The Story of Moses and Aaron (Musa and Haroon, Part-3:4) Moses asked the magicians to perform first. They threw their magical objects down on the ground. Their staffs and ropes took the forms of wriggling serpents while the crowd watched in amazement. Pharaoh and his men applauded loudly. Then Moses threw his staff. It began to wriggle and became an enormous serpent. The people stood up, craning their necks for a better view. Pharaoh and his men sat silently as, one by one, Mosess huge serpent swallowed all the snakes. Moses bent to pick it up, and it became a staff in his hand. The crowd rose like a great wave, shouting and screaming with excitement. A wonder like this had never been seen before! On witnessing the power of Moses, the magicians prostrated themselves to Allah, declaring: We believe in the Lord of Moses and Aaron. Pharaoh was angry and began plotting his next move. He charged that the demonstration had been arranged secretly between Moses and the magicians. He demanded that the magicians confess to their scheme, threatening them with death. They refused to denounce Allah and stuck to their sincerity of their belief. No longer hiding his cruel nature, Pharaoh threatened to cut off their hands and feet and to crucify them on the trunks of palm trees as an example to his subjects. Almighty Allah recounted this event: He (Pharaoh) said: Have you come to drive us out of our land with your magic, O Moses? Then verily, we can produce magic the like thereof; so appoint a meeting between us and you, which neither we, nor you shall fail to keep, in an open wide place where both shall have a just and equal chance (and beholders could witness the competition). Moses said: your appointed meeting is the day of the festival, and let the people assemble when the sun has risen (forenoon). So Pharaoh withdrew, devised his plot and then came back. Moses said to them: Woe unto you! Invent not a lie against Allah, lest He should destroy you completely by a torment. And surely, he who invents a lie (against Allah) will fail miserably. Then they debated with one another what they must do, and they kept their talk secret. They said: Verily! There are two magicians. Their object is to drive you out from your land with magic and overcome your chiefs and nobles. So devise your plot, and then assemble in line. And whoever overcomes this day will be indeed successful. They said: O Moses! Either you throw first or we be the first to throw? Moses said: nay, throw you (first)! Then behold, their ropes and their sticks, by their magic, appeared to him as though they moved fast. So Moses conceived a fear in himself. We (Allah) said: Fear not! Surely, you will have the upper hand. Throw that which is in your right hand! It will swallow up that which they have made. That which they have made is only a magicians trick, and the magician will never be successful, no matter whatever amount of skill he may attain. So the magicians fell down prostrate. They said :We believe in the Lord of Aaron and Moses. Pharaoh said: Believe you in him (Moses) before I give you permission? Verily! He is your chief who taught you magic. So I will surely cut off your hands and feet on opposite sides, and I will surely crucify you on the trunks of palm trees, and you shall surely know which of us (I Pharaoh,) or the Lord of (Moses) (Allah), can give the severe and more lasting torment. They said: We prefer you not over the clear signs that have come to us, and to Him (Allah) Who created us. So decree (regarding) this life of the world. Verily! We have believed in our Lord, that He may forgive us our faults, and the magic to which you did compel us. And Allah is better as regards reward in comparison to your (Pharaohs) reward, and more lasting (as regards punishment in comparison to you punishment). Verily! Whoever comes to his Lord as a Mujrim (criminal, polytheist, disbeliever, in the Oneness of Allah and His Messengers, sinner, etc.), then surely, for him is Hell, therein he will neither die nor live. But whoever comes to Him (Allah) as a believer (in the Oneness of Allah, etc.), and has done righteous good deeds, for such are the high ranks (in the Hereafter), - Everlasting Gardens (And Paradise), under which rivers flow, wherein they will abide forever; such is the reward of those who purify themselves (by abstaining from all kinds of sins and evil deeds which Allah has forbidden and by doing all that which Allah has ordained). [Ch 20:58-76 Quran]. The magicians represented the elite of the Egyptian society. They were its scholars. They prostrated before righteousness, but the people abandoned them and left them to their fate. The path of righteousness was plain, but in spite of this, the people did nothing but stand by and watch. If every one of the Egyptians had stopped to pick up a piece of brick and had thrown it at Pharaoh, he would have fallen dead and the history of Egypt would have been changed. This obviously did not happen. None of the people moved. Each one stood motionless in his place. The people did nothing but watch, and they paid the price of this inactivity: they were drowned later