The Slanders That Musa Suffered.

By Harun Yahya

Description: Musa (as) was sent as a prophet to the Israelites. Like all other prophets and sincere believers, he too suffered many verbal and physical attacks from the unbelievers.

At the time of his birth, Pharaoh was oppressing the majority of the population. In fact, his cruelty brought an entire generation close to extinction. The Qur’an relates this tyranny in the following way:

Pharaoh exalted himself arrogantly in the land and divided its people into camps, oppressing one group of them by slaughtering their sons and letting their women live. He was one of the corrupters. (Surat al-Qasas, 28: 4)

Musa’s (as) mother was afraid that Pharaoh’s soldiers would kill her baby too, and, inspired by Allah, she entrusted her son to the Nile. According to the destiny that Allah had appointed for him, Musa (as) was found and taken in by Pharaoh’s family. Consequently, Musa (as) grew up in Pharaoh’s palace. But following his selection as a prophet by Allah, he was exposed to Pharaoh’s hostile and aggressive attitude.

Pharaoh’s Hostility towards Musa (As)

Musa (as), commanded by Allah, entered Pharaoh’s presence and told him about Allah’s existence and the true religion. However, he was met with aggression and denial. In fact, Pharaoh threatened him and his companions with death by torture. In the face of this threat, the Egyptians were too scared to believe in the truth Musa (as) brought them, and so they did not side with him. The Qur’an reveals that only a few young people believed in him:

No one believed in Musa, except for some children of his people, out of fear that Pharaoh and the elders would persecute them. Pharaoh was high and mighty in the land. He was one of the profligate. (Surah Yunus, 10: 83)

As Allah reveals, it is certain from the beginning that Allah’s devout servants will prevail: “… Allah will not give the unbelievers any way against the believers” (Surah an-Nisa’, 4:141). However, Allah’s law decrees that believers’ faith, reliance upon Him, and patience be tried by means of demanding trials, denial, and slander. All of this happened to Musa (as) and his followers.

Pharaoh considered himself to be a deity, the sole and only owner, and the lord of the people. He was well aware that if the people realized that Allah is the only Lord of the people, he would no longer be able to claim lordship over them and thus would be unable to force them into submission. Thus, he tried to prevent the people from believing in Musa (as). Threatening death and torture was one of his commonly used methods, as was his slander to discredit Musa (as) and his brother Harun (as). These slanders were as follows:

The Allegation that Musa (as) Seeks Personal Gain and Power

The starting point for unbelievers when they plot their slanderous plans against the believers has always been their own evil character and worldview. For instance, people who do not live by the Qur’an’s morality have an enormous ego and an uncontrollable selfish desire to enjoy the worldly pleasures of this life. Pharaoh was a typical example of such people. Obsessed with his desire to be the sole lord of Egypt and its people, he did not refrain from torturing and killing innocent people in the pursuit of this goal. Due to his own mistaken beliefs and lust for power, he considered everyone else in the same terms. For this reason, he was unable to judge the status of Musa (as) and Harun (as) in Allah’s presence and why they had come to his court.

Musa (as) called the people to believe his words, but he did so only to introduce them to Allah’s existence and infinite power, teach them the Qur’an’s morality, and help them find enlightenment and right guidance. Pharaoh and his inner circle, on the other hand, believed that he sought power and therefore regarded him as a political rival. One of Allah’s verses reveals how Pharaoh and his inner circle accused Musa (as) and Harun (as):

They said: “Have you come to us to turn us from what we found our fathers doing, and to gain greatness in the land? We do not believe you.” (Surah Yunus, 10:78)

In reality, Musa (as) and Harun (as), like all other prophets and sincere Muslims, never sought worldly gain or status and never demanded any payment or reward. All that they sought was Allah’s good pleasure, compassion, and Paradise by calling people to His path and reminding them of the Hereafter. Allah revealed that Musa (as) was His servant who only sought His good pleasure:

“Mention Musa in the Book. He was truly sincere and was a messenger and a Prophet” (Surah Maryam, 19:51).

