Document Type : Research Article

Authors

• alireza Nowbari ¹
• Hamed bayat ²

¹ Assistant Professor, Department of Quran and Hadith Studies, Faculty of Islamic Studies and Thought, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.

² PhD student in Islamic Education and Thought, Faculty of Islamic Education and Thought, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.

Abstract

Introduction
Conflict and confrontation among humans have existed since the earliest moments of human presence on Earth. In these confrontations, each side uses various methods and strategies to suppress the thoughts and ideals of the opposing side, which conflict with their interests. One of these conflicts, with a description of the methods used, is explained in the Quran regarding the story of Pharaoh's confrontation with Prophet Moses (PBUH) and the expectant Israelites. It is necessary to research the method and pattern of Pharaoh's confrontation with Moses (PBUH) and the expectant Israelites based on the Quran to benefit the followers of divine religions. Because God, in several verses of the Quran, introduces the actions of the opponents of the Prophet of Islam as similar to those of Pharaoh and his family against Moses (PBUH) and the expectant Israelites. This focus of the Quran on mentioning the name of Pharaoh and his family, without mentioning the names of other nations, cannot be without reason and seems to be an instructive command to recognize the methods of Pharaoh's confrontation with the followers of divine religions.
In the present article, by examining the verses related to Pharaoh's actions, an attempt has been made to explain all types of confrontations between Pharaoh and Prophet Moses (PBUH) and the expectant Israelites during two stages (before the emergence of Moses (PBUH) for leading the expectant Israelites, and after his emergence for creating unity and governing the expectant Israelites). Then, the frequency of each type of confrontation is determined, and results are drawn from comparing the frequencies. Finally, the pattern of Pharaoh's confrontation with Moses (PBUH) and the expectant Israelites is illustrated.
Research background
Based on the reviews conducted so far, no research has been done to explain and examine all the methods of Pharaoh's confrontation with Moses (PBUH) and the expectant Israelites based on the Quran using content analysis to illustrate the pattern of this confrontation. However, some articles and writings have mentioned some of Pharaoh's methods of confrontation with Moses (PBUH) using other methods without presenting a pattern, and relying on various sources. For example:

Hosseini DolatAbad and ArabTat (2021) in the article "Analysis of Pharaoh's Methods in 'Mind Management' of His People in the Quran" explained the methods of mind management used by Pharaoh against his people, including deception, humiliation, and character assassination, which he also used against the Israelites living among the Egyptians. This article did not mention all the methods of Pharaoh's confrontation with Moses (PBUH) and did not illustrate the pattern of this confrontation based on the Quran.
Arabi and Sadeghi (2016) in the research "Examining the Characteristics of Pharaoh's Family in the Interpretations of the Two Sects" explained the characteristics of Pharaoh's family, such as slavery, torture, oppression, and extravagance, based on the interpretations of the two sects. This research did not explain all the methods of Pharaoh's confrontation with Moses (PBUH) and did not illustrate the pattern of this confrontation based on the Quran.
Kheirallah and colleagues (2014) in the article "A Comparative Study of Pharaoh's Image in the Quran and the Old Testament" explained Pharaoh's personality and some of his methods of confrontation with his opponents based on the Quran and the Old Testament. This article only explained some of Pharaoh's methods based on the Quran and did not examine and explain all the methods and did not illustrate the pattern of Pharaoh's confrontation with Moses (PBUH) and the expectant Israelites based on the Quran.
Ghanbarnejad (2015) in the thesis "The Quran's Cultural Struggle against the Character Assassination of the Prophets" mentioned some of the accusations made by Pharaoh against Moses (PBUH). This research did not explain all the methods used by Pharaoh and did not illustrate the pattern of his confrontation with Moses (PBUH) and the expectant Israelites based on the Quran.

Research method
The method of this article is quantitative and qualitative content analysis.
Result
The final result of this research is that Pharaoh used various confrontations, including unconventional military, economic, political, cultural, and propaganda methods, to confront Moses (PBUH) and the expectant Israelites during two stages: before the emergence of Moses (PBUH) and after his emergence for leading the expectant Israelites. In the first stage, Pharaoh's greatest focus was on military war (38%) and economic war (31%). In the second stage, propaganda war (48%) and military war (29%) were the most common types of confrontation. In the first stage, Pharaoh created divisions in the society and engaged the expectant Israelites with the Pharaoh's family, ruling with an iron fist. However, after the emergence of Moses (PBUH), Pharaoh initially used weak propaganda methods, but after witnessing the resistance of Moses (PBUH) and the expectant Israelites, he used a combination of methods. Finally, he, along with his armies, turned to intense military confrontation, which ultimately led to his death.

Keywords

• Confrontation Pattern
• Pharaoh's Propaganda War
• Pharaoh's Confrontation with Moses (PBUH)
• The Expectant Israelites of Moses (PBUH)

Main Subjects

• Quranic Studies