The Making Of Prophet Mūsa | Sūrah Al-Qasas

Every great man you've heard of could not have been a great man if it was not for the woman who nurtured him. She is a reminder to those who fear Allah. A revelation from the One who created the heavens and the earth and the highest heavens.

Allah is sending a message to Muhammad: O Muhammad, many prophets came before you. Some stories I told you, some stories I didn't tell you. But pay attention to the story of Musa, because you are going to need it, and the people after you are going to need it.

Don't we need the story of Musa as we witness what we are witnessing today, across so many parts of the world. The story of Musa is a story of hope, and the story begins — not with Musa himself — but the story begins with Musa's mother.

The Six Chapters of the Story of Musa

The story of Musa, until he crosses the sea, until he reaches the sea, has a number of chapters. I'm going to ask you all to repeat it and remember it with me.

• Chapter One: The River — that's where he finds himself, in the river.
• Chapter Two: The Palace — the palace of the Pharaoh of Egypt, where he grows up.
• Chapter Three: The Conflict — he finds himself in the middle of a fight between two people.
• Chapter Four: Madian — the far away city which he flees to.
• Chapter Five: The Burning Bush — when he becomes a prophet and receives the first revelation.
• Chapter Six: The Exit from Egypt.

Today, we are going to go through these six chapters of the life of Musa, and we are going to draw as many lessons as possible from them. So stay tuned for the ride.

Chapter One: The River — The Mother of Musa

Allah talks about the mother of Musa in Surah Al-Qasas:

We inspired the mother of Musa — as the guards come knocking on the door, looking for your son — We inspired the mother of Musa that in order to shield your son so they don't hear the noises, feed him quickly. If you feel scared about your son, then throw him in the river — don't be scared and don't be sad.

Now, what do we learn from this first part of the story of Musa? In this part of the story, Musa is not the main character. Who is the main character? His mother.

What's the first lesson that we learn from this part of the story? Why is Allah talking to us about what Musa's mother did? Why is she important? Without Musa's mother, Musa wouldn't exist. What we learn from the mother of Musa is to trust Allah.

Especially — Allah is telling her to throw her baby. You see, human nature, if somebody comes to reach for something, will hold it closer to you, right? By nature, by instinct, you pull it closer. Allah is saying:

If you're scared about your child, don't hold him close — throw him away. The wording here, Allah is not even saying to her to gently place him in a basket. أَلْقِيهِ — chuck him in the river. But:

Do not fear, do not sadden. I promise I will return him to you and I will make him a messenger.

The mother of Musa here is mentioned because without her, there is no Musa. Now, imagine if the mother of Musa was too busy working 9 to 5 and had no time to look after Musa. Imagine if the mother of Musa thought that her main objective in life was to maximize the GDP and household income. Imagine if the mother of Musa did not even have Musa in front of her chest, because, well, it's the 21st century, so we only do bottle feeding now. If that was the mother of Musa, we would have a very different story.

The mother of Musa is the start of this story because everything starts with the woman. Every great man you've heard of could not have been a great man if it was not for the woman who nurtured him.

Al-Imam Al-Shafi'i — born to a single mother. Al-Imam Ahmad — born to a single mother. His mother takes him, wraps his head in a turban, and sends him to the largest masjid in Mecca, in Baghdad, in Egypt, in Syria, in Gaza. In the case of Al-Imam Al-Shafi'i, he's born in Gaza, in Palestine. He's born and he just has a mother to look after him. If it wasn't for these mothers, you would not hear about these sons.

Women tend to play a very behind-the-scenes role in society. Men tend to play the front and center role. But what we are seeing in the modern world today is a movement that aims to suppress the role of the woman in the household — because it's not visible enough, it's not masculine enough, you can't measure it, there's no economic benefit. Where are the peas? Where are the pounds? Send her to work. If Ummi Musa was at work, when the guards came knocking, they would have just found Musa sat there. End of story.

The whole story starts with the mother because everything begins and ends with the mother.

