of Allāh and His decree. It is a debate between a noble angel and a prophet who spoke directly with Allāh, each of whom is distinguished by a characteristic that sets them apart from the general condition of humans and their usual customs in the matter they are distinguished by, so their state is not to be compared with others. Allāh chose Mūsá for His messages and His words, and supported him with clear signs and manifest miracles, such as the white hand, the staff, the parting of the sea, and others mentioned in the Qurʾān and indicated by the traditions. All of this was an honor from Allāh bestowed upon him. When his death approached—being human, he naturally disliked death and felt its pain—Allāh showed him kindness by not surprising him with it suddenly, nor did He command the angel assigned to him to take him by force. Instead, He sent the angel to him as a warning of death, instructing him to present himself in the form of a human as a test. When Mūsá saw him, he was alarmed by his presence and found his place difficult, so he defended himself by striking him, which affected the eye that was part of the human form he appeared in, rather than the angelic form he was naturally in. It was in Mūsá's nature (ṣallá Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallam) to have fervor and intensity, as Allāh has told us in His Book about his actions with the Copt, his throwing of the tablets, and his seizing his brother by the head, dragging him towards himself. It is narrated that when he became angry, his cap would ignite with fire. The religious practice has been to repel anyone who intends harm towards you, as mentioned in the ḥadīth: "Whoever looks into a house without permission, they are allowed to gouge out his eye." So when Mūsá saw a person in human form attacking him, intending to destroy him, and he could not ascertain or recognize him as the messenger of his Lord, he defended himself, resulting in the loss of the eye. When the angel returned to his Lord, Allāh restored his eye and sent him back as a messenger to Mūsá, so that the Prophet of Allāh (ṣallá Allāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallam) would know, upon seeing the restored eye, that he was indeed a messenger from Allāh sent to take his soul. At that point, he submitted to His command and was content with His decree, and all of that
الله ﷾ وحُكمه، وهو مجادلة بين ملك كريم، ونبي كليم، كلُّ واحد منهما مخصوص بصفة خرج بها عن حكم عوامِّ البشر، ومجاري عاداتهم في المعنى الذي خُصَّ به، فلا يعتبر حالهما بحال غيرهما. قد اصطفى الله ﷾ موسى برسالاته وبكلامه، وأيده بالآيات الظاهرة، والمعجزات الباهرة، كاليد البيضاء، والعصا، وانفلاق البحر، وغيرهما مما نطق به القرآن، ودلّت عليه الآثار، وكل ذلك إكرام من الله ﷿ أكرمه بها. فلما دنت وفاته- وهو بشرٌ يكره الموت طبعاً، ويجد ألمه حساً-؛ لطف له بأن لم يفاجئه به بغتة، ولم يأمر الملك الموكل به أن يأخذه به قهراً؛ لكن أرسله إليه منذراً بالموت، وأمره بالتعرض له على سبيل الامتحان في صورة بشرٍ. فلما رآه موسى استنكر شأنه، واستوعر مكانه، فاحتجز منه دفعاً عن نفسه بما كان من صكه إياه، فأتى ذلك على عينه التي ركبت في الصورة البشرية التي جاءه فيها، دون صورة الملكية التي هو مجبول عليها. وقد كان في طبع موسى ﷺ حمِيَّةٌ وحِدّةٌ على ما قص الله علينا من أمره في كتابه من وكزه القبطي، وإلقائه الألواح، وأخذه برأس أخيه يجره إليه. وروي أنه كان إذا غضب اشتعلت قلنسوته ناراً، وقد جرت سنة الدين بدفع من قصدك بسوء، كما جاء في الحديث: "من اطلع في بيت قوم بغير إذنهم حلّلهم أن يفقأوا عينه". فلما نظر موسى إلى شخص في صورة بشر هجم عليه يُريد نفسه، ويقصد هلاكه، وهو لا يثبته، ولا يعرفه أنه رسول ربه؛ دفعه عن نفسه، فكان فيه ذهاب عينه. فلما عاد الملك إلى ربه، ردّ الله إليه عينه، وأعاده رسولاً إليه؛ ليعلم نبي الله ﵇ إذا رأى صحة عينه المفقوءة- أنه رسول الله بعثه لقبض روحه، فاستسلم حينئذٍ لأمره، وطاب نفساً بقضائه، وكلُّ ذلك.