Moses And The Fish
Persian myths and legends became quranic scriptures .
The following quranic passage is not biblical at all. Where it's from is recorded in the Shahnama Of Firdausi.
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Surah 18 . al-Kahf : The Cave
Moses And The Fish
(57) Thy Lord is gracious, endued with mercy; if he would have punished them for that which they have committed, he would doubtless have hastened their punishment: but a threat hath been denounced against them, and they shall find no refuge, besides him. (58) And those former cities did we destroy when they acted unjustly; and we gave them previous warning of their destruction.
(59) And remember when Moses said unto his servant Joshua the son of Nun, I will not cease to go forward, until I come to the place where the two seas meet; or I will travel for a long space of time. (60) But when they were arrived at the meeting of the two seas, they forgot their fish, which they had taken with them; and the fish took its way freely in the sea. (61) And when they had passed beyond that place, Moses said unto his servant, Bring us our dinner; for now are we fatigued with this our journey. (62) His servant answered, Dost thou know what has befallen me? When we took up our lodging at the rock, verily I forgot the fish: and none made me to forget it, except Satan, that I should not remind thee of it. And the fish took its way into the sea, in a wonderful manner. (63) Moses said, This is what we sought after. And they both went back, returning by the way they came. (64) And coming to the rock, they found one of our servants, unto whom we had granted mercy from us, and whom we had taught wisdom from before us. (65) And Moses said unto him, Shall I follow thee, that thou mayest teach me part of that which thou hast been taught, for a direction unto me? (66) He answered, Verily thou canst not bear with me: (67) for how canst thou patiently suffer those things, the knowledge whereof thou dost not comprehend? (68) Moses replied, Thou shalt find me patient, if God please; neither will I be disobedient unto thee in anything. (69) He said, If thou follow me, therefore, ask me not concerning anything, until I shall declare the meaning thereof unto thee.
(70) So they went on by the sea-shore, until they went up into a ship; and he made a hole therein. And Moses said unto him, Hast thou made a hole therein, that thou mightest drown those who are on board? now hast thou done a strange thing. (71) He answered, Did I not tell thee that thou couldest not bear with me? (72) Moses said, Rebuke me not, because I did forget; and impose not on me a difficulty in what I am commanded. (73) Wherefore they left the ship and proceeded, until they met with a youth, and he slew him. Moses said, Hast thou slain an innocent person, without his having killed another? now hast thou committed an unjust action.
(74) He answered, Did I not tell thee that thou couldest not bear with me? (75) Moses said, If I ask thee concerning anything hereafter, suffer me not to accompany thee: now hast thou received an excuse from me. (76) They went forwards, therefore, until they came to the inhabitants of a certain city: and they asked food of the inhabitants thereof; but they refused to receive them. And they found therein a wall, which was ready to fall down; and he set it upright. Whereupon Moses said unto him, If thou wouldest thou mightest doubtless have received a reward for it. (77) He answered, This shall be a separation between me and thee; but I will first declare unto thee the signification of that which thou couldest not bear with patience. (78) The vessel belonged to certain poor men, who did their business in the sea: and I was minded to render it unserviceable, because there was a king behind them, who took every sound ship by force. (79) As to the youth, his parents were true believers; and we feared, lest he, being an unbeliever, should oblige them to suffer his perverseness and ingratitude: (80) wherefore we desired that their Lord might give them a more righteous child in exchange for him, and one more affectionate towards them. (81) And the wall belonged to two orphan youths in the city, and under it was a treasure hidden which belonged to them; and their father was a righteous man: and thy Lord was pleased that they should attain their full age, and take forth their treasure, through the mercy of the Lord, and I did not what thou hast seen of mine own will, but by God’s direction. This is the interpretation of that which thou couldest not bear with patience.
