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Musa ben `Imrân (Moses ben Amram) (PUH)
He is Moses ben Amram ben Waheeb ben Lâwi (Levi) ben Jacob ben Isaac ben Abraham (PUH) [Waheeb might be equivalent to the name of Kohath in Torah], and some said that he is Moses ben Amram ben Yas-hor ben Fâhib ben Levi ben Jacob..etc, and the mother of him and of Hârun (Aaron) was Yukhâbid (Jochebed), and some said that her name was Afâhiyyah. Moses was born in Egypt at the time of the tyrant pharaoh Al-Waleed ben Mos`ab ben Mu`âwiyah ben Abi-Nameer ben Al-Hilwâs ben Layþ ben Harrân ben `Umar ben `Imlâq [I grow suspecious about such a name for an Egyptian pharaoh but anyway this is the author's own point of view and his own tracing], and he was the fourth pharaoh for Egypt, and his age grew longer and his body grew greater and the children of Israel were turned into slaves after the death of Joseph the righteous (PUH) and the adversities upon them increased, and they say they were people of cattles and they were known as "the shepherds" and used to live in the desert to the north of Egypt by a recommendation from Joseph (PUH), and then the priests and astrologers and magicians told the pharaoh that there will be a child that will be born and remove his kingdom and do great things in the lands of Egypt, and so the pharaoh got afraid and scared and ordered to kill the children, and as for Moses, it was as God ordered his mother, to throw him into the water and so she did and it was the Nile, as it is mentioned in Muruj Al-Ðahab (PUH), and more to come in details so just wait.
They say that the pharaoh had a dream, and saw that a great fire was coming from Jerusalem and got into Egypt and burnt everything except of the children of Israel, and the pharaoh was so scared so he called for the priests and interpreters and they said that a man will be born among the children of Israel and your end with the kingdom's end will be done by his hands, and so then he ordered to kill the children of Israelites. They say that Moses lived for two hundred and forty years, and the time period between him and Abraham was five hundred years, and the period between Moses and Jesus was one thousand and eight hundred years, and the period between Abraham and Shem ben Noah was around eight hundred years, and Abraham lived for one hundred and seventy five years, and the total of years in the period starting from Shem ben Noah until our time in this year (1971AD) is five thousand and three hundred years almost, and only God knows.
It is mentioned by the prophet (PUH): God chose from the prophets four for the sword: Abraham Moses David and me, and chose from the families four so He said: Lo! Allah preferred Adam and Noah and the Family of Abraham and the Family of 'Imran above (all His) creatures. They were descendants one of another. Allah is Hearer, Knower(Âl `Imrân:33-34). This speech will be mentioned else where by God's will with some additions later on.
As mentioned by Al-Sâdiq (PUH) that God inspired to Moses saying: O Moses, do you know why I chose you from among My creation and chose you for My words? He said: no my Lord, so then God inspired to him: I looked to earth and I found no one like you being so humble towards Me, and then Moses fell prostrating and put his cheeks into the ground as a humiliation to his Lord, so then God inspired to him: O Moses, lift up your head and expand your hand to the position of your prostrating and pass over your face and body for it is a cure for every illness and disease and handicap. And as attributed to Al-Bâqir (PUH) he said: God inspired to Moses: do you know why I chose you? Then said Moses: no my Lord, so then God said: O Moses I looked into My servants and I did not find anyone like you in humiliation for Me, O Moses, you put your cheeks into the dust when you pray.
It is said that whenever Moses comes to pray he never finished unless he put his cheeks into the ground, and it is not something to hide that prostrating on the dust and putting the forehead and the cheeks into the ground is something allowed and adorable for us (Shiite muslims), and it is mentioned that it is adorable during the pray and after praying and when receiving the great gifts and when pushing back the adversities is desired, and it is the prostrating position that is called "prostration of praising," and such prostration is adorable in whatever condition for every faithful believer, because the faithful man do not ever stop thinking about the greatness of God from time to time and about His gifts and mercy towards himself from the beginning of his life until the end: And if ye would count the favour of Allah ye cannot reckon it(Al-Nahl:18). What do you want me to mention about the gifts of God? Would the mind of a thoughtful man be able to reckon it? Whatever human being you are you are still unable to count them, and if it was only the gift of being alive, then that would be enough for you as a great gift that can not be rewarded in exchange even if you would fall prostrating on live coal instead of the ground, and the greatest gift after being alive is the gift of being guided and have faith in Him and believing in His prophets and His viceroys and obeying His commands by His own guidance, and not to mention the other gifts of apparent senses the hidden ones and that amazing expanding world. The prince of believers (`Ali ben Abi Tâlib) (PUH) said:
Do you claim you are a small planet
And within you the great world did hide
And whatever gift you might see, you can thank for it even you spent your life time in one prostrating or spent your life time fasting at the daytime and praying at night, for the prostrating of praising in such moments is one of the most honorable worshipping duties and the best of all offerings for Him, and it is allowed as we pointed out and the Imams and the Household of the prophet (PUT) kept on doing it in their lives, and the people of the house know better what is inside. [The last phrase is a proverb-like sentence in Arabic].
It is mentioned that Al-Sâdq (PUH) was once asked about wether Aaron or Moses died first, so he said: Aaron died before Moses, and he was asked also who was older, so he said: Aaron, and Aaron had two sons, one of them is called Shubbar and the other was called Shubair [notice: in Torah, Aaron is said to have four children: Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, Ithamar] and in Arabic they are called Al-Hasan and Al-Husain. It is attributed to the prophet (PUH) that he said: I saw Abraham and Moses and Jesus, and as for Moses he was a long man for they were known for their height and bravery with nobility and one man of them was like a lion, and as for Jesus he was a red man with a curly hair, then he went silent and they said to him: O prophet of God what about Abraham? He said: then look to your fellow, meaning himself (PUH).


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