Splitting of the Moon Viii

After these essential clarifications, here are a few prominent examples of this type of verses and signs:

[1]. The Miracles of Prophet Moses, peace be upon him

Prophet Moses, peace be upon him, was given two major signs, one of which was his staff, and the other was his white hand. These were extraordinary signs, which were granted to him at the time of his prophethood. Most of his miracles manifested through the means of these two signs. He was given these signs in the sacred valley of Tuwa. It is mentioned in the Holy Quran that when Moses, peace be upon him, was returning from Median and reached the valley of Tuwa, he saw something like a flame. Thinking it was fire, he approached it. When he arrived, he heard a voice from the unseen saying, “Indeed, I am your Lord, so remove your sandals; you are in the sacred valley of Tuwa. And I have chosen you, so listen to what is being revealed.” At this moment, Allah commanded Prophet Moses to throw his staff on the ground, and doing so, it turned into a slithering snake. Then Allah asked Moses to place his hand into his armpit and pull it out. When he pulled it out, it came out white and shining. Allah Almighty says in Surah Ta-Ha:

Javed Ahmad Ghamidi’s Stance [Taken from a dialogue with Muhammad Hasan Ilyas]

قَالَ هِىَ عَصَاىَ أَتَوَكَّؤُا۟ عَلَيْهَا وَأَهُشُّ بِهَا عَلَىٰ غَنَمِى وَلِىَ فِيهَا مَـَٔارِبُ أُخْرَىٰ قَالَ أَلْقِهَا يَٰمُوسَىٰ فَأَلْقَىٰهَا فَإِذَا هِىَ حَيَّةٌۭ تَسْعَىٰ قَالَ خُذْهَا وَلَا تَخَفْ ۖ سَنُعِيدُهَا سِيرَتَهَا ٱلْأُولَىٰ وَٱضْمُمْ يَدَكَ إِلَىٰ جَنَاحِكَ تَخْرُجْ بَيْضَآءَ مِنْ غَيْرِ سُوٓءٍ ءَايَةً أُخْرَىٰ لِنُرِيَكَ مِنْ ءَايَٰتِنَا ٱلْكُبْرَى

“And what is this in your hands, O Moses!” He replied: “This is my staff. I lean on it and through it bring down leaves for my flock. And I also have other uses for it.” God said: “Place it [on the ground,] O Moses.” At this, Moses placed the staff [on the ground]. So, suddenly he saw that it is a serpent running about. God said: “Pick it up and fear not. We shall now return it to its previous shape. And take your hand [a little] towards your arm. It will come out white without any illness, as a second sign. This is because [through these signs] We may show you some great signs of Ours.”

Imam Amin Ahsan Islahi explains these verses pertaining to the miracles of the staff and white hand as follows:

“The Miracle of the Staff: It was commanded to throw this stick on the ground and witness the wonder of Divine power! So, Prophet Moses did cast the staff and it suddenly turned into a running snake. Being frightened by a snake is a natural reaction, hence Moses was afraid when the staff which could have been used to kill the snake, turned itself into one. However, Allah reassured him not to be afraid and to take hold of the snake without hesitation. The moment he would grasp it, Allah promised to restore it to its former state — from a snake back into its original form as a staff.

The Miracle of the White Hand: Along with this, another directive was given to press his hand to his side, and when he will draw it out, it will come forth white, without any illness as another sign.

This was the second miracle bestowed upon Prophet Moses. Here, the condition ‘without disease’ alongside ‘white’ eliminates the misconception that this whiteness of the hand was due to some disease, rather it was a sign from Allah. This also refutes the account in the Torah which suggests that when Moses withdrew his hand, it was white with leprosy. It should also be kept in mind that this whiteness of Prophet Moses’s hand was not permanent, but as stated in the Quran, it was specifically meant to appear only when he withdrew his hand from his armpit as a sign.

(That We may show you [some] of our greater signs): This prophesizes future victories for Moses, implying that there are not just these two miracles, but enclosed within them are many other significant signs of Allah’s power and might. As testing times will come, one will see the wonders and extraordinary signs of Divine capability and majesty through these.” (Tadabbur-e-Qur’an, Volume 5, Pages 35–36)

After his appointment to prophethood, Prophet Moses (peace be upon him) arrived at the court of Pharaoh and, as is common among the prophets, presented the call to monotheism and belief in the Hereafter to Pharaoh and his nobles and chieftains. Afterward, he made a demand for the release of the Children of Israel to join him. In response, Pharaoh demanded to see a sign. Upon this, Prophet Moses

(Quran 20: 17-23) (peace be upon him) threw down his staff and it became a serpent. Then he took out his hand from his sleeve, and suddenly it began shining brightly. The people of the court realized that this was no ordinary sorcery. Hence, they warned Pharaoh in order to frighten and provoke him, saying that Moses wanted to take over his kingdom and expel him from the land. They suggested that he should stall Moses for the time being and assemble magicians from across the land to counter his sorcery.

