Та Ха 20:62–91

Moses’ initial speech caused a difference of opinion among the magicians. One group said that this was the statement not of a magician but of a prophet. Others were opposed to it and held that Moses was a magician no different from themselves. (Tafsir ibn Kathir). These magicians were certainly capable of recognising their co-professionals. The more experienced among them realised that what they were about to encounter were miracles, not magic. So now they felt afraid to enter the competition. However, at the instance of Pharaoh and his enthusiastic companions, they agreed to compete. At that time, the entire structure of Egyptian life was based on polytheistic beliefs. The worship of Pharaoh as the personification of their super god (the sun) was the foundation of their political and social systems. Pharaoh provoked and exploited public sentiment by saying that the extant system based on the best traditions was their national system, and that if the upholders of God’s unity succeeded in their mission, their entire national system would be overthrown.

The competition started with the magicians throwing their ropes and sticks on the ground where they seemed to move about in the shape of snakes. But this was an illusory effect. In other words, the ropes and sticks had not really changed into snakes. The magicians had simply created an optical illusion to play upon the imagination of the audience, so that it would temporarily appear to them as if the ropes and sticks were wriggling on the ground like snakes. Then, in accordance with God’s orders, Moses threw his stick on the ground where it immediately assumed the shape of a big snake, and started moving along the ground. At its touch, the magicians’ spell broke, then all the things which had appeared to be moving about like snakes turned back into mere ropes and sticks. The magicians had already been impressed by Moses’ speech, and now that they had had a practical demonstration of his powers, they saw with their own eyes the truth of Moses’ stand. They were now absolutely certain that the power Moses possessed was not that of human magic, but the actual ability to perform a miracle of God. This conviction was so deep that they thereupon declared their conversion to Moses’ faith.

This was not merely a competition between two types of persons to see who could perform the greatest feats; it was actually a confrontation between monotheism and polytheism. In other words, this competition was to decide whether truth was on the side of the one true God or the many gods of the idolaters. As Pharaoh’s ‘greatness’ was completely based on polytheism, he could not tolerate its defeat and pronounced the severest punishment for the magicians, according to the law of ancient Egypt. When Pharaoh was defeated in the field of arguments and reasoning, he tried to suppress the truth by force. This has been the general mentality of those in power in all ages, whether their power be dynastic or democratic in origin.

The magicians, on the one hand, were confronted by the cogent reasoning of Moses, and on the other, the towering personality of Pharaoh. The magicians preferred convincing arguments to authoritarianism, although they knew very well how dearly they would pay for their choice. The magicians’ faith was not of the hereditary or formal, ritual kind: it amounted to a ‘discovery’ for them. And faith received as a discovery is so powerful that under its influence everything else appears worthless—be it a great personality or some other worldly consideration.

What is meant by ‘becoming a criminal or a delinquent’? Delinquency is that state to which a man descends when he has a sign from God shining brightly before his eyes, but fails to learn a lesson from it. Truth is revealed to him in the language of reason, but he ignores it. He is not capable of pulling himself out of the grip of worldly forces and material considerations to the point of admitting the Truth. In the life hereafter there is the sternest punishment for such people. The troubles of this world, howsoever great, are necessarily limited in their severity by the very fact of being bound to come to an end—sooner or later—with death. But the hereafter is a place from which man, beset by unspeakable afflictions, will find it impossible to run away, for there, he will not even have death ahead of him to put an end to his torment. Paradise is for one who purifies himself and purification consists of giving up a life of carelessness and neglect, and adopting a prudent way of living. The aspirant to Paradise abstains from all things that come in the way of Truth. He rids himself of the hindrance of any worldly considerations obstructing his path. He crushes the base desires of his self when they arise. If feelings of false pride and the urge to transgress raise their heads within him, he stifles them and buries them in his innermost self. Such are men of true faith. In this world their faith takes the shape of a garden of pious deeds. In the life hereafter, it will be returned to them in the shape of heaven’s eternally flourishing garden.

