Prophets Musa and Harun (A.S.)
Quran References:
Prophet Musa (AS) is the most frequently mentioned Prophet in the Quran. He is mentioned 136 times by name, across 34 different Surahs.
Prophet Harun (AS) is mentioned 20 times in the Quran.
The Birth of Musa and Firawn’s Oppression:
Firawn wanted his people to obey him and believe in the Gods of that he created himself. He had a dream in which there was a fire that came from Jerusalem which burned the houses of the Egyptians, but they did not do harm to the Children of Israel.
The priests and magicians interpreted the dream and said that: this means a boy will be born of them (Children of Israel) and the Egyptian people will be destroyed under his leadership.
Firawn commanded all male children of Israel to be killed. However, he quickly realised by killing all the children of Israel, he was losing a large amount of people from those who worked for him.
This plan of Firawn is mentioned in Surah Al-Qasas. (Quran. 28:4)
Because of this, they decided to come up with a plan where males should be slaughtered in one year but spared to live the next year.
Musa’s mother then had her son Harun in the year the boys were spared but had Prophet Musa in a year where boys were to be killed. She was scared that Musa (AS) would be killed so she nursed him secretly.
Command from Allah SWT:
Allah SWT then said: ‘When you fear for him, cast him into the river and fear not, nor grieve. Verily we shall bring him back to you and shall make him one of the Messengers.’ (Quran, 28:7)
Musa’s mother obeyed the command and made a basket for him, placing him into the basket and she threw him into the water of the river Nile.
This was very hard for Musa’s mother but she knew that Allah SWT was the best of planners.
Allah SWT commanded the waves to be calm and gentle whilst carrying Prophet Musa (AS) along the river.
Musa’s sister was instructed to follow the journey of the basket and report back to her mother.
Musa Arrives at Firawn’s Palace:
The servants of Firawn’s palace found the basket with the baby and took it to Firawn and his wife.
Allah SWT instilled strong love in the Firawn’s wife’s (Asiya’s) heart for the baby.
Asiya was a believer and merciful, as opposed to her husband, Firawn who was a disbeliever and evil.
Asiya, who was infertile, asked her husband: Let me keep the baby and let him be a son to us. However, soon after, she realised that he would not suckle any of the breasts of the wet nurses.
Musa’s Mother Returns:
Musa’s sister was worried, so she told Asiya that she knew the right person to suckle him and Firawn ordered her to get this woman.
This woman was in fact the mother of Musa (AS) and as Musa was put to her breast, he immediately started to suckle.
Firawn was shocked and asked her: Who are you?
If Musa’s mother had told the truth, he would have known that he was part of the children of Israel and would have killed him.
Musa’s mother replied: I am a woman of sweet milk and smell and no child refuses me.
Appointment of Musa’s Mother:
She was appointed as Musa’s wet nurse and when he grew older, she was allowed the privilege of visiting her son.
Musa’s Youth and his Accidental Killing:
Prophet Musa (AS) was raised in a palace as a prince where Allah SWT had granted him good health, strength, knowledge and wisdom.
One day in the city, he saw two men fighting as an Israeli man was being beaten up by an Egyptian.
The Israeli begged Prophet Musa (AS) for help and in a state of anger, Musa struck a heavy blow on the Egyptian and killed him.
After this event, Musa’s heart was filled with sorrow, and he immediately begged Allah SWT for forgiveness because he did not intend to kill the man. (Quran, 28:15-16)
The next day, the same Israeli was involved in another fight and Musa (AS) said to him: you seem to be a quarrelsome fellow; you have a new quarrel with one person or another each day.
The Israeli replied: Would you kill me as you killed the wretched (the Egyptian) yesterday?
The Egyptian who was fighting the Israeli heard this and reported Musa (AS) to the authorities.
A man then approached Prophet Musa (AS) and told him that he was going to be killed and advised him to escape. (Quran, 28:20)
Prophet Musa knew the penalty for killing an Egyptian was the death sentence and because of this, he left Egypt.
Musa in Madyan – Surah Qisas:
He travelled in the direction of Madyan (in between Syria and Egypt) with no food and supplies and he turned to Allah SWT and asked to be saved. (Quran, 28:21)
He travelled for eight nights and seven days, until he reached a well outside Madyan where shepherds were watering their flocks.
Musa (AS) saw two young women and asked them if they needed any help and he was surprised that these women were shepherding, as only men were supposed to do this.
