The Debate between the Might and the Truth within a Quranist Vision (6):

The Israelites Inherited Egypt after the Death of Moses' Pharaoh as per the Fulfilled Promise of God

Published in December 21, 2017

Translated by: Ahmed Fathy

Introduction: the Quranic story of Moses and Pharaoh contains two Divine Promises that were fulfilled:

1- The first fulfilled promise is when God assured the mother of Moses to give  her son back to her; the vast majority of human beings do not know that the Divine Promise is True: "We inspired the mother of Moses: "Nurse him; then, when you fear for him, cast him into the river, and do not fear, nor grieve; We will return him to you, and make him one of the messengers." Pharaoh's household picked him up, to be an opponent and a sorrow for them. Pharaoh, Haman, and their troops were sinners. Pharaoh's wife said, "An eye's delight for me and for you. Do not kill him; perhaps he will be useful to us, or we may adopt him as a son." But they did not foresee. The heart of Moses' mother became vacant. She was about to disclose him, had We not steadied her heart, that she may remain a believer. She said to his sister, "Trail him." So she watched him from afar, and they were unaware. We forbade him breastfeeding at first. So she said, "Shall I tell you about a family that can raise him for you, and will look after him?" Thus We returned him to his mother, that she may be comforted, and not grieve, and know that God's Promise is True. But most people do not know." (28:7-13).  

2- The second fulfilled promise is indicated earlier in the same Quranic Chapter 28 in these verses: "We narrate to you from the history of Moses and Pharaoh - in Truth - for people who believe. Pharaoh exalted himself in the land, and divided its people into factions. He persecuted a group of them, slaughtering their sons, while sparing their daughters. He was truly a corrupter. But We desired to favor those who were oppressed in the land, and to make them leaders, and to make them the inheritors. And to establish them in the land; and to show Pharaoh, Haman, and their troops, the very thing they feared." (28:3-6).

3- The Quranic stories contain the Truth addressing real believers who take heed and draw moral lessons; there are many moral lessons in the Quranic story of Moses and Moses' Pharaoh never heeded by most of those who claim to believe in the Quran. Among these moral lessons is that Moses' Pharaoh freely choose on his own accord to become an oppressive, unjust, self-deified tyrant and to assume an air superiority while committing atrocities like massacring poor children. Moses' Pharaoh committed all these acts to reinforce his political might and power, but his schemes turned against him to his detriment and brought his own downfall and destruction, as God's True Promise was fulfilled regarding him.   

4- We provide some details in the points below.

Firstly: God's promise of making the Israelites inherited Egypt after the death of Pharaoh:

1- God's Sunna/method/way of dealing with ancient nations has been to destroy disbelievers and to spare the messengers and believers: "Before you, We sent messengers to their people. They came to them with clear proofs. Then We took revenge on those who sinned. It is incumbent on Us to help the believers." (30:47); "Then We save Our messengers and those who believe. It is binding on Us to save the believers." (10:103). This occurred to Noah's people and other ancient nations of disbelievers until Pharaoh and his people and deep-state men who were the last nation destroyed by God.  

2- Moses' Pharaoh was not asked anything but to allow the Israelites to leave Egypt with Moses; Moses' Pharaoh was persecuting the Israelites and desired to crush them, and it was expected that he would readily agree to let them go to be relieved of them. Yet, Moses' Pharaoh refused to let them go because he desired to go on inflicting torment and persecution on the Israelites who were a minority to intimidate the majority of Egyptians who were enslaved by him in agriculture and industry. God says about this policy of Pharaoh: "Pharaoh...divided its people into factions. He persecuted a group of them, slaughtering their sons, while sparing their daughters. He was truly a corrupter." (28:4), and this means that Pharaoh persecuted a factions of the dwellers of Egypt – i.e., the Israelites – to terrorize others. Moses' Pharaoh's policy that he mastered and applied was "divide and rule", or (divide et impera) in Latin.

3- Moses' Pharaoh stubbornly insisted on refusing to let them go despite the signs/miracles he witnessed when Moses used his staff and in spite of torments inflicted on him and his people; in fact, Moses' Pharaoh increased his persecution inflicted on the Israelites after the emergence of Moses as a prophet to make them distrust Moses, as the Israelites were very much frightened by spies and agents of Pharaoh who infiltrated the Israelites; these spies included some of the Israelites themselves who betrayed their people and worked under Pharaoh's men as their agents.   