The Greatest Lesson: Tawakkul

What's the greatest lesson we learned from the mother of Musa? Tawakkul — to trust Allah. In this whole universe, if a mother were to give her life for something, who would she give her life for? A child. And Allah is telling her: throw your child in the river. Allah is asking a mother something that is impossible for most mothers to execute. But she does it. Why? The promise of Allah.

It's something that you have to really digest for a moment. Allah promised her something. If she calculates, it's impossible for this promise to be fulfilled. Let's think this through for a moment — I'm going to put my son in a basket and You are going to return him to me as a prophet. What happens in the middle? Allah says: trust me. Trust me and let go.

The hardest thing for modern man and modern woman is the ability to let go. Because we think we are so much in control of everything — technology, phones, cars, laptops, all these devices, all this advanced science and technology. We think we have the illusion of being in control. Allah is saying: let go. Let go and let me look after him.

She lets go. That's the best decision she ever makes. But she has a struggle. It's not easy for her. Allah describes:

The heart of the mother of Musa became emptied. She was going to give up and give him to the guards — she was about to break. But I reassured her and I told her to trust me. She trusted me and she became from amongst the believers.

What makes the mother of Musa special is her Iman. And this made her special over so many other people on this earth. لِتَكُونَ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ — Allah praised her in the Quran for her Iman, for her trust in Allah, for her ability to let go and leave the matter to Allah.

Two ayahs later, she's back, he's back in her arms. How is that possible? When Allah said to her, I'm going to return him to you and make him a prophet, she may have thought, I'm going to have to wait 40 years to see him. Two ayahs later, he's back in her arms and she's feeding him.

Allah says: أَنِ اقْذِفِيهِ فِي التَّابُوتِ — throw him in the taboot, in a box. Was it a revelation? Was it an inspiration? This is something that scholars differ on. All we know from the Quran is that Allah uses the word Wahi, which means inspiration or revelation. So it would be something that was inspired to her or revealed to her from Allah.

I returned him to his mother so that her eyes cool and she doesn't get worried. And for her to know that the promise of Allah is true. But most people don't realize this. Most people don't realize that Allah's promises always come true. They fail to trust Him. They fail to take the leap of faith.

The mother of Musa teaches us: it's all about the heart. Allah says, أَصْبَحَ فُؤَادُ أُمِّ مُوسَىٰ فَارِغًا — I emptied her heart of all of her worries. رَبَطْنَا عَلَىٰ قَلْبِهَا — I tied her heart up. I reassured her until she felt firm in her decision.

Often we make decisions and we find ourselves very indecisive, and often there's some portion of that decision that just requires trust in Allah. This is the part of the decision that Allah inspired to Ummi Musa: just do it and trust me. I'll look after you.

Tawakkul — to trust Allah — is one of the most difficult acts of worship, because it requires us to give up our own autonomy and control and hand it all back to Allah.

Chapter Two: The Palace — Asiya bint Muzahim

Now where does Musa land? He lands in the palace — the palace of Firaun. Who finds him from the river? Firaun's wife, Asiya. She finds Musa and what does she say?

Look, it's a child — maybe he'll benefit us or we can keep him as our own child. Now, there's an interesting parallel here. This sentence — عَسَىٰ أَن يَنفَعَنَا أَوْ نَتَّخِذَهُ وَلَدًا — this child might benefit us or we might take him as our own child — was repeated somewhere else in the Quran, in Surah Yusuf.

There are a lot of parallels actually between Musa and Yusuf. Musa is from which people? Banu Israel. Yusuf is the son of Yaqub, who is also known as Israel. Yusuf enters into Egypt. Musa exits from Egypt. Yusuf enters the palace of the king. Musa also ends up in the palace of the tyrant. There are a lot of parallels in these two stories.

So Musa is picked up by Asiya, the wife of Firaun. Now, there's another female character in this story. The wife of Firaun — what do we know about her? She was a believer, she was a good person. She was the queen of Egypt. She was caring. She was killed by Firaun in the end.

