The Pharaoh Personality
Corrupting Criteria
Pharaoh had some very dirty tactics to get what he wanted, or keep people from turning against him. One of these tricks was to corrupt the natural criteria for rational thought.
A person?s rational criteria (method of judgment) is the very basis upon which he knows truth from falsehood. And the rational criteria for truth is that the subject at hand must fully conform to reality (i.e. must be proven through the sensed reality via our five senses).
Now, when we look at verses from the Qur?an, we can see the followers of Pharaoh attempt to change the criteria of rational thinking to that of irrational thinking:
فَلَمَّا جَاءَهُمْ مُوسَى بِآيَاتِنَا بَيِّنَاتٍ قَالُوا مَا هَذَا إِلاّ سِحْرٌ مُفْتَرًى وَمَا سَمِعْنَا بِهَذَا فِي آبَائِنَا الْأَوَّلِينَ
?So when Moses (pbuh) came to them with our clear signs,
they said ?this is nothing but fake magic
and we did not hear of this from our forefathers? ?
[Al-Qasas:36].
What do their forefathers sayings have to do with Moses (pbuh) being a Prophet?
What kind of rational thought is this?
According to this logic, this would mean: whatever does not come via their forefathers is not truth. This is despite that reality and truth are not proven through forefathers, or parents, or an imam, or some organization, rather it is proven by the sensed reality and rational proof.
Keeping People From Thinking:
Another tactic, employed by the followers of Pharaoh, is keeping people?s minds from thinking, using the excuse that there is someone else to think on their behalf. God Almighty tells us:
قَالَ فِرْعَوْنُ مَا أُرِيكُمْ إِلَّا مَا أَرَى وَمَا أَهْدِيكُمْ إِلَّا سَبِيلَ الرشاد
?Pharaoh said: I do not show you except what I see,
and I do not guide you except to the path of correct judgment?
[Ghaafir: 29]
and God Almighty tells us that Pharaoh also said:
مَا عَلِمْتُ لَكُمْ مِنْ إِلَهٍ غَيْرِي?
I do not know of another Lord for you other than myself? [Al-Qasas 38]
So Pharaoh has no refutation to the words of a Believer, and therefore he is forced to say to the people: ?Do not think or look into this matter, for I will think on your behalf, and I have thought, and now see that Moses (pbuh) is corrupting the earth, and that my path is the path of correct judgment?. And like this, Pharaoh tries to keep people from thinking.
Even though this tactic is very old, but it is still actively used today: Some parents will tell their children not to do certain Islamic actions because they ?have tried it before?, and offer no proof that the work is wrong.
In other cases there are some groups, where their followers are taught to not think and that looking into Islamic evidences is much too hard and complex for their minds, rather they should just follow their imam.
On other levels, Muslims are told that such-and-such groups are ?bad? and have ?corrupt ?ideologies? and should be avoided, without offering any proof for such accusations. Governments teach their people that certain groups are ?terrorist? groups or ?illegal? and so they should not even enquire about them at all.
And so on, the disbelievers and even Muslims use these tactics, knowingly or unknowingly, and cause great harm to the carriers of truth. Therefore, no Muslim should ever allow himself or herself to use such false and misleading tactics.
