Page 109 - The importance of conscience in the Qur'an

Examples of Those Who Were Astray 107

return to their old ways. The true believer worships Allah in
times of hardship and fear and equally in times of happiness and
security.

Pharaoh's oppression of the believers and their
steadfast conviction
Pharaoh tried various ways to overcome Prophet Musa.
One of these was the contest he organised to make Prophet
Musa compete with the magicians he trusted most. He thought
to humiliate Prophet Musa with a deceitful trick dressed up as
a just and fair contest.
When the appointed day came, Prophet Musa and the
magicians faced each other in a field where people had
gathered. The magicians threw down their sticks to show their
power. On account of their magic, the sticks seemed to be
slithering about like snakes. When Prophet Musa threw his
stick, by Allah's will it swallowed up the sticks of the magicians.
The magicians were amazed and immediately realised that
Prophet Musa was telling the truth and that he was the
messenger of Allah. Pharaoh's own magicians then testified that
there is no god and power but Allah. Seeing his scheme back-
fire on him, Pharaoh flew into a rage. He was humiliated in front
of his people, and Prophet Musa, whom he considered to be so
far beneath him, had won a great victory. He reacted violently
against the magicians who believed, and ordered that they have
opposite arms and legs amputated, then be executed by
crucifixion (See Surat al-A'raf: 120-124).
The extreme cruelty of this punishment would be more
than enough to silence a weak conscience, but amazingly the
magicians who saw the truth, persisted in following their
conscience despite such torture. Their conduct was a measure