Musa (peace be upon him) was born when Pharaoh was slaughtering the sons of the Israelites, and by Allah's inspiration his mother placed him in the river, from where he was taken into Pharaoh's own household (28:7-9, 20:38-40). Grown to manhood, he struck and unintentionally killed a man, then fled to Madyan, where he stayed and married before Allah called him (28:15-28).
At the sacred valley near the mountain, Allah spoke to him directly, showed him the sign of the staff and the radiant hand, and sent him with his brother Harun to Pharaoh, who had transgressed all bounds (20:9-24, 20:42-44). Allah honoured Musa by speaking to him, calling him Kalim Allah (4:164).
Musa confronted Pharaoh and his magicians; when the magicians saw the truth of his sign, they believed in the Lord of the worlds despite Pharaoh's threats (7:103-126, 20:65-73). Pharaoh persisted in tyranny, so Allah sent successive signs against his people (7:130-133).
Allah commanded Musa to travel by night with the Children of Israel. When Pharaoh's army pursued them to the sea, Musa struck the sea with his staff and it parted into paths; the Israelites crossed safely, and Pharaoh and his army were drowned (26:52-66, 20:77-78). At the moment of drowning Pharaoh claimed belief, but it was too late (10:90-92).
Musa was called to Mount Sinai, where Allah gave him the Tablets and the Torah as guidance and light (7:142-145). In his absence his people took a calf for worship, and Musa returned in anger to correct them (7:148-154). His story is the most frequently recounted in the Qur'an — a story of struggle against tyranny and of devotion to Allah.