What did Ibn Kathir say about Prophet Mūsā?
Mūsā (Moses) is the prophet the Qurʾan mentions by name more than any other. Ibn Kathir's account is the classical long-form telling of his life — from the palace of Pharaoh to the parting of the sea.
10 passages from 5 books in the library
The classical approach.
These passages are drawn from 5 books by Ibn Battuta, Ibn Kathir, and Imam al-Ghazali — part of the classical Sunni tradition that carries over a thousand years of reflection on the Qurʾān, the authentic Sunnah, and the consensus of the early community. Nothing below is a paraphrase. The words are the scholars' own, translated from the original Arabic manuscripts.
14th century · Tangier, Morocco
The Riḥlah — a 30-year, 75,000-mile journey across three continents, and the most important travel account of the pre-modern world.
More on Ibn Battuta →
· Provenance →
-
"Mudrik, the jurist, told me that a man from Tlemcen known as Ibn Shaikh al-Laban had once favored Sultan Mansa Musa in his youth with seven and a third mithkals when Mansa Musa was just a boy of no significance at the time."
-
"I attended with them the celebration of the birth of the messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, then boarded a ship to Sfax and then headed by sea to Biliana."
-
"Many sea voyagers vow many offerings to it, and it has a great treasury overseen by the preacher Hussain and Hassan al-Wazan, a prominent Muslim."
-
"Before him was Mansa Magha, and before Mansa Magha was Mansa Musa, who was a generous, noble man who liked the Berbers and treated them well."
14th century · Bosra, Syria
Monumental history Al-Bidāyah wa al-Nihāyah, the world's most widely read Qurʾanic commentary, and the classical Stories of the Prophets.
More on Ibn Kathir →
· Provenance →
-
"Moses asked his Lord about six qualities believing they were exclusive to him and the seventh was one that Moses did not love"
-
"Ibn Hibban mentioned Moses asking his Lord about seven qualities. It is narrated from Abu Hurairah that the Prophet peace be upon him said"
-
"Ibn Hibban also mentioned the question of Moses the interlocutor of Allah asking his Lord to teach him something to remember him by"
11th–12th century · Ṭūs, Khurāsān
Reviving the inner life of Islam through the Iḥyāʾ ʿUlūm al-Dīn — one of the most influential works ever written in any religious tradition.
More on Imam al-Ghazali →
· Provenance →
-
"Abu Musa relayed, I said, O Messenger of God, a person loves those who pray but does not pray, and loves those who fast but does not fast, listing many things."
11th–12th century · Ṭūs, Khurāsān
Reviving the inner life of Islam through the Iḥyāʾ ʿUlūm al-Dīn — one of the most influential works ever written in any religious tradition.
More on Imam al-Ghazali →
· Provenance →
-
"Now, regarding the story of Daba ibn Muhsin, it is narrated from Umar that they once had Abu Musa al-Ashari as a leader in Basra."
14th century · Tangier, Morocco
The Riḥlah — a 30-year, 75,000-mile journey across three continents, and the most important travel account of the pre-modern world.
More on Ibn Battuta →
· Provenance →
-
"It has been mentioned to me that Sultan Qub al-Din, the son of Turan Shah of Hormuz, once laid siege to the city by land and sea."
Want a different angle?
Type your question below — JM Scholar will ground its answer in the same sources.