It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Musa al-Ash'ari (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) stayed with a Bedouin (a desert Arab), and he honoured him greatly. He (peace and blessings be upon him) said to him: "O Bedouin! Ask for something you need." He said: "O Messenger of Allah! A she-camel with its saddle, and some goats that my family can milk." He said this twice. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said to him: "Are you unable even to be like that old woman of the Children of Israel?" The Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) said: "O Messenger of Allah! What is the story of the old woman of the Children of Israel?" He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "When Musa (peace be upon him) intended to set out (from Egypt) with the Children of Israel, they lost the way. The scholars of the Children of Israel said to him: We will tell you: in fact, Yusuf (peace be upon him) took a firm covenant from us in the name of Allah that whenever we left Egypt we would take his bones (that is, his mortal remains) with us. Musa (peace be upon him) asked: Which of you knows where the grave of Yusuf (peace be upon him) is? They said: None of us knows where the grave of Yusuf (peace be upon him) is except an old woman of the Children of Israel. So Musa (peace be upon him) sent for her and said to her: Show me the way to the grave of Yusuf (peace be upon him). She said: No, by Allah! I will not tell you until I am with you in Paradise. This demand of hers weighed heavily on Musa (peace be upon him), and it was said to him (by Allah): Grant her what she asks. So he granted her request. Then she came to a small lake and said: Drain its water. When they had drained the water she said: Dig here. When they dug, the mortal remains of Yusuf (peace be upon him) were there. When they lifted them out of the ground, the road became as clear as the light of day." This hadith has a sahih (authentic) chain of narration, but the two Shaykhs (Bukhari and Muslim) did not record it.

Muhammad bin Ja'far bin Muhammad narrates from his father that he said: "The knowledge and wisdom of Allah were among the heirs of Ibrahim (peace be upon him). It was on this basis that Allah Almighty granted Yusuf bin Ya'qub (peace be upon them both) the kingship of the Holy Land, and he ruled for seventy-two (72) years. This is what is stated in the words of Allah Almighty which He revealed in His Book: 'My Lord! You have indeed given me a share of sovereignty and taught me the interpretation of events (dreams).' [Surah Yusuf: 101] "

It is narrated from Fudayl bin Iyad (may Allah have mercy on him) that he said: "Between Yusuf (peace be upon him) being separated from the lap (care) of his father Ya'qub (peace be upon him) and their meeting again, there was a period of eighty (80) years."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: "Yusuf (peace be upon him) was bought for only twenty dirhams. At the time he sent word from Egypt to his family (to summon them), they numbered three hundred and ninety (390). Their men were prophets and their women were truthful (siddiqat). And by Allah! When they departed (from Egypt) with Musa (peace be upon him), their number had reached six hundred and seventy thousand." This hadith has a sahih (authentic) chain of narration, but the two Shaykhs (Bukhari and Muslim) did not record it.

It is narrated from Ka'b (may Allah have mercy on him) that he said: "Then Yusuf the Truthful (peace be upon him) was born to Ya'qub (peace be upon him), whom Allah Almighty selected, chose and honoured. Allah Almighty gave him two-thirds of beauty and distributed the remaining one-third among all His servants. He resembled Adam (peace be upon him) as he was on the day Allah created him, fashioned him and breathed into him of His spirit, before he fell into the slip. When Adam (peace be upon him) slipped, that light, radiance and beauty were taken back from him. On the day Allah Almighty created Adam (peace be upon him), He had given him immense beauty and handsomeness, light and radiance, but when he did what he did and committed the error, that (beauty and light) was taken from him. Then, along with accepting his repentance, Allah Almighty gave him back one-third of beauty. Then Allah Almighty gave Yusuf (peace be upon him) the very beauty and handsomeness, light and radiance that He had taken back from Adam (peace be upon him) at the time of his slip. This was because Allah Almighty wished to show His servants that He has power to do whatever He wills. He gave Yusuf (peace be upon him) such beauty and handsomeness as He had not given to anyone among mankind. Then Allah Almighty gave him the knowledge of interpreting dreams, and he would foretell an event he had seen in a dream before it came to pass. Allah Almighty taught him just as He had taught Adam (peace be upon him) the names of all things. When he smiled you would see light in his teeth, and when he spoke you would see rays of light in his speech, shining between his front teeth." Imam al-Hakim (may Allah have mercy on him) says: "From the accounts of Yusuf (peace be upon him) I have briefly presented only those reports whose chains are established as sound. Had I also included the strange reports narrated by Wahb bin Munabbih and Abu Abdullah al-Waqidi, this chapter would have become very long." [An account of Kalimullah Musa bin Imran and his brother Harun bin Imran (peace be upon them)]

