Al-Qur'an Surah Al-Ahzab Verse 69

Mufti Taqi Usmani

O you who believe, be not like those who annoyed Mūsā, then Allah cleared him of what they alleged; and he was honorable in the sight of Allah.

Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran

O believers! Do not be like those who slandered Moses, but Allah cleared him of what they said. And he was honourable in the sight of Allah.[[ The Quran does not specify how Moses was slandered by some of his people. Some narrations suggest that he was either falsely accused of adultery (see footnote for {28:76}), killing his brother Aaron (who died a natural death), or having a skin disease since he, unlike others, used to bathe with his clothes on.]]

Ruwwad Translation Center

O you who believe, do not be like those who maligned Moses, but Allah cleared him of what they said; he was highly honored before Allah.

A. J. Arberry

O believers, be not as those who hurt Moses, but God declared him quit of what they said, and he was high honoured with God.

Abdul Haleem

Believers, do not be like those who insulted Moses- God cleared him of their allegations and he was highly honoured in God’s eyes.

Abdul Majid Daryabadi

O Ye who believe! be not like unto those who annoyed Musa; but Allah cleared him of that which they said, and he was in the sight of Allah illustrious.

Abdullah Yusuf Ali

O ye who believe! Be ye not like those who vexed and insulted Moses, but Allah cleared him of the (calumnies) they had uttered; and he was honourable in Allah's sight.

Abul Ala Maududi

Believers, do not be like those who distressed Moses and then Allah declared him quit of the ill they spoke about him; and he had a high standing with Allah.

Ahmed Ali

O you who believe, do not be like those who maligned Moses, whilst God cleared him of what they alleged; and he was held in high esteem with God.

Ahmed Raza Khan

O People who Believe! Do not be like the people who troubled Moosa – so Allah freed him from the allegations they had uttered; and Moosa is honourable in the sight of Allah.

Ali Quli Qarai

O you who have faith! Do not be like those who offended Moses, whereat Allah cleared him of what they alleged, and he was distinguished in Allah’s sight.

Ali Ünal

O you who believe! Do not be like those (among the Children of Israel) who affronted Moses, and (be mindful that) God proved him to be innocent of all that they alleged against him. He was of great honor in God’s sight.

Amatul Rahman Omar

Believers! be not as those who maligned Moses. Indeed Allâh absolved him of their allegations. And he (- Moses) is ever high- honored in the sight of Allâh.

English Literal

You, you those who believed, do not be as those who harmed mildly/harmed Moses, so God acquitted/cured him, from what they said, and he was at God noble.

Faridul Haque

O People who Believe! Do not be like the people who troubled Moosa – so Allah freed him from the allegations they had uttered; and Moosa is honourable in the sight of Allah.

Hamid S. Aziz

"O our Lord! Give them a double punishment and curse them with a great curse."

Hilali & Khan

O you who believe! Be not like those who annoyed Musa (Moses), but Allah cleared him of that which they alleged, and he was honourable before Allah.

Maulana Mohammad Ali

Our Lord, give them a double chastisement and curse them with a great curse.

Mohammad Habib Shakir

O you who believe! be not like those who spoke evil things of Musa, but Allah cleared him of what they said, and he was worthy of regard with Allah.

Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall

O ye who believe! Be not as those who slandered Moses, but Allah proved his innocence of that which they alleged, and he was well esteemed in Allah's sight.

Muhammad Sarwar

Believers, do not be like those who annoyed Moses. God proved him to be innocent of what they had said about him. Moses was a honorable person in the sight of God.

Qaribullah & Darwish

Believers, do not be like those who hurt Moses. Allah cleared him of what they said. His face is honorable with Allah.

Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri

O you who believe! Be not like those who annoyed Musa, but Allah cleared him of that which they alleged, and he was honorable before Allah.

Wahiduddin Khan

Believers, do not behave like those who slandered Moses. God cleared him of their allegations. He was honourable in the sight of God.

Talal Itani

O you who believe! Do not be like those who abused Moses; but God cleared him of what they said. He was distinguished with God.

Tafsir jalalayn

O you who believe, do not behave, towards your Prophet, as did those who harmed Moses -- when they would say, for example, `The only reason he does not wash with us is that he has an inflammation in his testicles' -- whereat God absolved him of what they alleged; when Moses placed his robe on a rock to go to wash, the rock hurtled away with it until it came to a halt amid a group of men from the Children of Israel. As Moses chased it and took his robe to cover himself, they saw that he had no such inflammation (udra is an inflammation of the testicle). And he was distinguished in God's sight. An instance of our Prophet (s) being subjected to hurt was when [on one occasion] while dividing up the spoils a man said to him, `This is a division that I do not want to please God!', whereat the Prophet (s) became angered and said, `May God have mercy upon Moses, for truly he was hurt with worse than this, but endured' -- reported by al-Bukhr.

