Harun; A Divine Prophet and Exemplary Brother
That is why his brother, Moses (AS), asked God to give Harun the opportunity to help him in promoting monotheism.
Harun (AS) was a divine prophet and a brother of Moses (AS). His father was Omran and his mother was Jochebed. Harun was older than Moses but was appointed to prophethood after his brother.
Harun’s name is mentioned in many Surahs of the Quran such as Al-A’raf, An-Nisa, Al-An’am, Yunus, Taha, Al-Anbiya, Al-Furqan, Ash-Shua’ara, and Al-Qasas.
Jews, Christians and Muslims believe in his prophethood. According to a Hadith from the Holy Prophet (PBUH), some descendants of Harun were divine messengers, including Prophet Ilyas (AS).
When Moses was appointed as prophet and was commissioned to invite pharaoh to monotheism, he asked God to allow him to take Harun with him because he was an orator and had a persuasive ability.
Harun was with his brother everywhere and cooperated with him in all activities in order to help him fulfil his prophetic mission. That is why God appointed Harun to prophethood as well. The appointment was also a blessing from God for Moses that helped him in his mission.
In a Hadith from the Holy Prophet (PBUH), Imam Ali’s (AS) relation to Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) is likened to that of Harun to Moses.
Harun was in place of Moses when Bani Isra’il started to worship a calf. Despite his efforts, he could not prevent them from doing it. All of them except for a few opposed Harun until Moses returned.
According to historians, Harun lived between 123 and 133 years and died three years before the death of Moses.
A tomb on top of a mountain in western Jordan is said to belong to Harun. That is why Mount Petra is also known as Jabal Harun (Harun Mountain).