It is narrated from Muhammad bin Ishaq (may Allah have mercy on him) that he said: "Musa bin Mitha bin Yusuf bin Ya'qub was born, and, according to what people claim, he claimed prophethood among the Children of Israel before Musa bin Imran. Those who are certain of this claim that he is the one (Musa) who sought out a scholar (Khidr, peace be upon him) in order to learn from him, until he found the scholar who made a hole in the boat, killed the boy and built the wall, and Musa bin Mitha was with him. Then he returned from him, until he attained what he attained." Imam al-Hakim (may Allah have mercy on him) says: Muhammad bin Ishaq mentions it this way, (whereas, in refutation of it) evidence is taken from the established and sahih hadith that Amr bin Dinar narrated from Sa'id bin Jubayr, who said: I said to Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both): Nawf al-Bikali claims that Musa, the companion of Khidr (peace be upon him), is not Musa bin Imran of the Children of Israel, but rather some other Musa. Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) said: "The enemy of Allah (Nawf) has lied. Sayyiduna Ubayy bin Ka'b (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated to us that he heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say: 'Musa bin Imran stood up to deliver a sermon among the Children of Israel'" (and then) he narrated the complete long hadith. This hadith is recorded in the two Sahihs (Bukhari and Muslim). What prompted me to mention it (here) is that I had left it out in the middle. As for Kalimullah Musa bin Imran:

It is narrated from Abayah al-Asadi that he said: I heard Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) say: Indeed Allah Almighty said in His Book to Musa bin Imran (peace be upon him): "(Allah said: O Musa!) Indeed I have chosen you above the people with My messages and My speech, so take what I have given you and be among the grateful." And He said: "And We wrote for him on the Tablets an admonition and a detailed explanation of everything." [Surah al-A'raf: 144 - 145] So Musa (peace be upon him) thought that all things had been established (fixed and made clear) for him, just as you people think that your scholars have made everything clear for you, and in the way they establish it. So when Musa (peace be upon him) reached the seashore, he met that scholar (Khidr, peace be upon him) and spoke with him, and Musa (peace be upon him) acknowledged the excellence of his knowledge and did not envy him; rather, Musa (peace be upon him) said to him, expressing his eagerness: "May I follow you on condition that you teach me some of the right guidance (and knowledge) you have been taught?" The scholar knew that Musa would not be able to bear his company and would not be able to be patient with his knowledge, so the scholar said to him: Indeed, you will never be able to have patience with me. "And how can you be patient with something whose reality you do not know?" [Surah al-Kahf: 68] Then Musa (peace be upon him), offering his excuse, said to him: "If Allah wills, you will find me patient, and I will not disobey you in any matter." The scholar knew that Musa would not be patient with his knowledge, so he said: "Then if you follow me, do not ask me about anything until I myself mention it to you." Then the two of them boarded the boat and the scholar tore it open; his tearing of the boat was for the pleasure of Allah, while for Musa (peace be upon him) it was a cause of displeasure. Then they met a boy and he killed him; his killing of him was for the pleasure of Allah. Then the narrator mentioned some of the story and discourse, and (this narration) did not go beyond Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) (that is, it is mawquf). This hadith has a sahih (authentic) chain of narration, but the two Shaykhs (Bukhari and Muslim) did not record it.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ubayy bin Ka'b (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "May Allah Almighty have mercy on us and on Musa. (He, peace and blessings be upon him, began the supplication with himself.) Had he been patient, (more of) his news (circumstances) would have been related to us, but he had said: 'If I ask you about anything after this, then do not keep me in your company; you have surely received from me (a final) excuse.' [Surah al-Kahf: 76] " This hadith is sahih (authentic) on the condition of the two Shaykhs (Bukhari and Muslim), but they did not record it.

