| “ | I know not that you have a god other than me, so kindle for me, O Haman, to bake clay, and set up a tower in order that I may look at the God of Moosa; and verily, I think that he is one of the liars. | „ |
| ~ The Pharaoh's order to Haman to spite Moses. |
The Pharaoh, also known as the Firaun, is an antagonist in Abrahamic theology, being the main antagonist in the story of Moses. He was the ruler of Egypt who tried to destroy the children of Israel by enslaving them and forcing them to work to death building his cities, temples and monuments so he can maintain his power as king of Egypt.
Biography[]
The early life of the Pharaoh is a mystery, however, it is known that he managed to become Pharaoh of Egypt before the birth of Moses. One day, he had a dream that a fire from Palestine would destroy him, which was interpreted that the fire meant the Children of Israel. After hearing this, he ordered all baby boys born from the Children of Israel to be killed. However, he was advised to only kill every other year so there will be people to enslave, which the Pharaoh agreed on. One day, a basket carrying a baby named Moses was brought onto the Pharaoh's palace door which occurred in one of the years to kill Jewish boys. While the Pharaoh wanted to kill Moses, his wife, Asiya, convinced him to keep the baby, which the Pharaoh reluctantly agreed on.
Over the years, Moses grew up in the Pharaoh's palace and was treated well by the Pharaoh and Asiya. However, one day, the Pharaoh heard the news that Moses killed an Egyptian soldier, to which he ordered his soldiers to kill Moses. However, Moses escaped to Arabia before they could find and kill him. Years later, Moses as well as his brother Aaron came back to the Pharaoh with the message to worship God and to stop his genocide. However, the Pharaoh disbelieved in the message due to his extreme arrogance, and he decided to humiliate Moses and Aaron by proving that they were magicians and not prophets by making them lose in a magic contest to his best magicians. However, the magician's magic didn't compare to the miracles from God that were given to Moses, which led to the magicians becoming Muslim and for the Pharaoh to kill them. After this, the Pharaoh tried to convince the Egyptian people that he is God by trying to build a tower to the heavens and trying to prove Moses was a liar. Due to him rejecting Islam, Egypt was hit with the plagues of Egypt, which included floods, locusts, lice, frogs, and blood to try to warn the Pharaoh and his men of disbelieving. He consistently disbelieved after all these warnings to worship God and stopping the genocide, and in an unknown timeframe, the Pharaoh tortured and killed his wife Asiya due to her supporting Moses and Islam.
After all these warnings, God commanded Moses and Aaron to lead the Children of Israel out of Egypt to get away from the Pharaoh. However, he found out about the Children of Israel escaping and chased them with a huge army, eventually cornering them near the Red Sea. However, Moses (with a miracle from God), split the Red Sea with his staff and a pathway was formed so the Children of Israel can escape. The Pharaoh and his men followed the Children of Israel crossing the now dry Red Sea, but God closed the sea, killing him and his men. He was eventually deposited by the waves on the beach to show the people of Egypt that he wasn't a god.
In the next life, the Pharaoh is said to be punished in the bottom of Hell for his crimes against the Children of Israelites.
Personality[]
The Pharaoh was a heinous, cold, arrogant, and power-hungry tyrant, and is one of the most evil villains in Islamic theology. He is very arrogant, believing that he was God and he was superior to the Children of Israel. Due to his arrogance, he believed that any claims of a god other than he (even a pagan idol) is lies. Even when he was shown divine miracles, he was too arrogant to accept that there was somebody higher than him. Due to his massive arrogance, the Pharaoh was very power-hungry and paranoid, being able to do anything that it would take to keep his power. This would go as far as killing his wife all because she supported the Children of Israel. These traits made the Pharaoh very wrathful, who often used brutal killings on anyone all for believing in God, such as the magicians and Asiya. However, despite all of this, the Pharaoh had rare moments of decency, such as when he took in Moses and cared for him. However, later on in his life, the Pharaoh shed the small amount of good in him and was solely a genocidal tyrant.
Relationships[]
Friends and Allies[]
- Haman (Not to be confused with Haman the Agagite) - Advisor and Ally
- Qarun - Advisor and Ally
- Asiya † - Wife turned victim
- The 2 Magicians † - Allies and later victims
Enemies[]
- Moses - Archenemy
- God/YHWH/Allah - Enemy and Killer
- Aaron - Enemy
Trivia[]
- The Pharaoh tried to repent to God right before he drowned to death, but he wasn't forgiven because if he was saved he would immediately go back to his evil ways. Due to this, Angel Gabriel put sand in his mouth.
- The Pharaoh was said to be killed on the Day of Ashoora. Due to this, Muhammad encouraged Muslims to fast on this day to celebrate God saving the children of Israel.
- It is debated on which historical Pharaoh was the Pharaoh mentioned, with many saying Ramesses II being the most likely candidate.
- To this end, several fictional works depicting Moses' journey depict Ramesses II as the Pharaoh, such as The Ten Commandments, The Prince of Egypt, and Exodus: Gods and Kings. Even the undead Pharaoh King Ramses from the cartoon Courage the Cowardly Dog appears to be based on both Ramesses II and the Pharaoh of the Exodus, with a role ironically similar to that of Moses in spreading plagues "each worse than the last" until a specific demand is accepted.
