In every generation, people naturally admire strength that comes in the form of clear speech, confidence, influence, and the ability to command attention. Yet The Quran repeatedly teaches us that human worth is not measured by outward ease, physical perfection, or social advantage. What people often view as limitation, Allah (SWT) may place within a person while still elevating them in rank, responsibility, and nearness to Him. Islam offers a deeply dignified understanding of human difference. A person may live with illness, physical weakness, difficulty in communication, or other challenges, and none of these reduce their value before Allah (SWT). The Quran does not present human vulnerability as something shameful; rather, it shows that tests and limitations are woven into the human condition itself. Sometimes they become a means through which patience, sincerity, humility, and reliance upon Allah (SWT) are revealed more clearly than through visible strength.
This is one reason the stories of the Prophets hold such lasting power for believers. The Prophets (as) were the best of humanity, chosen by Allah (SWT) to carry revelation, guide nations, and embody faith under the most difficult circumstances. Yet their lives were never free of hardship. Prophet Nuh (Noah) (as) preached for centuries while facing rejection from his own people. Prophet Ayyub (Job) (as) endured prolonged illness with remarkable patience. Prophet Ya’qub (Jacob) (as) carried grief so intense that it affected his eyesight. Their stories remind us that divine selection does not remove human struggle; rather, it teaches how struggle itself can become part of one’s worship and mission.
Amongst the lives of these great prophets, the story of Prophet Musa (Moses) (as) carries a particularly striking lesson. He was chosen to confront one of history’s most powerful tyrants, stand before Fir’awn (Pharaoh), deliver revelation, and lead an oppressed people toward freedom. Yet, when this mission was given to him, The Quran records that Prophet Musa (as) himself expressed concern about his speech and asked Allah (SWT) for help so that others could understand him clearly. This moment invites an important reflection for us all. What exactly does The Quran tell us about the speech of Prophet Musa (as), how did classical scholars understand it, and what does this teach Muslims today about disability, communication, and the way Allah (SWT) chooses His servants?
Why the Prophets are the highest role models in human struggle
One of the most remarkable features of The Quran is that it presents the Prophets (as) with honesty and depth which allows us to establish a deep connection with them, provided we invest the time to reflect on their illustrious lives. They are honoured as the best of humanity, protected in delivering revelation, and chosen by Allah (SWT) for the most noble responsibilities yet they are never described as distant from the realities of human life. They experienced fear, grief, fatigue, rejection, exile, hunger, illness, and moments of intense emotional difficulty. This is part of The Quran’s wisdom that believers are not asked to follow abstract ideals, but living examples of faith under pressure. For this reason, the Prophets remain the highest role models not simply because of what they achieved, but because of how they responded when tested.
Their greatness lies in worshipping Allah (SWT) through difficulty without allowing hardship to distort trust in Him. When Prophet Nuh (as) called his people for generations and was mocked by those closest to him, he continued his mission with patience. When Prophet Ibrahim (as) stood almost alone against the beliefs of his society, he did so with clarity and conviction. When Prophet Ayyub (as) suffered prolonged illness, his words remained filled with humility and hope.
Allah (SWT) says in The Quran, “And ˹remember˺ when Ayyub cried out to his Lord, ‘I have been touched with adversity, and You are the Most Merciful of the merciful.’” (The Clear Quran®, 21:83)
The Quran also shows that some Prophets carried deeply personal burdens while fulfilling public missions. Prophet Ya’qub (as), grieving the loss of Prophet Yusuf (Joseph) (as), reached such a state of sorrow that The Quran describes his eyes turning white from grief (The Clear Quran®, 12:84). Yet even in this condition, he did not abandon reliance upon Allah (SWT). His response became one of the most profound statements of faith in The Quran, “‘I complain of my anguish and sorrow only to Allah, and I know from Allah what you do not know.’” (The Clear Quran®, 12:86)
These examples teach an essential principle in Islam. Divine closeness is not reserved for those whose lives are outwardly easy. Rather, Allah (SWT) often praises people through the very struggles that others assume would limit them. Hardship does not prevent service to Allah (SWT), in many cases, it deepens sincerity, softens the heart, and teaches dependence upon Him in ways comfort cannot. This perspective is especially important when reflecting on questions of physical limitation, illness, or difficulty in communication. Modern discussions often frame weakness only in terms of deficiency, but The Quran repeatedly shifts attention from what a person lacks to how they respond with faith. In prophetic history, challenge is never the final definition of a person’s worth.
It is within this wider Quranic pattern that the life of Prophet Musa (as) becomes especially powerful. Before he stood before Fir’awn, before the sea was parted, and before revelation was given on Mount Sinai, he too expressed a deeply human concern not about courage alone, but about whether his words would be understood clearly by those he had been sent to address.
