Page 18 - The Prophet Moses (pbuh)
P. 18
THE PROPHET MOSES (PBUH)
your women live. In that there was a tremendous trial from your
Lord. (Surat al-A'raf: 141)
The superstitious religion that was prevalent in the land of Egypt was
the legacy of the idolatrous practices of Pharaoh's ancestors. (Surely Allah
is beyond that) This unjust religion posited the existence of numerous gods.
Pharaoh was, on the other hand, believed to be a supposed living god. It
was precisely this belief which proffered pharaohs with such power over
their subjects. Pharaoh and his immediate circle saw the Prophet Moses
(pbuh) as a threat to the way of life dictated by the deviant religion of their
ancestors, since, according to that religion, it was Pharaoh who possessed
all the might and glory. Pharaoh's arrogance, his striving to maintain con-
trol, and his regarding the Prophet Moses (pbuh) and the Prophet Aaron
(pbuh) as rivals, are evidenced in the following words of Pharaoh and his
immediate circle, in their address to the Prophet Moses (pbuh) and the
Prophet Aaron (pbuh). Allah relates this in the Qur'an as follows:
They said, "Have you come to us to turn us from what we found our
An ancient Egyptian mural painting depicting the entry of the children of Israel into
Egypt.
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