What I learned From Pharaoh

What I Learned From Pharaoh

My dear brothers and sisters, Allah mentioned Pharaoh around 74 times in the Quran. And the reason for that is because there is so much to be learned from the story of Pharaoh.

As we learn from the story of the good, there is so much to learn from the story of the bad as well.

And the story of Musa alayhis salam is one of the most common stories in the Quran. As a matter of fact, Musa alayhis salam is the prophet who was mentioned the most in the Quran.

And that's for many reasons. One of the most important is that the story of Musa and his people — there is so much similarity between Bani Israel and the Muslim Ummah, the nation of Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wasallam. So many of the tests that they've been through, this Ummah has been through and will go through until the Day of Judgment.

So these are things that I learned from reading the story of Fir'aun and how Allah speaks about Fir'aun in the Quran.

Lesson One: The Decree of Allah Cannot Be Stopped

Amazing — how when Allah wants something to happen, it will happen. Fir'aun, you slaughtered thousands of children. Wahab ibn Munabbih said, "I was told that Fir'aun was trying to kill because he was told there is a prophet who will be born." So he said, "Let me kill all these children."

Wahab ibn Munabbih said he was told that Fir'aun killed 90,000 children —

— just to make sure they would not have a child who would come, take over his kingdom, and destroy it. And in some other narrations, 12,000 children he killed. Yet he basically took one child from Bani Israel to raise him in his house. So Allah saved Musa and made Musa come from Fir'aun's own house to destroy Fir'aun's kingdom.

When the elders of Bani Israel came to Fir'aun:

"It is only us old ones left and we cannot really do what you want us to do — that slavery work, that labor work, we can't do that." So he said:

"One year I will kill all the children, and one year I will let them live."

Harun was born a year before Musa, that's why he was saved. Then Musa alayhis salam was saved in the way you all know:

Fir'aun picked that child from the river — so he would end up their enemy.

Lesson Two: You Cannot Control Hearts

Another thing that I learned from you, Fir'aun: you don't control the hearts. No matter how powerful you are, no matter how much money, how many soldiers, how much power, how much of a dictator you are — you don't control hearts.

In the same house where he used to say أَنَا رَبُّكُمُ الْأَعْلَى — "I am your supreme lord" — in the other room, his wife was saying سُبْحَانَ رَبِّيَ الْأَعْلَى.

She was mentioning Allah in his bedroom. Even that — this power did not stop Mashitat Fir'aun, one of his servants, from believing in Allah and in Musa alayhis salam.

He wanted to break the heart of Musa's mother and every mother among the women of Bani Israel. And Allah brought Musa back to his mother, so she would not be sad and would not have a broken heart. That heart — you don't have control over it.

Even with so much arrogance and so much hatred, when he saw the child, his heart couldn't resist. It became weak and he said, "I will adopt the child." His wife picked the child and was cradling him —

She took one look and immediately his heart became soft. He couldn't control it.

Ibn Abbas said: "If Fir'aun had said it, he would have believed." His wife said, "That will be a coolness for our eyes — a goodness for me and for you." But Fir'aun said, "He is a coolness of the eye for you — not for me." Ibn Abbas said: "If he had had that sense of optimism and said 'for you and for me' as she said, he would have ended up a believer." But he said it only for her — he merely agreed because he wanted to please his wife.

I learned from this that no matter what, you can't really corrupt someone unless that person wants to be corrupted. That's why his wife did not accept the kufr. His servant did not accept the kufr. Unless you yourself — yes, environment has an influence. Yes, peer pressure. Yes, friends. Yes, society. Yes, media. Yes, doubts and desires around us.

In the end of the day, you accept what is wrong. You do what is wrong. You believe in what is wrong.

Lesson Three: Inside Every Home Are Secrets

I also learned from you, Fir'aun, that inside everybody's house and home, there are so many secrets. So many things you would never expect. From the outside, you would never think for a moment that his wife is a believer and he is the disbeliever. You don't know what's inside people's homes.

You might see couples and think everything looks perfect. You don't know what's happening between them. You don't know who is good, who is the victim. Don't rush to judge. Respect that privacy. Don't put your nose in people's business.

