Forty years passed as the tribes of Israel wandered in the Sinai desert. During this time, Musa and Harun, peace be upon them, both passed away. The rebellious generation of Children of Israel, who had caused so much distress to Musa, perished, leaving behind only “two men from those who feared [to disobey] upon whom Allah had bestowed favor.” (Al-Ma'idah: 23) These two men were Yusha ibn Nun, and a man named Caleb.
According to the third book, when the forty years were nearing their end, God commanded His prophet Musa, peace be upon him, to write down the names of the warriors among the Children of Israel who bore arms and to appoint a leader from each of the twelve tribes. This was to prepare them to fight the giants upon their exit from the wilderness. (1)
Musa was hopeful to enter the Promised Land, but when his end drew near, he asked his Lord to let him die close to it.
Musa’s Wish
While Musa longed to enter the sacred land for which he had yearned, the angel of death was sent to Musa. Peace be upon him, and when he came to him, he slapped him and put his eye out he went back to his Lord and said: 'Go back to him and tell him to put his hand on the back of a bull, and of every hair that his hand covers he will have one year.' He said: 'O Lord, then what?' He said, 'Death.' He said: 'Let me go now.' And he (Musa) asked his Lord to bring him within a stone's throw of the Holy Land, the distance of a stone's throw. (2)
Musa had hoped to enter the sacred land, but as his death approached before he could do so, he asked Allah to let him die near it. His wish was granted, as our Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) informed us that he saw Musa praying in his grave near the sacred land. The Prophet said, “If I where there, I would show you his grave, beside the road at the red dune.” Imam Al-Nawawi commented that Musa' request to be close to the sacred land was due to its sanctity and the virtue of being buried there alongside other prophets and righteous people. Some scholars deduced from this the desirability of burial in virtuous places and near the graves of the righteous. (3)
Musa's life ended without his entering the land he had longed for. He died after striving for the cause of Allah to the fullest extent. Musa, who had spoken directly to his Lord, who had been shaped under Allah's care, and who had been chosen by Allah to receive the Torah written by His own hand, left behind a great legacy of law and a vast nation. (4)
Yusha bin Nun entered the Promised Land as a conqueror, humbly before his Lord, grateful for the victory and triumph.
Musa, peace be upon him, passed away, and Harun passed too three years earlier, and the rebellious generation of the Children of Israel who had been raised on miracles and gifts also perished. In their place arose the generation of liberation—a generation tempered by hardship, the harshness of the desert, the bravery of Musa, and the teachings of Heaven.
A Worthy Successor
The leadership of this new generation fell to Yusha ibn Nun, the young man and disciple of Musa. His name is mentioned in the Quran and explicitly in the Sunnah. Allah says, “And [mention] when Moses said to his servant, 'I will not cease [traveling] until I reach the junction of the two seas or continue for a long period.'” (Al-Kahf: 60) In Al-Bukhari, it is narrated that Musa “took a fish in a basket, and set off with his boy, Yusha’ bin Noon.” (5)
When the period of wandering ended, Yusha ibn Nun led the army towards the sacred land. He besieged it, and its conquest occurred on a Friday on the time of the afternoon prayer. In both Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim, it is narrated by Abu Hurairah that the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said, “A prophet who went out on an expedition told his people that no man should follow him who had married a woman with whom he wished to cohabit but had not yet done so, or who had built houses on which he had not yet put the roofs, or who had bought sheep or pregnant she-camels and was expecting them to produce young. He then went on the expedition and approached the town at the time of the afternoon prayer or thereabouts. He then told the sun that both it and he were under command and prayed God to keep it back for them, so it was kept back till God gave him victory.”
In the Musnad of Imam Ahmad, it is narrated by Abu Hurairah with an authentic chain verified by Al-Albani that “the sun was never kept back for any human being except for Yusha’ during the nights when he marched towards Bait Al-Maqdis.” But why was the sun held back?
The Children of Israel were overcome by their vile nature, so they distorted the command given to them.