as the price for the cowardice of one day. Moses and Aaron left, and Pharaoh returned to his palace. Pharaoh entered to his palace. Pharaoh was completely stupefied when he faced the two miracles. When Moses went out of his presence, his emotions changed from amazement and fear to violent rage. He quarreled with his ministers and men, reviled them bitterly for no reason, and commanded them to get out of his presence. When he was left alone, he tried to think more calmly. He drank several cups of wine, but his anger did not abate. Then he summoned all the ministers, leaders, and responsible men for a serious meeting. Pharaoh entered the meeting with a rigid face. It was obvious that he would never surrender easily. He had established a kingdom on the basis of his being a god worshipped by the Egyptian people. Now Moses came to destroy what he had built. Moses said that there was no Lord other than Allah in existence. This meant that Pharaoh was a liar. Pharaoh opened the session by throwing a sudden question at Haman: Am I a liar, O Haman? Haman fell to his knees in amazement and asked: Who dared to accuse Pharaof lying? Pharaoh said: Has he (Moses) not said that there is a Lord in the heaven? Haman answered: Moses is lying. Turning his face to the other side, Pharaoh asserted impatiently: I know he is a liar. Then he looked towards Haman (and cried): O Haman! Build me a tower that I may arrive at the ways, - the ways of the heavens, and I may look upon the Ilah (God) of Moses but verily, I think him to be a liar. Thus it was made fair seeming, in Pharaohs eyes, the evil of his deeds, and he was hindered from the Right Path, and the plot of Pharaoh led to nothing but loss and destruction for him. [Ch 40:36-37 Quran]. Pharaoh issued his royal command to erect a lofty tower, its height to reach the heavens. Pharaohs command depended fundamentally upon Egyptian civilization and its fondness for building what Pharaoh wanted. However, he ignored the rules of engineering. In spite of this, Haman assented (hypocritically), knowing that it was impossible to erect such a tower. He said that he would issue a command to build it immediately. However, your majesty, let me object to Pharaoh for the first time. You will never find anyone in the heavens. There is no god but you. Pharaoh listened to a settled fact. Then he declared in the famous meeting his historic line: O chiefs! I know not that you an ilah (a god) other than me. [Ch 28:38 Quran]. Pharaoh was absorbed in his new problem. A series of serious meetings began in his palace. He summoned those responsible for the army, the police and, what we call today his director of intelligence. He also summoned the ministers, princes, and priests. He called whoever had a powerful effect on the direction of events. Pharaoh asked his director of intelligence: What do people say? He said: My men have spread among them that Moses won the contest because of a plot and that a major magician had joined with him in this plan. The plot had been disclosed, and we believe an unknown authority financed it. Pharaoh asked his director of police: What about the magicians corpses? He said: My men hung them in public squares and markets to terrify the people. We will spread a rumor that Pharaoh will kill whoever had anything to do with the plot. Then Pharaoh asked the commander of the army: What does the army say? He said: The army hopes that commands will be issued to move in whatever direction Pharaoh desires. Pharaoh said: The role of the army has not come yet. Its role will come. Pharaoh fell silent. Haman, the Prime Minister, moved and raised his hand to speak. Pharaoh permitted him and Haman asked: Will we leave Moses and his people to corrupt the rest of the people on the earth so that they leave your worship? Pharaoh said: You read my thoughts, O Haman. We will kill their sons, rape their women, and conquer them. He issued commands, and Pharaohs men rushed to slay the sons, rape the women, and imprison whomever objected to these acts. (Part-4).............Moses stood watching what was happening. He could not interfere, nor did he have the power to forbid these acts. All he could do was to advise his people to be patient. He ordered them to ask Allah the Almighty for a calamity on the Egyptians. He pointed out to them the model of the Egyptian magicians who endured for Allahs sake without complaint. He helped them to understand that Pharaohs soldiers behaved on earth as if they were its private owners. Pharaohs terrorism infused the children of Israel with a spirit of defeat. They complained to Moses: We (children of Israel) had suffered troubles before you came to us, and since you have come to us. He said: It maybe that your Lord will destroy your enemy and make you successors on the earth, so that He may see how you act. [Ch 7:129 Quran]. Moses began to face a difficult situation. He had to confront Pharaohs anger and his plots, while at the same time he had to deal with the mutiny of his people. In the midst of all this, Korah (Qaroun) moved. Korah was one of Moses s people. He was very rich and lived in a magnificent mansion. He