What Was Allah's First Command to Moses After Naming Him a Prophet?
ما هو أول أمرٍ أمر الله به موسى بعد نبوته؟
His first command to him was to go to Pharaoh to convey two messages to him.
The first message: to call Pharaoh to believe in Allah and to purify himself.
(Has the story of Moses reached you, O Prophet? His Lord called him in the sacred valley of Tuwa, commanding, "Go to Pharaoh, for he has truly transgressed all bounds. And say, 'Would you be willing to purify yourself.'") (An-Nazi'at 79:15-18)
The second message: to allow the Children of Israel to go with them to where Allah the Almighty had ordered, and to stop killing their sons, leaving their women alive and using them in the worst, most inferior, and most vile work. (Corrected here from the original published wording, which said 'their men'; the Quran says Pharaoh killed their sons and spared their women, 2:49.)
("So go to him and say, 'Indeed we are both messengers from your Lord, so let the Children of Israel go with us, and do not oppress them. We have come to you with a sign from your Lord.'") (Ta-Ha 20:47)
حمّل الله نبيه رسالتين إلى فرعون. الرسالة الأولى: تدعو فرعون إلى الإيمان وتزكية النفس.
(هَلْ أَتَاكَ حَدِيثُ مُوسَى إِذْ نَادَاهُ رَبُّهُ بِالْوَادِ الْمُقَدَّسِ طُوًى اذْهَبْ إِلَىٰ فِرْعَوْنَ إِنَّهُ طَغَىٰ فَقُلْ هَل لَّكَ إِلَىٰ أَن تَزَكَّىٰ) النازعات 79: 15-18
الرسالة الثانية: أرسل معنا بني إسرائيل لنخرج بهم حيث أمر الله، ولا تقتل أبناءهم وتستحيي نساءهم (صُحّح هنا عن النص المنشور سابقا الذي قال "رجالهم"؛ ولفظ القرآن: يذبحون أبناءكم ويستحيون نساءكم، البقرة 2: 49) وتستعملهم في أسوأ الأعمال وأحطها وأبخسها.
(فَأْتِيَاهُ فَقُولَا إِنَّا رَسُولَا رَبِّكَ فَأَرْسِلْ مَعَنَا بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ وَلَا تُعَذِّبْهُمْ قَدْ جِئْنَاكَ بِآيَةٍ مِّن رَّبِّكَ) طه 20: 47
1. Two Messages, Two Dimensions of the Mission | رسالتان، بُعدان للمهمة
The pairing of these two messages is itself instructive: the first addresses Pharaoh's own soul directly, an invitation to personal purification, while the second addresses the structural injustice of an entire enslaved people. Musa's mission from its very first command combined a call to individual faith with a demand for collective justice, not one at the expense of the other.
اقتران هاتين الرسالتين معنى بحد ذاته: الأولى تخاطب نفس فرعون مباشرةً، دعوةً للتزكية الشخصية، والثانية تخاطب الظلم البنيوي الواقع على شعبٍ مستعبد بأكمله. جمعت مهمة موسى منذ أول أمرٍ بين دعوة الإيمان الفردي ومطلب العدل الجماعي، لا أحدهما على حساب الآخر.
2. The Fuller Encounter This Command Set in Motion | اللقاء الكامل الذي حرّكه هذا الأمر
This command was part of a larger exchange at Mount Tur that also included Musa's own personal requests before setting out, covered in full in what Allah said to Moses at Mount Tur.
كان هذا الأمر جزءًا من حوارٍ أوسع عند جبل طور شمل أيضًا طلبات موسى الشخصية قبل انطلاقه.
Frequently Asked Questions | الأسئلة الشائعة
What was Allah's first command to Moses?
To go to Pharaoh with two messages: an invitation to believe and purify himself, and a demand to free the Children of Israel.
What was Pharaoh doing to the Children of Israel?
Killing their sons, sparing their women, and subjecting the Children of Israel to the worst kinds of labor.