Atheism Is A Myth – (3) More about the Features of the Leader of all Atheists: Moses' Pharaoh

Published in October 8, 2017

Translated by: Ahmed Fathy

Introduction:

1- God has given all human beings absolute freedom to believe or to disbelieve; many people feel arrogant and haughty as they misuse this absolute freedom in the worst manner possible by claiming that they deny God's existence. Such claim goes against the innate instinct/origin inside each of us that we now call conscience. If atheists sincerely make their conscience as the judge regarding this issue without following their whims, they will acknowledge that God exists. Those arrogant atheists would never utter a single negative word against rulers in the presence of these tyrannical rulers, not even against men of the Central Intelligence if these atheists are brought to their offices one day. Yet, atheists dare to blaspheme against Almighty God by claiming He does not exist. Those arrogant, haughty atheists do not know that the Last Day will inevitably occur and if they die without repentance, they will not escape the relentless torment of Hell for eternity.     

2- This arrogance of all atheists is temporary; once they face life-threatening situations or fearful ordeals/calamities, they invoke God sincerely and devotedly with all their might; it is funny that they will seek God's aid and deliverance while screaming when their bodies suffer unbearable pains caused by, for instance, a small virus.

3- Those arrogant, haughty persons who claim to be atheists will never reach the might and power of Moses' Pharaoh, whom God has made (along with his affluent tyrannical people) as an example to avoid and to draw lessons from it, so that real, true believers would not follow his footsteps like those disbelieving, atheist, unjust tyrants who followed his footsteps in later eras.

4- Let us tackle the features of Moses' Pharaoh, the leader and imam of all atheist tyrants.

Firstly: Moses' Pharaoh between the belief in the One God and the belief in other gods/deities:

1- The German Egyptologist Adolf Erman in his book titled "Die aegyptische Religion"(1905), which tackles the Pharaonic religion of Ancient Egypt, asserts the following: (… It is surprising that Ancient Egyptians, despite their so many deities, talked about a general God, as we read in their literature when the Supreme Power controlling fates of people is mentioned. For example, they would say 'what is going on is the Decree of God', '…God did not grant him success', '…What you sow, plant, and harvest is the bounty of God', 'The one beloved by God must be obedient to Him', '…God knows the evil ones and will punish them', 'When you feel happy, you must thank God for it' … We read in an ancient papyrus scroll that contain wisdom that God is Unseen and people must sanctify and glorify Him … Indeed, if these were such sentiments of Ancient Egyptians, they were very near to the true religion, but at the same time, they had adhered as well to the traditional religious heritage that made them faithful to their ancient deities as well…).  

2- According to the above point and as we infer from the Quranic verses tackling the story of Moses in Egypt, Moses' Pharaoh hid his belief in the One True God out of arrogance, haughtiness, and being keen on self-deification to appear as a ruler who owned everything, and this is why he and his people denied the miracles and signs they saw when Moses came to them: "And they rejected them, although their souls were certain of them, out of injustice and pride..." (27:14).

3- When God sent plagues to Moses' Pharaoh and his people, they implored Moses to ask God on their behalf; this means they acknowledged God's Might and Power: "Whenever a plague befell them, they would say, "O Moses, pray to your Lord for us, according to the covenant He made with you. If you lift the plague from us, we will believe in you, and let the Israelites go with you." But when We lifted the plague from them, for a term they were to fulfill, they broke their promise." (7:134-135).

4- When Moses began to preach to them, he reminded them with the name of the Lord God Whom they revered and honored: "..."Hand over God's servants to me. I am an honest messenger to you."..."Do not exalt yourselves above God. I come to you with clear authority."...I have taken refuge in my Lord and your Lord, lest you stone me." (44:18-20). This means that Pharaoh and his Egyptian people knew that God is their Lord and the Lord of Moses.