4- When the Israelites complained to Moses about the severe persecution they suffered before and after his coming, he advised them to adhere to patience and to trust Almighty God, as they will inherit the land of Egypt after the death of the tyrannical enemy: "Moses said to his people, "Seek help in God, and be patient. The earth belongs to God. He gives it in inheritance to whomever He wills of His servants, and the future belongs to the righteous." They said, "We were persecuted before you came to us, and after you came to us." He said, "Perhaps your Lord will destroy your enemy, and make you successors in the land; then He will see how you behave."" (7:128-129). At this point in time, it was difficult for the Israelites to believe this Divine Promise while they suffer from the diabolical machine of persecution by Pharaoh; this is why most of the Israelites did not trust Moses: "But none believed to Moses except some children of his people, for fear that Pharaoh and his chiefs would persecute them. Pharaoh was high and mighty in the land. He was a tyrant." (10:83).

5- Practical steps in fulfilling the promise of destroying Pharaoh and his regime and deep-state men began by Moses urging the Israelites to trust God in devotion and submission, and they responded that they trusted God and implored Him for deliverance from persecution of the unjust disbelievers; we notice here that disbelief and injustice are synonymous: "Moses said, "O my people, if you have believed in God, then put your trust in Him, if you have submitted." They said, "In God we have put our trust. Our Lord, do not make us victims of the unjust people." "And deliver us, by Your mercy, from the disbelieving people."" (10:84-86).  

6- Other practical steps included that the Israelites would devote their time to prayers and acts of worship within special houses in Egypt, imploring God for deliverance and salvation: "And We inspired Moses and his brother, "Settle your people in Egypt within your homes made into places of worship, and perform the prayer, and give good news to the believers."" (10:87).

7- A final practical step was Moses and Aaron invoking God's wrath on Pharaoh and his unjust people: "Moses said, "Our Lord, you have given Pharaoh and his retinue members splendor and wealth in the worldly life. Our Lord, for them to lead away from Your Path. Our Lord, obliterate their wealth, and harden their hearts, they will not believe until they see the painful torment."" (10:88). Arab tyrants in the Gulf monarchies reject God's bounty and use their wealth to repel people away from God's Path; this makes 10:88 regarding Pharaoh and his people apply to them as well; this is why the story of Moses' Pharaoh is repeated in the Quran to warn believers who pay heed to the Quranic moral lessons and to show to tyrants that they have no excuses for their sins and injustices, as they have disregarded the warnings in the Quran.

8- God answered the prayers and supplications of Moses and Aaron: "He said, "Your prayer has been answered, so go straight, and do not follow the path of those who do not know."" (10:89). God's answer to their prayers is linked to commanding them to obey Him and never to be among the misguided, ignorant ones. This is a prediction about the Israelites as some of them will emerge, after the destruction of Pharaoh, and be among the misguided ones who have authority. 

9- Eventually God has caused the destruction of Pharaoh, his troops, and his deep-state men by drowning in the Red Sea: "And We delivered the Israelites across the sea. Pharaoh and his troops pursued them, defiantly and aggressively. Until, when he was about to drown, he said, "I believe that there is no God except the One the Israelites believe in, and I am of those who submit." Now? When you have rebelled before, and been of the corrupters? Today We will preserve your body, so that you become a sign for those after you. But most people are heedless of Our signs." (10:90-92).

10- After Pharaoh was drowned, the era of the Israelites as inheritors of Egypt (temporarily before heading to the Promised Land) is indicated in the very next verse: "And We settled the Israelites in a position of honor, and provided them with good things. They did not differ until knowledge came to them. Your Lord will judge between them on the Day of Resurrection regarding their differences." (10:93).

11- God made the Israelites inherit the land of Egypt temporarily: "And We settled the Israelites in a position of honor, and provided them with good things..." (10:93). God says the following about Pharaoh and his people: "So We drove them out of gardens and springs. And treasures and noble dwellings. So it was. And We made the Israelites inherit them." (26:57-59); "How many gardens and fountains did they leave behind? And plantations, and splendid buildings. And comforts they used to enjoy. So it was; and We passed it on to another people." (44:25-28).

12- This is how the second Divine Promise was fulfilled as the Israelites inherited the land of Egypt after being severely persecuted by Pharaoh: "And We made the oppressed people inherit the eastern and western parts of the land, which We had blessed. Thus the fair promise of your Lord to the Israelites was fulfilled, because of their endurance. And We destroyed what Pharaoh and his people had built, and what they had harvested." (7:137). This Divine Promise is indicated in these verses. "We narrate to you from the history of Moses and Pharaoh - in Truth - for people who believe. Pharaoh exalted himself in the land, and divided its people into factions. He persecuted a group of them, slaughtering their sons, while sparing their daughters. He was truly a corrupter. But We desired to favor those who were oppressed in the land, and to make them leaders, and to make them the inheritors. And to establish them in the land; and to show Pharaoh, Haman, and their troops, the very thing they feared." (28:3-6).

