The Story of Moses, the One Spoken to by Allah

He is Moses, son of ʿImrān, son of Yāfith, son of ʿĀzar, son of Levi, son of Jacob, son of Isaac, son of Abraham—peace be upon him.

Allah the Exalted says:
“ And mention in the Book Moses. Indeed he was chosen, and he was a messenger, a prophet. We called to him from the right side of the Mount and drew him near in intimate discourse. And, out of Our mercy, We granted him his brother Aaron as a prophet.” (Maryam 51-53)

Allah, exalted is He, refers to Moses in many scattered passages throughout the Qur’an, sometimes narrating his story at length and sometimes in brief. We have discussed all of this in its respective places in the Tafsīr. Here, if Allah wills, we shall present his biography from beginning to end, drawing upon the Qur’an, the Sunnah, and the Israelite reports transmitted by the early scholars and others. In Allah we place our trust, and upon Him we rely.

Allah the Exalted says:

In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate:
Ta–Sin–Mim.
These are the verses of the Clear Book.
We recite to you, in truth, the account of Moses and Pharaoh for a people who believe.
Indeed, Pharaoh exalted himself in the land and divided its people into factions, oppressing one group among them, slaughtering their sons and sparing their women; indeed, he was of the corrupters.
And We wished to show favor to those who were oppressed in the land, to make them leaders and heirs,
And to establish them in the land, and to show Pharaoh, Hāmān, and their hosts through them that which they feared. (al-Qasas 1-6)

Here the Almighty gives a concise outline of the story, which He will later relate in detail. He informs His Prophet that He is reciting to him the account of Moses and Pharaoh truthfully—so truthfully that the listener feels as if he were witnessing the events himself:

“Indeed, Pharaoh exalted himself in the land and divided its people into factions,”—that is, he acted arrogantly, tyrannically, and defiantly, preferring the life of this world and turning away from obedience to the Lord Most High.

“He divided its people into factions,” meaning he split his subjects into classes, groups, and ranks, subjugating one group among them—the Children of Israel, the descendants of the Prophet of Allah Jacob, son of the Prophet of Allah Isaac, son of Abraham, the close friend of Allah. At that time they were the best of the people of the earth. Yet this oppressive, overbearing, disbelieving tyrant was set over them; he enslaved them and forced them into the most menial, degrading occupations, and on top of that

“He would slaughter their sons and spare their women; indeed, he was of the corrupters.”

What induced him to commit this abhorrent crime was that the Children of Israel used to study among themselves what they had transmitted from—