Was Moses the maternal uncle of Jesus?
By: A. Mohamed
O sister of Aaron, your father was not a bad man and your mother was not unchaste. 19:28
The above words in 19:28 have been interpreted by some that Mary, mother of Jesus, was the sister of Aaron, and thus sister of Moses as well.
We read in the Quran that Imran was the father of Mary (mother of Jesus):
Also Mary, the daughter of Imran who guarded her private part, and so We blew in it from Our Ruh. She believed in the Words of her Lord and His Scriptures, and was of the obedient ones. 66:12 (also 3:35-37)
However, there is no Quranic link between Imran and Moses/Aaron.
In the light of the Quran, the following matters can be easily confirmed:
1- Moses was not the uncle of Jesus.
2- Mary, mother of Jesus was not the sister of Moses who is mentioned in 28:11.
3- Between Moses and Jesus were many hundreds of years.
First, it must be noted that Mary (mother of Jesus) is indeed addressed in 19:28 as "sister of Aaron", however, the name Aaron is a very common Jewish name. For Mary to have a brother called Aaron does not necessarily mean that it is the same Aaron who was the brother of Moses.
PROOF 1
We have brought down the Torah, containing guidance and light. The prophets who submitted ruled with it (Torah) over the Jews. 5:44
From 5:44, we learn that God revealed the Torah for the prophets (plural) of its time to rule with it. Then in 5:46-47 we read:
And We sent, following in their footsteps, Jesus, the son of Mary, confirming what came before him of the Torah. We gave him the Injeel, containing guidance and light and confirming what came before it of the Torah, and providing guidance and advice for the reverent.
And the people of the Injeel shall rule in accordance with what God has brought down therein. Those who do not rule by what God has brought down, they are indeed the wicked ones. 5:46-47
Then in 5:48 we read:
And We brought down to you (O Muhammad) the Book (Quran) with truth, confirming what came before it of the Scripture and superseding it. So rule among them in accordance with what God has brought down (Quran). 5:48
It is clear from the above verses that whenever God revealed a new Book, its recipients were commanded to rule with that new Book and not what was revealed before it.
1- When God revealed the Torah, the prophets who received it ruled with it (5:44).
2- When God revealed the Injeel, God instructed the receivers of the Injeel to rule with it (5:47) and not the Book that came before it (Torah).
3- When God revealed the Quran, God commanded Muhammad to rule with the Quran (5:48) and not with the Torah or the Injeel that were revealed before it.
Every people were commanded to rule only with what God gave them.
This is also confirmed in 5:48 when God says that He holds people accountable only to what he gave them:
He tests you through what He has given each of you.5:48
The above truth is quite significant when we come to the issue we are discussing.
If Moses and Aaron were the uncles of Jesus, then the Torah which God gave Moses and Aaron would have been the Book to follow for only a very short period of time, to be exact, the difference in age between Moses and his nephew Jesus! This is because God commanded the people of the Injeel to rule with the Injeel and not the Torah.
If Moses was the uncle of Jesus, how many years would have been between them? 20 or 30 years, or so?
Was the Torah revealed by God to be followed for only such a short period of time, then to be superseded so quickly by the Injeel?
PROOF 2
We have brought down the Torah, containing guidance and light. The prophets who submitted ruled with it (Torah) over the Jews. 5:44
Let us focus on the words "The prophets who submitted ruled with it (Torah) over the Jews." Since God tells us that every prophet is given a Book (2:213 and 3:81), then with the verdict of 2:213, 3:81 and also 5:44, we can say that the Torah which the prophets (plural) ruled with (5:44) was a Scripture made up of multiple Books and not just the Book given to Moses and Aaron. The Torah, is what is known today as the Old Testament. The five Books of Moses (The Pentateuch) are the first Books of the Torah.
The Torah contains Books given to many prophets. We find in the Old Testament the Psalms (Book given to David), Proverbs (Solomon), Book of Isaiah, Book of Ezekiel, Book of Jonah, and so on. Each one of those are prophets mentioned in the Quran.
Moses was the first to receive Books of the Torah. The other prophets who also received Books of the Torah came after Moses.
If Moses was the uncle of Jesus, how could numerous prophets come after Moses, all receiving Books of the Torah, and all before the coming of Jesus and the revelation of the Injeel? Needless to say, the time span between uncle and his nephew does not allow for prophets (plural) to come between the two.
PROOF 3
And We sent, following in their footsteps, Jesus, the son of Mary, confirming what came before him of the Torah. We gave him the Injeel, containing guidance and light and confirming what came before it of the Torah, and providing guidance and advice for the reverent.
And the people of the Injeel shall rule in accordance with what God has brought down therein. Those who do not rule by what God has brought down, they are indeed the wicked ones. 5:46-47
Let us focus on the words "We sent, following in their footsteps, Jesus, the son of Mary."
The word "their" refers to the prophets who ruled with the Torah (5:44). God sent Jesus after the prophets (plural) who ruled with the Torah..
What time period is God talking about when He says "following in their footsteps"?
The following verse gives us the answer:
And We gave Moses the Book and We sent a succession of messengers after him. And We gave Jesus, son of Mary, the clear proofs and supported him with the Holy Ruh. 2:87
We note that between Moses receiving the Book and the coming of Jesus, God mentions "a succession of messengers".
Once again, these words would not make much sense if Moses was the uncle of Jesus.
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The Quranic evidence above proves categorically that Moses and Jesus were separated by hundreds of years, and that many messengers and prophets came between the two of them.