That's why, subhanAllah, there is a very interesting concept in marriage — that you always know that Allah is watching over you. There is a reminder of taqwa when it comes to marriage. Why? Because what's inside the house, who he really is and who she really is — that is something only Allah truly knows.

Lesson Four: Do Not Fear Injustice or Tyrants

I learned from you, Fir'aun, that I will never be afraid of injustice, of dictators, of disbelief — no matter how great it looks, no matter how powerful it is, no matter how many means they have.

You know the story of his servant — when he brought a boiling oil, a big huge container, and dropped one of his prisoners into it, the flesh melted right away. He said, "I will do this to you." But did that change her iman a single bit? No. She didn't care. She was not afraid. He became the small one in front of her iman.

His wife — he threatened her, he tortured her to the extent that he tied her to the ground and from atop a high-rise or a mount he said, "I will drop a great rock to smash your head if you don't leave Musa's religion." She said, "I don't care." He became the small one. His army, his might, his money, his wealth, his promises — did not mean anything to the magicians when they declared their iman.

The magicians fell into prostration and said, "We believe in the Lord of Harun and Musa."

"He is the one who taught you magic! I will cut off your hands and your legs on opposite sides, and I will crucify you on the trunks of the palm trees so everybody sees you — leave you like that, to bleed to death. I'll show you who has the might. Me or Musa's lord? Who can make you suffer more?"

They said to him, "We swear by the One who created us that we will not leave what we believe in. Do whatever you want. You only have control over this worldly life. We will not favor you over the truth."

"We believe in Allah so He might forgive our sins and what of magic and the challenge that we came up with against Musa alayhis salam. And Allah is the best to have — He is the One who will remain with you forever."

I'm amazed by how mature they became in their iman. They said: whoever meets Allah as a criminal — like you — will end up in hellfire forever. Whoever meets Allah with faith and good deeds will be rewarded with the highest of levels in Jannah.

See how strong they are. How great they are — and how small he is. And that's what it is. When you stand up for the truth, when you stand up for principles, when you stand up for values, you are a person of value. But when you don't have anything to stand for, when you are willing to give up your principles and give up what you believe in, you have no value.

Lesson Five: The Means Are in Allah's Hands

I learned from you, Fir'aun, that whatever means you have in your hand are just means. And whenever Allah wants those means to work, they will work. Whenever He wants them not to work, they will not work. And whenever Allah wants those means to work in the opposite way, they will work the opposite way.

It was said that Fir'aun used to kill the children of Bani Israel by drowning them in the river. The very river that was meant to kill the children of Bani Israel — the very river meant to kill Musa — is the one that carried Musa to you. The child that he thought would be a coolness for his wife and good for his family became the one who destroyed him. Even the cane of Musa alayhis salam — which was simply something to help him walk — became the tool and the clear sign against Fir'aun. The sea that was meant for ships to cross, Musa alayhis salam crossed it, and it was the very thing that killed Fir'aun.

Lesson Six: Dictators Rule Through Fear and Division

I learned from Fir'aun that dictators rule through fear and through division. That's how they are able to rule. That's how injustice flourishes — when people are scared and afraid, when people are divided.

That's how he was basically able to do all these terrible things to the children of Israel — because he divided them. Fir'aun was aggressive, a corrupt leader. But Allah says that he divided Bani Israel. He put fear in their hearts. That's why if you read the story of Musa, it is always connected with fear. Many verses, Allah said to Musa: "Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, don't be afraid." Because he lived in a society that knew nothing but fear. Put fear in the heart and mind of people, and you control people.

That's why I learned from Fir'aun that the moment you stand up tall, nobody can ride your back. Only people can ride your back when you bend. But when you stand up tall, nobody can ride your back. When Musa stood up tall and strong, with clear evidence and a wise way of speaking — Fir'aun could not defeat him.

Lesson Seven: Never Side With Injustice

I learned: never be on the side of injustice. No matter how much, for a temporary moment, it may look like a great win — it will go away in no time. In the end, Allah will make the believers, the good ones, the inheritors of the earth. The good outcome is for the people of taqwa.

Don't be deceived. Don't ever side with injustice, with disbelief, with wrong — just because you want a political gain, or you want money, or you want a temporary fame, or you want to fulfill temporary short desires that you might gain from that position or statement. No. Learn that this will end up in a bad way.

