My Lord Is With Me

Banū Isrāʾīl are looking at Firʿawn; he is coming closer and closer. And they are putting pressure on Mūsā: what are you doing? They are going to overtake us; they are going to kill us. The sea is in front of us, Firʿawn is behind us, mountains on the sides. Mūsā does not believe any of this. He said: kallā — no. Inna maʿiya rabbī sa-yahdīn — Allah will guide me. He does not believe what he sees; he does not believe what he hears; but he believes in the unseen, which he can neither hear nor see.

The sea is in front of him, the army of Firʿawn is behind him, mountains on the sides. Where can he go? What can he do? Mūsā is saying: kallā, no — my Lord is with me; He will guide me. I believe Allah. I believe in Allah, that He will guide me. Allah has promised me, and I believe in the promise of Allah.

Firʿawn is closing in, getting closer and closer, and they can start to see the individual soldiers of the army of Firʿawn right behind them. And they are putting pressure — Banū Isrāʾīl are putting pressure on Mūsā, and telling him: what are you doing? Imagine the situation of the leadership in that moment. He is telling them Allah has promised me that He will guide us, and they see Firʿawn catching up with them. And he is still telling them: no — my Lord is with me; He will guide me. I believe in Allah. I do not believe what you are saying, and I do not believe that Firʿawn will be able to overtake us.

A test from Allah (swt). In that difficult moment — that is when the victory of Allah descends: when things become very difficult and people start failing, as happened with Banū Isrāʾīl. They failed in this test. It is a test for the believers. And the ones who were able to pass it were Mūsā and Hārūn and Yūshaʿ ibn Nūn, and some of the other elders and leaders of Banū Isrāʾīl.