The Shahnama Of Firdausi (published 1912)
This does not appear in branch A of the Pseudo-Calhsthenes, in the early Latin version of Julius Valerius, or in the Syriac version It is given at large, however, in blanch C, which has Christian leanings, and it is found also in the Ethiopia version It is obvious that Firdausi's account had passed through the Arabic The Arabic in its turn came from the Syriac, and the existence of the account m the Syriac is due to the fact that Jacob of Stung inserted it in his metrical version of the Syriac Christian Legend of Alexander already referred to. 3 The basis of the whole is branch C of the Pseudo-Callisthenes, where the account runs as follows " Thence Alexander set forth again with his host, retiring to a level place in the midst whereof was a ravine Having thrown a bridge across ho wrote thereon in Greek, Persian, and Egyptian, and the writings signified
Alexander, arriving hither, built this arch, and crossed it with his whole host,
being desirous of: possessing the ends of the earth,
God willing
' And in three days he came to regions where the
sun did not shine. The name thereof is The Country of the
Blest ' And Alexander, having left the baggage and the infantry
with the old men and the women, was minded to take chosen
youths with him to investigate and see these regions. His friend
Oalhsthenes advised him to make his entry with forty friends,
one hundred youths, and twelve hundred soldiers .
King Alexander set forth, instructing them to take no old man with them. An
inquisitive elder, however, who had two sons noble and trusty
soldiers said to them :
Children, hearken to your father and
take me with you, and I shall be found not empty on the jouiney,
for I wot that in time of difficulty the old will be sought after,
and you therefore, as having me with you, will be honoured much
by your king. Lest, being found to transgress his ordinance, ye
be deprived of life, now, bestirung yourselves, chop my head and
beard ; thus altering hair and appearance I will go with you and
prove of great use to you in the time of need.'
So doing their father's bidding, they took the old man with them Thus they
fared with Alexander and reached a murky spot. Being unable to
advance further, owing to the impassable nature of the place, they
removed thence their tents. Next day, Alexander, taking with
him a thousand soldiers, went to ascertain if the end of the earth
were there . Going left-ward he saw a part that was lighter, and
fared over places waste and precipitous for half the day. This he
knew not from the sun but by taking measurement of the way
geometrically Afterwards he turned back in alarm because
the route was impracticable. Emerging, he was minded to go to
the right because the plain was level, albeit dark and gloomy.
But being in difficulties because none of the youths were
willing for him to enter that dark place in that, the horses
being weaned out by the glooms of that dark load, they would be
unable to return, Alexander said to them ' noble soldiers ' ye
all know now that in wars nothing is done nobly without counsel
and advice, for in good sooth an old man coming with us would
direct us how we ought to enter this daik region If now there
be some noble man among you let him go and bring into our camp
for me an elder, and he shall have much gold of me . Howbeit
none of them was found to do this thing by reason of the length
of the way and of the lightless Warn. Then, presenting themselves.,
the sons of the old man said to Alexander ' It thou wilt hear us
with forbearance, O king we will tell thee somewhat. King
Alexander said ' Say what ye will, for I swear by divine Providence
not to wrong you ' Forthwith they told him about then
sue, and ran and brought the old man to him. Alexander, on
seeing, embraced him and asked him to counsel them. The old
man said ' It is fit, king Alexander ' for you to know this,
that if horses enter you will see the light never more. Choose
therefore mares with foals, and leave the foals there, going yourselves
with the mares , they will lead us thither '
Alexander therefore made search among all those with him, but only found
a hundred mares with foals. Taking these and another hundred
selected ones, as well as many others to carry their provand, he
entered according to the counsel of the old man, leaving the foals
without. The old man instructed his sons that whatever they
should find lying on the ground as they went they were to collect
and place in their pouches. There entered with Alexander three
hundred and sixty soldiers, and thus advancing along the dark
road for fifteen stade , they saw a certain place wherein was a
bright fountain whereof the water Hashed like lightning , the air
was fragrant and most sweet .
Now Alexander, the king, becoming
hungry, wished to eat bread, and calling his cook, who was
named Andreas, told him to prepare a meal Taking a dried fish
he went to the shining water of the fountain to wash the meat.
