Moses in Qur'an

Moses is widely mentioned throughout the Qur’an. He is both a messenger and a prophet, and is considered one of the most important prophets in Islamic tradition. He brings an important part to many of the sura he is mentioned in, as he can be used as the main point of the sura, or as a tool to reinforce a message. His mention in the many different parts of the Qur’an is a testament to this. Most often, Moses is used to reinforce the message that there is only one God, and he is sent as a prophet to challenge and punish the non-believers.

Sura 2, entitled the Cow, is one of the longest sura and is named after an event in which Moses took part. In verses 40-60, the Qu’ran talks about Moses’s attempts to show right and wrong to the people. When he left the people for 40 days and 40 nights, they did not think he would return and built a false idol, the golden cow. Even when he returned the people still questioned him, arguing they deserved to see God in person. To this, God responded with “thunder and lightning upon them”. The sura mentions other examples of Moses trying to relay the message of God’s power to the people, but the people are unable to accept Moses’s word.

Moses plays a main part in the overall theme of this sura. The sura begins without any mention of Moses, focusing on all who reject belief in the Qur’an to take listen. It hits on the main theme of the oneness and power of God almost immediately. God is the creator of all, to the extent that he can put a seal on hearts and hearing, showing his power over the individual as well as the creation of all things around us. The sura also uses the Adam and Eve story at an attempt to show further right from wrong, attempting to guide the reader so that he may not fall to the same fate. Bringing Moses into the sura shows the power Moses has as a prophet. God wants to reinforce his message by showing examples he has placed through Moses’s life. The text also focuses on false believers. This is very important...