5- Following the same pattern of warning people against God's punishment, the believing man among the retinue members of Moses' Pharaoh preached them in a way that reminded them of what they already knew and fear in relation to religion: "A believing man from Pharaoh's family, who had concealed his faith, said, "Are you going to kill a man for saying, `My Lord is God,' and he has brought you clear proofs from your Lord? If he is a liar, his lying will rebound upon him; but if he is truthful, then some of what he promises you will befall you. God does not guide the extravagant imposter. O my people! Yours is the dominion today, supreme in the land; but who will help us against God's might, should it fall upon us?"...The one who had believed said, "O my people, I fear for you the like of the day of the confederates. Like the fate of the people of Noah, and Aad, and Thamood, and those after them. God wants no injustice for the servants." (40:28-31). Unlike the Egyptian people contemporary to Moses' Pharaoh, this believing man in the retinue of Pharaoh had true faith and belief in the Last Day, as we infer from these verses: "O my people, I fear for you the Day of Calling Out. The Day when you will turn and flee, having no defender against God. Whomever God misguides has no guide."" (40:32-33); ""O my people, the life of this world is nothing but fleeting enjoyment, but the Hereafter is the Home of Permanence. Whoever commits a sin will be repaid only with its like. But whoever works righteousness, whether male or female, and is a believer-these will enter Paradise, where they will be provided for without account." (40:39-40). This believing man among the retinue members of Pharaoh knew the true nature of the monotheistic faith/belief devoted and dedicated only to God and that disbelief is in fact polytheism by covering the innate origin/instinct of monotheism by worshipping allies/saints/deities beside God, as we infer from his words which God narrates to us in the Quran: "O my people, how is it that I call you to salvation, and you call me to the Fire? You call me to reject God, and to associate with Him what I have no knowledge of, while I call you to the Mighty Forgiver. Without a doubt, what you call me to has no say in this world, or in the Hereafter; and our turning back is to God; and the transgressors are the dwellers of the Fire. You will remember what I am telling you, so I commit my case to God. God is Observant of the servants."" (40:41-44). This speech delivered by this believing man indicates an elevated level of moralistic and religious thought reached only by the very pious ones. If Adolf Erman was surprised by few quotes in papyrus scrolls in the hieroglyphic language mentioning the name of God, what would have been his reaction if he would read a scroll containing the words of this believing man among the retinue members of Pharaoh whom the Quran honors? This monotheistic man who believes in the One, True God was NOT like the vast majority of Egyptians at that era who believed in God and other deities beside Him. Those Egyptians tried at one point to convince this believing man to be a polytheist like them, but he refused, as we infer from this verse: "You call me to reject God, and to associate with Him what I have no knowledge of, while I call you to the Mighty Forgiver." (40:42).  

6- Thus, during the era of Moses in Egypt, as opposed to the vast majority of Egyptians who were polytheists (i.e., who believed in God along with other deities with Him), there was a minority of monotheists that is represented by this believing man in the palace of Pharaoh. Among these minority of course was Moses' Pharaoh's wife, whom God has made as an example of perfect belief for all male and female believers: "And God illustrates an example of those who believe: the wife of Pharaoh, when she said, "My Lord, build for me, with you, a house in Paradise, and save me from Pharaoh and his works, and save me from the unjust people."" (66:11). This is the same woman who cared very much for Moses as a baby and saved him from the River Nile, and she convinced her husband to raise him as if he were his own son: "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." (28:9).

7- We surmise that the presence of baby Moses inside the palace of Pharaoh, and his being raised there for years, is directly linked to the monotheism of Moses' Pharaoh's wife and this believing man among the family of Pharaoh. This indicates that there was a secret trend/group of monotheistic believers inside and outside the palace of Pharaoh. We guess that among this trend of true believers the man from the farthest part of the city who hurried toward Moses to warn him and advise him to leave Egypt before Pharaoh and his people would put him to death: "And a man came from the farthest part of the city running. He said, "O Moses, the authorities are considering killing you, so leave; I am giving you good advice."" (28:20). Among those joining this minority of believers at the time were the magicians who believed in God with Moses after coming to defeat him and hoping to be among the near circle of people around Pharaoh, and they never feared the threats of death by Pharaoh; their words are the best ones uttered by believers facing ordeals inflicted by the unjust ones and persecutors: "They said, "No problem. To our Lord we will return. We are eager for our Lord to forgive us our sins, since we are the first of the believers."" (26:50-51); "They said, "It is to our Lord that we will return." "You are taking vengeance on us only because we have believed in the signs of our Lord when they have come to us." "Our Lord! Pour out patience upon us, and receive our souls in submission."" (7:125-126); "They said, "We will not prefer you to the proofs that have come to us, and Him who created us. So issue whatever judgment you wish to issue. You can only rule in this lowly life. We have believed in our Lord, so that He may forgive us our sins, and the magic you have compelled us to practice. God is Better, and more Lasting." Whoever comes to his Lord guilty, for him is Hell, where he neither dies nor lives." (20:72-74).    

8- The vast majority of ancient Egyptians – despite their knowing about the One True God and the existence of a minority of polytheists – adhered to the deification and sanctification of other gods/deities as well as their idols and mausoleums; in fact, they loved to specify holy or sanctified names/epithets to honor these gods/deities, and such hallowed names would be inculcated into the collective memory of the nation of Ancient Egypt. Even Moses' Pharaoh himself used to worship gods/deities as per his earthly, man-made religion; his retinue members told him the following: "..."Will you let Moses and his people cause trouble in the land, and forsake you and your gods?"..." (7:127). This means that Moses' Pharaoh had his gods and he urged his people to let him defend these gods by letting him put Moses to death: "Pharaoh said, "Leave me to kill Moses, and let him appeal to his Lord. I fear he may change your religion, or spread disorder in the land."" (40:26). In response to such a threat Moses said the following: "Moses said, "I have sought the protection of my Lord and your Lord, from every tyrant who does not believe in the Day of Account.""(40:27). Thus, we notice here that Moses did NOT say that Pharaoh does not believe in God; rather, he said about him that he was a tyrant who denies the Last Day.      