wore only the most expensive clothes. Numerous slaves waited on him and he indulged in every known luxury. His enormous wealth made him arrogant. Korah treated the poor with contempt and told them that their poverty was due to their lack of intelligence. He believed that what he owned was due to his own cleverness and business ability. Moses reminded Korah to pay alms (zakat) on his wealth, a portion of which was rightfully due to the poor. Alms are compulsory upon all the believers. Korah was annoyed by this advice and told Moses that his being wealthy was proof that he was favored by Allah, Who approved of his life-style and increased his wealth daily. Moses argued with him and warned him of the result of his wicked thoughts. When Korah did calculate the alms due on his wealth, he was shocked at the large amount he had to part with. He not only refused to give alms, but spread a rumor that Moses had invented the law of zakat for his own gain. He even bribed the people to oppose Moses and to spread wicked rumors about him. Allah warned Moses of Korahs plot. Moses appealed to Allah to punish him for his stinginess and for defying His laws. Allahs anger fell on Korah. The earth opened up and swallowed him, his mansion and all his wealth, as if he had never existed. Almighty Allah revealed: Verily, Korah was of Mosess people, but he behaved arrogantly towards them. And We gave him of the treasures, that of which the keys would have been a burden to a body of strong men. When his people said to him: Do not be glad with ungratefulness to Allahs Favors). Verily! Allah likes not those who are glad (with wealth) which Allah has bestowed on you, the home of the Hereafter, and forget nor your portion of legal enjoyment in this world, and do good as Allah has been good to you, and seek not mischief in the land. Verily, Allah likes not the Mufsideen (those who commit great crimes and sins, oppressors, tyrants, and mischief-makers, corrupts). He said: This has been given to me only because of knowledge I possess. Did he not know that Allah had destroyed before him generations, men who were stronger than him in might and greater in the amount of riches, they had collected. But the Murimun (criminals, disbeliveers, polytheists, sinners, etc.) will not be questioned of their sins (because Allah knows them well, so they will be punished without account). So he went forth before his people in his pomp. Those who were desirous of the life of the world said: Ah, would that we had the like of what Korah has been given! Verily! He is the owner of a great fortune. But those who had been given religious knowledge said: Woe to you! The Reward of Allah (in the Hereafter) is better for those who believe and do righteous good deeds, and this none shall attain except those who are patient (in following the truth). So We caused the earth to swallow him and his dwelling place. Then he had no group or party to help him against Allah, nor was he one of those who could save themselves. And those who had desired (for a position like) his position, the day before, began to say; Know you not that it is Allah Who enlarges the provision or restricts it to whomsoever He please of His slaves? Had it not been that Allah was Gracious to us, He could have caused the earth to swallow us up also! Know you not that the disbeliveers will never be successful? [Ch 28:76-82 Quran]. When the Egyptians and children of Israel examined the miracle, the conflict between Moses and Pharaoh again reached a crisis because Pharaoh believed that Moses was threatening his kingdom. Pharaoh was afraid that the people would be misled by Moses. He suggested to his ministers and notable men that Moses be killed. We believe that Haman supported the idea along with a front of disbeleivers. It was on the verge of approval, except for the vote of one of the notable men of the state, whose name is not mentioned in the Quran. The Quran says only that this man was a believer. This believer spoke in the assembly where the idea of killing Moses had been introduced. He proved that it was not a good idea: Moses did not say more than that Allah is his Lord. Later, he came with clear evidence that he is a messenger. There are two possibilities; either Moses is righteous or a liar. If he lies, he will be responsible for his lie. If he is righteous and we slay him, where is the guarantee that we will be rescued from the torment of Allah? Either way, he neither says nor does anything that merits our killing him. This angered Pharaoh and his counselors and they threatened to harm the man, but he refused to budge from his stance. Then they tried to woo him back, but he still warned them that they were inviting their doom. This angered Pharaoh more, and he now threatened to kill the man. However, Allah protected His believer. Almighty Allah revealed their dialogue: Pharaoh said: Leave me to kill Moses, and let him call his Lord (to stop me from killing him)! I fear that he may change your religion, or that he may cause mischief to appear in the land!
Posted on: Sat, 16 Nov 2013 21:53:49 +0000
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