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_-_The_Death_of_the_Pharaoh_001.jpg) None of the signs Moses was sent with to the Pharaoh
proved to be sufficient to change his blind belief in his own divinity. He had
even, in the face of all these signs, pridefully dared to challenge the notion
of a god higher than himself. In this regard, he said:
“Pharaoh said: ‘O chiefs! I know not that you have a
god other than me, so kindle for me (a kiln), O Haman, to bake (bricks out of)
clay, and build a lofty tower for me in order that I may look upon the god of
Moses; and verily, I think that he is one of the liars.’” (Quran 28:38)
Either the Pharaoh had no notion of who the True
God is, or he mistook the God of the Israelites as something like what the
Egyptians worshipped, or he simply intended to distract his people from the
afflictions assailing them.
The Exodus
At last, after the many signs God had sent Moses
with to give the Egyptians every chance to repent, He finally gave the order to
Moses to leave. The intervening years had served not only to give the Pharaoh
every chance, but also to clearly prove the authenticity of the prophethood of
Moses to the children of Israel, and his right to lead them.
They were told to sneak away at night, under the
cover of darkness, so their departure would not be noticed. Some scholars say
that the moon was eclipsed in order to
make the night of departure even darker.
They took with them the remains of the prophet
Joseph, who had invited the children of Jacob to that land more than 400 years
earlier. This was in accordance with instructions he had left when he died.
It is said that Moses himself carried them.
That the Pharaoh was not aware of the plan is
evident because of the fact that he was not ready to set out immediately to
round the refugees up after the Israelite ghetto was found empty. He had to
send:
“Callers to every city, saying, ‘These are indeed a
small band; and, verily they have enraged us.’
Even so, the Pharaoh was confident of overtaking
and destroying them. In a speech designed to rouse his army to make every
effort, he said:
We are a host assembled,
and amply forewarned.” (Quran 26:53-56)
He meant forewarned of the trouble the
Israelites could make. This army was not about to bring the absconders back.
He wanted every last one of them dead.
Archeological evidence points to the fact that
the refugees headed south towards Succoth before turning east to Etham, right
across the Sinai peninsular. At that point, they turned south into the
labyrinthine Wadi Watir, which disgorged them at its delta onto a wide beach
created by its seasonal flow of water.
_-_The_Death_of_the_Pharaoh_002.jpg)
Wadi Watir
and Nuweiba Beach
The Crossing
Any host pursuing would not be able to engage
all its soldiers at once in such narrow confines. Nor would the pursuers be
able to see them until nearly upon them. In fact, the Israelites reached the
coast without being sighted, but also found themselves facing a sea which would
allow no passage for people without the means to ferry such a large assembly
across it. Not knowing what to do, they stood around, grumbling. Then, at
sunrise, those at the Wadi mouth spotted the foremost ranks of the Pharaoh’s
army winding its way towards them, and the Egyptian scouts spied the migrants
sitting on the beach.
Some of the believing Egyptians must have
accompanied them, as some reports tell that the believer from the Pharaoh’s
family attempted to enter the sea on his horse before it was opened by Moses. The
horse, however, balked.
“O Messenger of God,” he said, “Is it here that
your Lord commanded you to bring us.”
Moses replied. “Yes.”
“The companions of Moses said, ‘We are sure to be
overtaken.’
Moses said, ‘Nay. Verily, the Lord is with me, and He
will guide me.’” (Quran 26:62)
When the Pharaoh and his army were clearly
visible to the people, Moses was commanded:
“…Strike a dry path for them in the sea (with your
staff), fearing neither to be overtaken (by the Pharaoh), nor afraid (of being
drowned)!” (Quran 20:77)
“…And it parted, each separate part becoming like a
huge mountain.” (Quran 26:63)
The people, seeing the dried sea bed as the way
to safety, descended onto it, led by Moses, and fled across the sea. Seeing
the receding ranks of fugitives disappearing before his astonished eyes, the
Pharaoh charged down to the shoreline. Looking at the towering walls of water,
in suspended stasis, he was assailed by awe, but suppressed it. He paraded
along the ranks of his troops, trying to turn around the events to his
advantage:
‘Look how the sea has parted for me!’ He
said, ‘so that I can catch these fleeing servants of mine.”
Thus encouraged, the whole host plunged onto the dried out sea bed in hot
pursuit.
As Moses oversaw the last of his flock emerging
from the sea on the other side, he raised his staff to close off the path
behind them; but God commanded him to keep moving:
“Leave the sea as it is; Verily, they are a host to be
drowned.” (Quran 44:24)
The End of the Pharaoh
The whole host of the army was drawn into the
trap, which sprang upon them in an instant as “the sea completely overwhelmed
them, and covered them up.” At this
stage, confronted with the quivering walls of water about to crash down on him,
the Pharaoh had at last admitted:
“I believe there is no god but He in whom the Children
of Israel believe, and I am one of those who submit (to Him).”
From this, it becomes clear that Pharaoh had
indeed believed Moses to be a true prophet from God, but it was his pride and
haughtiness which prevented him from doing so all along. Indeed it is when one
sees no fruit in their rejection of God that they finally owe up to the truth.
But when one sees that death has finally arrived and is inevitable, then this
admittance of the truth is of no avail.
“It was said to him, ‘What! Now (you say you submit),
after your rebellion and depravity before? This day we shall save you in your (lifeless)
body so that you may be a sign for those who come after you…’” (Quran 10:92)
When talking about this event, the angel Gabriel
said to the Prophet Muhammad, may the mercy and blessings of God be upon him:
“You should have seen me trying to stop his
words with the mud I took from the sea and shoved into his mouth, fearing the
Mercy of God would save him.” (Ahmad, Al-Tirmidhi)
This action of Gabriel asserts God’s great
Mercy. Even one such as the Pharaoh could have obtained forgiveness if he had
repented and turned to God before his final moment of life. Once the
inevitable moment of death is in progress, however, to believe is no benefit to
the rejecter of faith, for God says:
“Even if they were returned to this life (to make
amends) they would commit again everything they were prohibited; verily, they
are liars.” (Quran 6:28)
To confirm the Pharaoh was dead, God commanded
the sea to raise the lifeless body of the Pharaoh high on a wave and throw it
ashore. He was carrying his distinctive shield, by which he was recognized by
all.
A Lesson to be Learnt
Although there are some differences in detail,
especially in the point of view held concerning Moses and the Israelites
between the Islamic and Judeo-Christian accounts, the lessons we can learn from
the Story of the Pharaoh when both are taken into account are various. One can
see, for example, that Moses brought a message not only to the Israelites, but
also to the people of the Pharaoh. Some of them believed and even left with
the people of Moses. The message he brought for them was the uniqueness of God
as being the only god deserving of worship. Moreover, the way the message was
received shows that those who defy the right of God to be singled out in
worship will never be guided to the right path, no matter what signs God
sends. One has to have a clear heart in order to choose the guidance God
provides, and if one trusts in God he will provide the means to escape the
oppressors. He will also punish in this world, as well as the next, the
oppressors who set themselves against God, claiming for themselves the
sovereignty that belongs to Him in the affairs of the world. Submission to God
alone provides for the true seeker the means by which one earns the guidance
that will assure salvation; and such true submission is called Islam.
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