Tafseer Ibn Kathir

The Fabrications of the Jews against Musa

Al-Bukhari recorded in the Book of Hadiths about the Prophets, that Abu Hurayrah said that the Messenger of Allah said;

إِنَّ مُوسَى عَلَيْهِ السَّلَمُ كَانَ رَجُلً حَيِيًّا سِتِّيرًا لَا يُرَى مِنْ جِلْدِهِ شَيْءٌ اسْتِحْيَاءً مِنْهُ فَأذَاهُ مَنْ اذَاهُ مِنْ بَنِي إِسْرَايِيلَ فَقَالُوا مَا يَتَسَتَّرُ هَذَا التَّسَتُّرَ إِلاَّ مِنْ عَيْبٍ فِي جِلْدِهِ إِمَّا بَرَصٌ وَإِمَّا أُدْرَةٌ وَإِمَّا افَةٌ وَإِنَّ اللهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ أَرَادَ أَنْ يُبَرِّيَهُ مِمَّا قَالُوا لِمُوسَى عَلَيْهِ السَّلَمُ فَخَلَ يَوْمًا وَحْدَهُ فَخَلَعَ ثِيَابَهُ عَلَى حَجَرٍ ثُمَّ اغْتَسَلَ فَلَمَّا فَرَغَ أَقْبَلَ إِلَى ثِيَابِهِ لِيَأْخُذَهَا وَإِنَّ الْحَجَرَ عَدَا بِثَوْبِهِ فَأَخَذَ مُوسَى عَصَاهُ وَطَلَبَ الْحَجَرَ فَجَعَلَ يَقُولُ ثَوْبِي حَجَرُ ثَوْبِي حَجَرُ حَتْى انْتَهَى إِلَى مَلٍَ مِنْ بَنِي إِسْرَايِيلَ فَرَأَوْهُ عُرْيَانًا أَحْسَنَ مَا خَلَقَ اللهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ وَأَبْرَأَهُ مِمَّا يَقُولُونَ وَقَامَ الْحَجَرُ فَأَخَذَ ثَوْبَهُ فَلَبِسَهُ وَطَفِقَ بِالْحَجَرِ ضَرْبًا بِعَصَاهُ فَوَاللهِ إِنَّ بِالْحَجَرِ لَنَدَبًا مِنْ أَثَرِ ضَرْبِهِ ثَلَثًا أَوْ أَرْبَعًا أَوْ خَمْسًا قَالَ فَذَلِكَ قَوْلُهُ تَعَالَى

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ امَنُوا لَاا تَكُونُوا كَالَّذِينَ اذَوْا مُوسَى فَبَرَّأَهُ اللَّهُ مِمَّا قَالُوا وَكَانَ عِندَ اللَّهِ وَجِيهًا



Musa, peace be upon him, was a shy and modest man who would never show anything of his skin because of his shyness. Some of the Children of Israel annoyed him by saying;

"He only keeps himself covered because of some defect in his skin, either leprosy or scrotal hernia or some other defect."

Allah, may He be glorified, wanted to clear Musa, peace be upon him, of what they were saying. One day Musa was alone, so he took off his garment and put it on a rock, then he took a bath. When he had finished, he turned back to pick up his garment, but the rock moved away, taking his garment with it.

Musa picked up his stick and chased the rock, saying, "My garment, O rock! My garment, O rock!" Until he reached a group of the Children of Israel, who saw him naked and found that he was the best of those whom Allah had created. Thus he was cleared of what they had said about him. Then the rock stood still, so he took his garment and put it on. He started hitting the rock with his stick, and by Allah, the marks of that beating were left on the rock, three or four or five.

This is what is referred to in the Ayah;

O you who believe! Be not like those who annoyed Musa, but Allah cleared him of that which they alleged, and he was honorable before Allah.

This Hadith is one of those which were recorded by Al-Bukhari but not Muslim.

Imam Ahmad recorded that Abdullah (bin Mas`ud) said;

"One day, the Messenger of Allah distributed some booty and a man among the Ansar said, `This division was not done for the sake of Allah.'

I said, `O enemy of Allah! I am going to tell the Messenger of Allah what you have said.'

So, I told the Prophet about it. His face reddened and he said,

رَحْمَةُ اللهِ عَلَى مُوسَى لَقَدْ أُوذِيَ بِأَكْثَرَ مِنْ هَذَا فَصَبَر


May Allah have mercy on Musa. He was annoyed with worse than this, yet he remained patient."

This was recorded in the Two Sahihs.

وَكَانَ عِندَ اللَّهِ وَجِيهًا


and he was honorable before Allah.

means, he had a position of status and honor before his Lord, may He be exalted and glorified.

Al-Hasan Al-Basri said;

"His supplications would be answered by Allah."

Some of them said that part of his great standing before Allah was that he interceded for his brother Harun, asking Allah to send him with him as a Messenger, and Allah granted his request and said;

وَوَهَبْنَا لَهُ مِن رَّحْمَتِنَأ أَخَاهُ هَـرُونَ نَبِيّاً

And We granted him his brother Harun, (also) a Prophet, out of Our mercy. (19;53