Someone from Tunisia wrote to Hazrat Amirul Momineen, Khalifatul Masih Vaa, asserting that the Holy Quran and the Bible provide evidence that the advent of Hazrat Mosesas [Musa], like that of the Holy Prophet Muhammadsa, took place in the Hejazi towns of Mecca and Medina. He then sought Huzoor’saa opinion on this matter.
Huzoor-e-Anwaraa, in his letter dated 24 November 2021, provided the following guidance:
“Your attempt to support your position by referencing certain verses from the Holy Quran is based solely on your subjective interpretations and cannot be historically substantiated. Additionally, you have mixed up certain historical events.
“It appears that you may have misunderstood the meaning of the term ‘wadi’, interpreting it as referring only to the valleys of Mecca and Hudaybiyyah. You also seem to believe that مِنْ شَاطِئِ الْوَادِ الْأَيْمَن [‘from the right side of the Valley’ (28:31)] mentioned in Surah al-Qasas refers exclusively to the Valley of Mecca. However, this term has been used to describe numerous other places in the Holy Quran too.
“In fact, the location mentioned in this verse of Surah al-Qasas is actually related to a story of Hazrat Mosesas. According to it, after completing his agreement with his father-in-law, he and his family were travelling from Midian to a different location, when Allah the Exalted spoke to him and appointed him as a messenger, instructing him to go to Pharaoh in Egypt.
“The argument you presented based on the incident of Hudaybiyyah is also incorrect. The Holy Prophetsa had not yet entered Mecca at the time the treaty was signed with the polytheists of Mecca. Instead, he returned to Medina from Hudaybiyyah according to the terms of the treaty. The following year, he went to Mecca for ‘umrah in compliance with the treaty. However, it is true that during this journey, the foundation for the eventual conquest of Mecca was laid. Allah also granted the Holy Prophetsa the glad tidings of the conquest of Mecca with the revelation of Surah al-Fath during his return journey after the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah, referring to it as a ‘clear victory’. [Surah al-Fath, Ch. 48: V. 2]
“Furthermore, it seems incorrect to equate the Valley of Canaan with the Valley of Makkah. While it is true that the Holy Quran refers to the Valley of Canaan as a ‘Holy Land’, [Surah al-Ma’idah, Ch. 5: V. 21] the followers of Hazrat Mosesas refused to enter it, and as a result, Allah the Exalted deprived that nation of that land for forty years as a punishment. Additionally, due to the disobedience of his followers, Hazrat Mosessa himself was also deprived of this blessing.
“By contrast, Allah the Exalted blessed our lord and master, the Holy Prophet Muhammadsa, the chosen one, to settle in Yathrib, a town previously plagued with fever and other epidemic diseases, which was transformed into Madinat an-Nabi with a new order and system. Moreover, with the blessed arrival of the Holy Prophetsa, Allah transformed its poisonous atmosphere of fever and epidemics into a pleasant climate. Furthermore, Allah the Exalted allowed him to enter the blessed Valley of Makkah as a great victor, along with ten thousand of his most devoted and obedient saintly followers.
“It is clear that the blessed Valley of Makkah al-Mukarramah, filled with these extraordinary blessings and favours of God, cannot be compared to the settlement of Canaan. These are two distinct locations and should not be conflated.
“In your letter, you also mentioned the following incident, which you believed took place on the occasion of the signing of the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah. However, historical evidence indicates that this incident actually occurred during the Battle of Badr:
“When faced with the prospect of entering the Valley of Canaan, Hazrat Moses’as companions baulked and refused to go forward. However, the companions of the Holy Prophetsa, instead of echoing the Children of Israel by saying, ‘Go thou and thy Lord and fight, and here we sit’, submitted to the Holy Prophetsa that they would certainly fight alongside him.
“Thus, as I have written, these are all your personal opinions, most of which do not have any historical basis. Always remember that Quranic interpretation [tafsir] and explanation should not be done in a way that contradicts Quranic teachings, historical evidence mentioned in the Holy Quran, the sunnah of the Holy Prophetsa, and the teachings mentioned in the Hadith.”
