Islam - The Summit of Religious Evolution — Page 151
151 APPENDIX VI A PROPHET LIKE MOSES (By: Shakil Ahmad Monir) One day God said to Moses: I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him. (Deut 18:18). Since the above promise, many prophets have appeared but none have shared all his attributes. But there was only one Prophet who came and was called The-like-of-Moses. Following is a discussion on the attributes of prophets who came after Moses” 1. The first notable prophet after Moses was Elijah - peace be on them. He had the following similarities with Moses. a. In Moses' time, Israel was steeped in calf-worship; in Elijah's time, Israel was steeped in Ba'al-worship. b. Moses entered into a contest with the Pharaoh’s magicians and defeated them; Elijah entered into a contest with Baal's magician and was victorious. c. Moses met an angel of the Lord, at Horeb, the mount of God; Elijah also met an angel of the Lord, at Horeb, the Mount of God. d. Moses kept 40 days' fast; and Elijah also fasted for 40 days. e. Moses was helped in his mission by Joshua, who later succeeded him as a prophet; Elijah too was helped in his mission by Elisha, who later succeeded him as a prophet. 2. The next notable prophet is Jesus, peace be on him. He too had several similarities with Moses. Christians claim that he was the prophesized prophet of Deuteronomy. While the similarities between Moses and Jesus are given below, Jesus was regarded as the “Son of God” which is a higher station than a prophet’s. a. Both Moses and Jesus faced persecution of Israelite children, from the rulers of their time. b. Both came out of Egypt to carry out the mission of their life. c. Both kept 40 days' of fast at the start of their mission. d. Both were called Redeemers of their people, in their own right. 3. The similarities however take a dramatic turn, when we come down to prophet Muhammad, peace be on him. The first significant thing in his case is that God Himself has drawn a parallel between him and Moses, saying: Verily, We have sent to you a Messenger, who is witness over you, just as We sent a Messenger to Pharaoh (Holy Quran 73:16) On this basis, Muslims refer to the Holy Prophet of Islam as Maseel-e-Musa , i. e. like Moses. Given below is a two column comparison between the two prophets, both in minor, as well as, in major points, covering their life, mission and their achievements. A note on Jesus, peace be on him, is included where appropriate.