Surah Taa-Haa (20) — Ayah 84

(Ayah 84){ قَالَ هُمْ اُولَآءِ عَلٰۤى اَثَرِيْ :} Here, there is a question: Why did Musa (peace be upon him), instead of stating the reason for his haste by saying, "O my Lord! I have come quickly to please You," consider it necessary first to submit that "the people of my nation are coming behind me, following in my footsteps—even before my tracks have faded, they are walking upon them, meaning I have not come much ahead." The answer is that Allah Almighty was not unaware of why he had come quickly; rather, Allah's reproach was for not bringing the nation along, and this question was for the training of the one who spoke to Him, that your coming ahead was not appropriate, but it was necessary to stay with the nation that had just recently been freed from slavery, so that before the Book was given, you could guide them at every step and admonish them for their mistakes. In any case, it is the right of a nation's leader to stay behind and take care of every individual, as Allah Almighty taught this etiquette to Lut (peace be upon him) when commanding him to leave at night with his family: «{ وَ اتَّبِعْ اَدْبَارَهُمْ }» [ الحجر : ۶۵ ] "And you yourself walk behind them." And as Jabir bin Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with them both) mentioned regarding the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him): [ كَانَ رَسُوْلُ اللّٰهِ صَلَّی اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَتَخَلَّفُ فِي الْمَسِيْرِ فَيُزْجِي الضَّعِيْفَ وَيُرْدِفُ وَيَدْعُوْ لَهُمْ ] [ أبوداوٗد، الجہاد، باب في لزوم الساقۃ : ۲۶۳۹۔ سلسلۃ الأحادیث الصحیحۃ : ۲۱۲۰ ] "The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) would stay behind during a journey, urge on the weak (their mounts), and take (the one on foot) behind him and pray for them." Although Musa's (peace be upon him) coming quickly out of intense longing was not a bad thing, there are certain etiquettes when appearing before kings, and the etiquette before the King of kings is above all. An example of this is the haste of Abu Bakrah (may Allah be pleased with him): when he reached the mosque and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was in bowing (ruku'), he performed ruku' before joining the row. When this was mentioned to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), he said: [ زَادَكَ اللّٰهُ حِرْصًا وَلَا تَعُدْ] [ بخاري، الأذان، باب إذا رکع دون الصف : ۷۸۳ ] "May Allah increase your eagerness, but do not do this again." [ قاسمی، بقاعی، ابن عاشور ]

84. 1. After crossing the sea, Musa (علیہ السلام) took the eminent people of Israel with him and set out towards Mount Tur, but in eagerness to meet his Lord, he hastened ahead and reached Tur alone, leaving his companions behind. When questioned, he replied, "I was seeking Your pleasure and hastened for it. Those people are coming behind me." Some say that this does not mean "they are coming behind me," but rather that "they are near Mount Tur behind me and are waiting for my return there."

Moses said, "They are following in my footsteps, and I hastened to You, my Lord, so that You may be pleased with me [58]."

[58]
The Arrival of Sayyiduna Musa (peace be upon him) at Mount Tur Before His Companions:

Allah Almighty had promised Musa (peace be upon him) that upon reaching the foothills of Mount Tur and spending forty nights there, he would be granted the Book, the Torah, for the guidance of the Children of Israel. Accordingly, Musa (peace be upon him) took seventy men from among the Children of Israel with him and set out towards Tur. However, his longing to meet and converse with Allah Almighty was so intense that he left his companions behind and reached the intended destination before all others. Allah Almighty asked, "What made you hasten ahead of your companions to arrive here first?" He replied, "They are following behind me and will soon arrive here, and my eagerness to meet You brought me here before them." It was on this occasion that he requested his Lord, "O my Lord! Show Yourself to me," and this incident has also been mentioned in full detail in Surah Al-Baqarah.