Moses is an important prophet in all three Abrahamic religions.
He is perhaps the most important prophet in Judaism because he is revered for leading the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt.
Judaism, Christianity, and Islam all recognise that Moses was a prophet and messenger form God.
While the Koran does not give the detailed account of Moses receiving the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai as described in the Torah and the Bible, it does describe Moses receiving a divine call while near Mount Sinai and being chosen by God as a prophet. Like the Bible the Koran describes God speaking to Moses through a burning bush and instructing him to lead the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt. The Koran also describes Moses, with God’s guidance, as striking the Red Sea with a staff causing it to split and allowing the Israelites to cross safely from Egypt into Israel.
At Numbers 31, the Bible describes the genocidal intent of God and Moses towards the Midianites.
The Midianites were an early Arabic nomadic tribe largely known for their nomadic lifestyle.
Initially Moses lived among the Midianites after fleeing Egypt in fear that the Pharoah would have him killed. Moses stayed in Midian, tending sheep until God appeared to him through the burning bush and instructed him to lead the Israelites out of their bondage in Egypt (Exodus 3:1–10).
But later, during the time of the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt, Midian partnered with neighbouring Maoab and attacking the Israelites. The Bible describes God as having raised up a leader named Gideon conquered the Midianites with an army of only 300 men (Judges 7).
Finally, God instructed Moses to ‘take vengeance on the Midianites’. So, Moses said to the people, “Arm some of your men to go to war against the Midianites so that they may carry out the Lord’s vengeance on them.”
Each of the twelve tribes of Israel sent 1,000 men to go to war, so 12, OOO in total.
‘They fought against Midian, as the Lord commanded Moses, and killed every man…’
They also captured “the Midianite women and children and took all the Midianite herds, flocks, and goods as plunder. They burned all the towns where the Midianites had settled, as well as all their camps. They took all the plunder and spoils, including the people and animals, and brought the captives, spoils and plunder to Moses who told them to divide the spoils equally between the soldiers who took part in the battle and the rest of the community.”
But Moses was still not satisfied that the vengeance was sufficient. He wanted all the boys and women killed except for the virgins who could be taken for the soldiers.
“Have you allowed all the women to live?…They were the ones who the Israelites to be unfaithful to the Lord…so that a plague struck the Lord’s people. Now kill all the boys. And kill every woman who has slept with a man but save for yourselves every girl who has never slept with a man.”
‘The plunder remaining from the spoils that the soldiers took was 675,000 sheep, 3372,000 cattle, 3461,000 donkeys and 32,000 women who had never slept with a man.’