صفحة 165

and said, ‘We believe in the Lord of the Worlds,

the Lord of Moses and Aaron!’

but Pharaoh said, ‘How dare you believe in Him before I have given you permission? This is a plot you have hatched to drive the people out of this city! Soon you will see:

I will cut off your alternate hands and feet and then crucify you all!’

They said, ‘And so we shall return to our Lord-

Your only grievance against us is that we believed in the signs of our Lord when they came to us. Our Lord, pour steadfastness upon us and let us die in devotion to You.’

The leaders among Pharaoh’s people said to him, ‘But are you going to leave Moses and his people to spread corruption in the land and forsake you and your gods?’ He replied, ‘We shall kill their male children, sparing only the females: We have complete power over them.’

Moses said to his people, ‘Turn to God for help and be steadfast: the earth belongs to God- He gives it as their own to whichever of His servants He chooses- and the happy future belongs to those who are mindful of Him,’

and they replied, ‘We were being persecuted long before you came to us, and since then too.’ He said, ‘Your Lord may well destroy your enemy and make you successors to the land to see how you behave.’

We inflicted years of drought and crop failure on Pharaoh’s people, so that they might take heed,