The Largest Tomb

The larger your tomb the higher was your status in life. But death is the ultimate stylist who strips every human being off their artificial dresses, be it architectural, financial, physiological, psychological or social. When we die, we become what we really are. And our tomb only matters for those still alive. As the living enjoy the magnificence of our tomb, we continue our journey to eternity in a way we deserve...

And We took the Children of Israel across the sea, and Pharaoh and his soldiers pursued them in tyranny and enmity until, when drowning overtook him, he said, "I believe that there is no deity except that in whom the Children of Israel believe, and I am of those who submit." (God replied), "Now you declare belief in Me! but before this you were a disobedient rebel. We will save your body on this day so that you may become evidence for the coming generations; many people are unaware of such evidence."(10/90-92)

According to the above verse, we infer that the body of the Pharaoh is conserved somewhere in the Red Sea. Although we don't know exactly where and how, the most famous pharaoh of the ancient Egypt is now buried in safe haven under water, instead of the largest pyramid. His tomb is so great that our visual perception cannot grasp it fully. It is ironic and instructive that God both highlighted his identity and hid his body at the same time. Furthermore, God assigned his body as a sign for the future generations. Isn't it funny that Pharaoh is being used for a purpose that he adamantly tried to abolish? What's more funny is the fact that this has happened not only after Pharaoh's death but also during his life!

The foremost example of this discrepancy between Pharaoh's motives and the results of his actions is the fact that he himself raised and parented Moses. At a time when he had seen a vision in dream about the birth of his ultimate adversary and had ordered the slaughter of all male babies in order to finish a fight before it starts, a male baby in its most vulnerable state came to the Pharaoh, and he accepted to raise the baby. Before seeing this end, we would not be able to predict through a rational thought that such would be the case, given all the arrogance and power of the Pharaoh. But, as pointed out in the Quran, everything has an appointed term in this life. Until then, we can do whatever we want with our free wills, but when the time comes, there is no returning from the end.

If Allah were to punish men according to what they deserve, He would not leave on the back of the (earth) a single living creature: but He gives them respite for a stated Term: when their Term expires, verily Allah has in His sight all His Servants. (35/45)

Another subtle case in this context is again related to Moses pbuh, but this has stayed hidden among other facts. When Moses accidentally kills someone, he takes refuge in God:

And he went into the city at a time of inattention by its people, so he found therein two men fighting, one being of his party and the other of his foes, and he who was of his party cried out to him for help against him who was of his enemies, so Moses struck him with his fist and killed him. He said: This is on account of the Satan's doing; surely he is an enemy, openly leading astray. He said, "My Lord, indeed I have wronged myself, so forgive me," and He forgave him. Indeed, He is the Forgiving, the Merciful. (28/15-16)

To say such words of imploration towards God, one must have a firm education in faith and religion. Curiously, at this time in his life, Moses had not become a messenger of God yet. So he must have learned such things while at the palace. Who would be his teachers, we don't know. His mother may be one option, but she was only responsible for nursing him while a baby. Then?

It is possible that there were people of honor and critical thought among the people of the palace and in the family of the Pharaoh who hid their faiths and thoughts but who did not stop teaching the truths. This fact is confirmed by a verse in the Quran, and is a possible explanation for how Moses received his first education in religion. The bottom line is that not only nurturing of the Pharaoh's adversary but also that adversary's philosophical and intellectual education took place under and despite the Pharaoh's grip.

And a believing man from the family of Pharaoh who concealed his faith said, "Do you kill a man [merely] because he says, 'My Lord is Allah ' while he has brought you clear proofs from your Lord? And if he should be lying, then upon him is [the consequence of] his lie; but if he should be truthful, there will strike you some of what he promises you. Indeed, Allah does not guide one who is a transgressor and a liar. (40/28)

A third example of the God's use of Pharaoh for a purpose that he adamantly strived to abolish is the conversion of the magicians to the cause of Moses in spite of dire threats of the Pharaoh. The magicians were among the people of the highest reputation. Their endorsement or rejection of something meant a lot in the eyes of the public. Pharaoh wanted to use this fact for his own sake and to crush Moses and Aaron, and their cause, once and for all. So, he happily accepted the suggestion of Moses for a show of magic in front of people.

He said, "Have you come to us to drive us out of our land with your magic, O Moses? Then we will surely bring you magic like it, so make between us and you an appointment, which we will not fail to keep and neither will you, in a place assigned." [Moses] said, "Your appointment is on the day of the festival when the people assemble at mid-morning." (20/57-59)

So, Pharaoh invited the most powerful and skillful magicians to the event and sent out his servants to call the public to witness his victory (!). However, all of his expectations burned to ashes when the magicians failed against the miracle of Moses and when the magicians openly declared their faith in the message of Moses. This public acceptance of the message of Moses by the reputable individuals of the society meant a blow of death to the governance of the Pharaoh; a blow prepared by his very hands.

So the magicians fell down in prostration. They said, "We have believed in the Lord of Aaron and Moses." [Pharaoh] said, "You believed him before I gave you permission. Indeed, he is your leader who has taught you magic. So I will surely cut off your hands and your feet on opposite sides, and I will crucify you on the trunks of palm trees, and you will surely know which of us is more severe in [giving] punishment and more enduring." They (the magicians) said, "We would never prefer you to the miracles that we have seen or to our Creator. Do what you want. This life is only for a short time. (20/70-72)

Eventually when Moses left the city with the Israelites and Pharaoh chased them till the shores of the Red Sea, the Israelites started trembling in fear, while Moses went on without a second thought. In fact, let alone doubting his situation given the growing tension and danger, Moses uttered the following words that embody a firm trust in God's power and will:

[Moses] said, "No! Indeed, with me is my Lord; He will guide me." (26/62)

Indeed, these words preceded the opening of the path of salvation for the Children of Israel, a path that is Pharaoh's tomb at the same time. That is, God told Moses to strike the Red Sea with his staff, upon which the sea split into two. Moses, Aaron and the believers with them passed, but Pharaoh and his army got engulfed in the waves from the closing water. After long years of fight, Pharaoh died as the most exemplary disbeliever of all times. He deserved this title due to his firm state in disbelief despite numerous explicit signs shown before his eyes.

They say, "If what you say is true, when will the final triumph come?" Say, "On the day of the final triumph, the faith of the disbelievers will be of no avail to them, nor will they be given any respite". (32/28-29)

It is noteworthy that he did not die of a disease, nor was he murdered by one of the people oppressed by him. He died while striving for a cause that he dedicated his life to: "trying to prove himself as God, and crushing anything that goes against this idea". Today, exact place of his body is unknown, but we believe that it is preserved somewhere under the Red Sea according to the verse quoted before (10/90-92). The elongated shape of the Red Sea delineate a tomb dug between the African and the Asian continents, and no one takes a moment for eulogy after Pharaoh. Nevertheless for the people of contemplation, his intercontinental tomb serves a concrete lesson for all times to come.

You cannot challenge God in the heavens or in the earth. No one besides God is your guardian or helper. (29/22)