Page 113 - Perished Nations

known phytoplankton species are toxic, those which possess toxins can be
dangerous to aquatic life. In the same publication, Ewen C. D. Todd of He-
alth Canada, referring to historic and prehistoric data, cited nearly two do-
zen examples of specific phytoplanktons causing various outbreaks thro-
ughout the world. W. W. Carmichael and I. R. Falconer listed diseases as-
sociated with fresh-water blue-green algae. Aquatic ecologist Joann M.
Burkholder, of North Carolina State University, described a dinoflagellate,
Pfiesteria piscimorte (found in estuary waters) that is capable of, as the
species name implies, killing fish. 36
In Fir’awn’s time, this kind of chain of disasters appears to have occur-
red. According to this scenario, when the Nile was contaminated, fish also
died, and the Egyptians were deprived of an important source of nutrition.
Without predator fish, the frogs could initially breed freely in both ponds
and the Nile and thus overpopulate the river, eventually escaping the ano-
xic, toxic, and putrefying environment by migrating to land, hence dying
on land and decomposing along with the fish. The Nile and adjacent lands
thus became fouled, and the waters became dangerous to drink or to bat-
he in. Moreover, the extinction of frog species causes bugs such as locusts
and lice to reproduce excessively.
Finally, no matter how the disasters took place, and what effect they
left, neither Fir’awn, nor his people turned to Allah by paying heed, but
they continued in their arrogance.
Fir’awn and his close circle were so hypocritical that they thought to de-
ceive Musa (as) and thus, Allah (Allah forbid!). When the dreadful penalty
fell upon them, they at once called for Musa (as) and asked him to save
them from it:
Every time the penalty fell on them, they said: "O Musa! on your behalf call
on thy Lord in virtue of his promise to thee: If thou wilt remove the pe-
nalty from us, we shall truly believe in thee, and we shall send away the
Children of Israel with thee." But every time We removed the penalty from
them according to a fixed term which they had to fulfil.
Behold! they broke their word! (Surat al-A’raf: 134-135)

Perished Nations
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