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قQuranicpediaEncyclopedia of the Glorious Qur’an

Pharaoh (Firaun) فِرْعَوْن

In review — pending scholar verification

The Egyptian ruler in the time of Prophet Musa — the archetypal tyrant in the Quran whose drowning is recounted as a sign for those who reflect.

Overview

Firʿawn (Arabic: فِرْعَوْن; English: Pharaoh) is the title of the Egyptian sovereign at the time of Musa (Moses) in the Quran. He is portrayed as the archetype of arrogance and tyranny — calling himself "the most exalted lord" (Surah An-Nāziʿāt 79:24), enslaving Bani Isra'il, killing newborn male Israelite children, and rejecting Musa's message despite witnessing the nine signs.

His drowning in the sea, with his army, in the Exodus is referenced repeatedly in the Quran as a sign for later generations. Surah Yunus 10:90–92 states that Allah preserved his body "as a sign for those who succeed you" after his death-bed declaration of belief was rejected.

Quranic references

  • Surah Al-Qaṣaṣ 28:1–46 — extended narrative of his court and persecution.
  • Surah An-Nāziʿāt 79:17–25 — Musa called to invite Pharaoh; Pharaoh's rejection and "exemplary punishment".
  • Surah Yunus 10:90–92 — drowning; preservation of his body.
  • Surah Ash-Shuʿarāʾ 26:10–66 — Musa's confrontation in his court.
  • Surah Al-Aʿrāf 7:103–137 — the nine signs and Pharaoh's persistent rejection.
  • Surah Ṭāhā 20:43–79 — Musa and Hārūn's mission to Pharaoh; the magicians.

See also

References

  1. The Quran: Surahs Al-Aʿrāf 7:103–137; Yunus 10:90–92; Ṭāhā 20:43–79; Ash-Shuʿarāʾ 26:10–66; Al-Qaṣaṣ 28:1–46; An-Nāziʿāt 79:17–25.
  2. Ibn Kathir, Qiṣaṣ al-Anbiyāʾ, chapter on Musa.
  3. al-Tabari, Tārīkh ar-Rusul wa-l-Mulūk, vol. 1.