There's something the Prophet ﷺ says about the wife of Firaun: there are five women that are the best of all women in human history, and one of them is Asiya bint Muzahim, the wife of Firaun.

Now, hold on a second — how is she in a relationship with the tyrant, with this horrible man, and she's one of the best women? Allah mentions her in the Quran:

Allah gave the believers an example in the wife of Firaun. This woman was abused — physically abused, emotionally abused — living in a tyrant's house, no escape. And when she's being abused, what does she say? Oh Allah, grant me a house in paradise with You. And save me from the Pharaoh of Egypt and his actions, and save me from the people who are oppressive.

He goes from one righteous mother to another righteous woman. And it is from the fadl of Allah — from the grace and the generosity of Allah — that this young boy, even though he's in the palace of the tyrant, he still gets the nurturing and the upbringing of a righteous woman.

This is something, gentlemen, I advise you — one of the most important lessons. When you are looking for a spouse, whether it's a wife looking for a husband or vice versa, remember that you are looking for the mother of your children. Do you see that in this person? And vice versa — you're looking for the father of your children. Do you see that responsibility? That maturity? Because believe me, when you have children and you have family and responsibilities, that ten out of ten that you are looking for won't be as important as it was when your hormones were raging.

The nurturing woman is the most important character in the first half of the life of Musa. If it was not for Asiya bint Muzahim, he would have grown up around tyrants, around oppressors, around pagans. There would not be a single soul to look after him and to teach him what's right. But one woman was able to turn the tide completely against the entire society around him. It just takes one woman. One righteous, nurturing woman.

May Allah have mercy and accept the efforts of all the women of this Ummah who are responsible for all the gentlemen sat here in front of us. Make sure you call your mums after this talk, inshAllah, and give her a thank you note.

Chapter Three: The Conflict

Now Musa is a young man. What do you know about the personality of Musa? Consider two examples. First: Musa's interaction with Khidr, his teacher. Every time something goes wrong, what does Musa do? He reacts immediately — "Don't do this. Why did you sink the ship? You've done something wrong. Committed a crime. How could you do this?" And what does Khidr keep asking him? "Can you please be patient? I'll explain to you what's going on later."

Second scene — the conflict. Allah says:

Musa reaches his peak — this could mean he reaches adulthood, or he reaches the age of messengerhood or prophethood — and he became balanced. That's really what maturity is about: you become balanced in the way you think and the way you act. Allah says: we gave him judgment and knowledge. And that's how we reward those who excel.

One day he enters the center of the city. Now a palace will not usually be in the center of the city — a palace will usually be in a gated place, far away from all of the noise, a protected area. So Musa grows up in this palace, but now he's entering the city. He's unaware of what goes on. He's oblivious, he's naive. And he sees two people fighting — one from his group, Banu Israel, and one from the Copts, the Egyptians. One race has enslaved the other race.

The Israelites are treated as the entire group is subhuman, second-class citizens — they don't have the same rights. This is what you call an apartheid state, when you have two groups of people with different rights. Some would argue that what we're seeing happening in Palestine is being treated like an apartheid state, where you have two categories of citizens — some with more rights, some with less rights.

Musa comes into this conflict and sees two people — one from his group, one from the other group. The Israelite man calls out for his help. What does Musa do? He comes straight away — boom — knocked out, complete elimination. And the man passes away on the spot.

He said: this is the work of Shaytan. Indeed he is a manifest enemy. From this incident and the incident of Musa and Khidr — Musa has a very, very strong sense of justice. If he sees injustice, he wants to change it immediately. He cannot sit back and watch. This is the nature of Musa.

When Musa returns from the meeting with Allah, and Allah revealed to him the tablets, he comes down and he sees Banu Israel worshipping a cow. What does he do? He throws the revealed tablets — أَلْقَى الْأَلْوَاحَ — and he goes and grabs his brother's head. His brother pleaded with him: son of my mother, please don't grab my head or my beard. This is the character of Musa.

