Ep. 35: Musa (AS)’s Struggle for Knowledge Part.1 | Best Conduct

The prophet that is mentioned the most in the Qur’an is Musa (AS). His story is mentioned repeatedly in the book of Allah (SWT) and different parts of his life story are shared . There is one story, which is a little bit different from the others, because it is not about him becoming a prophet or leading people, but about his own personal journey. This story began with a speech that Musa (AS) delivered. It was an amazing and powerful speech that shook the hearts of the people. After this talk, someone came to him and asked him, “Who is the most knowledgeable person in the world?” He responded, saying, “I am.” The fact was, Musa (AS) was the most knowledgeable person in that time. He had received the Torah and had been given the knowledge and commandments of Allah (SWT) and had the understanding to lead and guide the nation. Allah (SWT) had taught him all these things. However, in this occasion, what Musa (AS) said, though it was true, Allah (SWT) preferred that he say something else, such as “Allah knows best.” Because he claimed it for himself, right away, Allah (SWT) revealed to him that there was another slave of his that knew more than him. Musa (AS), being the wise prophet and messenger that he was, immediately understood the message; the purpose here was not to make the correction that there was someone who knew more than him, but that Allah (SWT) wanted him to reach the next level of closeness to him which could only be achieved by becoming humble. Right away, he understood this message, and asked Allah (SWT), “Tell me what to do to reach that person. I will do whatever it takes, and I will achieve that knowledge that you have not given me.”

The first lesson is that even if we are excelling at something, especially in deen, we should never claim to be the best or most knowledgeable. There will be someone out there who is better at it than we are. It could be that people do not know that yet, but it is only a matter of time, so we should not make big claims. If someone praises us, we should respond in a humble way. Whatever we do is from the tawfiq of Allah (SWT). All our gains and victories we should attribute to Allah (SWT). When we say, “Alhamdulillah,” we do not say praise is for us, but rather, all praise is due to Allah. The second lesson is that when we are given a reminder, we should look at what message is being conveyed through it and why we are reminded of it. Sometimes, we challenge what an elder or teacher might say, and we make it a fight over who said what exactly or who started it. We make it all about those trivial things and we miss the big picture. Sometimes, a teacher is looking at you to give you a message. If you are smart, you will pick it up. Look for the message that is being implied and do not look at words and start protesting them – look for the greater message. This is exactly what Musa (AS) did, and he committed to Allah (SWT) that he would make that connection. May Allah (SWT) give us tawfiq.