The scholars explained that Yusha had approached the sacred land on Friday afternoon and feared that nightfall would come before he could conquer the city. Since fighting on Saturday was prohibited for the Children of Israel, this would give their enemies time to reinforce their defenses and repair the city’s walls. Therefore, Yusha addressed the sun and then prayed to Allah to delay its setting until they achieved victory. The conquest occurred between afternoon and sunset. (6)
Old Habits Return
When Yusha ibn Nun entered the sacred land, he wanted to show his humility and gratitude to Allah for the victory He had bestowed upon them. He ordered the Children of Israel to enter the city with their heads bowed in humility to their Lord and to say “Hittah,” meaning “Relieve us of our past sins for refusing to enter the first time” Allah says, “And [recall] when We said, 'Enter this city and eat from it wherever you will in [ease and] abundance, and enter the gate bowing humbly and say, 'Relieve us of our burdens.' We will [then] forgive your sins for you, and We will increase the doers of good [in goodness and reward]'” (Al-Baqarah: 58) But how did they respond? “But those who wronged changed [those words] to a statement other than that which had been said to them, so We sent down upon those who wronged a punishment from the sky because they were defiantly disobeying.” (Al-Baqarah: 59)
Old habits die hard. The Children of Israel disobeyed the command both in word and action. In Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim, it is narrated by Abu Hurairah that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “It was said to the children of Israel, 'Enter the gate (of the town), prostrate (in humility) and say: Hittatun (i.e. repentance) i.e. O Allah! Forgive our sins.' But they entered by dragging themselves on their buttocks, so they did something different (from what they had been ordered to do) and said, 'A grain in a hair.'”
Indeed, old habits die hard. The Children of Israel attempted to adopt good morals and principles, but the deep-rooted nature of their disobedience prevailed. They distorted the words and actions commanded to them—this became their perfected craft.
Zionism, emerging from the distorted teachings of Judaism, occupied the land of Palestine through the falsification of history.
As the author of “The Battle for Existence” states, “The Jews possess a tremendous ability to distort facts and create fabrications. They twist truths from their original context as if it were their life’s occupation. They engage in this without feeling any guilt or remorse like others, for they are dead inside and their hearts have hardened. Allah said, 'And We cursed them and made their hearts hard. They distort words from their [proper] usages.' (Al-Ma'idah: 13) Jews distort everything, even the words of Allah, and they do so deliberately, fully aware of the gravity of their actions.” (7)
Modern history testifies to their expertise in altering facts and falsifying reality. Look at how they claimed the right of return to Palestine. Look at how they falsely accused the Palestinian people of selling their land. They turned the truth upside down, turning invaders into rightful owners and labeled the rightful inhabitants and resistance as terrorists. When you see how they alter reality, you’d know that fabrications are their lives’ occupations that they carry out masterfully.
Dr. Anisa Fakhro states, “The Jews succeeded in distorting religion, so is it any surprise that they can distort history and geography?”
Global Zionism emerged from the cloak of distorted Judaism, with the goal of occupying Palestine by falsifying history and geography, followed by the occupation of the entire Arab world to establish a state extending from the Nile to the Euphrates.
The current Zionist demands for reparations from some Arab countries for Jewish properties dating back to the time of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) are further proof of their distortion. For example, Israel demands $100 billion from Saudi Arabia and calls on the Egyptian government to return Jewish properties that were abandoned by Jews when they left Egypt at the start of 1948.
They conveniently forget that Zionism instilled fear in the hearts of Arab Jews across the Arab world, manipulating events and forcing them to migrate to the “Promised Land” to increase their numbers there. They also overlook the massacres and terror that they practiced on the native Palestinian population, forcing them to flee their cities and villages, which were then forcibly occupied. Yet they falsely claim that these people sold their land to them. (8)
A Final Comparison
The events of the Children of Israel entering the sacred land and the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) entering Mecca as a conqueror share some similarities, both following periods of deprivation and oppression. But there is a stark contrast between the two: the Prophet (peace be upon him) entered Mecca on his camel, humbly bowing his head so low that his beard nearly touched the saddle, while his army followed his example. In contrast, the Children of Israel entered with arrogance and mockery of Allah's commands, distorting and altering the words of their Lord.
In any case, the conquest of the Holy Land was achieved under the leadership of Yusha ibn Nun, who followed the footsteps of Musa and Harun. He ruled by the Book of God, the Torah, for twenty-seven years until his death approached. Thus, another chapter of history's testimony on the Children of Israel is closed. In our next article, we will open a new chapter to see who took over their leadership after Musa, Harun, and Yusha ibn Nun.
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- Stories of the Prophets, Mahmoud Al-Masri, Stories of the Prophets, Ibn Kathir, with adaptations.
- The origin of the hadith is narrated by Muslim and Ahmad in his Musnad.
- Explanation of Sahih Muslim by Al-Nawawi.
- Adapted from the words of Ibn Taymiyyah in Al-Madarij and Ibn Kathir The Stories.
- It has been said of his prophethood by the scholar Ibn Kathir in Al-Bidaya wa'l-Nihaya, and this is also the opinion of the scholar Ibn Hajar in Fath al-Bari (The Opening of the Creator), who said: This prophet is Yusha ibn Nun.
- Authentic Prophetic Stories.
- The Battle for Existence, Abdul Sattar Fathallah.
- Article “Distorted Judaism” from the Al-Rai newspaper (Kuwait).
Read the Article in Arabic
