The Qur’an

“Moses and Pharaoh”

Sura 7

The Elevated Places

103. Then we raised after them Musa with Our communications to Firon and his chiefs, but they disbelieved in them; consider then what was the end of the mischief makers.
104. And Musa said: O Firon! surely I am an apostle from the Lord of the worlds:
105. (I am) worthy of not saying anything about Allah except the truth: I have come to you indeed with clear proof from your Lord, therefore send with me the children of Israel
106. He said: If you have come with a sign, then bring it, if you are of the truthful ones.
107. So he threw his rod, then lo! it was a clear serpent.
108. And he drew forth his hand, and lo! it was white to the beholders.
109. The chiefs of Firon’s people said: most surely this is an enchanter possessed of knowledge:
110. He intends to turn you out of your land. What counsel do you then give?
111. They said: Put him off and his brother, and send collectors into the cities:
112.That they may bring to you every enchanter possessed of knowledge.
113. And the enchanters came to Firon (and) said: We must surely have a reward if we are the prevailing ones.
114. He said: Yes, and you shall certainly be of those who are near (to me).
115. They said: O Musa! will you cast, or shall we be the first to cast?

116. He said: Cast. So when they cast, they deceived the people’s eyes and frightened them, and they produced a mighty enchantment.
117. And We revealed to Musa, saying: Cast your rod; then lo! it devoured the lies they told.
118. So the truth was established, and what they did became null.
119. Thus they were vanquished there, and they went back abased.
120. And the enchanters were thrown down, prostrating (themselves).
121. They said: We believe in the Lord of the worlds,
122. The Lord of Musa and Haroun.
123. Firon said: Do you believe in Him before I have given you permission?Surely this is a plot which you have secretly devised in this city, that you may turn out of it its people, but you shall know:
124. 1 will certainly cut off your hands and your feet on opposite sides, then will I crucify you all together.
125. They said: Surely to our Lord shall we go back:

Sura 10

Jonah

84. And Musa said: O my people! if you believe in Allah, then rely on Him (alone) if you submit (to Allah).
85. So they said: On Allah we rely: O our Lord! make us not subject to the persecution of the unjust people:
86. And do Thou deliver us by Thy mercy from the unbelieving people.
87. And We revealed to Musa and his brother, saying: Take for your people houses to abide in Egypt and make your houses places of worship and keep up prayer and give good news to the believers.

88. And Musa said: Our Lord! surely Thou hast given to Firon and his chiefs finery and riches in this world’s life, to this end, our Lord, that they lead (people) astray from Thy way: Our Lord! destroy their riches and harden their hearts so that they believe not until they see the painful punishment.
89. He said: The prayer of you both has indeed been accepted, therefore continue in the right way and do not follow the path of those who do not know.
90. And We made the children of Israel to pass through the sea, then Firon and his hosts followed them for oppression and tyranny; until when drowning overtook him, he said: I believe that there is no god but He in Whom the children of Israel believe and I am of those who submit.
91. What! Now! Moreover, indeed, you disobeyed before and you were of the mischief-makers.
92. But We will this day deliver you with your body that you may be a sign to those after you, and most surely, the majority of the people are heedless to Our communications.

Sura 11

The Holy Prophet

96. And certainly We sent Musa with Our communications and a clear authority,
97. To Firon and his chiefs, but they followed the bidding of Firon, and Firon’s bidding was not right-directing.
98. He shall lead his people on the resurrection day, and bring them down to the fire; and evil the place to which they are brought.
99. And they are overtaken by curse in this (world), and on the resurrection day, evil the gift which shall be given.

Sura 17

The Children of Israel

101. And certainly We gave Musa nine clear signs; so ask the children of Israel. When he came to them, Firon said to him: Most surely I deem you, O Musa, to be a man deprived of reason.

