Page 150 - The Evil Called Mockery

148 THE EVIL CALLED MOCKERY

spent the day ascending through it, they would only say:
"Our eyesight is befuddled! Or rather we have been put
under a spell!" (Surat al-Hijr, 14-15)
Words cannot express just how astonishing it is that this spell
should hold such a wide community in thrall, keep people from the
truth, and not be broken for 150 years. It is understandable that one
or a few people might believe in impossible scenarios and claims
full of stupidity and illogicality. However, "magic" is the only possi-
ble explanation for people from all over the world believing that un-
conscious and lifeless atoms suddenly decided to come together and
form a universe that functions with a flawless system of organiza-
tion, discipline, reason, and consciousness; a planet named Earth
with all of its features so perfectly suited to life; and living things
full of countless complex systems.
In fact, in the Qur'an Allah relates the incident of the Prophet
Moses (as) and Pharaoh to show that some people who support
atheistic philosophies actually influence others by magic. When
Pharaoh was told about the true religion, he told the Prophet Moses
(as) to meet with his own magicians. When the Prophet Moses (as)
did so, he told them to demonstrate their abilities first. The verses
continue:
He said: "You throw." And when they threw, they cast a spell on
the people's eyes and caused them to feel great fear of them. They
produced an extremely powerful magic. (Surat al-A'raf, 116)

As we have seen, Pharaoh's magicians were able to deceive every-
one, apart from the Prophet Moses (as) and those who believed in him.
However, his evidence broke the spell, or "swallowed up what they
had forged," as revealed in the verse:
We revealed to Moses: "Throw down your staff." And it imme-