Episode 4: The 10 Days of Moses

http://youtu.be/lCGI-IOwaBE

In episode 4 of Virtues of Dhul Hijjah, Dr. Omar Suleiman discusses how we, as Muslims, are connected to not just Prophet Ibrahim (as), but also Prophet Musa (as).

Episode Transcript

(Note: the transcript has been edited for clarity)

0:00 – 1:18 The connection with the earlier Prophets

Assalamu Alaikum wa Rahmah Allah wa Barakatu everyone, welcome back to the virtues of Dhul Hijjah.

So a lot of times we fail to connect our good deeds - the good deeds done in following the Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him and the way he did these good deeds - with the prophets that came before. And doing so allows us to connect at a deeper spiritual level with the prophets that came before the Prophet SAW, and also understand the way that Allah allowed these times and these deeds to coincide with one another.

So a lot of people, for example in Ramadan, when I quote the hadith about how the Prophet peace be upon him mentioned how all of the holy books were revealed within the month of Ramadhan in a way that coincided with the month of Ramadhan, not just the Quran, they'd be shocked.

So the Injeel, the Torah, the tablets of Ibrahim and Musa (as) were all revealed in the month of Ramadan as the Prophet SAW mentioned the Psalms of David, all revealed in the month of Ramadhan. Now it coincided with the month of Ramadan. So Allah, who controls time, Allah SWT chose that time to coincide with the time in which these books would
be revealed, not just the Quran.

So there's a deep spiritual connection across.

1:19 – 2:11 All the prophets have a connection to Hajj

Obviously with hajj, Ibrahim (as). You think of Ibraheem (as) - the Prophet Abraham peace be upon him - raising the foundations. But that's also the first place of worship where Adam (as) and Eve (as), Hawa, resided and the Angels built a place of the worship of Allah. Ibrahim (as) raised the foundations.

We also find the Prophet SAW mentioning prophets that visited the holy place, that visited hajj at some point or that made hajj or umrah, that visited the holy place in Makkah at some point in their lives. The Prophet SAW mentioned Hud (as) and the Prophet SAW mentioned Musa (as).

So imagine Musa (as) making tawaf around the Ka'bah, the place that was established by his grandfather and the grandfather of the Prophet SAW, Ibrahim (as). Abraham raised the house with his son Ishmael and so other prophets honored that as well.

2:12 – 3:41 What all the Prophets declared on the day of Arafah

So Musa (as), the Prophet SAW mentioned Musa (as) visiting Makkah. There's also a narration in which Musa (as) asked Allah what the best du'a, the best form of remembrance was on the day of Arafah because there was a recognition of the importance of the day of Arafah. He was told la ilaha illallah, the testimony of faith, simply bearing witness to the oneness of Allah SWT because when we we were extracted from the back of Adam (as) on that day, we all testified to the oneness of Allah. So the best form of remembrance, the best form of the dhikr on the day of Arafah, is testifying to the oneness of Allah in any way. The best form the Prophet SAW taught us was, he said,
"I and the prophets have not said anything better".

Notice he said "I and the prophets have not said anything better on this day of Arafah than la ilaha illallah wahdahu la sharika lahul mulku wa lahul hamd wa huwa ala kulli shai'un qadir."

"So i bear witness to the oneness of Allah just as we bore witness on that day when we were originally extracted. La ilaha illallah wahdahu la sharika; testifying that He has no partner, that He is alone in His Dominion. Lahul mulku wa lahul hamd, He is alone in His Dominion and He is the most worthy of praise, alone in being praised in a way that a God would be praised. Wa huwa ala kulli shai'un qadir, and He has power over all things."

So all of the forms of the testimony of faith, all of the prophets used to do that on the day of Arafah - to remember the day when we were extracted from the back of the Prophet
Adam (as), doing so.

3:42 – 5:43 The significance of the 40 days that Musa (as) fasted

So there's another interesting connection in the Quran for us to think about; that on the day of Eid, that is the day that Allah spoke to Musa (as) directly, according to the majority of the scholars.

Now what is this referring to?

Allah mentions, and the 40 days of Musa (as) of fasting. So this is biblically in the Exodus 34:28. It says, "Moses was there with the Lord 40 days and 40 nights without eating bread or drinking water, and he wrote the tablets in the words of the Covenant."

As Muslims, we also have in the Quran, "that we made an appointment with Moses for 30 nights and perfected them by the addition of 10."

So Musa (as) initially had 30 days of fasting and then Allah SWT gave him an additional 10 days, and in that he perfected, he completed the 40 nights with Allah SWT. And then Allah mentions at the end of that, "when Moses came at the time and place appointed by us and his Lord spoke to him," and that's when Musa (as) said "oh my lord, allow me to look upon you. Show me yourself that I may look on you."

So what is this referring to? Again, Musa (as) had 30 days and the scholars mentioned that the 30 days of Musa (as)'s fasting were the days of Dhul Qadah, and then Allah gave him an extra 10 which coincided with the ten of Dhul Hijjah. So those 10 days that Musa (as) was fasting were the 10 days of Dhul Hijjah.

We have a relationship to this as Muslims because we just finished not so long ago the 30 days of Ramadan or the month of Ramadan, and then Allah gives us another 10 days, the most blessed 10 days of the year after the most blessed month of the year. So we should think of it in that same way that we draw close to Allah SWT with these 10 days.

5:44 – 6:20 Allah honored Prophet Musa (as)

At this point you know really, think about how much withdrawal a person starts to feel from Ramadan. Now you know you felt like you had your goals, you set your highs. You thought you were gonna be able to persist in doing certain things. Then Ramadan ended and you fell off.

This is your chance now, with these additional 10 days that Allah has given you, to come close to him, to draw close to him, to make sure that you take the full advantage of it.

And as we go out on the day of Eid - this day of the sacrifice - we should be thinking about how Allah spoke to Musa (as) directly. Allah honored his Prophet Moses peace be upon him by speaking to him directly on that day of Eid, at the end of this period.

6:21 – 6:49 Du'a

May Allah SWT allow us to meet him on the day of judgment while He's pleased with us, allow us to see him on the day of judgement while He is pleased with us and allow us to be joined with all of the prophets and the highest level of Jannatul Firdaus, staring and gazing upon Him.

Allahumma Ameen.