Sura 20

Ta Ha

65. They said: O Musa! will you cast, or shall we be the first who cast down?
66. He said: Nay! cast down. then lo! their cords and their rods-- it was imaged to him on account of their magic as if they were running.
67. So Musa conceived in his mind a fear.
68. We said: Fear not, surely you shall be the uppermost,
69. And cast down what is in your right hand; it shall devour what they have wrought; they have wrought only the plan of a magician, and the magician shall not be successful wheresoever he may come from.
70. And the magicians were cast down making obeisance; they said: We believe in the Lord of Haroun and Musa.
71. (Firon) said: You believe in him before I give you leave; most surely he is the chief of you who taught you enchantment, therefore I will certainly cut off your hands and your feet on opposite sides, and I will certainly crucify you on the trunks of the palm trees, and certainly you will come to know which of us is the more severe and the more abiding in chastising.
72. They said: We do not prefer you to what has come to us of clear arguments and to He Who made us, therefore decide what you are going to decide; you can only decide about this world’s life.

Sura 26

The Poets

38. So the magicians were gathered together at the appointed time on the fixed day,
39. And it was said to the people: Will you gather together?
40. Haply we may follow the magicians, if they are the vanquishers.
41. And when the magicians came, they said to Firon: Shall we get a reward if we are the vanquishers?
42. He said: Yes, and surely you will then be of those who are made near.
43. Musa said to them: Cast what you are going to cast.
44. So they cast down their cords and their rods and said: By Firon’s power, we shall most surely be victorious.
45. Then Musa cast down his staff and lo! it swallowed up the lies they told.
46. And the magicians were thrown down prostrate;
47. They said: We believe in the Lord of the worlds:
48. The Lord of Musa and Haroun.
49. Said he: You believe in him before I give you permission; most surely he is the chief of you who taught you the magic, so you shall know: certainly I will cut off your hands and your feet on opposite sides, and certainly I will crucify you all.
50. They said: No harm; surely to our Lord we go back;
51. Surely we hope that our Lord will forgive us our wrongs because we are the first of the believers.

Sura 28

The Narratives

4. Surely Firon exalted himself in the land and made its people into parties, weakening one party from among them; he slaughtered their sons and let their women live; surely he was one of the mischiefmakers.
5. And We desired to bestow a favor upon those who were deemed weak in the land, and to make them the Imams, and to make them the heirs,

6. And to grant them power in the land, and to make Firon and Haman and their hosts see from them what they feared.
7. And We revealed to Musa’s mother, saying: Give him suck, then when you fear for him, cast him into the river and do not fear nor grieve; surely We will bring him back to you and make him one of the apostles.
8. And Firon’s family took him up that he might be an enemy and a grief for them; surely Firon and Haman and their hosts were wrongdoers.

36. So when Musa came to them with Our clear signs, they said: This is nothing but forged enchantment, and we never heard of it amongst our fathers of old.
37. And Musa said: My Lord knows best who comes with guidance from Him, and whose shall be the good end of the abode; surely the unjust shall not be successful.
38. And Firon said: O chiefs! I do not know of any god for you besides myself; therefore kindle a fire for me, O Haman, for brick, then prepare for me a lofty building so that I may obtain knowledge of Musa’s God, and most surely I think him to be one of the liars.
39. And he was unjustly proud in the land, he and his hosts, and they deemed that they would not be brought back to Us.

Sura 29

The Spider

39. And (We destroyed) Qaroun and Firon and Haman; and certainly Musa came to them with clear arguments, but they behaved haughtily in the land; yet they could not outstrip (Us).

Sura 40

The Believer

36. And Firon said: O Haman! build for me a tower that I may attain the means of access,
37. The means of access to the heavens, then reach the God of Musa, and I surely think him to be a liar. And thus the evil of his deed was made fairseeming to Firon, and he was turned away from the way; and the struggle of Firon was not (to end) in aught but destruction.

The Bible

“Moses and Pharaoh”

Exodus

Chapter 5

1. And afterward Moses and Aaron went in, and told Pharaoh, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Let my people go, that they may hold a feast unto me in the wilderness.
2. And Pharaoh said, Who is the LORD, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I know not the LORD, neither will I let Israel go.
3. And they said, The God of the Hebrews hath met with us: let us go, we pray thee, three days’ journey into the desert, and sacrifice unto the LORD our God; lest he fall upon us with pestilence, or with the sword.