The younger sister then said: Our father is an old man, and his health is too poor for him to go outdoors and pasture the sheep. Musa (AS) replied: I will water the sheep for you.
When he approached the water, he saw that the shepherds had put a huge rock over the spring that could only be moved by ten men.
Musa (AS) embraced the rock and lifted it out of the spring’s mouth. This shows how strong he was and after lifting the rock, he watered the sheep and put the rock back in its place.
Prophet Musa (AS) returned to sit in the shade of the tree and realised that he had forgotten to drink, and his stomach was sunken because of his hunger.
The young ladies returned to their father and told him about Musa (AS) and after hearing all about him, he decided to invite Prophet Musa to his home.
Prophet Musa (AS) welcomed the invitation and introduced himself to the father and told him about the reason why he fled Egypt.
The father reassured him and told Musa: Fear not, you have escaped from the wrongdoers.
Prophet Musa (AS) was then invited to stay with them and eventually, he was appointed as a shepherd from the request of one of the daughters.
Musa’s Marriage:
The father told Musa: I wish to marry one of my daughters to you on the condition that you agree to work for me for a period of eight years.
Prophet Musa (AS) agreed to this condition and married the daughter, looking after the father’s animals for ten years.
Desire to Return to Egypt:
One day, after this period of ten years, Musa (AS) wanted to return to Egypt and he told his wife: Tomorrow we shall leave for Egypt.
Musa’s wife knew about the dangers that this could bring but she obeyed his command.
Revelation at Mount Sinai – Surah Qisas:
Musa (AS) left Madyan with his family and reached Mount Sinai, where he soon realised that he was lost and asked Allah SWT to direct him.
In the night, they reached Mount Tur where Musa (AS) noticed a fire in the distance.
When he got closer to the fire, he heard a voice saying: O Musa, I am your Lord! So take off your sandals, for you are in the sacred valley of Tuwa. (Quran, 20:12)
Prophet Musa was shocked by this and he heard the voice say: And what is in your right hand? (Quran, 20:17)
Prophet Musa began to shiver and he replied: This is my staff which I lean on and with which I beat down branches for my sheep. (Quran, 20:18)
Allah SWT commanded: Throw down your staff. Musa (AS) did this and the staff turned into a snake. (Quran, 20:19-20)
Musa then turned to run, but the voice addressed him saying: Fear not and grasp it, we shall return it to its former state. (Quran, 20:21)
The snake changed back to his staff and Musa’s fear now eased and it was replaced with peace.
Allah SWT commanded Musa (AS) to thrust his hand into his robe at the armpit. When he pulled it out, his hand began to shine. (Quran, 20:22)
Here, Allah SWT showed Prophet Musa (AS) another sign.
Musa’s Confrontation with Firawn:
Allah ordered Musa: Go to Firawn, for he has transgressed all bounds. (Quran, 20:24)
Musa (AS) then asked Allah to appoint a helper within his family, his brother Harun. (Quran, 20-29:30)
Allah SWT granted him this request and told Musa to go with his brother with these proofs (miracles) to Firawn as he transgressed all bounds in disbelief and disobedience. (Quran, 20:42-43)
Allah SWT told them to say: ‘Verily, we are Messengers of your Lord, so let the children of Israel go with us and torment them not, indeed, we have come with a sign from your Lord. And peace will be upon him who follows the guidance. Truly, it has been revealed to us that the torment will be for him who denies (the Oneness of Allah and in His Messengers) and turns away (from the truth, and obedience of Allah).’ (Quran, 20:47-48)
Musa and Harun (AS) went to Firawn to deliver their message and Musa (AS) told him about Allah, His Mercy and His Paradise and about the obligation of His worship.
Firawn listened to Musa and asked: what do you want? Musa (AS) replied: I want you to send the children of Israel with us.
Firawn asked: Why shall I send them; they are my slaves? Musa (AS) said: They are the slaves of Allah, Lord of the Worlds.
Firawn then asked Musa: are you not the Musa whom we picked up from the Nile as a healthy baby. Who ate and drank from the provisions of our palace. Are you not the Musa that is a fugitive and a killer of an Egyptian man. You said that killing is an act of disbelief.
Musa (AS) explained to Firawn that he was not a disbeliever and when he killed the Egyptian, he went astray and at that time, Allah SWT did not give him the revelation.
