It was a square stone measuring one arm-length on both sides [approx. 1.5 by 1.5 ft.]. Sayyiduna Musa عَلیہِ السلاَم would always carry it in his bag. Two miracles of Sayyiduna Musa عَلیہِ السلاَم occurred through this blessed stone that have also been mentioned in the Holy Quran.
The First Miracle
The first wonder exhibited by this stone which is in fact a miracle of Sayyiduna Musa عَلیہِ السلاَم was its long run full of wisdom. The discovery of this stone is also by virtue of this miracle.
Now the details of this wonderful event are presented. It was the tradition of the Bani Israel to bathe nude publically. Although Sayyiduna Musa عَلیہِ السلاَم whowas also a member of the same society, was born and raised in the same environment, Allah عزوجل raised his ranks by blessing him with the dignified status of Prophethood. Therefore, how could the dignified modesty of Prophethood adopt such immodesty!
Sayyiduna Musa عَلیہِ السلاَم was very much against the immodesty of the Bani Israel. He عَلیہِ السلاَم; would either bathe in isolation or by covering his body with a sheet. When the Bani Israel saw that he عَلیہِ السلاَم had not yet taken bathe nude, the wicked people blamed him by saying that he عَلیہِ السلاَم had a white mark of leprosy on his private parts or had some kind of deformity on his body which he عَلیہِ السلاَم concealed by not getting undressed in public. The wicked people openly announced this blame so much that there was not a corner to which the rumors about Sayyiduna Musa عَلیہِ السلاَم had not reached. He عَلیہِ السلاَم was very much grieved and saddened due to this blame.
Obviously Allah عزوجل did not like to see His beloved Kaleem in such a state of grief and anxiety, and to see his honorable Prophet being falsely blamed. The Most Merciful Rab عزوجل created such means of freeing Sayyiduna Musa عَلیہِ السلاَم from the blames declaring his purity that completely killed the evil plans and doubts of the Bani Israel within a few minutes. The evidence of his purity from such blames became evident more than the shining sun that brightens the entire world. Sayyiduna Musa عَلیہِ السلاَم went to bathe at a hidden spring of water in the midst of the mountains. After making sure that there is no chance of anybody, he عَلیہِ السلاَم placed his blessed clothes on a stone and proceeded to bathe completely nude. After taking bath, he عَلیہِ السلاَم returned to the stone to wear his clothes. He عَلیہِ السلاَم; saw that the stone was running away, taking his clothes with it! Upon seeing this, Sayyiduna Musa عَلیہِ السلاَم also ran after it, saying (ثَوبِی حَجَرُ، ثَوبِی حَجَرُ) i.e. O stone, my clothes! O stone, my clothes!
The stone kept on running. It ran to the extent that it entered the main avenues of the city and eventually ran into the streets of the city. Sayyiduna Musa عَلیہِ السلاَم kept on following the stone whilst having no clothes on. This way, the youth and adults of the Bani Israel witnessed with their own eyes that the blessed body of Sayyiduna Musa عَلیہِ السلاَم had no deformity from head to toe. And instead, every limb of the blessed body of Sayyiduna Musa عَلیہِ السلاَم had such perfection and beauty that it was impossible to find such example among ordinary people. Therefore, they all exclaimed: (وَاللہِ مَابِمُوسٰی مِن بَاس) i.e. by Allah (عزوجل), Musa (عَلیہِ السلاَم) is flawless. When this stone exposed the purity and perfection of Sayyiduna Musa عَلیہِ السلاَم, it automatically stopped. Sayyiduna Musa عَلیہِ السلاَم put on the clothes and put the stone in his bag.
(Sahih Bukhari, Kitab-ulAnbiya, vol. 2, chapter 30, pp. 442, Hadees 3404; Tafseer As-Saawi, vol. 5, pp. 1659; Part 22, Surah Al-Ahzaab, verse 69)
Allah عزوجل has described this event in Holy Quran in the following words:
O believers! Do not be like the people who troubled Musa – so Allah cleared him from the allegations they had uttered; and Musa is honorable in the sight of Allah.
[Kanz-tul-Iman (Translation of Quran)] (Part 22, Surah Al-Ahzaab, verse 69)
The second miracle
In the plains of Teeh, it was the same stone that Sayyiduna Musa عَلیہِ السلاَم struck with his blessed staff and consequently, twelve springs of water emerged from it. The Bani Israel used this water for forty years. Details of this event have already been mentioned in the previous pages. In the verse of the Holy Quran فَقُلنَا اضرِپ بِّعَصَاکَ الحَجَرَ, (Part 1, Surah Al-Baqarah, verse 60) ‘stone’ refers to the same stone.
Remedy of a doubt: Those who do not believe in miracles judge everything using their imperfect intellect. They deny the miracle of emergence of the springs of water from the stone by considering it to be impossible and say that our intellect cannot accept the fact that the twelve springs of water emerged from such a small stone. It is a common observation that Allah عزوجل has blessed some stones with the characteristics of removing hair, some make vinegar more bitter and sour, some have magnetic power that can attract metal from distance, some make poisonous animals run away, some can work as antidotes for poison of the animals. Certain stones can even provide relief in cardiac palpitations, some do not burn nor heat up, some can even produce flame and there is eruption of volcano from some stones! So when Allah عزوجل has bestowed stones with such various attributes, then why is it so difficult to accept the fact that Allah عزوجل blessed the stone of Sayyiduna Musa عَلیہِ السلاَم with such effects! Perhaps Allah عزوجل blessed it with the characteristic of absorbing water from inside the earth and manifesting it in the shape of springs. Or probably this stone had the effect that the breeze that would come across it would flow constantly in the shape of water. It is not beyond the power of Allah عزوجل. Anything could have happened. As by Allah’s decree, anything can take place. Therefore, to believe in this miracle of Sayyiduna Musa عَلیہِ السلاَم is an essential religious requirement and to deny it is profanity. It is mentioned in the Holy Quran:
Anyway, water emergence from the rocks is a common observation then why it is difficult for one’s intellect to accept the fast of the springs of water emerging from the blessed stone of Sayyiduna Musa عَلیہِ السلاَم.