On the Occultation of Musa عليه السلام

Kamāl al-Dīn wa Tamām al-Niʿma|Volume 1|Book 2|Chapter 6

On the Occultation of Musa عليه السلام

فَرُوِيَ‌ أَنَّهُ قَضَى أَتَمَّهُمَا لِأَنَّ الْأَنْبِيَاءَ عليه السلام لَا يَأْخُذُونَ إِلَّا بِالْفَضْلِ وَ التَّمَامِ‌ فَلَمَّا قَضى‌ مُوسَى الْأَجَلَ وَ سارَ بِأَهْلِهِ‌ نَحْوَ بَيْتِ الْمَقْدِسِ أَخْطَأَ عَنِ الطَّرِيقِ لَيْلًا فَرَأَى نَاراً فَقالَ لِأَهْلِهِ امْكُثُوا إِنِّي آنَسْتُ ناراً لَعَلِّي آتِيكُمْ مِنْها بِقَبَسٍ‌ أَوْ بِخَبَرٍ مِنَ الطَّرِيقِ فَلَمَّا انْتَهَى إِلَى النَّارِ إِذَا شَجَرَةٌ تَضْطَرِمُ‌ مِنْ أَسْفَلِهَا إِلَى أَعْلَاهَا فَلَمَّا دَنَا مِنْهَا تَأَخَّرَتْ عَنْهُ فَرَجَعَ وَ أَوْجَسَ‌ فِي نَفْسِهِ خِيفَةً ثُمَّ دَنَتْ مِنْهُ الشَّجَرَةُ فَنُودِيَ‌ مِنْ شاطِئِ الْوادِ الْأَيْمَنِ فِي الْبُقْعَةِ الْمُبارَكَةِ مِنَ الشَّجَرَةِ أَنْ يا مُوسى‌ إِنِّي أَنَا اللَّهُ رَبُّ الْعالَمِينَ وَ أَنْ أَلْقِ عَصاكَ فَلَمَّا رَآها تَهْتَزُّ كَأَنَّها جَانٌّ وَلَّى مُدْبِراً وَ لَمْ يُعَقِّبْ‌ فَإِذَا حَيَّةٌ مِثْلُ الْجِذْعِ لِأَسْنَانِهَا صَرِيرٌ يَخْرُجُ مِنْهَا مِثْلُ لَهَبِ النَّارِ فَوَلَّى مُوسَى مُدْبِراً فَقَالَ لَهُ رَبُّهُ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ ارْجِعْ فَرَجَعَ وَ هُوَ يَرْتَعِدُ وَ رُكْبَتَاهُ تَصْطَكَّانِ فَقَالَ يَا إِلَهِي هَذَا الْكَلَامُ الَّذِي أَسْمَعُ كَلَامُكَ قَالَ نَعَمْ فَلَا تَخَفْ فَوَقَعَ عَلَيْهِ الْأَمَانُ فَوَضَعَ رِجْلَهُ عَلَى ذَنَبِهَا ثُمَّ تَنَاوَلَ لَحْيَيْهَا فَإِذَا يَدُهُ فِي شُعْبَةِ الْعَصَا قَدْ عَادَتْ عَصًا وَ قِيلَ لَهُ‌ فَاخْلَعْ نَعْلَيْكَ إِنَّكَ بِالْوادِ الْمُقَدَّسِ طُوىً‌. فَرُوِيَ‌ أَنَّهُ أُمِرَ بِخَلْعِهِمَا لِأَنَّهُمَا كَانَتَا مِنْ جِلْدِ حِمَارٍ مَيِّتٍ . وَ رُوِيَ‌ فِي قَوْلِهِ عَزَّ وَ جَلَ‌ فَاخْلَعْ نَعْلَيْكَ‌ أَيْ خَوْفَيْكَ خَوْفَكَ مِنْ ضِيَاعِ أَهْلِكَ وَ خَوْفَكَ مِنْ فِرْعَوْنَ ثُمَّ أَرْسَلَهُ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ إِلَى فِرْعَوْنَ وَ مَلَئِهِ بِآيَتَيْنِ بِيَدِهِ وَ الْعَصَا . فَرُوِيَ عَنِ الصَّادِقِ عليه السلام أَنَّهُ قَالَ لِبَعْضِ أَصْحَابِهِ‌ كُنْ لِمَا لَا تَرْجُو أَرْجَى مِنْكَ لِمَا تَرْجُو فَإِنَّ مُوسَى‌ بْنَ عِمْرَانَ عليه السلام خَرَجَ لِيَقْتَبِسَ لِأَهْلِهِ نَاراً فَرَجَعَ إِلَيْهِمْ وَ هُوَ رَسُولٌ نَبِيٌّ فَأَصْلَحَ اللَّهُ تَبَارَكَ وَ تَعَالَى أَمْرَ عَبْدِهِ وَ نَبِيِّهِ مُوسَى عليه السلام فِي لَيْلَةٍ وَ هَكَذَا يَفْعَلُ اللَّهُ تَبَارَكَ وَ تَعَالَى بِالْقَائِمِ الثَّانِيَ عَشَرَ مِنَ الْأَئِمَّةِ عليه السلام يَصْلُحُ لَهُ أَمْرَهُ فِي لَيْلَةٍ كَمَا أَصْلَحَ أَمْرَ نَبِيِّهِ مُوسَى عليه السلام وَ يُخْرِجُهُ مِنَ الْحَيْرَةِ وَ الْغَيْبَةِ إِلَى نُورِ الْفَرَجِ وَ الظُّهُورِ.

According to traditions, Musa completed ten years in his employment because apostles of Allah do not take anything without favor. After completing the period Musa took his family and set out towards Jerusalem. One night he lost his way. At that time he saw a fire at a distance. He told his wife: Wait here. I have seen fire at a distance. I’ll go and see if I can get some of it for you or get some direction to find the way. When he reached the fire, he saw a green tree lit up as on fire. When he neared, it moved away from its place. Musa turned in fear but the tree moved near Musa and he heard a voice from the right side of the valley. “O, Musa! I am Allah, the Creator of the worlds. Cast your staff on the ground.” Musa cast his staff down. When he saw that the staff was undulating like a python he was shocked and he began to run away without looking behind. It changed into a serpent whose fangs were calling and flames were leaping out of its mouth. So Musa fled from there but his Lord asked him to return. Musa came back and was shivering all over. Musa asked, “O Allah! Is it Your voice that I hear?” “Yes, do not be afraid,” replied the Lord. Musa came back. He stepped on the tail of the serpent and put his hand into his mouth, it changed into its original form. Allah told him: Remove your shoes as you are in the sacred valley. It is narrated that he was ordered to remove them, as they were from the carrion of a donkey. According to another tradition ‘take off your shoes’ means give up your two fears: One that your family members will be lost and another of Firon. After that Allah, the Mighty and Sublime sent him to Firon and his people with two signs: The first was a luminous hand and second his staff. It is narrated from Imam Ja’far as-Sadiq that he told his companions: You should be such that you are more hopeful for something about which you don’t have hope. Musa went to get fire for his wife and he returned as a Messenger Prophet. Thus Allah reformed the condition of His servant and Prophet in a single night. He shall do the same in the case of His second Qaim; that is the twelfth of the Imams. And He shall reform his affairs in a single night as He reformed the affair of His Prophet Musa and brought him out from confusion and occultation into the light of deliverance and reappearance.