Page 46 - The Evil Called Mockery

44 THE EVIL CALLED MOCKERY

As it is revealed in the verses, Pharaoh had all the characteris-
tics of an unbeliever. He evaluated the Prophet Moses (as) according
to his own ignorant criteria, and so was unable to understand the
Prophet Moses' (as) superior morality and closeness to Allah. He
tried to influence the Egyptians by describing the property he
owned. In other words, he thought that he was proving his own su-
periority by using his own misguided values, based on ignorance,
as his criteria.
People who do not believe think that if a prophet is to be ap-

pointed and granted authority, he should at least be one of their
own. As a result, they are jealous of the prophets sent to them and
begin to mock them immediately. For example, as in the Qur'an
Allah reveals: "[They exclaimed:] ‘Has the reminder been given to
him of all of us? No indeed! He is an impudent liar'" (Surat al-
Qamar, 25), they subject the prophet to various types of unpleasant
behavior. But prophets are people of firm morality, extremely
scrupulous in conforming to Allah's instructions and prohibitions,
possess great modesty, and know that Allah holds all power. Such
slander is nothing but a baseless accusation directed at them by the
envious and ignorant unbelievers.
One of their accusations is that the prophets are "imprudent," a
verdict that they always deliver in mocking terms. In the Qur'an
Allah gives us this example:
The ruling circle of those of his people who did not believe
said: "We consider you a fool and think you are a liar." He

replied: "My people, I am by no means a fool; rather, I am a
messenger from the Lord of all the worlds." (Surat al-A‘raf,
66-67)