Musa cannot stand injustice. And if somebody is going to lead the oppressed people out of their oppression, they have to have this trait. To lead means to take action, to take initiative, to stand up, to do something about it. So many people give courses on leadership and speeches about leadership — leadership comes down to this one thing: to stand up for the sake of Allah and do something about it.

What we know for sure is that what Musa did was involuntary — it was not on purpose. He did not want to kill the man. So the man passing away was a mistake, it was not his fault. Immediately, he turns to Allah. That's something that we have to learn.

One of the important pieces: Musa stands up for justice immediately. If you cannot stand up for justice in your locality when two people fight, if you can't do something about that, then forget about anything greater than that. This is the origin story of Musa. So Musa steps in, and then he makes a du'a to Allah:

O Allah, with the blessings You have given me, I don't want to help any oppressor.

He wakes up the next morning scared and vigilant.

The person who was looking for his help yesterday is now screaming out for him again. Musa, I'm in trouble again.

Musa says to this guy: you are clearly lost. If the same guy is having a fight two days in a row, you start to wonder — who is the problem? Who is the one picking the fight?

In this moment, there's an important paradigm shift in the mind of the person observing the story: it's not always that somebody who's from an oppressed class is always the oppressed person. They might be the oppressor. Sometimes it's very convenient — "all these people are oppressed," so someone from the oppressed class does something wrong, and we say, it's okay, they're allowed to do whatever they want. No — who is the problem creator here? It could be somebody from the oppressed class. Musa realized.

Then, as Musa intends to again correct their common enemy, this man speaks out:

Do you want to kill me like you killed somebody yesterday? All you want to be is a terror on this earth, and you're not trying to fix anything.

And now somebody comes from the edge of the city — a man comes shouting to Musa: they are plotting to kill you, to assassinate you. So get out of here. I am definitely here trying to sincerely advise you.

Later on in the story, we find out that somebody from the inner circle of Firaun accepts Islam — a man who's in Firaun's government, in his advisory board, who is secretly a Muslim. He's hiding his Iman. Why is he there? He's there to prevent harm to Musa and to the believers. He's saying to them: guys, how can you kill someone just because they believe in one God? Don't do that. That's unjust. But eventually he gets found and he gets exposed.

Musa leaves, but at this point in time, he raises his hands to Allah. It's very important in the life of Musa to notice one thing: he is constantly talking to Allah. The first time when he makes a mistake, he pummels the man, the man falls and dies — "O Allah, I made a mistake, please forgive me." When he's leaving Egypt — "O Allah, save me from these people." When he reaches Madian — "O Allah, save me from these people." Again and again and again, Musa is always talking to Allah.

He might go through the worst day of his life, he might go through the best day of his life, but he never stops being in conversation with Allah. If you were to ask me — what is the fuel that gives Musa so much courage to stand in front of Firaun? It was his ability to constantly speak to Allah. This was his nourishment.

This morning in the khutbah, when I recited the du'a of Musa when he reached the sea, after the khutbah, someone came and said: can you tell me the du'a in Arabic so I can make it at home? I said: he didn't make du'a in Arabic. He didn't speak Arabic — he spoke Aramaic. He spoke to Allah in his language.

How many of us have spoken to Allah in our own language? What's the difference between when you speak to Allah in your language versus when you speak to Allah with a script in another language? You can speak your heart properly. It helps you develop that relationship with Allah because you speak what you feel, how you feel it. The words are coming from yourself, not from a script.

If you read the du'as of the Prophet ﷺ and the du'as of the Prophets, all of them — their du'as came from the bottom of their heart. So practice speaking to Allah in your own language. This is not to undermine the du'as of the Prophet ﷺ — there is a special blessing and a special virtue to them. But whether you say it in Arabic, or Urdu, or English, or Nepali, or Dutch — it doesn't matter. What matters most in the acceptance of du'a is the sincerity of that supplication coming from your heart. Not the language in which you say it.

