God will not expose you!
This is a real story, of the Prophet Moses, peace be upon him, when he was with the sons of Israel. After they crossed the ocean, the story is well known to many, but there is also one famous story for Muslims, especially Sufis, that not many people know. They say that when they crossed there was very little food or farmland, as it was a desert, and for long time Moses prayed for the rain but it didn't come.
When Moses asked God why there was no rain, why they could not grow food, and how they would live, God answered him and said “one of the people who crossed with you is not a believer, he's been committing sins secretly for a very long time, and additionally he acts like a man of faith and religion but he is not.” “He doesn't believe in me,” God said, “or you, or himself.”
Moses looked around, and all the people around him were the chosen and selected ones who crossed with him. They were all people of strong belief and fellowship, or at least that's what he thought. He was puzzled, he didn't know who that man could be, so he told his people, “Listen people, God told me that there is a man among us who's been secretly committing sins, disobeying the commands, not believing in God and mentioning God’s name in vain. If this man is not removed, the rain will never come down and we will not be able to live or grow food.”
The people looked around and said, “but Moses who is he?” Moses said, “I don't know, but he knows himself. I ask him to stand out and leave us, we will not do anything bad to him, we will not harm him. He just needs to leave for the others to live. I will ask you now stand out and show yourself.”
That man was in the group and he knew himself, but he thought that maybe someone else would stand out. Nobody did, so Moses asked again and said, “You, man with no faith committing sins in secret and mentioning God's name in vain and disobeying his commands, walk out now.”
The people looked around at each other and that man knew that this command was directed toward him; he felt scared and shaken inside, he knew that he was the one they mentioned.
But he was too afraid and ashamed, and too scared to stand out and say, “it is me,” so he acted like he didn't know. But he knew that God knew and he was scared that God would tell Moses and Moses would know.
Moses asked a third time, “You, man of weak heart and belief, the one who has been committing sins for so long and the one who has disobeyed God's command and mentioned his name in vain, stand out now.”
That man was terrified, he knew that God knew. He closed his eyes for a second and said, “God, I know you are right, I know you are true, I know that you know. Please forgive me, for now I believe in you.”
Seconds after, the clouds came and it started to rain, pouring out like it had never rained before. Moses and his people knew that God had answered them. But Moses was puzzled, he closed his eyes and he prayed to God and asked him, “God, that man didn't come out and I don't know who he was, what happened? Why does the rain came down now?”
God said, “Because of that same man, I stopped the rain for all of you. Because of that same man, I brought the rain for all of you.” Moses was even more puzzled and he said, “But for 40 years or so, he committed sins, mentioned your name in vain, disobeyed your commands, and didn't believe in you, so what has changed now?”
God said to Moses, “That man didn't see me before. I was always there, but now he sees me and for that, now he is a blessed man.”
So Moses said, “God please tell me who that man is, show me his face,” and God said, “Moses, for 40 years this man has committed sins, disobeyed my commands, mentioned my name in vain, and didn't believe in me. And for 40 years I have not exposed him, not even once. Do you think I will expose him now after he has been redeemed and believed?”
- rouh
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