Other verses reveal that Musa (as) and Harun (as) were Allah’s believing servants:

We showed great kindness to Musa and Harun. We rescued them and their people from their terrible plight. We supported them, and so they were the victors. We gave them the clarifying Book, guided them on the Straight Path, and left the later people saying of them: “Peace be upon Musa and Harun!” That is how We recompense good-doers. They truly were among Our believing servants. (Surah as-Saffat, 37:114-122)

The Allegation that Musa (as) Endangers the People’s Safety and Peace

One of Pharaoh’s tactics was to depict Musa (as) and Harun (as) at every opportunity as a serious danger to Egypt and its people. With these unfounded slanders, he sought to provoke the people against Musa (as). He even accused him of trying to “drive the people out of their land.” Allah informs us of the Pharaoh’s speech:

He said to the High Council round about him: “This certainly is a skilled magician who desires by his magic to expel you from your land. So, what do you recommend?” (Surah ash- Shu‘ara’, 26: 34-35)

Another verse reveals that Pharaoh accused Musa (as) and his followers of conspiring to expel the people from their country:

Pharaoh said: “Have you believed in him before I authorized you to do so? This is just some plot you have concocted in the city to drive its people from it.” (Surah al-A‘raf, 7:123)

It is evident that Pharaoh tried to depict Musa (as) and his followers as traitors whom the Egyptians must oppose. As Allah promised, Pharaoh’s plot came to nothing, just like all plots directed against believers come to naught:

So Allah protected him from the evil things they plotted, and a most evil torment engulfed Pharaoh’s people. (Surah Ghafir, 40:45)

Musa (as) Is Accused of Magic

Pharaoh rejected the true religion because of his arrogance. By the will of Allah, Musa (as) had shown him many miracles proving Allah’s existence and that he was His messenger. Despite this, Pharaoh did not believe and tried to defeat his mission among the people by accusing him of sorcery and magic. This, he hoped, would convince the people that Musa (as) was not speaking the truth and that what he did was sorcery designed to manipulate others. As revealed in the verses:

We sent Musa with Our signs and clear authority to Pharaoh, Haman, and Qarun. But they said: “A lying magician.” (Surah Ghafir, 40:23-24)

Musa (as) replied in the following way:

Musa said: “Do you say to the truth, when it comes to you: ‘This is magic?’ Magicians are not successful.” (Surah Yunus, 10:77)

Sorcery is one of the accusations from which many believers have suffered both before and after Prophet Musa (as). In the following chapters, we will mention other Muslims who were accused of the same thing.

Musa (as) Is Accused of Being a Liar

But when Musa brought them Our clear signs, they said: “This is nothing but trumped-up magic. We never heard anything like this among our earlier forefathers.” Musa said: “My Lord knows best that has come with guidance from Him and who will have the best Home in the end. The wrongdoers will certainly not be successful.” Pharaoh said: “Council, I do not know of any other deity for you apart from me. Haman, kindle a fire for me over the clay and build me a lofty tower so that perhaps I may be able to climb up to Musa’s deity! I consider him a blatant liar.” (Surah al-Qasas, 28:36-38)

Pharaoh’s attitude toward Musa (as) and His religion is surely very heedless and unjust. For someone who has gone so far in disbelief, it is not surprising that he made all kinds of allegations against the messenger and even mocked him. In order to weaken Musa’s (as) effect on the people and to prevent them from believing in him, Pharaoh proclaimed ruthlessly that all of his words were lies. The Qur’an however, reveals clearly what happens to those who deny and try to cause difficulty for Allah’s messengers:

“We sent a messenger among every people saying: “Worship Allah and keep clear of all false deities.” Among them were some whom Allah guided, but others received the misguidance they deserved. Travel about the land and see the final fate of the deniers.” (Surat an-Nahl, 16:36)

As revealed in the above verse, any injustice committed against the sincere and honest servants of Allah who fear and love Him very much will be punished, both on Earth and in the Hereafter. Indeed, what befell to Pharaoh and his inner circle in this world and the end they met is a clear example of this. Allah advises people to learn from the fate meted out to Pharaoh and his inner circle, as well as from the events related in the Qur’an:

“He and his troops were arrogant in the land, without any right. They thought that they would not return to Us. So, We seized him and his troops and flung them into the sea. See the final fate of the wrongdoers!” (Surat al-Qasas, 23:39-40)

One of the most important things for people to remember is that the punishment that Pharaoh and his followers received in this life is nothing compared to what they will experience in the Hereafter. People who are arrogant regarding Allah’s verses, messengers, and sincere servants; who slander and plot against them; who deny the true religion and disregard Allah’s ordained morality so that they can spread their own totally misguided convictions will be punished severely in the Hereafter:

“We made them leaders, summoning to the Fire, and on the Day of Resurrection they will not be helped. We pursued them with a curse in this world, and on the Day of Resurrection they will be hideous and spurned.” (Surat al-Qasas, 28:41-42)

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