Chapter Four: Madian — The Apprenticeship

Musa reaches Madian and he says:

O Allah, guide me to the right way. This is the same thing he said when he stood in front of the sea:

Musa — remember, no GPS, no three-year plan, no quarterly objectives. He has no idea what's happening next in his life. He has no plan. What do you need when you have no plan? You need guidance. This is something we ask Allah for 17 times a day — we ask Allah to show us the way. But please remember this on those days when you feel lost, on those days when you're ready to call a friend — remember that the one who will clarify your confusion and show you the way when you're lost is Allah.

He reaches Madian and he sees a huge group of men around a well and two women on the side. Every moment in Musa's life, he has this instinct — he cannot sit still if he sees injustice happening. He walks over to the women straight away. Two words: what is going on?

We can't feed our cattle until these men leave. Our father is too old to help us. So what does he do? He just takes their goats, he feeds them, and he gives them back. And he doesn't stick around to get their credit and appreciation and admiration. No dialogue, nothing.

He immediately goes and sits in the shade. And what does he do at this point? He speaks to Allah. He's not trying to get something from them. He did it by principle. And then he goes to the side and says:

O Allah, I am in need of anything good You can give.

One of the important lessons to learn from Musa is how men and women should interact in the most respectful manner. Many people think that Islam advocates a kind of strict segregation where men and women can never interact in their lives. But by necessity, men and women must interact with each other. What Allah wants is for the interaction to be respectful, to not cross bounds, to not cause harm. That's where the rules come in.

Musa goes and talks to these two women in a public place — has he done something prohibited? No. His intention is to help them, to remove this injustice. There's an important lesson here as well: when you do something in the service of Allah and you serve Allah's creation, Allah will give you blessings from where you never expected. The Prophet ﷺ said:

(Sahih Muslim, Book 32, Hadith 6246)

Whoever makes easy somebody's difficulty, Allah will make his difficulties easy on the Day of Judgment.

One of the two sisters comes back walking modestly. She comes to Musa and speaks to him: my father is calling you to give you the reward for what you did for us. And Musa goes with her — he walks in front of her, and he tells her to throw pebbles to indicate which direction to turn, so he's not walking behind her. The modesty of Musa, the modesty of this woman.

As they are walking, he goes and he meets her father. He tells him the story. The father says: don't worry, you are now safe. You are now in a safe place away from the oppressors. Now, one of the two daughters gives the father an indication:

O father, hire him. The best person you can employ is strong and trustworthy.

Now, this is another really important one. Young people, as you grow and as you mature — if you don't have these two traits, you will never get a job, you will never get married, you will never amount to anything in life. The first of these two traits is strength — not just physical strength, but skills and abilities. What can you actually do? And the second is trustworthiness — character. Who are you really?

If you open any job description on the internet, you will have two sections: the job description which has the skills and the tools you need, and then what they call the person specification — what character should you have? Now tell me, quwwa and amana — skills and character — which one is more difficult to learn? How easy is it to watch a YouTube video and learn how to cook one dish? But how difficult is it to learn how to be honest, even when the temptation is there to lie? Character is much more difficult to develop.

Everyone in society is pressurizing you constantly to do exceedingly well in your qualifications. But there's another thing you need to really pay attention to: your character. Your maturity, your honesty, your punctuality, your relationship with Allah, your relationship with your parents, your relationship with your friends, your cousins, your relatives. Who you are as a person — people will never remember how good you were at Microsoft Excel. But they will remember how you made them feel when you spoke to them. Your character speaks volumes.

Musa — did he speak a lot to these two women? Probably like five words. What did he get within the next 30 minutes of entering the house? A marriage proposal. What's the route to the marriage proposal? Let your character shine in your interactions. Your character speaks for itself. The marriage proposal came like this because of how his character spoke volumes. He was pursued — he didn't propose.

Did the Prophet ﷺ propose to Khadija? She proposed to him. Why? She was impressed by his character. She sent him on a mission to test his character, and she was impressed. What will solve our individual marriage problems? Working hard on our character. Do not underrate the importance of working on your character.

