Aaron

God did choose Adam and Noah, the family of Abraham and the family of Aaron above all people... Offspring, one of the other and God hears and knows all things.

(S: 3, V: 33-34)

Aaron belonged to the linage of the second son of Abraham; Isaac. Wife of Aaron Jochebed was a pious and great lady. She mothered two great prophets of God; Moses and Aaron. Aaron was elder to Moses by three years. He was born in Egypt and was raised there. He was very cultured, soft spoken and eloquent in speech.

After having been appointed a prophet he remained with Moses for the rest of his life and participated in every effort of Moses to advance the cause of God. He withstood with his brother in every opposition which the infidels created and helped him to overcome the obstacles in the path of God.

Pharaoh was ruling the Egypt. Pharaoh was a cruel ruler and called himself a god. He punished anyone and killed anybody whom he willed. Israelites were forced to live a life of slavery. Egyptians could make them do anything what they wanted and Israelites were obliged to carry their orders at every cost. They were forced to live a life of humiliation.

When Moses on his way back to Egypt lose his way near the Mount of Sinai, God bestowed prophethood upon him, decorate: him with power to perform miracles and instructed him to go to Egypt and deliver His message to Pharaoh that he should abstain from claiming to be god, should refrain to be tyrant and free the Israelites.

            Moses submitted to God, “O my lord, slain a man among them and I fear least they slay me. And, my brother Aaron, who is more eloquent in speech than I: so send him with me as a helper to confirm and strengthen me, for I fear that they will accuse me of falsehood."         (S 28, V: 33-34)

His submission was acceded to and God granted Prophethood to Aaron as well and appointed him to be the helper of Moses in preaching and spreading the message of God.

God said, “We will certainly strengthen thy arm through thy brother and invest you both with authority, so that he shall not be able to touch you; with our signs shall ye triumph, you two as well as who follow you. ”

(S:28, V: 35)

And out of Our Mercy, We granted Moses his brother Aaron; the prophet of God.                                                                               (S: 19, V: 53)

And, We sent Moses the Book and appointed his brother Aaron with him as minister.                                                                                     (S: 25,V: 35)

Upon reaching Egypt Moses had a meeting with his brother Aaron and took him along to the court of Pharaoh. They told Pharaoh to abstain from claiming to be a god and to worship that Lord God who is the creator of the earth and the heavens and all that exist therein. And, that he should free the Israelites and stop treating them harshly. Pharaoh refused to listen to them and said that if they would not acknowledge him their god he would imprison them. Aaron and Moses repeated the message of God. Pharaoh demanded to see the signs of their prophethood. Moses showed him the miracles bestowed upon him but Pharaoh refused to accept them saying that those were merely sorcery and magic.

Despite the defeat of sorcerers and magicians of the royal court at the hands of Moses and Aaron, Pharaoh did not mend his ways and increased his harshness against the Israelites. He ordered to slay the lads of the Israelites and this massacres of Israelites was carried out throughout the country. This triggered the wrath of God and Egypt was struck with calamities like famine and drought.

It is said that the famine prevailed for three years. Finally the People came to Moses and Aaron and asked for the forgiveness. They forgave them and prayed to God to have mercy upon them. God graciously acceded to their prayer and their sufferings came to an end but the Pharaoh and his people remained arrogant and transgressed beyond limits.

            We punished the people of Pharaoh with years of drought and shortness of crops that they might receive admonition. But, when good times came they said, “This is due to us.” When gripped by a calamity, they ascribed it to evil omens connected with Moses and those with him. Behold, in truth the omen of evil are theirs in God’s sight but most of them do not understand. They said to Moses, “Whatever be the signs thou brings to work therewith thy sorcery on us, we shall never believe in thee”. So We sent plagues on them wholesale death, Locusts, lice, frogs and blood. Signs openly self explained but they were steeped in arrogance, a people given to sin.

                                                                        (S: 130-133)

God inflicted punishments upon Pharaoh and his people for their crimes of transgression. Moses gave his staff to Aaron and told him to strike the River Nile with it. When Aaron did so the water of Nile turned into blood. Once Aaron struck the staff on earth and frogs rained from the sky all over the country. There were so many frogs that living became miserable. Every time the  ‘ people came to Moses and Aaron and asked forgiveness and when they were pardoned, they would go back to their arrogance and transgressions.

Moses, according to God’s directives told his people to migrate. Israelites started preparing for migration. The day when the Israelites started migrating from Egypt, a strange epidemic gripped the Egyptians. Eldest child of every Egyptian family started dying, Egyptians in this distress could not notice Israelites preparing to leave the country. And they came to know about that only after they had left.