Prophet Musa informed Firawn that Allah had granted him forgiveness and made him among one of the Messengers.
Conversation Between Musa and Firawn (Quran: Surah Taha, Ash-Shu’ara, Al-Qasas and Al-A’raf):
The conversation between Musa (AS) and Firawn was the following:
Firawn asked: What is the Lord of the Alamin? (mankind, jinn and all that exists) Musa (AS) replied: Lord of the heavens and the earth and all that is between them.
Firawn said, telling the people around him: Do you not hear what he says? Musa (AS) replied: Your Lord and the Lord of your ancient fathers.
Firawn said: Verily, your Messenger that has been sent to you is a madman! Musa replied: Lord of the east, the west and all that is between them if you did not understand.
Firawn then informed Musa: If you chose a God other than me, I will certainly put you among you prisoners. Musa (AS) replied: Even if I bring you something manifest (and convincing).
Firawn challenged Musa and said: Bring it forth then, if you are of the truthful. (Quran, 26:16-31)
The Contest with the Magicians:
Musa (AS) then threw his stick on the ground and it turned into a serpent. When he drew out his hand, his staff returned. (Quran, 26:32-33)
When Firawn witnessed this, he feared his rule would be in danger so he addressed his advisors about the two wizards, referring to Prophets Musa and Harun (AS).
The advisors told Firawn to imprison Musa and Harun whilst they called the best magicians in the country.
Firawn organised a contest between Musa (AS) and the magicians.
The men of Firawn asked Prophet Musa (AS) if he wanted to throw first and Musa allowed the magicians to go first and their sticks turned into snakes.
When Prophet Musa witnessed this, he got scared. However, Allah SWT informed him not to fear and clarified that he would have the upper hand.
Allah SWT told him to throw his staff from his right hand and that his serpent will swallow up what they have made. (Quran. 20:69)
Musa (AS) threw down his stick and his huge serpent swallowed all of the snakes. (Quran, 7:117)
After doing this, Prophet Musa bent to pick it up and it became a staff in his hand.
Magicians Accept the Religion of Musa:
When the magicians witnessed the power of Musa, they all prostrated themselves to Allah declaring: We believe in the Lord of Musa and Harun. (Quran, 20:70)
This angered Firawn and he claimed that Prophet Musa (AS) and the magicians had arranged some sort of a plan.
He demanded the magicians to confess to their plan and threatened them with death. However, they refused to denounce their belief in Allah SWT and stuck to the sincerity of their belief.
Firawn’s Arrogance:
Musa (AS) and Harun (AS) then left, and Firawn returned to his palace.
He was very angry and he asked Haman: Am I a liar, O Haman? Haman replied: Who dared to accuse Firawn of lying?
Firawn said: Has he (Musa) not said there is a Lord in heaven? Haman responded: Musa is lying.
Command to Build a Lofty Tower:
Firawn then looked at Haman and commanded him to build a lofty tower, the height of which reach the heavens. (Quran, 28:38)
Haman knew it was impossible to build such a high tower but despite this, he commanded the Egyptian civilisation to build it immediately.
Haman then told Firawn: let me object to you for the first time, you will never find anyone in the heavens. There is no God but You.
Firawn Declaring Himself as a God:
Firawn declared: O chiefs, I know not of no god for you other than me! (Quran, 28:38)
Firawn Seeks Advice From Advisors:
Firawn asked his advisors what the people were saying and the advisors said: My men have spread among them that Musa only won the contest because of a plot that he and a major magician conspired. The plot had been disclosed and we believe an unknown authority financed it.
Firawn then asked: what about the magician’s corpses? The advisor replied: My men hung them in public squares and markets to terrify the people. We will spread a rumour that Firawn will kill whoever had anything to do with the plot.
When Firawn heard this, he asked the commander of the army: what does the army say? The commander replied: our commands will be issued to move in whatever direction you desire.
The Destruction of Korah:
Meanwhile, Prophet Musa (AS) continued to advise his people and ordered them to ask Allah for a calamity upon the Egyptians.
