The truth is more powerful than lies

ByShaykh Haytham Tamim

In Surat al Zukhruf, Allah Almighty mentions the story of Musa and Firaun, which is one of the most repeated stories in the Quran. It is a Makki surah, which means it has the characteristics of the revelations that came during the period in the Prophet’s life (peace be upon him) when he was being persecuted, attacked and targeted by his adversaries, who opposed the message of Islam.

One of the ways in which he was attacked was by the use of the media of the time. In our time, it is also  part and parcel of the battle between truth and lies.

Allah revealed this story to show Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) that he was not the only one who faced such challenges.

When Musa presented the signs of Allah’s existence to Firaun and his people, Firaun laughed at him and his signs, and humiliated Musa.

وَلَقَدْ أَرْسَلْنَا مُوسَىٰ بِـَٔايَـٰتِنَآ إِلَىٰ فِرْعَوْنَ وَمَلَإِي۟هِۦ فَقَالَ إِنِّى رَسُولُ رَبِّ ٱلْعَـٰلَمِينَ

فَلَمَّا جَآءَهُم بِـَٔايَـٰتِنَآ إِذَا هُم مِّنْهَا يَضْحَكُونَ

And certainly did We send Moses with Our signs to Pharaoh and his establishment, and he said, “Indeed, I am the messenger of the Lord of the worlds.”

But when he brought them Our signs, at once they laughed at them. (43:46-47)

This was the same disparaging reception that Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) received. The Quraysh called him a sorcerer, mad and a poet.

When they refused to accept the signs, Allah sent various punishments to the people of Firaun, such as the plague of locusts, and the frogs, to warn them not to reject the message. After they suffered, they begged Musa to ask Allah to remove these plagues and in return they would believe.

وَقَالُواْ يَـٰٓأَيُّهَ ٱلسَّاحِرُ ٱدۡعُ لَنَا رَبَّكَ بِمَا عَهِدَ عِندَكَ إِنَّنَا لَمُهۡتَدُونَ

And they said [to Moses], “O magician, invoke for us your Lord by what He has promised you. Indeed, we will be guided.” (43:49)

However when the punishments were removed, Firaun and his people did not fulfil their covenant. They broke their promise to believe every time.

فَلَمَّا كَشَفۡنَا عَنۡهُمُ ٱلۡعَذَابَ إِذَا هُمۡ يَنكُثُونَ

But when We removed from them the affliction, at once they broke their word. (43:50)

The core of the story is how Firaun appealed to his nation, saying that he was their Lord, the one with the power.

وَنَادَىٰ فِرۡعَوۡنُ فِي قَوۡمِهِۦ قَالَ يَٰقَوۡمِ أَلَيۡسَ لِي مُلۡكُ مِصۡرَ وَهَٰذِهِ ٱلۡأَنۡهَٰرُ تَجۡرِي مِن تَحۡتِيٓۚ أَفَلَا تُبۡصِرُونَ

And Pharaoh called out among his people; he said, “O my people, does not the kingdom of Egypt belong to me, and these rivers flowing beneath me; then do you not see? (43:51)

He continued to boast that he was better than Musa (peace be upon him) and dehumanised him, which was his tactic to justify what he would do later. He portrayed that he was the good guy, and Musa had come to jeopardise the good life they enjoyed.

أَمۡ أَنَا۠ خَيۡرٞ مِّنۡ هَٰذَا ٱلَّذِي هُوَ مَهِينٞ وَلَا يَكَادُ يُبِينُ

Or am I [not] better than this one who is insignificant and hardly makes himself clear? (43:52)

Here Allah clearly mentioned that Firaun made a fool of his people. How does one make a fool of a people? It is when you tell lies to such an extent you can say anything, because you know people will not object. They will accept whatever you say.

فَٱسۡتَخَفَّ قَوۡمَهُۥ فَأَطَاعُوهُۚ إِنَّهُمۡ كَانُواْ قَوۡمٗا فَٰسِقِينَ

So he bluffed his people, and they obeyed him. Indeed, they were [themselves] a people defiantly disobedient [of Allah]. (43:54)

Ibn Ashur said:

“The meaning returns to the fact that he belittled their minds so they quickly believed what he said after they had already believed Moses in their hearts when they saw his signs of descent and ascent. The people referred to here are some of the people, specifically those who were present at Moses’ assembly; these are the dignitaries who were in the company of Pharaoh.”

It is the same scenario we are witnessing in Palestine today – history being repeated. The Palestinians are being dehumanised. The attacks upon innocent civilians including children and women are presented as necessary because they are a human shield to combatants.

In the recent speech to Congress, Netanyahu presented a series of statements that had a tenuous grip on reality. The truth of what is happening in this war and the conduct of that war upon the innocent Palestinian civilian population was not told. It was an untrue and unreal speech.

The sad irony is that these statements are easy to check. They have no basis in reality. They have no supporting evidence, but falsehood can be presented in an eloquent way, as the Quraysh did when they continued their smear campaign against Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).

Ultimately the power of the truth goes beyond borders. This is why Allah repeatedly mentioned the story of Musa and Firaun to make us aware of these cunning tricks which tyrants use to cover the truth and fool people.

There are many fair and dignified people who will not buy into this. They will do their homework and check the facts. Who would buy the statement that there have been no innocent casualties in Palestine? That cannot be said as the reality of the past year. How can leaders of the USA allow the Prime Minister of a government who is himself accused of war crimes by the ICJ to address them and address them without any challenge?

Just as Firaun said everything was under his control, we see that that power can make you wild. This is why tyrants get away with big fat lies. However, there is a time limit for oppression – Allah has promised that He will respond to the call of the oppressed in His own way and in His own time.

Musa did eventually prevail, though it took a long time. We learn that falsehood can be powerful and have a very big stage, but it does not matter, as the truth is more powerful. It is a matter of time. People are realising who is right and who is wrong. We need to be aware of the tricks of the tyrants which Allah revealed to us in the Quran and our victory will come from the Quran.

The punishment is coming, just as Allah punished Firaun when he drowned him and his army:


فَلَمَّآ ءَاسَفُونَا ٱنتَقَمۡنَا مِنۡهُمۡ فَأَغۡرَقۡنَٰهُمۡ أَجۡمَعِينَ

And when they angered Us, We took retribution from them and drowned them all. (43:55)

We ask Allah to show us the truth as it is and to distinguish between truth and falsehood and right and wrong and to enable us to be on the right side. Ameen.

Based on the Khutbah of Shaykh Haytham Tamim 26th July 2024

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