Fath al-Rabbani

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that when the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) passed through the valley of Azraq during the journey of Hajj, he asked: "Which valley is this?" The people said: "This is the valley of Azraq." He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "It is as if I am seeing Musa (peace be upon him), he is descending from the pass and proclaiming the Talbiyah in a loud voice." Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) continued walking until he passed by the pass of Harsha, and he (peace and blessings be upon him) asked: "Which pass is this?" The people said: "This is the pass of Harsha." He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "It is as if I am seeing Yunus bin Matta (peace be upon him), he is riding a red, fleshy she-camel, he is wearing a woolen cloak, the bridle of his she-camel is made of palm fibers, and he is proclaiming the Talbiyah."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: The night I was taken on the Night Journey (Isra), I saw Musa bin Imran (peace be upon him). He was a tall man, his hair was lightly curly, and it seemed as if he was from the people of the tribe of Shanu’ah. Then I saw Isa bin Maryam (peace be upon him), he was of moderate height, his complexion was inclined towards reddish whiteness, his hair was straight. In another narration: I saw Musa (peace be upon him), he was of wheatish color tending towards blackness and had thick hair. Hasan, the narrator, said: His hair was coarse.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: The Prophets were presented before me; Musa (peace be upon him) was a man of moderate stature, and he looked like the people of the Shanu’ah tribe.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) came to Madinah Munawwarah and saw that the Jews were fasting on the day of Ashura. So he (peace and blessings be upon him) asked: "For what reason do you fast on this day?" They said: "This is a great day; on this day Allah Almighty saved the Children of Israel from their enemies, so Musa (peace be upon him) fasted on this day." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "I am more entitled to Musa (peace be upon him) than you." So he (peace and blessings be upon him) himself fasted on this day and ordered the people to fast on this day as well.

"I am more entitled to Musa (peace be upon him) than you." That is, I have more right to follow Musa (peace be upon him), because Allah Almighty commanded him (peace and blessings be upon him): {فَبِھُدَاھُمُ اقْتَدِہْ} ... So follow their guidance. From this, it is clear that the objective of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was to follow Musa (peace be upon him), not the Jews.

This removes the objection that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) preferred to oppose the Jews rather than agree with them. In the beginning, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) preferred to agree with them for the sake of winning their hearts, but when he (peace and blessings be upon him) saw that these People of the Book were persistent in disbelief and were not being affected by conciliation, he (peace and blessings be upon him) abandoned agreeing with them and inclined towards opposing them. That is why, in the end, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) resolved to fast on the ninth of Muharram.