The Children of Israel felt defeated and they complained to Musa saying: We (the children of Israel) have suffered troubles before you came to us and since. (Quran, 7:129)
Prophet Musa replied: It may be that your Lord will destroy your enemy and make you successors on the Earth so that He may see how you act. (Quran, 7:129)
Korah, one of Musa’s people, was a rich man and because of his huge wealth, it made him very arrogant. He told the poor people that their poverty was due to their lack of intelligence as believed his wealth came from to his intelligence. (Quran, 28:78)
Prophet Musa (AS) reminded Korah to pay his Zakat. However, Korah was angry with this and told Musa that him being wealthy was proof that Allah SWT had favoured him.
Musa (AS) argued with him and warned him of the consequences for his belief.
When Korah calculated the Zakat that he had to pay, he was shocked by the large amount he had to give.
Korah refused to give this and spread rumours that Prophet Musa (AS) had invented the law of Zakat for his own personal gain.
Korah also bribed people to oppose Musa (AS) and spread rumours about him.
Allah SWT warned Musa (AS) about Korah’s plot and Prophet Musa asked Allah SWT to punish him for refusing to obey the law.
Allah’s anger fell on Korah and the Earth opened and swallowed him up as well as his mansion and all of his wealth. (Quran, 28:82)
The Family Member of Firawn who was a Believer:
Firawn suggested his ministers for Prophet Musa (AS) to be killed.
This was supported by all of the ministers, except for the vote of one man, whose name is not mentioned in the Quran.
The Quran does state though that he was a believer and he was a relative of Firawn.
The man said: would you kill a man because he says: My Lord is Allah, and he has come to you with clear signs from your Lord’ (Quran, 40:28)
This angered Firawn and his counsellors, and they threatened to harm this relative. Despite these threats, the family member of Firawn refused to change his stance.
This angered Firawn even more and he threatened to kill the man but Allah SWT protected this believer.
Allah’s Signs:
Musa (AS) continued his demand to Firawn to release the children of Israel from slavery.
Firawn called all of his subjects, including the children of Israel and reminded them that he was their Lord and Provider of all their needs. Prophet Musa could not compete with this as he was a poor man.
The people at this time based their judgement on the materialism they saw and they knew that Firawn was rich and was able to look after their worldly needs. Because of this, they obeyed Firawn and ignored the call of Musa (AS).
Allah commanded Prophet Musa (AS) to warn Firawn of a punishment for his persecution of the children of Israel. As a sign of the punishment, Allah SWT sent a famine and a shortage of crops in Egypt (Quran, 7:130).
The Flood:
Despite this, Firawn remained arrogant so Allah SWT caused a huge flood which ruined the land.
Firawn’s men asked Prophet Musa: O Musa, invoke your Lord for us because of His promise to you. If you remove this punishment from us, we indeed will believe you and we will let the children of Israel go (Quran, 7:134)
Prophet Musa prayed to Allah SWT to relieve the suffering from the flood and Allah answered his Dua.
Despite this, when Musa (AS) told them to honour their promise to release the children of Israel, they did not respond.
Swarm of Locusts:
Allah SWT sent a swarm of locusts which ate all the crops that had been grown. (Quran, 7:133)
The people of Firawn again went to Prophet Musa (AS), asking him to pray to Allah SWT again to remove the affliction. Once again, they promised they would release the children of Israel this time.
Eventually, the locusts departed, but just like with the flood, the people of Firawn did not fulfil their promise.
Sign of Lice:
Then another sign came, the sign of lice which spread amongst the Egyptians and carried diseases. (Quran, 7:133)
Firawn’s people went to Musa for a third time and promised to release the children of Israel.
Prophet Musa (AS) prayed to Allah SWT to remove the lice, but once Allah answered Musa’s Dua, they broke their promise again.
Sign of Frogs:
The next sign was frogs and Egypt had become infested with frogs which jumped on the food of the Egyptians and caused a lot of issues. (Quran, 7:133)
The Egyptians went to Musa (AS) again promising to release the children of Israel.
Prophet Musa (AS) prayed to the Lord and Allah relieved them from the frogs but again they broke their promise.
The Sign of Blood:
The last sign was revealed and the Nile water changed to blood. (Quran, 7:133)
When Musa (AS) and his people drank the water, to them it was normal. However, when an Egyptian drank it, they realised it was full of blood.
They ran to Prophet Musa (AS) as usual and when everything returned to normal, they turned their backs to Allah SWT.
Firawn’s Destruction:
It was clear that Firawn would never believe in Prophet Musa’s message, and he would not stop the torture of the children of Israel.
