Title: Moses' Forty Days on the Mount and the Revelation of the Torah - Al-Aa`raaf 7:142 Question: The Quran says: "And when We did appoint for Moses thirty nights (of solitude), and added to them ten, and he completed the whole time appointed by his Lord of forty nights; and Moses said unto his brother, Aaron: Take my place among the people. Do right, and follow not the way of mischief-makers(Al-Aa'raaf 7:142)" From the above verse, it seems that ten nights were added later for Moses(pbuh) during his visit with the Lord. Is there any information regarding the reason for this later addition? Was the complete Torah revealed within forty nights? Please explain. Regards, Naina India Answer: The Qur'an does not provide any information regarding the reason of the addition of the ten days. However, considering the details of this event in the Qur'an and in the Bible, following two implications may be considered as possible: When God sends a prophet in a nation, He passes him through various forms of trainings so that he can be able to bear the load of the duty that God is assigning to him. It is quite possible that God increased those ten days for the same reason of training for Moses(pbuh). It is absolutely clear from the Qur'an that when Moses(pbuh) left his nation to meet God, Samaritan led Israelites astray by making a golden calf for their worship. The desire and inclination towards idol-worship had also taken its roots in the hearts of the vast majority of Israelites when they were in Egypt, and they also expressed it when they saw a town of idol-worshippers in their way while entering Sinai. Since Shirk is the biggest crime amongst all, and its existence in such a nation, which were being prepared for the guidance of the whole mankind, could never be tolerated by God. Therefore, considering the foregoing situation, it is quite possible that God wanted to disclose that shameful weakness of Israelites to Moses (pbuh) by delaying his departure for ten days, so that in his absence for ten more days, their inclination towards Shirk could become manifest. It is evident from the Qur'an that as a result of this test Moses(pbuh) identified the dissemblers amongst his nation, and thereafter took an immediate action for cleansing his nation from them. You have asked: "Was the complete Torah revealed within forty nights?" I would again say that the Qur'an doesn't provide any clear information in this regard, though the Bible clearly states that during this time God gave Moses(pbuh) the Ten Commandments. I, on the basis of the following reasons, have an opinion that Torah was not completely revealed within forty days. Torah contains lots of information and many directives, which clearly relate to later time periods. This clearly indicates that the Torah was not completely revealed in the forty-day period under consideration. The objective of the divine books is to purify people and this purification always takes place in a gradual manner. It is against God's wisdom that He would reveal His entire book at once. I hope this helps Regards, Ameer Abdul Basit July 28, 2002