Tafheem ul Quran

Surah 20 Taha, Ayat 47-48

فَاۡتِيٰهُ فَقُوۡلَاۤ اِنَّا رَسُوۡلَا رَبِّكَ فَاَرۡسِلۡ مَعَنَا بَنِىۡۤ اِسۡرَآءِيۡلَ ۙ وَلَا تُعَذِّبۡهُمۡ​ ؕ قَدۡ جِئۡنٰكَ بِاٰيَةٍ مِّنۡ رَّبِّكَ​ ؕ وَالسَّلٰمُ عَلٰى مَنِ اتَّبَعَ الۡهُدٰى‏ ﴿20:47﴾ اِنَّا قَدۡ اُوۡحِىَ اِلَـيۡنَاۤ اَنَّ الۡعَذَابَ عَلٰى مَنۡ كَذَّبَ وَتَوَلّٰى‏  ﴿20:48﴾

(20:47) So, go to him, and say: 'Behold, both of us are the Messengers of your Lord. Let the Children of Israel go with us, and do not chastise them. We have come to you with a sign from your Lord; and peace shall be for him who follows the true guidance. (20:48) It has been revealed to us that chastisement awaits those who called the lie to the truth and turned away from it.' "19


Notes

19. A comparative study of this incident as given in the Bible and the Talmud will show that the Quran does not copy the stories from these books, but gives its own version in order to portray the Messengers in their true glory and dignity. According to the Bible, when God said to Moses (peace be upon him) that He would send him to Pharaoh, Moses (peace be upon him) replied: Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt? (Exodus 3: 11). God persuaded and encouraged Moses (peace be upon him) by giving him signs but he was still reluctant and said: O my Lord, send, I pray thee, by the hand of him whom thou wilt send. (Exodus 4: 13). And the Talmud goes even further than this and says that there was an argument between God and Moses (peace be upon him) for seven days that he should become a Prophet but Moses (peace be upon him) did not accept the offer. At this God was angry with him and so made his brother Aaron (peace be upon him) a partner in his Prophethood. Moreover, He deprived the descendants of Moses (peace be upon him) of the office of priesthood and bestowed it on the descendants of Aaron (peace be upon him). These two versions depict Allah to be suffering from human weaknesses and Prophet Moses (peace be upon him) from inferiority complex.