Ten Years in Madian: Mentorship and Apprenticeship

Musa stays there for how many years? Ten years. Now tell me — in the grand scheme of the story of Musa, why does Allah leave him there for ten years? He had a horrible childhood in the palace of a tyrant, getting into fights in the streets of Egypt, running away from Egypt. Why does he need ten years in Madian?

He trained as a shepherd — yes, for stability, to relax, for the calm before the storm. To take knowledge, to learn patience, to gain wisdom from experience. And it is narrated that the man — the father of these two women — was a prophet, though there is a difference of opinion. He was a wise man and a righteous man regardless.

But there's an element here that is the most important element of all. Allah gave him a mentor. The importance of having a mentor. Every young man and young woman — if you want to amount to anything in life, you need somebody to mentor you, to teach you, to guide you, to give you wisdom, to help you consult when you're not sure what to do. If it was not for such a mentor, would Musa have gained that wisdom and that patience? The importance of the mentor cannot be undermined here.

What's he doing in the house of Shu'ayb? He's working. Responsibility. Now today, find a 24-year-old young man who says "I want to change the ummah" — but he plays PlayStation 5, his mom delivers food to his door, and he calls himself a "content creator" making videos on Instagram. And yet he wants to liberate Palestine.

Responsibility. Mentorship. Get a job. Work hard. Sweat. Learn patience. Find a mentor. Study with the mentor. Attend a class — attend a repeating class until the last page of the book. Show your patience, your diligence, your persistence. Take responsibility. Have some difficulty in life. Not everything easy all the time. Ditch the PS5. Ditch the Xbox. Ditch the smartphone. Ditch the social media. Do something with your life if you ever want to aspire to be anything like Musa.

He needed ten years of that mentorship, of that development. And it was not ten wasted years. Because today we have a generation that's very impatient to contribute. But what our scholars teach us and what the Quran teaches us: an empty jug cannot pour. If you don't nurture and grow yourself, you will not have anything to give.

Musa develops in private. He's not having a vlog every day. Nobody needs to see his phases, his development, his mistakes. He's developing in secret. You don't see his struggles. You don't see his difficult times. You don't see his sleepless nights. That's all happening in private — all preparation for the day in which he's going to receive the message.

This phase of ten years — where you have the mentor, you're working under the mentor, you're being guided by the mentor — this is called the apprenticeship phase. Every master at anything, whether it was Picasso, whether it was Michelangelo, whether it was philosophers or scientists — everybody went through a period of mentorship and apprenticeship until they became the master. And if that's missing, you'll always have a ceiling in your development.

Chapter Five: The Burning Bush — The Making of a Prophet

Musa is ready. As he's leaving Madian on his way back to Egypt, he senses a fire. He says to his family: wait. Let me go and see — maybe I can get some news, or I can get some fire that will help us find our way back.

As he gets there, he is called from the sacred land, around the tree:

O Musa. It is me. I am Allah, Lord of the Worlds.

In other parts of the Quran, before Allah tells him to throw the stick, Allah says:

O Musa, what is that in your right hand? Now, if I ask you — what is that on your left hand there? — you would say "a watch." Two word response. Look at Musa's response. What should he have said? A stick. Simple, multiple choice answer, no complications. What does Musa say?

It is my stick. I rely on it. I use it to tend to my sheep. And I have so many uses for it. He is speaking extra. Why? He wants to prolong his conversation with Allah. He feels a sense of closeness he has never felt before in his entire life. He's taking his time, giving extra details, saying things that don't need to be said. Why? He wants to prolong his standing in front of Allah.

What is the stick to Musa? What does it symbolize? The stick has become part of him. Now what does Allah ask him to do?

Throw the stick. That thing you think you rely on — you have to let go of it. You have to trust me now. From now on — not your stick — the Lord of the stick.

So he threw it. Did he get what he expected? What did the stick turn into? A snake. What is Allah teaching Musa? The thing that you rely on the most can harm you. It is a commandment — throw the stick. When you fulfill my commandment, you think it is going to be just a bed of roses all the time? You are going to fulfill my commandment and you are still going to see snakes. Are you ready for that?

