English
Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “Moses was a shy, modest man; none of his skin was seen due to his modesty. Some among the Children of Israel harmed him, saying: ‘He is only so modest 1 because of a defect in his skin, either leprosy or a hernia.’ Allah wished to clear him, so one day he was alone, placed his clothes on a stone to bathe, and the stone fled with his clothes. Moses pursued it, saying: ‘My clothes, O stone! My clothes, O stone!’ until he reached a group of the Children of Israel. They saw him naked, the best of Allah’s creation, and said: ‘By Allah, there is no fault with Moses.’ He took his clothes and began striking the stone. By Allah, the stone bears scars from his striking, three, four, or five.”
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- Candidate: Sahih al-Bukhari 3404 (unverified) 99% confidence
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Commentary and footnotes (4)
Note 1
(1) His statement: “He is only so modest because of a defect”: This shows the trials of prophets and the righteous from the harm of fools and the ignorant, and their patience with it. His statement: “The stone fled with his clothes” indicates two clear miracles of Moses: first, the stone moving with his clothes, and second, the scars on the stone from his striking. It also shows discernment in inanimate objects. It provides a basis for scholars to hold that harm to an individual is borne for the benefit of the collective. Allah, the Exalted, knows best. It is said: Moses was commanded to carry the stone with him until, in the wilderness, he struck it with his staff once or more, and twelve springs gushed from it. His statement: “He began striking the stone” refers to striking it repeatedly, an effect of his anger at the stone for fleeing and its lack of propriety. Perhaps he forgot it was commanded, as it was written in the scripture. His statement: “By Allah, there is no fault with Moses” indicates that prophets are free from physical and moral defects, safe from ailments and flaws, except as a trial. (Extracted from Al-Mirqat)
Note 2
(2) His statement: “He was alone one day to bathe”: An-Nawawi said: This permits bathing in seclusion, though covering the private parts is preferable. This is the view of Ash-Shafi’i, Malik, and Ahmad, opposed by Ibn Abi Layla, who said the water has inhabitants. I say: Our great Imam agrees with the majority, and Ibn Abi Layla’s opposition concerns entering water. (As stated in Al-Mirqat)
Note 1
(۱) قوله: ما تستر هذا التستر إلا من عيب إلخ وفيه ابتلاء الأنبياء والصالحين من أذى السفهاء والجهال وصبرهم عليه. وقوله: ففر الحجر بثوبه فيه معجزتان ظاهرتان الموسى ، إحداهما : مشي الحجر بثوبه، والثانية: حصول الندب في الحجر بضربه، وفيه حصول التمييز في الجماد، وفيه مأخذ لعلماء الأنام على أن ضرر الخاص يتحمل لنفع العام، والله تعالى أعلم بالمرام، ثم قيل: إن موسى أمر بحمل الحجر معه إلى أن كان في التيه فضربه بعصاه مرة أو مرات، فانبجست منه اثنتا عشرة عينا. وقوله: وطفق بالحجر ضربا أي يضرب به ضربا، هذا من أثر غضبه على الحجر لأجل فراره وقلة أدبه، ولعله ذهل عن كونه مأمورًا، وكان ذلك في الكتاب مسطورًا. وقوله: «والله ما بموسى من بأس فيه أن الأنبياء المنزهون عن النقائص في الخلق، والخلق سالمون من العاهات والمعايب، اللهم إلا على سبيل الابتلاء. التقطته من المرقاة».
Note 2
(۲) قوله: فخلا يوما وحده ليغتسل : قال النووي الله فيه جواز الغسل في الخلوة، وإن كان ستر العورة أفضل، وبهذا قال الشافعي ومالك وأحمد ، وخالفهم ابن أبي ليلى. وقال: إن للماء ساكنا. قلت: إمامنا الأعظم الله مع الجمهور، وظاهر مخالفة ابن أبي ليلى في دخول الماء. كذا في «المرقاة».