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Lessons From the Life of Pharaoh

Who is the biggest victim of Satan? In the Quran, a lot of bad people are mentioned, but after Satan, who would you put at number two? Pharaoh.

I want you to note something about this chapter.

Say, “I seek refuge in the Lord of mankind, The Sovereign of mankind. The God of mankind, From the evil of the retreating whisperer – Who whispers [evil] into the breasts of mankind – From among the jinn and mankind. (Quran 114)

We find three names of Allah in this chapter:

Rabb An-Nas (Lord of the people)

Malik An-Nas (King of the people)

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Illah An-Nas. (God of the people)

A Look at Pharaoh’s Arrogance

Allah says about Pharaoh:

And said, “I am your most exalted lord.” (Quran 79:24)

Pharaoh said about himself, “I’m Lord.” The biggest whisper of Satan what you’re supposed to attribute to Allah, he attributed to himself.

And Pharaoh called out among his people; he said, “O my people, does not the kingdom of Egypt belong to me, and these rivers flowing beneath me; then do you not see? (43:51)

Here pharaoh is referring to himself as King.

Then he turned to his chiefs and he said:

… O eminent ones, I have not known you to have a god other than me. (28:38)

Pharaoh was declaring three things for himself: Rubbubiyah, Mulk, and Uluhiyyah.

A Lesson to Learn

We find this sampling that Allah has given us in the Quran is very important, it shouldn’t be overlooked; that is what the whisper of Satan can lead to.

What was the biggest problem of Satan? Arrogance.

What is the biggest thing he could instill inside a human being? Arrogance. And what is the worst manifestation of arrogance? Pharaoh.

But you don’t have to reach Pharaoh to be worried that you’re headed down the same road that leads to Pharaoh. Today we are not living in a time where people declare themselves gods over others, but we are living in times where people declare themselves gods over themselves; they declare themselves their own masters, “I am my own man, I am my own master…”

They declare themselves their own king, “King of my house, king of my territory, king of my domain…”

 They declare themselves their own Ilah, their own desires become their Ilah:

Have you seen he who has taken as his god his [own] desire… (45:23)

We’re living in times where we can each turn into mini-Pharaoh without even realizing it. We don’t have to have large castles, and fight with messengers and be arrogant outspoken against Allah, but that concept of ego that is crushed in the beginning of this chapter by you openly saying, “I need Allah’s protection, I’m coming into His obedience.”

There is a very powerful lesson in this. Iblis himself recognizes the Lordship of Allah, but wants the human being to forget it. He wants the human being to forget the oneness of God (Tawheed) and he wants the human being to become ungrateful.

May Allah protect us from the whispers of Satan.