On being wetted in the water it came to life forthwith and escaped
from the hand of the cook, who told nobody of what had happened,
but took himself some of the same water in a silver vessel and
safe-guarded it, the whole place indeed gushed with waters
whereof all drank and partook of food
Alexander, after he had
eaten, again journeyed on. for thirty stade , and further saw a
light without sun, moon, or stars, and he beheld three birds flying,
bat having the aspect of men, and crying to him from aloft in the
Grecian tongue
The land whereon thou treadest, Alexander is
that of God alone Return, thou wretch ' thou art not able to
tread the Country of the Blest. Go back then, O man and
tread the earth bestowed upon thee, and prepare not troubles
for thyself
' Being affrighted , Alexander gave instant heed to
the words spoken to him by the birds, one of which cried to him
again
The East calleth thee, Alexander ' and the realm of
Porus shall become subject to thee by conquest
' Thus saying the bird flew off
Alexander, having resigned himself to Providence,
bade Antiochus to signify to the troops
Let each that wisheth take of what is here, be it stone or earth or wood ' To
some rt seemed good so to do, while to others Alexander's words
appeared madness. Now as they went he said to Philon ' Dismount
and take up whatever chanceth '
Philon, dismounting,
found a stone that seemed to him one of the worthless sort, and
taking this he fared with Alexander Many of the troops too
took what each found from the material lying in that place, and
the sons of the old man m particular, according to the bidding of
their father, tilled their -wallets till they could walk no longer.
Alexander, having guides, sent on the asses in front, marched by
the Warn, and in some days arrived within hearing of the neighing
of the mares, and in this manner issued from the land of night.
So they came to the light where were the rest of the troops, and,
looking on one another, found pearls and stones of price When
they saw this those that had taken none repented, while all those
that had taken them blessed the old man and Alexander for their
good counsel. Phrlon brought his stone to Alexander, and it was
all gold
Then the cook told how the meat had come to life
Alexander , enraged, ordered him a terrible scourging He said
however to Alexander " What boots it, Alexander ' to repent a
past matter '-
' He did not say that he had drunk of the water or
that he had kept some of it Thus the cook refrained from confessing
save as to the dried fish coming to life Then that wicked
cook going to Kail, the daughter of Alexander and of the concubine
Une', seduced her, promising to give her to drink of the
Water of the Fount of Immortality, which he did Alexander
hearing of this, envied their immortality He called his daughter
and said to her ' Take thy clothes and depart, for behold thou
hast become a goddess, being immortal, and thou shalt be called
Neieis as having immortality from water, and therein shalt thou
dwell ' Weeping and mourning she departed from him, and consorted
in waste places with the spirits . As for the cook, Alexander
gave orders for a stone to be fastened to his neck, and that he
should be flung into the sea . Being cast away thus he became a
god and dwelt in a part of the sea that on this account was called
Andreanticus So much for the cook and the daughter of
Alexander, who took these things to signify that the end of the
eaith was in those parts When they came to the arch that
Alexander had built, he engraved thereon again to this effect -
' Let those that wish to enter the Land of the Blest fare to the
right'"
This legend thiough the Syriac became known to Muhammad,
who gives his version of it in the chapter of the Quran known as
" The Cave " Of part of the story he makes Moses the hero and
of the rest Zu-'l-karnaiu, i c The Two-homed (Alexander the
Great) In the Kurtin the part of the legend concerned with the
salt fish is told in connection with Moses and, being somewhat
obscure and fragmentary, has given a fine opportunity to the
commentators To elucidate the passage in the Quran it was
explained that on one occasion when Moses had made an eloquent
address to his followers they were so impressed that they asked
him if he knew of any one wiser than himself, and he replied that
he did not. The Almighty reproached him for his vanity and
told him that if he would go to a certain rock, where two seas
met, he would find his master in wisdom. He was to take with
him a fish in a basket and, when he missed the fish, would know
that he had reached the right place Accordingly Moses and
Joshua set forth, arrived at the rock, forgot all about the fish,
and fared onward. At length Moses became hungry, bethought
him of the fish, and told Joshua to bring it. Joshua had to admit
that he had forgotten all about it. The fish in the meantime had
made its way to the sea in some marvelous manner, as Muhammad
says. Moses and Joshua therefore returned to the rock, where
they met one of God's seivants who "by his proceedings proved his
superiority in understanding He is identified by Muhammadans
with the prophet Al Jhidr, known from the the of his raiment as
" The Green Prophet," and the friend of the Faithful in their distress.
He is familiar to readers of the Arabian Nights, and is a
curious development of the reprobate cook, Andreas, of the Pseudo-
Calhsthenes.
Islam is futile deceit, not a religion
Muhammad never ever was a prophet .
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