| Pain, Pleasure and Prejudice The Complete Layman’s Guide to the Koran The Hidden Believer at Pharaoh’s Court Of all the strange stories told by Allah about the meeting between Moses and Pharaoh none is stranger than the one about the hidden believer (an Egyptian we must assume) at Pharaoh’s Court. Allah will use this variation of the story to, in effect, invite civil disobedience should your leaders listen to their own council instead of that of His Messengers, and why this is better for you. The story of the hidden believer begins with the believer, whose name we are never told, revealing his identity in order to come to the defence of Moses after Pharaoh has threatened to kill him. 40:26 And Pharaoh said: “Let me kill Moses, and let him call upon his Lord. I fear that he may change your religion and cause corruption to spread in the land.” 40:27 Moses said: “I seek refuge with my Lord and your Lord from every arrogant one who does not believe in the Day of Reckoning.” 40:28 Then a believing man of Pharaoh’s folk, who kept hidden his belief, said: “Will you kill a man for saying: ‘My Lord is Allah’, and he has brought you the clear proofs from your Lord? If he is a liar, his lying will recoil upon him, but if he is truthful, you will be smitten with some of what he is promising you. Allah will not guide one who is an extravagant imposter. He follows his defence of Moses with the old scare tactic about Allah being quick to anger when His Messengers are denied. 40:29 “O my people, yours is the dominion today, supreme in the land; but who will protect us against Allah’s Might, if it should smite us?...” Pharaoh tells the hidden believer that he does not accept his idea of a bogeymen and that he considers himself a righteous ruler. 40:29 …Pharaoh said: “I do not show you except what I see, and I do not guide except in the path of rectitude.” When hearing this, the hidden believer may have been reminded of a battle that will take place at least two thousand years into the future, the Battle of the Ditch during the siege of Medina in 627 CE where desert tribes, the Confederates in the following verse, allied with the Meccans fought the Muslims to a standstill, or about the Confederates meeting Allah on Judgement Day. 40:30 Then the one who had believed said: “O my people, I fear for you the like of the day of the Confederates. The hidden believer then tells the people about the cities Allah has destroyed, one of them being Thamud. Allah allegedly destroyed this city during the Prophet’s lifetime (again at least two thousand years into the future) because its inhabitants not only refused to believe His Messenger but hamstrung His Messenger’s camel (see the story of Lot in The Old Testament - The Koran vs. The Bible II) 40:31 “Like the wont of the people of Noah, ‘Ad, Thamud and those who came after them. Allah does not intend wronging the servants. The hidden believer continues with the typical Messenger’s long-winded exhortation to believe in Allah and His Messengers or face the consequences. He is interrupted only by Pharaoh’s asking his top administrator Haman to build him a Babel-like tower. 40:36 And Pharaoh said: “O Haman, build me a tower that I may perchance reach the pathways, 40:37 “The pathways of heaven; and then look upon the God of Moses. For I think he is a liar.” That is how embellished for Pharaoh was his evil deed and how he was barred from the Path. Pharaoh’s guile was only destined to fail. The hidden believer ends his insistent refrain with the familiar reminder of Allah’s Fire. 40:41 “And, O my people, do I call you unto salvation, while you call me unto the Fire? 40:42 “You call me to disbelieve in Allah and associate with Him that whereof I have no knowledge, while I call you unto the All-Mighty, the All-Pardoner. 40:43 “No wonder that what you call me unto has no callers in this world, nor in the Hereafter; and that our ultimate return is unto Allah; and that the extravagant are the true companions of the Fire. 40:44 “You will remember what I am saying to you. I entrust my fate to Allah. Allah is surely Well Aware of the servants.” Allah cleverly follows the story of the hidden believer with one about Hell and the fate of "Pharaoh’s folk", and why the weak will not be forgiven for believing in their leaders instead of His Messengers. 40:45 Then, Allah guarded him against the evils of their scheming; and the evil punishment encompassed Pharaoh’s folk; 40:46 The Fire to which they shall be exposed morning and evening. And the Day the Hour shall come to pass, it will be said (to the angels): “Admit Pharaoh’s folk to the worst punishment.” 40:47 And while they dispute in the Fire, and the weak will say to those who waxes proud: We were followers of yours. Will you, then, withhold from us part of the Fire?” 40:48 Those who waxed proud will say: “We are truly all in it. Allah has judged between the servants.” 40:49 Those in the Fire will say to the keepers of Hell: “Call on your Lord that He may remit a day of punishment for us.” 40:50 They will reply: “Did not your Messengers bring you clear proofs?” They will say: “Yes indeed.” They will reply: “Call then, although the call of the unbelievers is in vain.”
|