Musa (AS) prayed to Allah SWT by saying: ‘Destroy their wealth and harden their hearts, so that they will not believe until they see the painful torment.’
Allah SWT replied: ‘Verily the invocation of you both is accepted. So, keep to the straightway and follow not the path of those who know not’. (Quran, 10:88-89)
Allah SWT revealed that nobody believed in Prophet Musa (AS) except his offspring because of the fear of Firawn persecuting them. (Quran, 10:83)
Allah SWT then put an end to Firawn’s evil after giving him several chances and He commanded Prophet Musa (AS) to leave the city. (Quran, 26:52)
Prophet Musa led his people towards the Red Sea and after witnessing this, Firawn realised that they had departed so he organised a huge army to go after them.
Allah SWT revealed to Musa: ‘Smite the sea with your staff’. (Quran, 26:63)
After Prophet Musa (AS) did this, the sea parted, and the crests of the waves stood up like mountains on each side. (Quran, 26:63)
Prophet Musa led his people across the sea and as they looked back, they saw Firawn and his army approaching.
They had seen the miracle and after witnessing this miracle from Allah SWT, Firawn tried to claim the miracle as if he created it.
He said to his men: Look, the sea has opened at my command so I may follow those rebels and arrest them.
When they were midway through the sea, Allah SWT commanded the sea to return to its former state. (Quran, 44:24)
Firawn realised his end had come and out of fear started declaring: I believe that there is no god worthy of worship except Allah in Whom the children of Israel believe, and I am one of those who surrender to Him. (Quran, 10:90)
Allah SWT did not accept this declaration of Firawn and the water closed in.
Firawn and all of his followers drowned to their death.
The Trials that the Children of Israel caused Prophet Musa:
Despite having just witnessed the incident between Musa (AS) and Firawn, the Children of Israel were jealous of the other people believing in other gods and wanted to do the same. (Quran, 7:138)
Allah SWT had favoured the children of Israel. (Quran, 2:47)
When they needed water, Allah SWT commanded Musa (AS) to strike a rock which parted and sent twelve springs of water for the twelve different tribes. (Quran, 2:60)
Allah SWT also kept the skies cloudy to protect them from the sun and provided them with food. (Quran, 2:57)
The children of Israel were ungrateful and despite all of Allah’s favours, they could not stay away from evil and continued to reject Allah’s laws.
When Allah SWT commanded to enter the Holy Land, Prophet Musa (AS) ordered them to conquer the town of the Canaanites, but the children of Israel made excuses. (Quran, 5:21-26)
It was stated that there were 600,000 men and only two men were ready to fight, who said: Once we enter through that door, Allah will make us victorious.
However, the rest of the children of Israel cowardly refused to participate because of their ignorance.
Revelation at Mount Sinai:
Musa (AS) went to Mount Sinai, the place where he spoke to Allah for the first time. Here, he asked Allah for guidance over his people.
Allah SWT then told him to purify himself by fasting for thirty days. (Quran, 7:142)
After this period, he had to go to Mount Sinai where he would be given instructions.
Musa’s Fasting:
After Musa (AS) fasted for thirty days, he hated the idea of speaking to Allah SWT with the odour from fasting on his mouth. He ate a plant on the earth and Allah asked him: Why did you break your fast?
Musa replied: O my Lord, I dislike speaking to You with my mouth not having a pleasant smell.
Allah SWT said: Do you not know Musa, the odour of the fast’s mouth is more fragrant to Me than the rose. Go back and fast ten days and then come back to me.
After this, Prophet Musa fasted for forty days, ten more days than the original thirty he was commanded.
The Incident of the Golden Calf:
When Musa (AS) was gone for forty days, his people became anxious as they did not know Allah SWT had extended his time for a further ten days.
A man named Samiri suggested they find another guide as he claimed Musa had broken his promise of returning after thirty days.
He collected all the gold jewellery, dug a hole and lit a huge fire to melt it down. After doing this, a golden calf was created. (Quran, 7:148)
When the wind passed this calf, it produced a sound and the people thought this was supernatural. Because of this, some of the people accepted the golden calf as their god.
Prophet Harun (AS), who was the leader in the absence of his brother Musa, told his people: O my people, you have been deceived. Your Lord is the Most Beneficent, follow me and obey me.
The children of Israel replied: We shall stop worshipping this god only if Musa returns.