The Pharaoh accepted this advice and sent messengers to gather the magicians. The detailed account of what happened next is quoted in Surah Al-A’raf in these words:

[Thus, this is what was done,] and the magicians came to the Pharaoh. They said: “If we win, we shall certainly be rewarded abundantly?” The Pharaoh replied: “Yes, surely and you shall also be included among our favored ones.” At this, the magicians said: “O Moses! Will you throw or [if you want] we can throw?” He said: “You throw.” Thus, when they threw, the eyes of the people were deluded and it terrified them and they brought forth a great magic. We signaled to Moses: “Throw down your staff.” Then as soon as it was thrown, it went on engulfing the magic they had fabricated. So, the truth manifested itself and whatever they were doing was all nullified. [On that day,] the Pharaoh and his companions were vanquished there and were humiliated, and the magicians [upon seeing this sign of God] fell down in prostration. They [spontaneously] said: “We have professed faith in the Lord of the worlds, Who is the Lord of Moses and Aaron.”

Javed Ahmad Ghamidi believes that at this juncture, the words (So when they threw, they bewitched the eyes of the people) clarify that magic does not change the reality or essence of anything. It simply affects the sight and imaginative power, making a person see what the magician wants them to see. This means that wherever the rod-turned-snake went, it restored every rope and staff that was wavering like snakes back to its true form as rope and staff, just as they were in reality, and the entire illusion was destroyed¹.

The words from Surah Taha, (What they made was a magician’s trick; and the magician does not succeed wherever he comes) also clear up the reality that magic is a deception. It means that as soon as the truth is confronted, it becomes clear to everyone what magic is, and what a miracle is². According to Javed Ahmad Ghamidi: “There is exactly the same as if the sun comes out to dispel a false moon. After that, it is obvious that there’s no need to clarify the difference between the two with logic or arguments. … Experts of magic and magicians, and such other fields of

وَجَآءَ ٱلسَّحَرَةُ فِرْعَوْنَ قَالُوٓا۟ إِنَّ لَنَا لَأَجْرًا إِن كُنَّا نَحْنُ ٱلْغَٰلِبِينَ قَالَ نَعَمْ وَإِنَّكُمْ لَمِنَ ٱلْمُقَرَّبِينَ قَالُوا۟ يَٰمُوسَىٰٓ إِمَّآ أَن تُلْقِىَ وَإِمَّآ أَن نَّكُونَ نَحْنُ ٱلْمُلْقِينَ قَالَ أَلْقُوا۟ ۖ فَلَمَّآ أَلْقَوْا۟ سَحَرُوٓا۟ أَعْيُنَ ٱلنَّاسِ وَٱسْتَرْهَبُوهُمْ وَجَآءُو بِسِحْرٍ عَظِيمٍۢ ۞ وَأَوْحَيْنَآ إِلَىٰ مُوسَىٰٓ أَنْ أَلْقِ عَصَاكَ ۖ فَإِذَا هِىَ تَلْقَفُ مَا يَأْفِكُونَ فَوَقَعَ ٱلْحَقُّ وَبَطَلَ مَا كَانُوا۟ يَعْمَلُونَ فَغُلِبُوا۟ هُنَالِكَ وَٱنقَلَبُوا۟ صَٰغِرِينَ وَأُلْقِىَ ٱلسَّحَرَةُ سَٰجِدِينَ

(Quran 7: 113-122) of knowledge, understand them better. Hence, a very clear standard to differentiate between these arts, and miracles is that even the experts of these fields have to admit their inadequacy in the face of a miracle³.”

Another magnificent miracle for the Israelites through the staff of Moses, peace be upon him, was that when he struck it upon a rock, twelve springs gushed forth, and water was provided separately for each tribe. It is mentioned in Surah Al-Baqarah:

” And recall when Moses prayed for water for his people; so, We said to him: “Strike this rock with your staff.” [He struck the rock;] thereupon, twelve springs gushed out from it such that each tribe ascertained its drinking-place…..”

The incident of water flowing from the rock in the desert of Zin is detailed in the Book of Numbers from the Bible. It reads:

“And the caravan of the children of Israel came unto the desert of Zin… and there was no water for the caravan. And they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron… and the people chide with Moses, and spake, saying, ‘Would God that we had died when our brethren died before the Lord…’ and Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly unto the door of the tabernacle of the caravan, and they fell upon their faces: and the glory of the Lord appeared unto them… [followed by the narration of the event described in the Quranic verse.”

The breaking of twelve springs instead of one was due to the twelve tribes of Israel. Having separate watering stations for each tribe prevented disputes over water. If water had not been made abundantly available and equally distributed, in the desert, there would have been daily disputes over drinking water. Therefore, this was not only an extraordinary miracle but also a great blessing from Allah. Imam Amin Ahsan Islahi writes:

“Since twelve springs flowed from a mountain and the families of the Israelites were also twelve, each family defined their own separate watering places, and there was no longer any concern that disputes would arise over fetching water. If this arrangement for the abundant provision of water had not been made, swords would have come out over drinking water every day in that desert. Thus, this incident was not just a great miracle but also a great favor.” (Tadabbur-e-Qur’an 1/223)

To be continued………….

۞ وَإِذِ ٱسْتَسْقَىٰ مُوسَىٰ لِقَوْمِهِۦ فَقُلْنَا ٱضْرِب بِّعَصَاكَ ٱلْحَجَرَ ۖ فَٱنفَجَرَتْ مِنْهُ ٱثْنَتَا عَشْرَةَ عَيْنًۭا ۖ قَدْ عَلِمَ كُلُّ أُنَاسٍۢ مَّشْرَبَهُمْ ۖ كُلُوا۟ وَٱشْرَبُوا۟ مِن رِّزْقِ ٱللَّهِ وَلَا تَعْثَوْا۟ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ مُفْسِدِينَ