(26:49) - The Pharaoh Within - Surah Ash-Shu'ara (Talha Ghannam) #FridayReminders #QuranReflections

#FridayReminders 16: The Pharaoh Within Quran Reflections by Talha Ghannam Video: https://youtu.be/haTjyKu8WdQ Podcast: https://anchor.fm/quranclub App: www.quranclub.org Website: www.otpok.com --- قَالَ ءَامَنتُمۡ لَهُۥ قَبۡلَ أَنۡ ءَاذَنَ لَكُمۡۖ إِنَّهُۥ لَكَبِيرُكُمُ ٱلَّذِي عَلَّمَكُمُ ٱلسِّحۡرَ فَلَسَوۡفَ تَعۡلَمُونَۚ لَأُقَطِّعَنَّ أَيۡدِيَكُمۡ وَأَرۡجُلَكُم مِّنۡ خِلَٰفٖ وَلَأُصَلِّبَنَّكُمۡ أَجۡمَعِينَ [Pharaoh] said, "You believed Moses before I gave you permission. Indeed, he is your leader who has taught you magic, but you are going to know. I will surely cut off your hands and your feet on opposite sides, and I will surely crucify you all." (26:49) --- The other day, I was watching the news. A reporter had caught the politician in a lie; after stating in an interview they would not be enacting a policy, a video surfaced where the politician said the exact opposite. In the face of embarrassment, rather than acknowledging the mistake, the spin doctors got to work instead…  “You haven’t presented the whole story…” “What I actually meant was…” “Have you not seen our success in…” It’s easy for us to watch and laugh at how ludicrous any defence could be put forward in the face of such clear evidence. How could anything explain a video which categorically stated the opposite to what was said? Surely it’s black and white? Sadly, such behaviour isn’t new. When confronted with the truth of Prophet Musa’s (as) message, Pharaoh challenged him. He called upon the greatest magicians across the land to disprove Prophet Musa’s claim, promising immense reward and power to anyone who did. On the appointed day, the magicians came and presented their trickery before an enormous crowd; each of them threw their sticks which sprung to life, slithering as though they were real! The illusion perturbed both the audience and Prophet Musa (as) – such was the power of their deception. Reassured by His Lord, Prophet Musa (as) threw his staff. Unlike their illusions, his magic was a true miracle, transforming to a real snake by the will of God. Before everyone’s eyes, Prophet Musa’s snake ate each of the “snakes” of the other magicians. At this point, an uneducated person may still make excuses. Yes Prophet Musa’s snake at those of the magicians, but didn’t the magicians still make their snakes come to life? Wasn’t that still magic? You can imagine how the spin doctors were already writing the script. However, what happened next could never have been foreseen; the magicians conceded defeat and bowed in unison in submission to Allah ﷻ. Every single one of them not only admitted their magic was on illusion, they submitted in belief to the existence of one God; Allah ﷻ. The very people brought to refute Prophet Musa’s message wrong had proven him right. The game was up. Checkmate! …Except… it wasn’t?  Pharaoh doubled down in his denial. “Musa is your grandmaster! He taught you magic! This was a ploy to trick me!” In the face of undeniable truth, when the evidence stared him in the face, when his own arguments turned against him, Pharoah would always find an excuse.  Whether its our politicians today or the Pharaoh of Musa, it’s easy for us to wonder how could anyone be so stubborn in the face of such truth. But leaders are often the reflection of their people, and it’s important to ask how many of us have this same pharaoh within? How often have we argued with our spouse or sibling over something we knew we were mi