By Dr. Ali Al-Halawani

From this story, I learnt that slaves make their masters with their own hands!

Pharaoh was the king of Egypt who defied Prophet Musa (Moses), challenged him and prevented the Children of Israel from obeying him and declaring their faith in Allah, the One and Only God, with him. He kept his unfaithfulness and disbelief in the Lordship of Allah and the Prophethood of Musa until he met his death as he was drowned in the Red Sea during the manhunt he administered and led against Prophet Musa and his faithful followers.

Amazingly, the Noble Qur’an related to all humanity the minute details of that amazing story and as is known, the Qur’an is not a storybook to be used to entertain people. Rather, it is a book of guidance by which man and all humanity can find the true and straight path towards Allah the Almighty and His everlasting pleasure. Thereupon, from this amazing story one can learn many lessons and derive many useful tips and values. Foremost among these lessons, one can cite what follows:

1. From this story, I learnt that Allah’s fate and predestination is unquestionably going to take place. As Pharaoh slaughtered thousands of children lest a promised one should come to life and defeat him as was predicted by his soothsayers. Indeed, this is what happened eventually as Musa was the one who caused Pharaoh to die in the sea.
2. From this story, I learnt that hearts are in the Hand of Allah and not in the hand of anyone else. When Musa lost the heart of his mother, Allah the Merciful made the heart of Pharaoh’s wife lean towards him. So, then Pharaoh wanted to prevent Musa – as a child – from the mercy of his mother’s heart, Allah the Merciful gave Musa another mother who loved him and cared a lot about him as if he was her own son.
3. From this story, I learnt that no one can spoil another or compel him to deviate from the right path. Whilst, in the palace, Pharaoh used to say, “I am your most exalted lord”, next door, Asia, his wife, used to say, “Glory be to my Lord, the Most High”.
4. From this story, I learnt that houses are full of secrets and that a woman and her husband can live under the same ceiling while they are so much different from each other. It is the heart and not the ceiling of the house that may bring a wife and her husband together!
5. From this story, I learnt that a whole army – armed to the teeth – cannot compel one believer to forsake his faith in the One and Only God, Allah the Almighty. Neither the sorcerers were frightened by Pharaoh’s army, nor was his daughter’s maid frightened by the boiling oil in front of her sight.
6. From this story, I learnt that “blood is thicker than water” and that a young sister managed to bring back her little brother to his mother when she advised the people of the palace as saying, “Shall I direct you to a household who will rear him for you, and sincerely they will look after him in a good manner?” (Al-Qasas 28: 12). In the same vein, a brother was so noble that he was not embarrassed to admit that his own brother is more eloquent than him in speech and asked Allah to send him (Harun) with him (Musa) to help him and confirm what he says to Pharaoh and his people.
7. From this story, I learnt that slaves make their masters with their own hands! And that Pharaoh could not have climbed atop their backs unless they have kneeled down and let him climb their backs! Allah the Almighty says in the Ever-Glorious Qur’an what means, “Thus he (Pharaoh) befooled (and misled) his people, and they obeyed him. Verily, they were ever a people who were rebellious, disobedient to Allah” (Al-Zukhruf 43: 54).
8. From this story, I learnt that if Allah wants to give victory to one of his servants, He can do that even with a staff that was suitable only for the servant to lean on and drive his sheep with. And that if Allah wants to give defeat to one of his slaves who has all powers and a huge army, Allah can do this even if that slave is amidst his army that is armed to the teeth.
9. From this story, I learnt that all that is on earth is but cause and effect that affect people, all people, but never affects Allah, the Creator of all! I learnt that the river which is supposed to drown children has become a carrier who carries and delivers a package containing the child who was looked for by Pharaoh to Pharaoh himself. I learnt that the sea that cannot be crossed but onboard ships was crossed by a group of people on foot after it was turned into a dry road or pathway!

• From this story, I learnt that all that is on earth is but Allah’s forces and soldiers; Allah says in the Qur’an what means, “and none can know the forces of thy Lord, except He”. It is Allah the Almighty Who chooses the weapon for the battle; when Pharaoh came with his army to destroy Musa and his people, Allah could have brought him a similar or even greater army. However, Pharaoh was much inferior to that in Allah’s Sight, therefore, Allah drowned him in the water from which He, Glory be His, created every living thing!

Given all this,

Allah is Much Mightier than all and every Pharaoh;

Despair not, be saddened not, and have full trust in your Lord, Allah the Almighty;

He is the Owner of everything, the Sustainer and Supporter of everyone, and the Supporter of the truth;

“And Allah has full power and control over His Affairs, but most of men know not” (Yusuf 12: 12).

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• Adapted from an Arabic post on Facebook.

Dr. Ali Al-Halawani is Assistant Professor of Linguistics and Translation, Kulliyyah of Languages and Management (KLM), International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. He was Assistant Professor and worked for a number of international universities in Malaysia and Egypt such as Al-Madinah International University, Shah Alam, Malaysia (Mediu) and Misr University for Science & Technology (MUST), Egypt; Former Editor-in-Chief of the Electronic Da`wah Committee (EDC), Kuwait; Former Deputy Chief Editor and Managing Editor of the Living Shari`ah Department, www.islamOnline.net; Member of the International Union of Muslim Scholars (IUMS); and member of the World Association of Arab Translators & Linguists (Wata). He is a published writer, translator and researcher. You can reach him at [email protected].