The Staff of Musa

Allaah, the Glorified, supported the honourable Prophets with astonishing and magnificent miracles, among which is the wondrous staff of our Master Musa, peace be upon him.

Allaah, the Exalted, told about Musa, peace be upon him, in Surat Taahaa 18.

The meaning of this Ayah is:

“He (Musa) said: ‘This is my staff. I lean on it, I beat the leaves with it to make them fall upon my sheep, and I use it for other purposes.”

Among the reports of this marvellous staff is that it turned into a real serpent between the hands of our Master Musa, peace be upon him.

The serpent moved, by Allaah’s Eternal & Everlasting Will, and swallowed the ropes of Pharaoh’s sorcerers which the people thought were snakes.

It was said that our Master Adam, peace be upon him, descended from Paradise with that staff, and it remained on Earth until our Master Jibreel delivered it to our Master Musa, peace be upon him.

He used to lean on it while walking or standing, and beat with it the leaves to make them fall off the branches for his sheep to eat easily.

If a beast or an enemy attacked, the staff used to fight him and drive him away from Musa, peace be upon him, and his sheep.

It used to bring back to the herd, by the Will of Allaah, any sheep that strayed away from it.

The length of the staff was ten cubits.

Among its wondrous benefits is that it used to stride along and converse with our Master Musa, peace be upon him, while he was roaming about on his way.

It had two apices that forked out from it on which Musa used to hang his bow and arrows.

At night time the two forks used to light like candles.

If Prophet Musa wanted to drink out of a well, it used to stretch to the depth of the well, and the apex would take the shape of a bucket and he would fill it and drink out of it

Whenever he got thirsty in a desert that had no well in it, and he had no water with him, he plunged the staff into the ground and the water flowed out of it, by the Will of Allaah.

And once he took it out of the ground the water stopped.

Whenever the heat became strong for him, the apices of the staff used to stretch and he would lay his dress (clothes) on it and sit in its shade.

If he desired a fruit, he used to thrust it into the ground and it would bear leaves and fruits, by the Will of Allaah.

Then he would eat from it whatever he liked.

The staff used to drive away from him the harmful insects the scorpions and the like.

The first time the staff turned into a serpent, it had a mane similar to the mane of a horse.

Its mouth was forty cubits wide and it swallowed everything it passed by, among trees and rocks to an extent that our Master Musa heard the crunching of the stones in its mouth and abdomen.

Allaah revealed to Musa to place his hand inside its mouth to further strengthen his heart and as a miracle for him and that it would not harm him.

When Musa put his hand inside its mouth between its teeth, it turned back to a staff as it used to be.

This is not sorcery, because sorcery can be imitated.

Someone might perform sorcery and someone else would reciprocate with a stronger or similar sorcery.

Whereas this matter, it is a miracle among the miracles of the Prophets.

The greatest miracles of our Master Musa, peace be upon him, performed with that staff is when he departed along with the believing Muslims among the offspring of Israel, who is Prophet Ya^coub.

They were in the land of Egypt that was ruled by Pharaoh.

When our Master Musa reached the ocean, Allaah revealed to him to strike the ocean with his staff.

Upon striking the ocean, it split in twelve places.

In each one of these places the ocean floor appeared and became like a road while the water stood like a magnificent mountain on its side.

Musa and his company, six hundred thousand people, crossed the ocean.

When Pharaoh, chasing after them, reached the ocean along with one million six hundred thousand fighters, he entered the ocean.
As soon as Musa and his company left the ocean safely, with the help of Allaah, the ocean closed on Pharaoh and his company who drowned amidst the high waves.