Was Musa ready for that? He turned and he ran. And he didn't look back. In other parts of the Quran, Allah mentions that he ran in such a way — he sprinted, like Usain Bolt on the 100 metre — he was not interested in turning around.

What does Allah do? Allah calls him: come back, don't be scared. You are safe — even though I put a snake in front of you, you are safe. Allah is teaching Musa: put your trust in Allah, nothing bad can happen.

Are there people on earth who are not afraid of snakes — who handle them on a daily basis? How did it happen? Through a technique called gradual exposure. Day 1 you just look at the snake from a distance. Day 2, just touch it. Day 3, just hold it here. And day by day, eventually the snake is chilling around your neck and it's your best mate.

Allah is teaching Musa — He is conditioning him and getting him used to this type of situation where there is something unexpected and scary. But Musa, be ready for that. I'm going to expose you to it now in my safe presence. Because later, you're going to be exposed to snakes again — in the presence of Firaun.

It's important to gradually expose yourself to all those things that we fear and see as dangerous and harmful, so that when it comes, we are ready.

Now you've seen the snake. Allah says: grab the snake. Grab the snake and don't fear. I'll turn it back into a stick only after you touch it. You have to overcome that fear. Oh Musa, you will not be able to overcome Firaun, and you will not be able to cross the sea, and you will not be able to accomplish what you are going to accomplish, until you learn this point from me. You have to overcome your greatest enemy — and it's not Firaun. It's your fear. You have to overcome your fear. Fear is the greatest reason why human beings don't take action.

Allah then commands Musa: put your hand in your jaib — it will come with bright light. Now I'm going to send you to Firaun. Now you're ready. You are a messenger.

What's Musa's first response? Oh Allah, I'm scared that they'll just reject me. And I'm scared — when I get there, my chest will squeeze. I'll feel trapped. And I won't be able to speak. That anxiety, that fear — it'll paralyze me, I'll be frozen. No speech is going to happen. Please send Haroon with me. And — I'm a criminal wanted in Egypt — so I'm scared they might kill me.

What was the first lesson Allah taught him with the snake? Don't be scared. And what's the first thing he says when Allah says you're a prophet? He's terrified. Musa is terrified of his past, terrified of the consequences. He doesn't have confidence in himself that he can stand up to this mission.

How is Allah going to calm him down? This is in Surah Ash-Shu'ara. In order for Musa to calm down and have confidence in himself, Allah has to tell him his story all over again.

But you know Musa, this is the second time I've done you a favor. Allah starts to tell him the story all over again from the beginning — remember your sister, she walked next to you, you reached the palace, then you left, then this happened, then this happened. And then:

Musa, you came when I planned for you to come. This was all planned. And then Allah says something that reassures Musa like nothing ever reassured him:

I designed you for my service. وَاصْطَنَعْتُكَ — this word is never used elsewhere in the Quran. It's a word used when people manufacture, when they mold clay into exactly the right shape that they want. I molded you, Musa, for this moment. You are ready. Why are you scared? I molded you for this moment.

But you know what's going to help you:

All those fears you have — there's only one way to silence them. Go with your brother with my miracles. Do not stop remembering me. The therapists don't tell you that. Sigmund Freud doesn't talk about that. All the psychologists — they don't know about this secret drug. The drug of dhikr. The antidote. The antioxidant. If you really remember Allah, there is nothing that can bring peace of mind and calm your fears like the remembrance of Allah.

Allah says to Musa: you're scared — remember me, you'll be fine. Allah reveals in the Quran to Muslims who are in battle:

When you meet an enemy, be firm. And remember me frequently, so you win the battle. Hold on a second — you can say, sharpen your sword so that you win the battle. Prepare your artillery. Have a good strategy. Make dhikr so you win the battle? What kind of a strategy is this? This is the divine strategy. Because battles are not won on the battlefield — battles are won in the mind and the heart. The battle of the mind and the heart is the real battlefield. And the greatest antidote, the greatest confidence booster, the greatest form of therapy is the remembrance of Allah. No medication, no therapy, nothing has that potent ability to calm a human being down and give them peace of mind like the remembrance of Allah.