From Wahb bin Munabbih (may Allah have mercy on him) is narrated the account of the birth of Musa bin Imran bin Qahath bin Lawi bin Ya'qub bin Ishaq bin Ibrahim (peace be upon them), the story of the enemy of Allah, Fir'awn, when he was enslaving the Children of Israel in his labours in Egypt, and the affair of Musa and Khidr (peace be upon them both). Wahb said: "When the mother of Musa (peace be upon him) became pregnant with him, she concealed her condition from all the people, so none of Allah's creation came to know of her pregnancy. This was a concealment by which Allah screened her, because He wished to bestow His favour upon the Children of Israel. Then when the year came in which Musa bin Imran was to be born, Fir'awn sent out midwives and gave them instructions, and they searched the women as they had never searched them before. The mother of Musa was pregnant with him, but her belly did not show, her colour did not change and her milk did not spoil, and the midwives did not come to her. Then when the night came in which Musa (peace be upon him) was born, his mother gave birth to him with no watcher over her and no midwife, and no one knew of it except his sister Maryam. Allah Almighty revealed to her: 'Suckle him, and when you fear for him, cast him into the river, and do not fear and do not grieve; indeed We will return him to you and make him one of the messengers.' [Surah al-Qasas: 7] " Wahb says: "So his mother kept him hidden for three months, suckling him in her lap; he neither cried nor moved. Then when she felt fear for herself and for him (the child), she made a chest with a lid and laid a bed for him in it, then cast it into the river (sea) at night as Allah had commanded her. That chest was made in the style of seagoing boats, five hand-spans long and five hand-spans wide, and it was not coated with tar. The chest went floating along on the water, and the river cast the chest onto the bank in the darkness of the night. When morning came, Fir'awn was sitting in his assembly on the bank of the river Nile; his eye fell on the chest, and he said to the servants around him: 'Bring this chest to me.' They brought it to him. When it was placed before him and they opened it, they found Musa (peace be upon him) in it." Wahb says: "When Fir'awn saw him he said: 'This is a Hebrew child from among the enemies.' This seemed a grave matter to him and enraged him, and he said: 'How did this boy escape slaughter, when I had ordered the midwives not to conceal any child that is born?'" The narrator says: Fir'awn had married a woman of the Children of Israel named Asiyah bint Muzahim. She was among the few select best of women and among the daughters of the prophets. She was like a mother to the Muslims; she was merciful to them, gave them charity, and people used to visit her. She said to Fir'awn, while she was sitting at his side: "This child is older than a one-year-old, and you only ordered the slaughter of the children born this year, so leave him; perhaps he will be a comfort to my eyes and yours. 'Do not kill him; perhaps he will benefit us or we may adopt him as a son,' while they did not perceive (the outcome)." [Surah al-Qasas: 9] That is, their destruction was to come at his hands. And only daughters were born to Fir'awn. So Fir'awn let him live and looked at him closely, and Allah placed in his (Fir'awn's) heart love, tenderness and mercy for him (the child). Fir'awn said to his wife: "Perhaps he will benefit you; as for me, I have no need of his benefit." Wahb says that Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) said: "Had the enemy of Allah also said about Musa what his wife Asiyah said: 'Perhaps he will benefit us,' Allah Almighty would have benefited him through him as well, but he refused because of the wretchedness that Allah had written for him." And Allah Almighty forbade wet nurses to Musa (peace be upon him) for eight days and nights; whenever a wet nurse was brought, he would refuse to take her milk. At this Fir'awn felt pity for him and showed him mercy, and a search began for wet nurses for him. Wahb mentioned the grief of the mother of Musa (peace be upon him) over him and her weeping, until she was about to disclose his secret; then Allah rescued her with His mercy and strengthened her heart until news of him reached her. She said to his sister: "Disguise yourself and go with the people and see what they do with him." So his sister went with the midwives to Asiyah bint Muzahim. When she saw their distress over Musa, their love and their tenderness for him, she said: "Shall I guide you to a household who will take charge of raising him for you and will be his well-wishers?" until he was returned to his mother. So Musa (peace be upon him) stayed with his mother until she weaned him, then she returned him (to Asiyah). Thus Musa (peace be upon him) grew up in the lap of Fir'awn and his wife; both of them raised him with their own hands and had taken him as their son. One day Musa (peace be upon him) was playing in front of Fir'awn, and in his hand was a small, light stick with which he was playing; suddenly he raised the stick and struck Fir'awn on the head with it. Fir'awn became enraged and took his striking as an ill omen, until he resolved to kill him. Asiyah bint Muzahim said: "O king! Do not be angry and do not let this weigh on you, for he is only a small child without understanding. If you wish, test him: put a live coal and some gold in this vessel, then see which one he takes hold of." Fir'awn ordered that. When Musa (peace be upon him) stretched out his hand to take hold of the gold, the angel appointed over him took hold of his hand and turned it towards the coal, so Musa (peace be upon him) took hold of it and put it in his mouth, then when he felt its heat he spat it out. Asiyah said to Fir'awn: "Did I not tell you that he understands nothing and knows nothing?" So Fir'awn held back from him and accepted what she said, although he had already ordered his killing. It is said that the impediment (knot) in his tongue was the effect of that coal which he had swallowed. Wahb bin Munabbih says: "When Musa (peace be upon him) reached his full strength and his age became forty years, Allah gave him knowledge, wisdom and understanding. He remained in that state for twelve years. Then when he completed thirty years, he called to the religion of Ibrahim and his laws, and to the religion of Ishaq and Ya'qub, and a group of the Children of Israel believed in him." Then the narrator related the whole long story.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that he said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Indeed Allah Almighty chose Musa (peace be upon him) for (His) speech and Ibrahim (peace be upon him) for (His) close friendship." This hadith is sahih (authentic) on the condition of Imam Bukhari, but the two Shaykhs (Bukhari and Muslim) did not record it.