Fir'awn calls his Magicians

Fir'awn decided to combat Musa. He gave the command for the magicians of the city, all of whom were famous and very accomplished, to be gathered.

Fir'awn told the magicians that if they were successful he would give them great rewards and grant them position among the favored at his court.

The appointed day came. All the people of the city had gathered to see who would win the contest. The magicians entered the arena with all their equipment, as Musa entered with his staff. The people formed an enormous crowd around the edges of the arena. Fir'awn, too, was sitting in a special place surrounded by his followers.

The magicians asked Musa if he would start the contest or should they.

'Begin", commanded Musa.

Everybody was looking on, Fir'awn among them...

The magicians threw their sticks and ropes on the ground and they began to move about. The people thought that the arena was full of crawling snakes.

Then Musa received the Divine command not to fear the magic of the magicians and to throw his staff to the ground, and that the magicians had deceived the people with their magic, and that the deceivers are never successful.

Musa threw his staff to the ground.

The people gave a great cry and began to flee. Some closed their eyes so as not to see what Musa's staff had become and where it was going and what it was doing.

Musa's staff had again become a great, ferocious snake that was speedily devouring the ropes and rods that the magicians had thrown on the ground. Finally, Musa put out his hand, clutched the snake and it became a staff once more.

Musa leaned on it.

More than everyone else the magicians realized that what Musa had done was not magic, and that it was a sign of the Power of the Almighty God. They immediately believed in Musa and fell down in prostration, thanking God for having guided them. They were saying:

"We believe in the Lord and Exalter of the worlds and of their inhabitants, "We believe in the God of Musa and Harun."

Fir'awn was livid. "How dare you believe in Musa's God!" he screamed at them in rage. "I didn't give you permission to do so. Now I will have you nailed to a door."

"We have found the truth", said the magicians, "and we have realized that Musa (A.S.) is the Prophet sent by God the Creator of the world, and we believe in them and we have been freed from servility to you. Now we are not afraid of being killed. Do whatever you want, for we are not afraid of death. You can only end our worldly lives, and you have no power over our lives in the Hereafter. After our deaths we will be in the world of the Hereafter where we will be blessed with the gifts of our Lord. And in the Hereafter God will give us the rewards."

How Must a Guide Be?

This boy has lost his way home. To whom do you entrust him?

Who can guide him and take him home?

Can someone take him home who doesn't know the way?

Would you trust a dishonest and untrustworthy person?

Would you entrust this child to such a person?.. .Why not?

Would you choose someone to guide him who doesn't know the way to the child's home or who makes mistakes in showing the way?. ..Why not?

So, a guide must:

Know the way correctly, Be honest and trustworthy, and make no mistakes in guiding.

A prophet is a trustworthy and honest person whom God has chosen to guide the people, to whom God has taught the path of life in this world and in the Hereafter, and to whom God has entrusted the leadership of humanity.

How Must a Prophet Be?

When you want to send a "verbal message" to a friend, what do you do?

To whom do you relate the message so that it receives your friend?

Would you choose a liar and dishonest person to carry your message9Why not?

How about a person who forgets and makes mistakes?

Why not?

So, who would you choose to deliver the message?

Yes, the deliverer of the message must be truthful and honest, must not forget the message, and, in hearing and delivering it, mustn't make any mistakes.

God, too, chooses a truthful and honest person to deliver His message, and relates His message to him. The Prophet correctly receives God's message and delivers it to the people perfectly and correctly.

Awareness and Vision: the Secret of Being Disgusted by Sins.

Dirty clothes have been washed in this tub.

Who is ready to drink some of the dirty water in this tub?

If an amount of it was given to a blind and uninformed person, is it possible that he would drink it?

But how about a person who sees and is informed?

If a person sees the dirt in the water and perceives its harm fullness, would he drink it?

Right, every seeing and aware person who sees the ugliness and foulness of a thing will not associate himself with it; rather, he will hate it and be disgusted by it.

Likewise, Prophets are disgusted by sins and never commit them because they see the ugliness and foulness of sin. This vision and awareness has been given to them by God.