The speech of Prophet Musa (as)
When Allah (SWT) commanded Prophet Musa (as) to return to Egypt and confront Fir’awn, The Quran records one of the most personal and profound supplications made by any Prophet before beginning a mission. Rather than immediately speaking about Fir’awn’s power, Prophet Musa (as) first turned to Allah (SWT) with a dua that revealed both humility and self-awareness,
رَبِّ ٱشْرَحْ لِى صَدْرِى وَيَسِّرْ لِىٓ أَمْرِى وَٱحْلُلْ عُقْدَةًۭ مِّن لِّسَانِى يَفْقَهُوا۟ قَوْلِى
Rabbish Rāhli Sadri, Wa Yasirli Amri, Wāhlul ‘Uqdatam Mil-lisāni, Yafqahu Qawli.
“Moses prayed, ‘My Lord! Uplift my heart for me, and make my task easy, and remove the impediment from my tongue, so people may understand my speech […].”
(The Clear Quran®, 20:25-28)
These verses are among the most frequently recited passages in Muslim life (by students before speaking, teachers before teaching, and believers before any difficult conversation). Yet within the story of Prophet Musa (as), they also offer direct Quranic evidence that he experienced some form of difficulty in his speech. The phrase, “وَٱحْلُلْ عُقْدَةًۭ مِّن لِّسَانِى” (Wahlul ‘Uqdatam Mil-lisani) deserves careful attention from us. The Arabic word عقدة (‘Uqdat) literally means a knot. Something that is tied, restricted, or not fully loosened. In Arabic expression, a “knot” in speech can refer to hesitation, heaviness, obstruction, or difficulty in articulation. Dr. Mustafa Khattab, author and translator of the acclaimed The Clear Quran® translation, clarifies that, “according to some scholars, when Prophet Musa (as) was a child, he put a hot coal in his mouth, which affected his ability to speak as he grew up. In this verse, he prays to Allah (SWT) to help him speak clearly, and his prayer is answered.”
This suggests that his concern was practical communication because he wanted his message to be clearly understood when speaking before a hostile audience. A second verse strengthens this picture. In another passage, Prophet Musa (as) says, “‘And my brother Harun is more eloquent than I, so send him with me as a helper to support what I say, for I truly fear they may reject me.’” (The Clear Quran®, 28:34) Here the wording is equally precise. Prophet Musa (as) does not say he cannot speak; rather, he openly acknowledges that Prophet Harun (Aaron) (as) is “more eloquent.” The word “أَفْصَحُ” (‘afsah) comes from فصاحة (fus’hat) which means clarity, fluency, and eloquent expression. In other words, Prophet Musa (as) recognized that his brother possessed a stronger natural ability in verbal communication, especially for public confrontation.
Classical scholars have often highlighted the humility contained in these verses. Even though Prophet Musa (as) was chosen for one of the greatest prophetic missions, he did not hide what he perceived as a weakness. Instead, he presented it directly to Allah (SWT) and asked for support. THis itself is a profound prophetic lesson that awareness of one’s limitations is not a weakness when it leads to reliance upon Allah (SWT). The Quran also shows that communication mattered because the mission itself required clarity. Fir’awn was not merely an individual listener, he was a ruler surrounded by power, influence, and hostility. To stand before such an audience demanded speech that conveyed truth with firmness and precision. Prophet Musa (as) therefore asked for ease not because he doubted revelation, but because he understood the seriousness of delivering it well.
At this stage; however, an important question remains. When The Quran refers to a “knot” in his tongue, does this mean Prophet Musa (as) had a stutter, a speech impediment, or another form of difficulty? The Quran leaves the description concise, which is why scholars examined the wording carefully and differed in how exactly to understand it.
Did Prophet Musa (as) have a stutter? How scholars have understood these verses
Because The Quran describes a “knot” in the tongue of Prophet Musa (as) but does not define its exact nature, Muslim scholars approached this question with care. The central point agreed upon in tafasir is that Prophet Musa (as) experienced some form of difficulty in speech, but the exact form of that difficulty was not stated with medical precision in revelation. For this reason, scholars explained the verses linguistically rather than making absolute claims beyond what The Quran establishes. Many classical commentators understood “عُقْدَةً مِّن لِّسَانِي” (‘Uqdatam Mil-lisani) to refer to a degree of heaviness in speech, meaning that words may not have emerged with full ease or clarity. Others described it as ta’aththur, a type of hesitation or impediment that affected stammer or stutter, though they generally spoke in broad descriptive terms rather than technical diagnosis.
