listened or understood, we would not be among the companions of the Blaze.” We ask Allah for a good end and to die upon the way of the believers.
To complete the benefit, I consider it appropriate to cite for the esteemed readers the words of two leading imams of the Muslims and hadith authorities, explaining the wisdom behind the Prophet’s relating this hadith. Ibn Hibban said after the hadith:
“Allah, exalted and majestic is He, sent His Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, as a teacher to His creation, and appointed him to clarify what He intended. Thus, peace and blessings be upon him, he conveyed His message and explained His verses in both concise and detailed expressions, which his Companions—or some of them—understood from him. This report is among those whose meaning is grasped by anyone not deprived of success in attaining the truth. Allah, exalted and majestic is He, sent the Angel of Death to Moses as a mission of testing and trial, and commanded him to say: ‘Respond to your Lord.’ This was a command of testing and trial, not a command that Allah, exalted and majestic is He, intended to carry out—just as He commanded His close friend, Abraham—may Allah bestow blessings upon our Prophet and upon him—to slaughter his son, as a test and trial, rather than a command that Allah, exalted and majestic is He, intended to carry out. When he resolved to slaughter his son and laid him down upon his forehead, He ransomed him with a great sacrifice.
“Allah, exalted and majestic is He, sent angels to His messengers in forms they did not recognize, as when the angels entered upon His messenger Abraham and he did not recognize them, until he felt fear of them; and as when Gabriel came to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, and questioned him about faith and Islam, and the Chosen Prophet did not recognize him until he departed.
“Thus, the Angel of Death came to Moses, peace be upon him, in a guise Moses did not recognize. Moses was fiercely protective of his honor, and when he saw in his house a man whom he did not know, he raised his hand and struck him. His blow put out the eye that belonged to the form the angel had assumed, not the form