punishments, and the rulings. “So take it with strength” (Qurʾān 7:145), that is, with determination and a sincere, strong intention, “and command your people to take the best of it,” that is, to apply it in its best aspects and most beautiful interpretations. “I will show you the abode of the defiantly disobedient” (Qurʾān 7:145), that is, you will see the outcome of those who deviate from My obedience, oppose My command, and deny My messengers. “I will turn away from My signs” (Qurʾān 7:146), that is, from understanding them, contemplating them, and comprehending their intended meaning, which their implication indicates, “those who act arrogantly in the land without right. And if they see every sign, they will not believe in it” (Qurʾān 7:146), that is, even if they witness whatever extraordinary matters and miracles they witness, they will not submit to following them. “And if they see the path of right guidance, they will not take it as a path” (Qurʾān 7:146), that is, they will not traverse it or follow it. “But if they see the path of error, they will take it as a path. That is because they denied Our signs” (Qurʾān 7:146), that is, We turned them away from that because of their denial of Our signs, their heedlessness of them, their turning away from affirming them, their failure to reflect on their meaning, and their abandonment of acting upon their implications. “And those who deny Our signs and the meeting of the Hereafter—their deeds have become worthless. Will they be recompensed except for what they used to do?” (Qurʾān 7:147). And Moses returned, and no one was able to look at him. He would place over himself a silk covering for about forty days, then he would remove it because of the light that had enveloped him.
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