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  DAY 256: Yunus 75-92
   Then after these ˹messengers˺ We sent Moses and Aaron to Pharaoh and his chiefs with Our signs. But they behaved arrogantly and were a wicked people. When the truth came to them from Us, they said, “This is certainly pure magic!” Moses responded, “Is this what you say about the truth when it has come to you? Is this magic? Magicians will never succeed.” They argued, “Have you come to turn us away from the faith of our forefathers so that the two of you may become supreme in the land? We will never believe in you!” Pharaoh demanded, “Bring me every skilled magician.” When the magicians came, Moses said to them, “Cast whatever you wish to cast!” When they did, Moses said, “What you have produced is mere magic, Allah will surely make it useless, for Allah certainly does not set right the work of the corruptors. And Allah establishes the truth by His Words—even to the dismay of the wicked.” But no one believed in Moses except a few youths of his people, while fearing that Pharaoh and their own chiefs might persecute them. And certainly Pharaoh was a tyrant in the land, and he was truly a transgressor. Moses said, “O my people! If you do believe in Allah and submit ˹to His Will˺, then put your trust in Him.” They replied, “In Allah we trust. Our Lord! Do not subject us to the persecution of the oppressive people, and save us, through Your mercy, from the disbelieving people.” And We revealed to Mūsā and his brother: “Have houses for your people in Egypt, and make your houses worship oriented, and establish Salāh, and give good tidings to the believers.” Moses prayed, “Our Lord! You have granted Pharaoh and his chiefs luxuries and riches in this worldly life, ˹which they abused˺ to lead people astray from Your Way! Our Lord, destroy their riches and harden their hearts so that they will not believe until they see the painful punishment.” Allah responded ˹to Moses and Aaron˺, “Your prayer is answered! So be steadfast and do not follow the way of those who do not know.” We brought the Children of Israel across the sea. Then Pharaoh and his soldiers pursued them unjustly and oppressively. But as Pharaoh was drowning, he cried out, “I believe that there is no god except that in whom the Children of Israel believe, and I am ˹now˺ one of those who submit.” ˹He was told,˺ “Now ˹you believe˺? But you always disobeyed and were one of the corruptors. Today We will preserve your corpse so that you may become an example for those who come after you. And surely most people are heedless of Our examples!”
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      The Pattern of Rejection: Tyrants consistently reject prophets by labeling their miracles as magic.
      The Ultimate Victory of Truth: Allah always exposes falsehood and establishes the truth.
      Faith Under Persecution: Belief requires courage and reliance on Allah in the face of oppression.
      The Unacceptability of Last-Moment "Faith": Belief is only meaningful when it is a free choice made during the test of life, not a panicked response at the moment of death.
      Divine Justice as a Lesson: The fate of tyrants is preserved as a sign for future generations.
      
      This passage vividly illustrates the timeless pattern of how arrogant tyrants like Pharaoh reject clear signs by labeling them magic, leading to their ultimate humiliation, while also showcasing the potent du'a of the oppressed and establishing the critical principle that deathbed faith, born of desperation and not free choice, is utterly rejected by Allah.
  
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