Secondly: the contradiction of Moses' Pharaoh and his claim of atheism or denying God:

1- Within the arrogance and haughtiness of Moses' Pharaoh, he held a conference to brag the fact that he owned Egypt and its rivers and he ridiculed Moses: "Pharaoh proclaimed among his people, saying, "O my people, do I not own the Kingdom of Egypt, and these rivers flow beneath me? Do you not see? Am I not better than this miserable wretch, who can barely express himself? Why are bracelets of gold not dropped on him, or the angels came with him in procession?"" (43:51-53). We infer here that Pharaoh knew about God and His angels.

2- Within the arrogance and haughtiness of Moses' Pharaoh, he held a conference to declare and proclaim that he was the most-high, supreme god to all Egyptians: "And gathered and proclaimed. He said, "I am your Lord, the most high."" (79:23-24).

3- Within the arrogance and haughtiness of Moses' Pharaoh, he asked his vizier, Haman, to build a tower or a skyscraper to try and see the God of Moses, because Pharaoh did not see any god for the Egyptians except himself: "Pharaoh said, "O nobles, I know of no god for you other than me. 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); "And Pharaoh said, "O Haman, build me a tower, that I may reach the pathways. The pathways of the heavens, so that I may glance at the God of Moses; though I think he is lying."..." (40:36-37). This thinking of Pharaoh was mere conjecture and surmise; he was not so sure within his mind because he has covered the innate instinct/origin of monotheism inside him with arrogance, haughtiness, and polytheism.

4- This was the contradiction inside the heart of Moses' Pharaoh; he knew about God and His angels but at the same time he believed in other deities and committed the grave sin of self-deification, as per 79:23-24. The so-called atheists have a similar contradiction inside their hearts; they know for sure that the Creator of the universe exists, but they deny this fact with their mouths. We remember when we were in Egypt that an atheist university professor at Ain Shams University, Cairo, whose atheism is known to all attendees of the forum, invited us to deliver a speech within one session of his forum. We seized this opportunity to talk freely and without restraints about the myths and silly trivialities of the Sunnites. After we delivered our speech and mocked the Sunnite notions and showed their contradictions, to our surprise, this atheist professor himself talked nervously and within an agitated manner (as anger was shown in his face) as he defended the Sunna and hadiths! We were sure then that our speech struck a chord inside him; i.e., his thin veneer of atheism barely covers his inner, deep faith in the earthly, man-made Sunnite religion, as he could not stand our ridiculing Al-Bokhary hadiths. Within a similar situation, when we delivered a speech within a forum held by the Egyptian Organization for Human Rights, we talked about the absolute religious freedom in Islam and the freedom of expression and thought, and typically, we quoted the Quranic verses as proofs, and we asserted how hypocrites whom God has warned and told them about their position in the lowest depths of Hell had been free within the Yathreb city-state to express religious and political opposition peacefully. We added in our speech the fact that pre-Umayyad caliphs and other caliphs confiscated these freedoms and imposed their many restrictions regarding free speech and religious freedom. To our surprise again, atheist, secular men who attended the forum were united in their defense of Sunna, caliphs, hadiths, and all heritage/tradition books of the Sunnites, and they flatly refused to accept the Quranic verses we used as proofs that companions who were hypocrites were disbelievers and polytheists! It was easier for those atheist men to deny and reject the Quranic verses, and it was difficult for them to declare the so-called companions who were hypocrites as disbelievers and polytheists! Such contradictions inside hearts/souls of atheists since Moses' Pharaoh and all those atheists of later eras until now assert that the so-called atheism covers/hides the belief in an earthly, man-made religion.                      

Lastly: Moses' Pharaoh had declared his monotheistic faith when it was too late for him upon dying by drowning:

1- When plagues struck Moses' Pharaoh and his people, they sought aid from Moses: "Whenever a plague befell them, they would say, "O Moses, pray to your Lord for us, according to the covenant He made with you. If you lift the plague from us, we will believe in you, and let the Israelites go with you." But when We lifted the plague from them, for a term they were to fulfill, they broke their promise. So We took vengeance on them, and drowned them in the sea-because they rejected Our signs, and paid no heed to them." (7:134-136).

2- Upon drowning as he was on the verge of death, he declared his monotheistic faith, but in vain and when it was too late for him; i.e., seconds before he died by being defeated by God: "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 disobeyed 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).

3- We would like our readers to reflect deeply on this phrase in this verse: "...But most people are heedless of Our signs." (10:92). As always, God says nothing but the Absolute Truth.