Page 34 - The Struggle of the Messengers

32 The Struggle of the Messengers

kingdom of Egypt not belong to me? Do not all these rivers
flow under my control? Do you not then see? Am I not better
than this man who is contemptible and can scarcely make
anything clear? Why have gold bracelets not been put upon his
arms, and why is there not a train of angels accompanying
him?" In that way, he swayed his people and they succumbed
to him. They were a people who had gone astray. (Surat az-
Zukhruf, 51-54)

As we see, Pharaoh was so irrational and depraved as to
present himself as the "Lord of Egypt." (Surely Allah is beyond
that) But the Prophet Moses (as) said that Allah was the "Lord of
everything on earth, in the heavens and in between," which of
course included Egypt, and this upset Pharaoh. This conversation
is related in the Qur'an as follows:
Pharaoh asked: "What is the Lord of all the worlds?" He
[Moses] replied: "The Lord of the heavens and earth and
everything between them, if you knew for sure." He [Pharaoh]
said to those around him: "Are you listening?" He [Moses] said:

"Your Lord and the Lord of your forefathers, the previous
peoples." He [Pharaoh] said: "This Messenger, who has been
sent to you, is mad." He [Moses] replied: "The Lord of the East
and the West and everything between them, if you used your
intellect." He [Pharaoh] said: "If you take any deity other than
me, I will certainly throw you into prison." (Surat ash-Shu'ara',
23-29)
Pharaoh was hostile to the Prophet Moses (as) because the
truths he told threatened his kingdom's twisted order. Pharaoh
knew that Allah existed, and said as much:

... "Council, I do not know of any other deity for you apart from