Musa’s Return:
Musa (AS) returned and saw his people singing and dancing around the calf statue. In a state of anger, he grabbed Harun (AS) by his beard and hair and asked him why he didn’t stop the people from worshipping this calf.
Harun (AS) told him that the people considered him weak and threatened to kill him. (Quran, 7:150)
Musa (AS) warned Samiri of the punishment that he would suffer in this life. (Quran, 20:97)
Prophet Musa threatened to burn the golden calf and scatter its particles in the sea. The punishment imposed on the calf worshippers was the death sentence.
Musa and the Seventy Elders:
Prophet Musa commanded the best of the children of Israel to pray to Allah for forgiveness and demonstrate their repentance. (Quran, 2:54)
Musa (AS) chose seventy of them and ordered them: Rush towards Allah and repent for what you did and ask His forgiveness.
Prophet Musa then returned to Mount Sinai with the seventy elders, and he communicated with Allah SWT. (Quran, 7:155)
The seventy people directly heard Musa (AS) speaking to Allah SWT.
The Demand to See Allah SWT:
However, they were still not content and requested to see Allah themselves.
This demand caused them to be punished by lightning bolts that left them dead. (Quran, 2:55)
Prophet Musa (AS) was very upset by this and he prayed to Allah SWT asking to forgive the seventy people because they were foolish for their request.
Allah SWT forgave the elders and brought them back to life after their death. (Quran, 2:56)
Musa and the Pious Youth’s Cow (Quran, 2:67-73):
Among the children of Israel was a pious man and on his deathbed, his last words were: O Allah, I place my wife, my son and my only possession, a calf in your care.
After a few years, his wife told his son: your father has left you a calf in the trust of Allah, it must have grown into a cow by now.
The boy went to the forest with a rope in his hand and prostrated himself before Allah and said: O Allah, Lord of Ibrahim, Ya’qub and Ayub, return to me my father’s trust.
As he raised his head, he saw a cow coming towards him and he brought it back to his house. The cow would not allow anyone else to come near it apart from the young man.
The child was as pious as his father and he would divide his earnings into three equal portions. One he gave to his mother, one for his own needs and one he gave to charity.
His nights were also divided into three parts: during the early part of the night he helped his mother, in the middle he would devote to the worship of Allah and during the last part of the night, he rested.
The Murder of the Young Boy:
The cousins of the boy envied his fortune and killed him so they could inherit it. The relatives of the boy went to Musa (AS) and asked for help tracing the murderer.
Musa (AS) instructed them to slaughter the cow and place it on the corpse to reveal the murderer. (Quran, 2:73)
Prophet Musa told the people that the cow they should slaughter should not be young or mature but in between the two conditions. (Quran, 2:68)
The Children of Israel continued to ask questions about the cow so Musa (AS) told them it would be yellow in colour, and it was an unyoked cow and it is entirely without marks. (Quran, 2:69)
They found the cow and realised it was owned by an orphan child, who informed them that he had to consult his mother before selling the cow. The mother kept refusing the prices that the people were suggesting and said: Let that be the price, its skin filled with gold.
Prophet Musa’s people eventually agreed to buy the cow and the Children of Israel slaughtered the cow and placed part of it on the dead body. (Quran, 2:73)
This was another sign that Allah SWT could bring the dead back to life.
The dead young boy was resurrected and he spoke and identified the people who murdered him. After doing this, he returned to his state of death.
The Story of Musa and Al-Khidr:
One day, when Musa (AS) was delivering a sermon, a man asked him: O Messenger of Allah, is there another man on Earth more learned than you. Musa replied: No.
However, Allah SWT revealed to Prophet Musa that no man could know all there is to know and there would always be another who knew what others did not. (Quran, 18:65)
Prophet Musa (AS) asked Allah: where is this man, I would like to meet and learn from him.
Allah SWT instructed Prophet Musa to take a fish in a water filled vessel and stated that when the fish disappears, that is when he will find the man.
Musa and Yushua ibn Nun (Quran, 18:60-65)
Musa (AS) went on his journey with a young man, named Yushua ibn Nun (according to Sahih Bukhari).
They reached a place where two rivers met, and Prophet Musa fell asleep. Whilst he was sleeping, the fish came out of the vessel and swam away. Yushua ibn Nun saw this but Shaytan caused him forget to tell Musa (AS).
Prophet Musa realised that the fish had gotten away and he said: this is exactly what we are seeking!