Lastly: the story of Moses' Pharaoh in the historical accounts of the Pharaonic Era:

1- The Old Testament of the Bible mentions the story of Moses and Aaron; their story is mentioned in the Quran while described as the Truth for people who believe (see 28:3). Some guesses, conjectures, and surmises are written by some Egyptologists within history of Pharaonic Egypt. Some other Egyptologists worthy of respect have decided not to tackle the topic of Moses' Pharaoh as excavations' findings in Egypt have not shown yet anything related to Moses' Pharaoh, and these Egyptologists must base their writings on discoveries linked to the Pharaonic Era and data found in papyri. Thus, they need historical evidence and enough data (not found until now) to tackle the topic of Moses' Pharaoh.  

2- The other type is the unrespectable Egyptologists who are imposters, as they negate the historical existence of Moses and Moses' Pharaoh because of lack of tangible proofs to assert their existence in history. Those are never real researchers nor scientists; they tend to overlook and forget the facts that not all artifacts and monuments of the Pharaonic Era have been discovered, labeled, studied, and catalogued in museums and that there are still many gaps within stages of the Pharaonic Era. Their view that nothing new might be discovered or added to our information regarding the Pharaonic Era shows they are ignoramuses.       

3- Egyptian cities and villages are located on many layers of monuments and buried cities that cover 70 centuries of civilization, and half of this duration is before the unification of Lower Egypt and Upper Egypt into one centralized State in c. 3000 B.C.E. by the pharaoh Menes (or Narmer). Egyptians have settled within both banks of the River Nile 7000 years ago as they began their great civilization; this Pharaonic State has existed after the Pharaonic Era until now, while retaining the same features of centralized rule, corruption, tyranny, and deep-state, despite the succession of different Egyptian and non-Egyptian pharaohs/rulers.

4- What is known and discovered about the Pharaonic Era is very little; more excavations and discovered are being made and they add to our information. Real, serious researchers and Egyptologists know for sure that they know very little about the Egyptian history, especially that some discoveries and excavations are done randomly within different conditions each time and are linked to different eras (e.g., the Ramses dynasty and before and after its era). Hence, no one has the right to deny and reject the story of Moses and Moses' Pharaoh except ignoramuses.

5- God tells us in the Quran historical facts that make finding tangible evidence or proofs lined to Moses' Pharaoh almost impossible.

5/1: Moses' Pharaoh drowned in the Red Sea along with all his troops, government, retinue members, viziers, courtiers, and other deep-state men; this means no one among them survived to record Moses' Pharaoh's history.

5/2: Moses' Pharaoh's temples, edifices, and palaces were destroyed: "And We made the oppressed people inherit the eastern and western parts of the land, which We had blessed. Thus the fair promise of your Lord to the Israelites was fulfilled, because of their endurance. And We destroyed what Pharaoh and his people had built, and what they had harvested." (7:137). Moses' Pharaoh used to build huge and high edifices or skyscrapers: "...and Pharaoh of the Stakes." (38:12); "And Pharaoh of the Stakes." (89:10); these include an edifice/ a tower built by the vizier Haman upon the command of Moses' Pharaoh: "Pharaoh said, "... So, fire-up the bricks for me, O Haman, and build me a tower, that I may ascend to the God of Moses, though I think he is a liar."" (28:38). Such monuments and edifices were built using red bricks (made of mud burned by fire), used within the Pharaonic Era and until now in Egyptian cities and palaces. 

5/3: It was not difficult to destroy edifices, towers, palaces, and monuments of Pharaoh, especially when we remember that after he drowned, the Israelites returned back to the Nile Valley of Egypt to look for treasures of Pharaoh and his people in all such buildings; thus, nothing of such buildings and monuments remained to indicate the historical presence of Moses' Pharaoh; we would not have known these historical facts about this forgotten era if it had not been for the Quranic mention of them.

5/4: In general, artifacts, statues, temples, and monuments of the Pharaonic Era discovered within the superficial strata of land were at first covered with layers of dust and sand; e.g., underground royal tombs, the Karnak Temple, and the Ramesseum. People will never find similar things related to Moses' Pharaoh and his people, as they never died in their palaces, because they drowned in the Red Sea.