[3] Allah -azwj ’s Wisdom behind the change in the length of...

[3] Allah -azwj ’s Wisdom behind the change in the length of appointment was only known afterwards, wherein the people took to disbelief: وَإِذْ وَاعَدْنَا مُوسَىٰ أَرْبَعِينَ لَيْلَةً ثُمَّ اتَّخَذْتُمُ الْعِجْلَ مِنْ بَعْدِهِ وَأَنْتُمْ ظَالِمُونَ {51} And when We Promised Musa forty nights, then you took the calf from after it and you were unjust.

[2:51] The change from thirty nights to forty nights do not reflect a change in Allah -azwj ‘s Knowledge, but only a change in the knowledge that Moses possessed. See, for example a Hadith: قَالَ الْإِمَامُ ع: كَانَ مُوسَى بْنُ عِمْرَانَ ع يَقُولُ لِبَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ: إِذَا فَرَّجَ اللَّهُ عَنْكُمْ وَ أَهْلَكَ أَعْدَاءَكُمْ- آتِيكُمْ بِكِتَابٍ مِنْ رَبِّكُمْ، يَشْتَمِلُ عَلَى أَوَامِرِهِ وَ نَوَاهِيهِ وَ مَوَاعِظِهِ وَ عِبَرِهِ وَ أَمْثَالِهِ.

The Imam (Hassan Al-Askari -asws ) said: ‘It was so that Musa -as Bin Imran -as was saying to the Children of Israel: ‘When Allah -azwj has Relieves from you and Destroyed your enemies, I -as shall come to you with a Book from your Lord -azwj including His -azwj Commands and His -azwj Prohibition, and His -azwj Exhortations, and His -azwj Lessons, and His -azwj Examples’.

فَلَمَّا فَرَّجَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى عَنْهُمْ، أَمَرَهُ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ أَنْ يَأْتِيَ لِلْمِيعَادِ، وَ يَصُومَ ثَلَاثِينَ يَوْماً عِنْدَ أَصْلِ الْجَبَلِ، وَ ظَنَّ مُوسَى أَنَّهُ بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ يُعْطِيهِ الْكِتَابَ.

So when Allah -azwj had relieved from them, Allah -azwj Mighty and Majestic Commanded him -as that he -as should come to the appointed (time and place), and he -as should Fast for thirty days at the base of the mountain, and Musa -as thought that after that, He -azwj would Give him -as the Book.

فَصَامَ مُوسَى ثَلَاثِينَ يَوْماً [عِنْدَ أَصْلِ الْجَبَلِ‏] فَلَمَّا كَانَ فِي آخِرِ الْأَيَّامِ‏ اسْتَاكَ‏ قَبْلَ الْفِطْرِ فَأَوْحَى اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ [إِلَيْهِ‏] يَا مُوسَى‏ أَ مَا عَلِمْتَ أَنَّ خُلُوفَ فَمِ الصَّائِمِ أَطْيَبُ عِنْدِي مِنْ رِيحِ الْمِسْكِ صُمْ عَشْراً أُخَرَ وَ لَا تَسْتَكْ‏ عِنْدَ الْإِفْطَارِ. فَفَعَلَ ذَلِكَ مُوسَى ع. So Musa -as Fasted for thirty days, at the base of the mountain.

So when it was during the last of the days, he -as brushed his -as teeth before the breaking of the Fast. So Allah -azwj Mighty and Majestic Revealed unto him -as : “O Musa -as ! But, do you -as not know that the breath of the mouth of a fasting one is more aromatic in My -azwj Presence than the smell of musk?

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