God's Speech to Moses

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God's Speech to Moses (a) refers to an event when God spoke to Prophet Moses (a) directly and without the intermediary of an angel. God's direct speech to Moses (a) is deemed specific to him as a unique virtue. In some Quranic verses, such as Qur'an 4:164, God's conversation with Moses (a) is mentioned. The attribute "Kalim Allah" (the one whom God spoke to) is specific to Moses (a), which is why Jews in Iran are also called "Kalimi".

Some Shi'a scholars, such as al-Shaykh al-Tusi, believe that God's speech to Moses (a) was real. In hadiths, God's speech is described as occurring without the use of mouth and tongue. There are various accounts of how such speech occurred. Some Shi'a exegetes of the Quran believe that God created sound waves and words in space or physical objects. Others maintain that God does not describe the manner of His speech, and we cannot infer its manner from Quranic statements.

Some Muslim scholars are of the opinion that, in addition to Moses (a), God also directly spoke to Prophet Muhammad (s).

Prophet Moses (a) as "Kalim Allah"

According to Qur'an 4:164, God spoke to Moses (a): "and to Moses (a) Allah spoke directly." Qur'an 7:144 also mentions God's speech to Moses (a).[1] Some Muslim[2] and Jewish scholars believe that this kind of conversation was unique to Moses (a) and is one of his distinctive virtues.[3]

The attribute "Kalim Allah" (the one whom God spoke to) is said to be unique to Moses (a).[4] Some Muslim scholars believe that God spoke to Prophet Muhammad (s) during his ascension as well, as confirmed by certain hadiths.[5] They maintain that God's direct speech to humans was specific to Moses (a) and the Prophet of Islam (s).[6]

God's speech is described as non-physical, devoid of any bodily form, as it does not entail the existence of a body. Speaking with the help of tongue or vocal cords implies having a physical body, whereas God transcends physicality.[7] Imam Ali (a) states that God's speech to Moses (a) was devoid of any bodily or physical components.[8] Similarly, Imam al-Rida (a) described God's speech as occurring without the use of mouth and tongue, distinct from the way creatures communicate with each other.[9]

Genuine Direct Speech

Muslim scholars believe that God's speech to Moses (a) was direct[10] and without the intermediary of an angel.[11] Al-Tabrisi, the author of the Quranic exegesis Majma' al-bayan, distinguishes God's speech to Moses (a) and His speech to other [[prophets[[ as the former being unmediated.[12] In this type of conversation, the word is conveyed to the audience although the speaker is invisible. This is because there is a veil that prevents the speaker from being seen.[13]

How God Spoke to Moses (a)

Makarim Shirazi, a Shi'a scholar and exegete of the Quran, suggests that God's speech to Moses (a) occurred through the creation of sound waves in space or in physical objects.[14] Al-Shaykh al-Tusi writes that God creates words in physical objects to convey His message to His creatures.[15] Some other Quranic exegetes also believe that God created the sounds and words, and Moses (a) heard them.[16]

In contrast, Allama Tabataba'i argues that the Quran does not specify the manner in which God spoke, and we cannot infer anything in this regard from Quranic statements.[17] Muhammad Jawad Mughniyya, a Shi'a exegete of the Quran, similarly believes that the Quran is silent on how God spoke, so we must also refrain from describing its nature and character.[18]

Notes

  1. ↑ Ṭayyib, Aṭyab al-bayān, vol. 5, p. 453.
  2. ↑ Ṭūsī, al-Tibyān, vol. 3, p. 394; Fakhr al-Rāzī, al-Tafsīr al-Kabīr, vol. 11, p. 267.
  3. ↑ Qurashī, Tafsīr-i aḥsan al-ḥadīth, vol. 1, p. 470; Rashīd Riḍā, Tafsīr al-manār, vol. 3, p. 4.
  4. ↑ Faḍl Allāh, Tafsīr min waḥy al-Qur'ān, vol. 20, p. 202.
  5. ↑ Amīn, Makhzan al-ʿirfān dar tafsīr-i Qurʾān, vol. 2, p. 379.
  6. ↑ Burūjirdī, Tafsīr-i Jāmiʿ, vol. 2, p. 462.
  7. ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Yikṣad-u hashtād pursish wa pāsukh, p. 75.
  8. ↑ Ṣadūq, al-Tawḥīd, p. 79.
  9. ↑ Majlisī, Biḥār al-anwār, vol. 4, p. 152.
  10. ↑ Mughnīyya, Tafsīr al-Kāshif, vol. 2, p. 495.
  11. ↑ Ṭayyib, Aṭyab al-bayān, vol. 5, p. 452.
  12. ↑ Ṭabrisī, Majmaʿ al-bayān, vol. 3, p. 218.
  13. ↑ Faḍl Allāh, Tafsīr min waḥy al-Qur'ān, vol. 20, p. 202.
  14. ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Tafsīr-i nimūna, vol. 6, p. 363.
  15. ↑ Ṭūsī, al-Rasāʾil al-ʿashr, p. 95.
  16. ↑ Ḥusaynī Shīrāzī, Tabyīn al-Qurʾān, p. 115.
  17. ↑ Ṭabāṭabāʾī, al-Mīzān, vol. 2, p. 316.
  18. ↑ Mughnīyya, Tafsīr al-Kāshif, vol. 2, p. 495.

References

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