Moses was for a long time a shepherd in the wilderness. To
outward seeming He was a man Who had been reared in the bosom of tyranny, had
become reputed among men as a murderer, had taken up the shepherd’s staff, and
was fiercely hated and reviled by Pharaoh’s government and people. It was such
a man Who freed a great people from the fetters of captivity and persuaded them
to leave Egypt and settle in the Holy Land.
That people had sunk to the depths of degradation and were
lifted up to the heights of glory. They were captives and were set free. They
were the most ignorant of peoples and became the most learned. By virtue of
that which He established, they so progressed as to be singled out among all
nations, and their fame spread to every land, to such a degree that when the
inhabitants of neighbouring lands wanted to praise someone they would say,
“Surely he must be an Israelite!” Moses established laws and ordinances that
conferred new life upon the people of Israel and led them to attain the highest
degree of civilization at that time.
- ‘Abdu’l-Baha (Table talks in Akka,
authenticated by ‘Abdu’l-Baha; ‘Some Answered Questions’ – 2014 revised
translation by the Baha’i World Centre)