            The caravan of Israelites left Egypt under the leadership of Aaron. Moses left Egypt after the caravan was out of the city limits.

Next day Pharaoh along with his army went after the caravan and reached them near the shores of Red Sea. Moses struck his staff upon the waters of Red Sea upon inspiration from God, A dry passage was made in the sea and Israelites led by Moses and Aaron crossed the sea through that passage. While Pharaoh in his pursuit tried to cross the sea, the sea melted back and Pharaoh was drowned in the sea along with his army.

After the drowning of Pharaoh, Moses led the caravan towards Mount Sinai. This caravan, on its way to Mount Sinai was passing by people who practiced idolatry. When the Israelites saw them worshipping idols, they demanded Moses to fashion a god for them. On this occasion Mosses said, “Surely you are a people without knowledge. As to these folk, the cult they are in is but a fragment of a ruin and vain is the worship what they practice. Shall I prepare a god other than the true God, when it is God who has endowed you with gifts above the nations.”

When Moses went up the Mount of Sinai to witness the Beatific Vision of God, he appointed Aaron his vicegerent and deputy. Aaron performed his duties diligently, before leaving Moses instructed Aaron in these words: “Act for me amongst my people, do right and follow not the way of those who do mischief.”

Samiri, a person in the caravan of Israelites, tricked them and molded their ornaments into a calf. This idol was installed with a bell in it, which emitted the sound of a calf. Presenting this calf to them, Samiri said, “We do not know where Moses have gone in search of God, here is your god.” So they started worshipping that calf. Aaron tried to stop them from this false practice saying; "O my people! Ye are being tested in this; for verily your Lord God, the most Gracious so follow me and obey my command.'  But the Israelites refused to listen to him and turned against him.

When Moses returned from the mount and he came to know of their calf worshipping he got angry and reprimanded them. People pleaded that Samiri had misled them.  Moses grabbed Aaron from the hair of his head and beard and asked him, “O Aaron! What kept thee back when you saw them doing Wrong, Aaron explained the whole situation to Moses. Moses prostrated before God and prayed for forgiveness, saying; “O my Lord, forgive me and my brother. Admit us to Thy Mercy for Thou art the Most Merciful of those who show mercy.”

            God commanded Moses to journey towards Palestine. Moses led his people towards Palestine. The caravan halted and stayed near the Palestinian boundary. Moses sent a contingent of twelve men to Palestine to survey the situation prevailing in Palestine. The delegation on their return reported that the people of Palestine were very courageous and brave so we cannot confront them. Moses tried to boost their moral and told them that God favors them and they would certainly succeed. But Israelis expressed their cowardice and refused to take part in any battle.

As a punishment God disallowed their entrance into Palestine for 40 years and they were made to stray in the wilderness for all that period of time. Moses and Aaron kept on performing their duties of imparting guidance and training to enable them to see the paths of God. During their wandering in the wilderness they encountered Aamilkas, Edomies, Amorites, and Madaynites, which almost destroyed the Israelis.

When the caravan of Israelis reached near the peak of mount Hoor, Aaron’s time to leave this world approached. He went up the peak with Moses and started worshipping God, the Lord of the World. In that state his soul left "his carnal body of flesh and bones. He lived for 123 years. He had four sons. Two of them died young and two were present at the time of his death.

And, We bestowed Our favors on Moses and Aaron, and We delivered them and their people from their Great Calamity and We helped them so they overcame. And, We gave them the Book that helps to make things clear and We guided them to the. Straight Path. We left their name in the generations to come.

Peace and salutations to Moses and Aaron. Thus indeed do We reward those who do good, for they were two of Our believing Servants.

(S: 37, v: 114-122)

Points to Note:

Believing is of two types.

1. Verbal acceptance of belief.

2. Believing wholeheartedly.

In the story of Israelis, we have this lesson that if a person is expressing his faith only verbally, he can go astray any time but if once the faith takes its roots in the heart of a person, that person seldom goes astray from the right path. Having Faith actually purports to have that thinking paradigm, which was that of the prophets and to have that strong and established spiritual understanding, which could enable a person to think care of God.

There are two types of people.

1. Who have firm belief in God and in His apostles

            2. Those who merely say verbally that they have faith but faith does not affect their hearts.

People whose hearts remain devoid of faith; always tend to be a prey of uncertainty and stray from the right path. And, those whose hearts are enlightened with the light of the thinking pattern of prophets; they are the one who are successful.

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