Lesson Eight: Allah Plots Against the Plotters

I learned from you that Allah plots against your plot. Allah is the best of planners. I know that Allah may make it look like the people of injustice, the people of corruption, the people of disbelief, the people of disobedience — they plot, they have power, they have plans, they control many things. But in fact they don't.

It starts from the beginning — from the way Allah saved Musa. SubhanAllah, how Allah humiliated Fir'aun by making his own wife a believer — a disbeliever in him being God.

She is an example for the believers. And the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam said that four women are the best women in Jannah, and among them is Fir'aun's wife, Asiya.

He brought the magicians to give him victory —

"By the might of Pharaoh!" — and they ended up saying:

"We swear by Allah who created us!" It's amazing. And how Allah beguiled him when he saw the children of Israel walking on the water — so they followed them, and they drowned.

Lesson Nine: Victory Comes in Two Ways

I learned from you, Fir'aun, that victory Allah brings to the believers through two ways. Victory can be brought to believers through the hands of the believers themselves. And sometimes Allah brings it from Himself alone.

Allah is the one who is sufficient for His servant.

I ask Allah to give us all fiqh and understanding of His religion and learning from these beautiful stories mentioned in the Quran.

Second Part of the Khutbah

All praise is due to Allah alone, and peace and blessings be upon the one after whom there is no prophet.

Lesson Ten: Arrogance and Disbelief Go Hand in Hand

Fir'aun taught me that arrogance and disbelief go together — you cannot separate them from each other. They lead to one another. That which inspires arrogance is ignorance caused by the heart's blindness —

When you are so arrogant, you can't see the truth.

"No matter what evidence you bring for the truth, we are not going to believe — that's it." I couldn't think of any greater idiocy than this. The most idiotic thing I ever heard in my life — you see with your own eyes: Musa alayhis salam and his people, Allah made for them, He split the sea, made for them a road of soil in the middle of the sea and they walked through it. What more do you want than that? Proof that this is something from Allah.

SubhanAllah, arrogance makes you blind. Fir'aun followed them — if he had stayed on the shore, stayed in his country, in his land, he wouldn't have drowned. But subhanAllah, arrogance led him. And what's even more idiotic? His soldiers — they followed him. They followed their leader to death. But arrogance — "Who are the children of Israel? Who are these people to challenge us? We are soldiers, we are mighty soldiers!"

Lesson Eleven: Always Favor Truth Above All Else

I learned from Fir'aun that I will always favor truth over any other value. Fir'aun said to Musa:

"Didn't you act like a son to us? You lived with us, we have done so much for you — taught you, raised you..." All these things are important — but truth is higher than all of this.

Lesson Twelve: Do Not Be Deceived by Empty Slogans

I will end with two quick things. I will never allow myself to be deceived and misguided by empty words and slogans.

"He is just a magician!"

"He is crazy!"

"He will corrupt you! He only wants power and corruption!" Don't be deceived by such statements — by media propaganda. I'm not going to be deceived by that.

Lesson Thirteen: The Influence of a Spouse

I also learned from Fir'aun that all those men, no matter how powerful they are, they are weak in front of their wives. She just changed his mind in no time — when she simply said he would be a coolness for her eyes. Just to make her happy, he said, "Yes, sure, have him." But that also shows you the power that wives have over their husbands, and that spouses have over each other in general.

Make sure that you use it for the right cause. Maybe this wife will suggest something to her husband — a donation to give, a legacy to build, a waqf to make, a decision regarding the education of their children or the place where they live — and maybe that one thing will bring so much goodness for their future.

Appreciate always the good advice from your wife, brothers. And appreciate the role that you have in your husband's life, sisters.

Closing Du'a

May Allah make us happy families. May Allah accept from all of us. There is more to be said, but I think this is just an invitation for us to reflect more upon the stories of the Quran and the characters that the Quran mentions frequently. Anything that is mentioned often in the Quran is something that should make you pause, wonder, and try to explore — to learn from these stories more and more lessons for our days today.

May Allah accept our good deeds, overlook our shortcomings, cover us above the earth and on the Day of Judgment.