Like mentioned earlier, among the explanations often mentioned when discussing the speech of Prophet Musa (as) is a well-known report from early tafsir literature that while he was still a child in Fir’awn’s palace, an incident occurred that led to an injury affecting his tongue. Although this account is familiar to many Muslims, especially through sermons and children’s retellings, it deserves to be approached carefully both for its narrative value and for its level of authenticity. According to the report, the young Prophet Musa (as), while living in Fir’awn’s household, once reached toward Fir’awn’s beard or crown in a way that alarmed those present. Some in the palace interpreted this as a sign that the child might one day threaten Fir’awn’s authority. To test whether his action was intentional or merely childish, two objects were placed before him: a jewel and a burning coal. By Allah’s (SWT) will, he reached for the coal and brought it to his mouth, burning his tongue. Later commentators linked this event to the speech difficulty referred to in The Quran.
This narration appears in several classical tafasir works, including reports cited by al-Tabari and later repeated by Ibn Kathir. However, scholars also note that its chains largely trace back through Isra’illiyat, reports transmitted from earlier Jewish or Christian narrative traditions rather than through firmly authenticated Prophet hadith. In other words, it is not established by a rigorously authentic chain from the Prophet Muhammad (SAW).
This distinction is especially important in educational writing. The Quran itself never states that Prophet Musa’s (as) speech difficulty came from a childhood burn, nor does it explain its cause. It simply records that Prophet Musa (as) asked Allah (SWT) to loosen a knot from his tongue and acknowledged that Prophet Harun (as) was more eloquent than him. That remains the strongest and clearest foundation. At the same time, the coal story continued to circulate because it resonated with themes already visible in The Quranic account that a future Prophet could carry a visible vulnerability from childhood, yet still be chosen for extraordinary leadership. Even when scholars did not affirm the story as certain, they recognized why it remained meaningful to readers.
How the story of Prophet Musa (as) empowers the students at Furqaan Academy for Exceptional Children
For a school such as Furqaan Academy for Exceptional Children, the story of Prophet Musa (as) carries particular significance. It reminds us that in Islam, a person’s value is never measured by how easily they speak, move, learn, or present themselves to others. Long before modern conversations about inclusion and accessibility, The Quran had already established a principle that remains foundational, and that is that human honor comes from one’s relationship with Allah (SWT), not from outward ability alone. This is especially powerful when reflecting on Prophet Musa (as).
He was not chosen after every personal difficulty had disappeared. He was chosen while fully aware of a challenge he believed might affect how others received his words. His first instinct was not denial, embarrassment, or withdrawal. Instead, he turned to face Allah (SWT) directly and said, “[…] and remove the impediment from my tongue so people may understand my speech […].” (The Clear Quran®, 20:27-28). This dua is deeply relevant in an educational environment that works closely with children who may communicate differently, learn differently, or require specialised support. The verse does not teach that every difference must disappear before a person can contribute. Rather, it teaches that support, understanding, and facilitation are part of how Allah (SWT) opens pathways for people to fulfill their potential.
For Furqaan Academy for Exceptional Children, this carries a direct lesson. Support systems are not secondary to growth, they are often part of Allah’s (SWT) design for growth. A child who benefits from speech therapy, adaptive teaching, structured routines, sensory support, or patient repetition should never be viewed through a lens of deficiency alone. In The Quranic worldview, support is not evidence of lesser worth, it is often the means through which hidden strengths emerge. This also shapes how Muslim communities should view exceptional children more broadly. Too often, children are unconsciously judged by conventional measures such as how quickly they memorize, how confidently they speak, how independently they perform, or how closely they resemble expected norms. Yet the prophet model urges Muslims to ask a different question and that is, what has Allah (SWT) placed within this child, and how do we help that trust flourish?
In that sense, Furqaan Academy’s work reflects a deeply Islamic ethic. To educate exceptional children with dignity, patience, and high expectation is not simply a professional task, it is an expression of prophetic mercy. It recognizes that EVERY child is an amanah, and that difference in ability never means difference in worth before Allah (SWT).
Dua
O Allah (SWT)! Just as You honored Prophet Musa (as) despite the challenges he carried, ease for our children what feels difficult, open for them doors of understanding and expression, and place sakinah in their hearts.
O Allah (SWT)! Bless the students of Furqaan Academy for Exceptional Children. Place barakah is EVERY effort made for their growth and learning.
O Allah (SWT)! Protect our children from discouragement and from feeling diminished by their challenges.
O Allah (SWT)! Untie EVERY knot that brings difficulty, bring ease where there is struggle, and place light in every heart seeking to learn.
Ameen!