After the confrontation with the magicians, Moses remained in Egypt for many years. On the one hand, he persisted with his preachings to Pharaoh and his community, while on the other hand, he demanded that he be allowed to take his people along with him out of Egypt to the Sinai desert, so that they could freely pray to the one and only God. But Pharaoh neither accepted his advice, nor did he allow him to leave Egypt. At last, at God’s behest, Moses decided to migrate in secrecy. In accordance with a predetermined plan, all the Israelite as well as non-Israelite believers who were there in Egypt at that time gathered at a particular place and from there collectively marched onwards. No sooner had this caravan reached the northern Gulf of the Red Sea than Pharaoh arrived there in pursuit of them with his army. Before them was the wide gulf like a vast sea and behind them was Pharaoh’s army. Then, Moses struck the water of the gulf with his stick, and the water divided into two parts. Moses and his companions, walking on the dry land in the middle, reached the other side safely. On seeing this, Pharaoh also embarked on the same course. But as soon as Pharaoh and his army reached the middle, the two separate walls of the water gushed back in and joined together, so that they were all drowned. The same sea, which had provided a path of deliverance to God’s faithful subjects, became a pit of death for His enemies. Generally, people who rely on their leaders ignore the Truth. Pharaoh’s example certainly shows that a leader’s support can be very weak. In this world, those who chalk out their path by following God’s signs rather than the dictates of some great national figure are the ones to enjoy real support.

After crossing the gulf, Moses and his companions pushed onwards until they reached the Sinai desert. They then went to the foot of Mount Tur, where they were given the code of ethics (shari‘ah) in the form of ten commandments with due solemnity. These people remained in the Sinai Desert for almost forty years. Here, as a special gift of God, they were provided with water and food, manna (mann) and quails (salwa). This arrangement continued till a subsequent generation reached the fertile area of Palestine. Almighty God’s subjects can expect their Creator, as a matter of their right, to provide them with sustenance, whatever the circumstances. That is what they are entitled to. And God has the right to expect that his subjects will never under any circumstances be arrogant or disobedient towards Him. For those who remain grateful to God for His blessings, there shall be further blessings from Him, but for those who become arrogant, there shall be severe and unending punishment.

After Moses’ departure from Egypt, Almighty God appointed a date for him to go to the same place at the foot of Mount Tur, where he had initially been awarded prophethood. Moses was required to reach this place along with his community in order to receive the Torah. But, in his enthusiasm, he proceeded quickly and reached the appointed place a few days earlier, leaving his community behind. Moses’ absence proved to be a trial for his community. Some polytheistic-minded persons in the community, led by the Samiri, took advantage of Moses’ absence to mislead the people into becoming calf worshippers, as was the common practice in Egypt in those days.

When Almighty God informed Moses that his community had gone astray, he returned to his community very emotionally upset. He reminded his people that God had only recently showered His blessings on them and had revealed His many signs to them. So, how was it that they had forgotten everything so quickly and gone astray? Moses had gone to receive revelations from God for the Israelites and in the meantime the Israelites had started indulging in the worship of false deities at the instigation of certain misguided persons. This shows how deeply the polytheistic atmosphere of Egypt had influenced the Israelites and why it had become necessary to take them away from Egypt in order to restore them to the worship of the one God. Whatever Moses did with regard to Pharaoh was in connection with his dawah mission, and whatever he did with regard to the Israelites was in the context of safeguarding true religion. He performed both these tasks simultaneously. This shows the importance of both these tasks. If the Muslims had gone astray, dawah activity could not be stopped on that account and, similarly, if dawah work had to be done, it was not to be at the cost of internal reform.

According to ancient custom, the Israelite women were probably laden with heavy jewelry. During the journey when the community halted to set up camp, the women removed their jewels and put them all together in one place. Among the Israelites, there was one al-Samiri (the Samaritan) who was experienced in the old Egyptian art of making likenesses of deities. He melted these jewels down and made from them a calf-shaped statue. This calf was hollow from inside and shaped so skillfully that when the breeze passed through it, it gave out a sound like the lowing of a bull. Then al-Samiri said to the ignorant Israelite community, ‘See, here is your real God, and Moses has gone in search of God, to which mountains nobody knows.’ The ‘Samiris’ of every age fool the people in exactly the same way. They make a fetish of some tangible thing, then try to prove that it is the greatest reality. Being duped by their glib talk, large crowds of gullible people gather around them. Worship of material objects has been the greatest weakness of man from time immemorial till the present day.

After the departure of Moses, Aaron, entrusted with the responsibility of looking after the community, tried to guide his people, but he did not have as much influence over them as Moses did. So they did not desist from their wrongful practice of calf-worship, in spite of Aaron advising them against it. When Aaron’s insistence increased, they expressed their determination to continue. They pointed out that it would be for Moses to take a decision in this matter on his return. Had Aaron acted with sternness, it would have had no effect, because his supporters were few in number. He, therefore, preferred for the time being, to adopt a policy of patience, rather than launch himself on a futile course of action; in the meantime he prayed to God for the reformation of his people.