Page 85 - Perfected Faith

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EXAMPLES OF PERFECTED FAITH IN THE QUR'AN

humiliated before his people, he had lost his most reliable men to
Musa (as) and the position of the Prophet Musa (as) as a great threat
to his system had been established. On all these counts, he decided to
severely punish his magicians:
Pharaoh said, "Do you dare believe in him without my leave?
He must be your master, the one who taught you magic. I will
cut off your hands and feet on alternate sides and have you cru-
cified on palm trunks. Then you will know for certain which of
us can inflict the harsher and longer lasting punishment."
(Surah Ta Ha, 71)
In spite of these dire threats of the Pharaoh, the magicians had faith
in Allah from the very moment they grasped Allah's existence and
prostrated themselves before Him. They sided with Musa (as) out-
right; they did not feel concerned over losing certain benefits from
Pharaoh. Meanwhile, they asked for Allah's forgiveness for opposing
the Prophet Musa (as) and for struggling against him:
They said, "We will never prefer you to the Clear Signs which
have come to us nor to Him who brought us into being. Decide
on any judgment you like. Your jurisdiction covers only the life
of this world. We have put our faith in our Lord, so that He may
forgive us for our mistakes and for the magic which you forced
us to perform. The reward of Allah is better and longer lasting."
(Surah Ta Ha, 72-73)
From the above, it becomes obvious that one's submission to Allah
engenders strength of character, personal power and a sense of com-
mitment. The magicians could have never assumed such a noble atti-
tude if they had sought for any benefit from the Pharaoh's system.
Under the circumstances of their time, their conversion to the true
path seemed to conflict with their worldly interests.
However, all these devices for personal interest lose their signifi-
cance for one who has faith in Allah. That is because, Allah is the One
who commands the course of all these events related above. A person