They then retracted their steps and eventually found a man whose face was partly covered with a hood. This man was none other than Al-Khidr.
Prophet Musa and Al-Khidr Meet:
Prophet Musa (AS) asked him: May I follow you so that you can teach me something of knowledge which you have been taught by Allah. (Quran, 18:66)
Al-Khidr replied: Verily, you will not be able to have patience with me. And how can you have patience about a thing which you know not. (Quran, 18:67-68)
Musa (AS) said: If Allah wills, you will find me patient and I will not disobey you. (Quran, 18:69)
Al-Khidr said: Then, if you follow me, ask me not about anything until I myself mention it to you. (Quran, 18:70)
The Incident on a Ship:
They were both in a ship and Al-Khidr created a hole in the ship.
Prophet Musa said: Have you done this to drown the people. Verily, you have done an evil thing. (Quran, 18:71)
Al-Khidr replied: Did I not tell you that you would not be able to have patience with me? (Quran, 18:72)
Musa (AS) replied that he had forgot and asked Al-Khidr to pardon him. (Quran, 18:73)
The Incident with a Boy:
Prophet Musa and Al-Khidr continued on their journey and they came across a boy and Al-Khidr killed him.
Prophet Musa asked: Have you killed an innocent person who killed none? Verily you have done an evil thing! (Quran, 18:74)
Al-Khidr replied: Did I not tell you can have no patience with me? (Quran, 18:75)
Musa (AS) said: If I ask you anything after this, do not keep me in your company, you have received an excuse from me. (Quran, 18:76)
Incident in the Town:
After this, they went to a town where they asked people for food, but they refused to entertain them. In the town, they found a wall about to collapse and Al-Khidr set it up straight.
Prophet Musa said: if you had wished, surely you could have taken wages from them. (Quran, 18:77)
Al-Khidr Explains His Actions:
Al-Khidr then said: this is the parting between me and you, I will tell you the interpretation of those things over which you were unable to hold patience. (Quran, 18:78)
Al-Khidr said: As for the ship, it belonged to poor people in the sea, so I wished to damage it as there was a King after them who seized every ship by force. (Quran, 18:79)
Al-Khidr continued: As for the boy, his parents were believers and we feared that he would be oppressed by rebellion and disbelief. So we intended that their Lord should change him (the son) for one that is better in righteousness and mercy. (Quran, 18:80)
Al-Khidr then said: As for the wall, it belonged to two orphan boys in the town and there was a treasure belonging to them, and their father was a righteous man. And your Lord intended that they should attain their age of full strength and take out their treasure as a mercy from your Lord. And I did it not of my own accord. This is the interpretation of those over which you could not hold patience. (Quran, 18:82)
Hadith of the Prophet About Musa and Al-Khidr:
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said when recounting this story: May Allah bestow his Mercy on Moses! If he remained patient, we would have been told further about their case. (Bukhari)
Allah SWT Clears Prophet Musa (AS) of False Accusations:
One of the Children of Israel hurt Prophet Musa (AS) by falsely claiming that he covered his body because he had some sort of a defect/illness in his skin. Allah SWT wanted to clear Musa (AS) of these rumours.
One day, Prophet Musa (AS) started taking a bath and left his clothes on a stone. When he had finished, the stone took his clothes and ran off.
Prophet Musa (AS) picked up his stick and ran after the stone saying: O stone, give me my garment.
He reached a group of the Children of Israel who saw him naked and found that he did not have any defects on his skin.
Allah SWT had cleared Musa (AS) of what the Children of Israel had accused him of.
This incident is reported in a Hadith narrated by Abu Hurayrah and it is found in Sahih Bukhari.
Musa and Harun’s Death:
Prophet Harun (AS) died shortly before Musa (AS). The Children of Israel were still lost and confused when he passed away.
In a Hadith reported by Abu Hurayrah and found in Sahih Bukhari, the Angel of Death was sent to Prophet Musa (AS) and Musa slapped him on the eye.
The Angel of Death went back to Allah SWT and said: you have sent me to a slave that does not want to die.
Allah SWT replied: Return to him and tell him to put his hand on the back of an ox and for every hair that will come under it, he will be granted one more year of life. Prophet Musa asked: O Lord, what will happen after that?
Allah SWT replied: then death. Musa said: Let it come now.
Prophet Musa (AS) requested Allah SWT to let him die near the Sacred Land.