The Making of Musa — and the Making of Us

Allah tells Musa: you're scared? Doesn't matter. I molded you for this moment. And I want all of you to think about this in your own lives. If Musa did not make sense of his past, he would not have been ready for what's next.

A lot of us struggle with what happened in our past — difficult moments, failures, fears. If you don't make sense of what happened in the past, and come to terms with it, and come to peace with it, you will not be ready for what's next — for the role Allah has planned for you.

Allah molded Musa for something specific — to serve Him in a specific way. Allah is molding everybody listening to this in a specific way, to serve a specific purpose for His sake. Every difficulty you faced in life, every blessing you had in life, every epiphany you had in life — what you studied, what you worked, which friends you made — it was all for a reason. Allah is molding you for something.

What is Allah preparing you for? This is what you need to rack your brains and think about. What am I going to do to serve Allah? What's my specific purpose? Yes, everyone's purpose is to worship Allah. But your worship is different from my worship. There are people in this room whose worship of Allah is they wake up at 2 a.m., go to A&E, and perform surgery. These people here — their worship is they walk to the masjid, find two people dealing drugs, and come in and try to sort it out. Everyone is going to worship Allah in a different way. But you need to discover what's your way, what's your story, and what has Allah molded you to do.

When Musa can unlock this, nobody can stop him and nobody can come in his way. A man with a purpose, with a mission, with no fear, with the remembrance of Allah — nothing can stop him.

With my signs, O Musa — you and those who follow you will always win. You will always be victorious.

Closing: Every Tyrant Will Drown

As we come to the end of today's talk — this is my plea and my request to all of you: reflect carefully on the story of Musa in Surah Taha, Surah Al-Qasas, Surah Ash-Shu'ara, Surah Al-An'am, different parts of the Quran. Spend some time with Prophet Musa this month — this month of Muharram — and take the lessons and learn and remember this one important point:

Every tyrant will drown one day. One day, Napoleon Bonaparte left Egypt. One day, the Algerians took back their country. One day, the Somalis, the Sudanese, the Indonesians, the Malays — every Muslim nation that was oppressed, that was colonized, that was taken, that was raped, that was pillaged, whose resources were stolen — one day, they retook their land, and they retook their autonomy, and the colonizer left, and the colonizer died, and the colonizer drowned. Because the lesson from this story is that every tyrant will fall.

But it's about this: were you part of those that led to the fall? Or were you quietly watching on the sidelines and eating popcorn?

Today, we are coming up to the day of Ashura — the day in which Musa led Banu Israel across the sea. Today, in the world around us, we see so many people drowning in so many different ways, so many injustices and so many problems. Who of us here in this room — listening to this online or offline — who's going to stand up to lead Muslims? To lead us across the sea? There are so many seas and so many enemies and so many issues. But who's going to stand up?

It's about making yourself — like the making of Musa. The mentorship, the apprenticeship, the remembrance of Allah, the du'a, the closeness to Allah. The time away to develop, the time of solitude and reflection. The interaction with the opposite gender, the importance of family and building a family, of taking responsibility. If you do all of these things, then Allah is molding you, is readying you for something. And you better figure out what that is.

I will tell you something. The moment you figure out what that specific purpose Allah created you for — it will be the best moment in your life. The rest of your life will be driven by that purpose. This is what I'm here for. Allah created me for this. This is what I need to do. You will not waste your time. You will not waste your time with people, with ideas, with distractions — because you have a purpose. If you can unlock this purpose, you have unlocked everything.

When Musa's purpose is unlocked and his mission is defined for him, he becomes unstoppable. Not the pharaoh, not his army, not his magicians — nobody could stop him.

This is the making of Musa.

Wassalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh.