Prophet Musa, The plagues of Egypt: End of Pharaoh and His Army. That Ended 400 year of slavery of People of Israel & Death of Firaun

These plagues are recorded in the Quran and Bible too, and were sent by God after Pharaoh refused to let the Israelites leave Egypt.

 

This plague God sent on the nation of Egypt, and it was that finally ended the brutal 400-year slavery of the people of Israel. What is this?

 

The "Plagues of Egypt", called were a number of incidents believed to have happened during the Pharaonic period of Ancient Egypt. 

At the time of the plagues, the Israelites, who were God’s chosen people, were living as enslaved peoples in Egypt. They were undergoing a great deal of suffering and were crying out to God to save them from their circumstances.

 

Prophet Moses began by asking the Pharaoh to release the Israelites, but he refused.

 

It was in response to the Pharaoh’s refusal that God sent the 5 plagues. The plagues were intended to force Pharaoh’s hand and make him release the Israelites from Egypt.

First, God gave Pharaoh and the Egyptians warnings, in the form of plagues. With each plague, the Egyptians had an opportunity to repent and release the Israelites from slavery.

 

Every time, the Egyptians refused Even after that direct warning and all the other plagues, Pharaoh still would not release the Israelites from slavery.

 

Each time the Pharaoh is subjected to humiliation, his defiance becomes greater.

Five Consecutive Punishments upon the followers of Pharaoh.

When the blessed staff of Prophet Musa turned into a serpent and swallowed the snakes of magicians, then they (the magicians) fell into prostration and embraced the true faith. But Pharaoh and his followers still did not embrace the true faith.

And instead, his disbelief and stubbornness increased even more and he started to strive even harder to hurt the feelings and torture the Momineen of Bani Israil and Prophet Musa.

Pharaoh started to use different means to increase his cruelties. Aggrieved from the cruelties of Pharaoh, Prophet Moses supplicated in the court of Allah.

 

O my Rabb! Pharaoh has become very ignorant and cruel and his followers breached their promises.

Therefore, trail them with such curses that may be a punishment for them which becomes in admonition for my people and future generation. (Ruh-ul-Bayan, vol3, pp22: Part 9 Surah al-Ara’af verse 133)

 

After the supplication of Prophet Moses, Allah sent five consecutive punishments on the followers of Pharaoh. Those five punishments are as following:

 

1) Plague of Storm

All of sudden, a cloud appeared which prevailed darkness everywhere. Then it started to rain heavily. In the midst of the rain, there was a storm, resulting in the rain water to enter the houses of the followers of Pharaoh. They were clogged in the water and water mounted up to their necks.

 

Those who sat down drowned and killed. Neither they could move nor do anything. The waves of the storm destroyed their crops and gardens. 

Though the houses of Bani Israil were adjacent with the houses of the followers of Pharaoh, the water of the flood did not enter the houses of Bani Israil and they were living in their houses with peace and serenity.

 

When Pharaoh’s followers could no longer tolerate the punishment and became helpless, they came to Prophet Musa and requested him to pray for them so that this calamity is taken away from them.

They also announced that they will embrace faith and will send Bani Israil to him (To Prophet Moosa). Thus Moses supplicated and the punishment of storm was taken away.

 

Then again they deviated from their committed promise and did not embrace the faith. Once again they started their atrocities and ignorant activities.

2. Plague of Locusts

The pharaoh’s followers enjoyed peace and tranquillity for one month but when their cheating, arrogance and cruelties started to increase, Almighty Allah, sent his wrath and punishment in the shape of locusts. Thus swarms of locusts emerged from all nooks and corners which ate all their crops and gardens.

They even ate the woods of their houses. The houses of Pharaoh’s followers were full with locusts and it made their life miserable, but the fields and gardens of the believers of Banu Israil were safe and sound from the invasion of these locusts.

Upon seeing this, pharaoh’s followers learnt a great lesson and after getting fed up of this punishment, they again reported Moses and promised him that if he supplicates for the removal of this punishment, we will surely embrace the true faith and will not execute tyrannies and cruelties on Bani Israil.

Therefore, on the seventh day, the punishment was removed from them dure to the prayers of Prophet Musa. Again, these people lived in a state of luxury and peace for a month.

Once again these people broke their promises and did not embrace the true faith again. Their practices of disbelief and sins started to increase again.

3. Plague of Weevil

After a passage of another month, there was a new torment hailed upon them in form of weevils. Some interpreters say that these weevils entered in their wheat and cash crops and ate away all their food reserves.

Some interpreters are of the opinion that it was a tiney vermin that eroded the ripen crops and also entered in their dresses and started bruising and biting their skin and this incessant stinging to their bodies made them convulsive like a slaughtered cock.

 

Their conditions worsened so much that these vermin bruised and scratched the hair of heads, beards, moustaches, eyebrows and eyelashes and they had an appearance as that of a small pox victim.

 

These vermins also entered in their foods, waters and utensils and due to the presence of these insects, the Pharaoh’s followers were unable to eat and drink and were unable to have even a nap for a moment.

 

This punishment remained for a time span of one week and made them very miserable. These people were compelled to howl and cry and once again they reported Moses and requested him to pray for their redemption and assured that they will accept the faith.

 

Feeling pity on their state of anxiety and melancholy, Prophet Musa supplicated for them and consequently, the punishment was shunned away.

 

As per there habit, these insolent followers of Pharaoh once again breached their promise and once again started their acts of persecutions and cruelties which a new vigour and more intensity.

 

After one month, there was another punishment upon them in the form of frogs.

4. Plague of Frogs

All of a sudden, there was an abrupt and haphazard breeding of numerous frogs in the houses of the followers of Pharaoh and the conditions of these atrocious and tyrants was as that were so ever these people would have sitting, their gatherings were filled with thousands of frogs.

 

If anyone opened his mouth to talk or eat, frogs would jump in his mouth. Frogs would be in their cook pots and would sit over their bodies in hundreds. They were having no relieve from these frogs while walking, sitting, and sleeping. 

The followers of Pharaoh started to cry due to this punishment and again in this whining state, they reported  Prophet Musa and begged him to invoke for them and administered many oaths and promised him that we will surely embrace the faith and will never coerce the believers in future.

Therefore, on the seventh day, due to the supplication of Prophet Musa, this punishment was also lifted but these condemned and cursed people again, engaged themselves in their devilish activities upon acquiring peace.

They once again started persecution of believers and again began to disrespect Prophet Moses. Once again they stimulated the severe punishment for them and again the torment hailed upon them in form of blood.

 

5. Plague of water turning into Blood

All of a sudden, the water of all wells and rivers of Pharaoh’s followers were filled with blood and they beseeched Pharaoh about it.

 

The ignorant Pharaoh said that this is magic of Syaduna Musa. Upon hearing his comments, his followers said that what kind of magic is this that our crockery and kitchenware are filled with blood and believers have no impact on them.

Then Pharaoh ordered them to draw out water with believers from the same bucked, but it was strange and miraculous expression of the Power of the Most Powerful Almighty Allah.

That when believers drew out water, it was crystal clear, pure and sweet water; but on contrary, when the followers of Pharaoh used to draw out water, it was pure blood.

When the severe thirst humiliated the followers of Pharaoh, they came to believers and said that we will drink water with you in the same pot and at the same time.

 

When believers and non believers used to collectively drink water, at the side of believers, there was a crystal clear water but on the other side of non-believers, the water that used to go in to the mouths of pharaoh’s followers used to alter in blood.

 

In state of helplessness, the Pharaoh and his followers quenched their thirst by chewing grass and extracting water from it but even the liquid that was extracted from it would turn into blood when it reached in their mouths.

 

Fed up from these miserable conditions, the followers of Pharaoh again requested Moses for the removal of the punishment from them.

 

Again due to prophetic kindness and compassion, Moses prayed for them. Thus on the seventh day, the torment of this curse of blood was removed from them.images

 

There were consecutive five punishments on the followers of Pharaoh and every punishment was removed on the seventh day.

 

There used to be an interval of one month between two punishments, but the hearts of these tyrants and transgressors were so sternly sealed and they were wretched to such an extent that they would not embrace the faith.

 

Almighty Allah decided to put an end to Pharaoh's crimes after He had given him several chances.

 

The Quran mentions that God instructs Musa to travel at night with the Israelites and warns them that they would be pursued. The Pharaoh chases the Israelites with his army after realizing that they have left during the night.

Allah commanded Moses to depart, and the children of Israel received reluctant permission from Pharaoh to go out of the city for their feast. They prepared themselves to leave Egypt.

This later became known as the Exodus. They carried with them their jewels and borrowed a lot of jewels from the Egyptians.

 

In the darkness of night, Moses led his people towards the Red Sea, and in the morning they reached the beach. By then Pharaoh was aware of their departure, so he mobilized a huge army to pursue them.

 

The Parting of the Red Sea

The impatient children of Israel soon became agitated and Joshua (Yusha), Ibn Nun, exclaimed: "In front of us is this impassable barrier, the sea, and behind us the enemy; surely death cannot be avoided!"

 

Moses replied that he would wait for further guidance from Allah. These words filled them with some hope, but man is always impatient for results: they were willing to surrender themselves back into slavery.

At that moment Allah revealed to Moses: "Strike the sea with your staff!" Moses did as he was commanded. A fierce wind blew, the sun shone brightly, and in a flash the sea parted, the crests of the waves standing like mountains on each side.

 

As they looked back, they saw Pharaoh and his army approaching, about to take the very path which had been opened for them.

In great fear and panic, they pleaded with Moses to ask Allah to close the sea. However, Allah commanded Moses not to smite the sea with his staff again, for Allah's decree was already in action.

 

The Death of the Pharaoh

Pharaoh and his army had seen the miracle, how the sea had parted.

Pharaoh turned to his men and stated: "Look! The sea has opened at my command so that I may follow those rebels and arrest them!"

 

They rushed across the parted waters, and when they were midway, Allah commanded the sea to return to its former state.

Terror-stricken Pharaoh, realizing that his end had come, declared out of fear: "I believe that there is no god worthy of worship except Allah in whom the children of Israel believe, and I am of those who surrender to Him."

 

But Allah did not accept this declaration from the tyrant, and the waters closed over him, drowning him and his entire army.

 

Moses's People's Escape and Pharaoh's Death

The curtain fell on Pharaoh's tyranny, and the waves threw his corpse up on to the western seashore.

 

The Egyptians saw him and knew that their gods whom they worshipped and obeyed were mere slaves who could not keep death away from their own necks.

 The Quran states that the body of the Pharaoh is made a sign and warning for all future generations.

 And the Israelites continue their journey to the Promised Land.

Israelites after Pharaoh's Defeat. Were cursed with forty years of wilderness wandering in Desert?

The End

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