Exodus

Chapter 7

10. And Moses and Aaron went in unto Pharaoh, and they did so as the LORD had commanded: and Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh, and before his servants, and it became a serpent.
11. Then Pharaoh also called the wise men and the sorcerers: now the magicians of Egypt, they also did in like manner with their enchantments.
12. For they cast down every man his rod, and they became serpents: but Aaron’s rod swallowed up their rods.
13. And he hardened Pharaoh’s heart, that he hearkened not unto them; as the LORD had said.

Genesis

Chapter 11

1. And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech.
2. And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there.
3. And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them throughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for morter.
4. And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.
5. And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded.
6. And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do.
7. Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.
8. So the LORD scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city.
9. Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the LORD did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did the LORD scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth.

COMMENTARY:

In the Qur’an:

1. Moses said to Pharaoh “... I have come to you indeed with clear proof from your Lord, therefore send with me the children of Israel...” referring to Allah as Pharaoh’s God.

2. Moses cast down his rod himself.

3. Some enchanters possessed knowledge and became believers in God.

4. God asked Moses, “Take for your people houses to abide in Egypt and make  your houses places of worship and keep up prayer and give good news to the believers”.

5. Moses showed nine signs to Pharaoh.

6. Pharaoh ordered the building of a “...lofty palace The ways and means of (reaching) the heavens, and that I may mount up to the god of Moses…”

7. Haman (Qaroun) was in a high position in Pharaoh’s kingdom. It looks like he, Haman (Qaroun) and his master were already in position before Moses was born and during the time that Moses approached Pharaoh to allow the Israelites to depart the land of Egypt. Haman (Qaroun) was about to execute (twice, at different times) Pharaoh’s order to “reduce” the Israelites’ population.

In the Bible:

1. Moses never tried to convince Pharaoh that the Egyptians and the Israelites have the same one God.

2. Aaron, not Moses, cast the rod down.

3. There is no indication that anyone amongst Pharaoh’s servants became believers (in Allah or God).

4. God ordered the Israelites to put the blood of a lamb on the door posts of their homes for the salvation of first-borns in the family and as a sign of deliverance from slavery (Passover).

5. God sent ten plagues to punish Pharaoh and Egypt.

6. It was not Pharaoh, but a group of people long before him who had decided to:

“…build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven;…”

“Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the LORD did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did the LORD scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth.”(Genesis. 11: 4, 9)

Moses lived about 1500 BC. This event occurred about ten generations earlier, in the place now known as Babylon and the tower was called the tower of Babel.

7. The person called Haman existed in the time period after the Babylonian captivity of the remnant of Israel in the sixth century BC, long after Moses died on earth. Haman was an Agagite, living in Persia, who was an official in King Ahasuerus’ court. Haman did indeed seek to destroy all the nation of Israel who were living throughout the Persian empire because of one Jew named Mordecai: 

1. After these things did king Ahasuerus promote Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, and advanced him, and set his seat above all the princes that were with him.
2. And all the king’s servants, that were in the king’s gate, bowed, and reverenced Haman: for the king had so commanded concerning him. But Mordecai bowed not, nor did him reverence.
3. Then the king’s servants, which were in the king’s gate, said unto Mordecai, Why transgressest thou the king’s commandment?
4. Now it came to pass, when they spake daily unto him, and he hearkened not unto them, that they told Haman, to see whether Mordecai’s matters would stand: for he had told them that he was a Jew.
5. And when Haman saw that Mordecai bowed not, nor did him reverence, then was Haman full of wrath.
6. And he thought scorn to lay hands on Mordecai alone; for they had shewed him the people of Mordecai: wherefore Haman sought to destroy all the Jews that were throughout the whole kingdom of Ahasuerus, even the people of Mordecai..”(Esther 3:1-6)

The Qur’an confuses two different stories that are separated by about a thousand years. Haman would have to have been more than one hundred years old by the time Moses, at the age of eighty, had asked Pharaoh to let his people go. Haman was in the first Pharaoh’s office before Moses was born, and was still working in the second Pharaoh’s court (the first Pharaoh’s son) at the time Moses approached the second Pharaoh with God’s request.