As instructed by Allah, Musa NabiAS along with Harun went to the Pharaoh. The dialogue between Musa NabiAS and Pharaoh is detailed in al-Qur’an. The answers Pharaoh gave to Musa reveal his way of thinking. Rather than accepting the words of Musa, he sought to counter him. The dialogue between Musa and Pharaoh was as follows:
Pharaoh said, “Who then is your Lord, Musa?”
He said, “Our Lord is He who gives each thing its created form and then guides it.”
He (Pharaoh) said, “What about the previous generations?”
He said, “Knowledge of them is with my Lord in a Book. My Lord does not misplace nor does He forget.”
It is He who made the earth a cradle for you and threaded pathways for you through it and sent down water from the sky by which We have brought forth various different types of plants. Eat and pasture your cattle. Certainly there are signs in that for men of understanding. From it We created you, to it We will return you, and from it We will bring you forth a second time. (al-Qur’an, 20: 49-55)
Pharoah and his followers did not accept the logical reasoning of Musa NabiAS and instead stated that his claims were false. AllahTA thus relates the attitude of Pharaoh and his people in al-Quran:
But when Musa brought them Our Clear Signs they said, “This is nothing but trumped-up magic. We never heard anything like this among our earlier forefathers.” (al-Qur’an, 28: 36)
Musa NabiAS asked the Pharaoh to let the tribe of Israel go with him, delivering the message of AllahTA fearlessly and forthrightly for he was promised Allah’s companionship. The Pharaoh asked Musa about Allah:
Pharaoh said, “What is the Lord of all the worlds?’
He (Musa) said, ‘The Lord of the heavens and the earth and everything between them if you knew for sure.” He (Pharaoh) said to those around him, “Are you listening?”He (Musa) said, “Your Lord and the Lord of your forefathers, the previous peoples.” (al-Qur’an, 26: 23-26)
In his response, Musa NabiAS explained that the religion of Pharaoh’s ancestors was invalid since they, like him, were also transgressors. Allah was the Lord of those ancestors as well. Having nothing to say in reply, Pharaoh resorted to slander and threats:
He (Pharaoh) said, “This Messenger, who has been sent to you, is mad.”
He (Musa) said, “The Lord of the East and the West and everything between them if you used your intellect.” He (Pharaoh) said, “If you take any god other than me, I will certainly throw you into prison.” (al-Qur’an, 26: 27-29)
The Pharaoh’s relcutance to accept Musa’s concise explanations and clear evidence led him to accuse Musa NabiAS of insanity. For his primary concern was to counter the powerful influence of Musa NabiAS on the people. The forthright and convincing manner of his speech infuriated Pharaoh, with him ultimately threatening MusaAS with imprisonment if he continued denying his divinity.
