FIR’AUN RAISED HIS DOWNFALL

 FAJR REMINDER: FIR’AUN RAISED HIS DOWNFALL

By: Umm Affān

Rabī' Al-Awwal 20, 1448 (2-September-2026)

Among the matters we should deeply reflect upon, as a manifestation of the Greatness and Perfect Planning of Allāh, is the remarkable story of the male child—Mūsā (‘Alayhi Salām)—through whom Fir’aun would eventually lose his power and meet his destruction.

Subḥānallāh! The very child whom Fir’aun feared and sought to eliminate was raised in his own household. Fir’aun himself became part of the upbringing of Prophet Mūsā (‘Alayhi Salām). Allāh could have destroyed Fir’aun immediately, but He did not. Instead, He caused the very child through whom Fir’aun would eventually be destroyed to grow up right under his roof.

What an extraordinary demonstration of the Power and Wisdom of Allāh!

Ibn ‘Abbās and Mujāhid said: Allāh left Fir'awn for forty years after his first statement:

يَا أَيُّهَا الْمَلَأُ مَا عَلِمْتُ لَكُم مِّنْ إِلَٰهٍ غَيْرِي

“O chiefs! I know not that you have a god other than I.” [Sūrah Al-Qasas (28) Verse 38]

To his last statement:

فَقَالَ أَنَاْ رَبُّكُمُ الاٌّعْلَى

“I am your lord, most high.” [Sūrah An-Nāzi‘āt (79): 24]

Then, Allāh (ﷻ) says:

فَأَخَذَهُ اللَّهُ نَكَالَ الْآخِرَةِ وَالْأُولَىٰ

“So Allāh, seized him with punishment for his last and first transgression.” [Sūrah An-Nāzi‘āt (79): 25]

Despite Fir’aun’s immense authority and power as a king, he could never escape or oppose the Decree of Allāh. His kingdom, wealth, armies, and tyranny could not save him from the fate that Allāh had decreed for him. It was decreed that Fir’aun would ultimately meet his destruction through Prophet Mūsā (‘Alayhi Salām)—the very child who had been raised in his own household.

But the story of Mūsā (‘Alayhi Salām) did not bring destruction to everyone around Fir’aun. Rather, he became a means of guidance and salvation for those who believed. Among them was Āsiyah, the wife of Fir’aun. Through Prophet Mūsā (‘Alayhi Salām), Allāh guided her to Eemān and made her one of the dwellers of Paradise.

Remember what Allāh (ﷻ) says about Āsiyah in Sūrah At-Taḥrīm (66): 11:

وَضَرَبَ اللَّهُ مَثَلًا لِّلَّذِينَ آمَنُوا امْرَأَتَ فِرْعَوْنَ إِذْ قَالَتْ رَبِّ ابْنِ لِي عِندَكَ بَيْتًا فِي الْجَنَّةِ وَنَجِّنِي مِن فِرْعَوْنَ وَعَمَلِهِ وَنَجِّنِي مِنَ الْقَوْمِ الظَّالِمِينَ

“And Allāh has set forth an example for those who believe, the wife of Fir’aun when she said: ‘My Lord! Build for me a home with You in Paradise, and save me from Fir’aun and his work, and save me from the people who are Ẓālimūn (polytheists, wrong-doers, and disbelievers in Allāh).’”

Look at the contrast! Fir’aun was among the most tyrannical and disbelieving people upon the earth, yet his disbelief did not prevent his wife from believing. She lived under his roof, witnessed his tyranny, and was subjected to his oppression, but she did not allow his disbelief to corrupt her Eemān. She accepted the message of Prophet Mūsā (‘Alayhi Salām) and followed the truth.

This teaches us a profound lesson: our environment does not determine our ultimate standing before Allāh. A person may live among people of disobedience yet remain steadfast upon the truth. Likewise, being surrounded by righteous people does not automatically make a person righteous. Therefore, let it be known that Allāh is the Most Just Judge. He will not punish anyone for the sins of another, nor will He allow the righteousness of one person to be lost because of the wrongdoing of another. Every soul is responsible for what it earns.

In the Tafsīr of Imām Ibn Kathīr (Raḥimahullāh), Ibn Jarīr recorded that Sulayman said, “The wife of Fir'awn was tortured under the sun and when Fir'aun would finish the torture session, the angels would shade her with their wings. She was shown her house in Paradise.”

Also, Ibn Jarīr said that Al-Qasim Ibn Abī Bazzah said, “Fir'aun's wife used to ask, ‘Who prevailed?‘ When she was told, ‘Mūsā and Hārūn prevailed’, she said, ‘I believe in the Lord of Mūsā and Hārūn.’ Fir'aun sent his aides to her and said to them, ‘Find the biggest stone. If she insists on keeping her faith, throw the stone on her, otherwise she is my wife. When they came to her, she looked up to the sky and was able to see her house in Paradise. She persisted on the faith and her soul was then captured. The stone was thrown on her lifeless body.”

Subḥānallāh! Fir’aun did not spare even his own wife from the torture he inflicted upon those who believed in Prophet Mūsā (‘Alayhi Salām). Yet Āsiyah remained firm. She endured the suffering with patience, certainty, and hope in Allāh. She chose Eemān over comfort, Paradise over this world, and the Pleasure of Allāh over the approval of her tyrannical husband. And what was her reward? Jannah!

This is how Allāh rewards His true believing servants and those who remain steadfast upon righteousness. The path of Eemān may sometimes be difficult, but its end is beautiful for those whom Allāh grants steadfastness. Let's learn from this story of Prophet Mūsā (‘Alayhi Salām), who was protected and raised under the very roof of his enemy; and from Āsiyah, who remained a believer despite living with one of the greatest tyrants.

I beseech Allāh (ﷻ) to make us true Muslims, grant us steadfastness upon Eemān, and admit us into Jannah Al-Firdaws. Aameen.