Was Pharaoh drowned or saved when chasing Moses and his people? Who was the Pharaoh of the Exodus?

Was Pharaoh drowned or saved when chasing Moses and his people? Who was the Pharaoh of the Exodus?

10:90 And We took the Children of Israel across the sea, and Pharaoh and his soldiers followed them in rebellion and enmity until, when drowning overtook him, he said, "I believe that there is no deity except that in whom the Children of Israel believe, and I am of the Muslims." 10:91 "Now? And verily, you (had) disobeyed before and you were of the corrupters?" 10:92 So (fa) today We will save you in your body, that you may be a sign for those who succeed you. And indeed, many among the mankind are surely heedless of Our Signs."

(Pharaoh was drowned because the Verse says “when drowning overtook him” (10:90). It is also explicitly said in Verse 17:103, “We drowned him”. His body was saved so that it may be a sign for those after him. One interpretation is that his dead body was rescued and mummified. So, “saving in body” might not imply that he survived)(Pharaoh was to be destroyed (17:102), but Pharaoh’s body was saved after his words in Verse 10:90. Verse 10:92 says, “So (fa) today We will save you in your body”; the word “fa” is sequential in regard to what is mentioned before: “he said, "I believe that there is no deity except that in whom the Children of Israel believe ...”(10:90))(Allah knows best)

28:40 So We seized him and his hosts, and We threw them into the sea. So see how was the end of the wrongdoers.

(Verse 28:40 confirms that it was “the end” for them (drowning into the sea))(Allah knows best)

17:102 He said, "Verily, you know none has sent down these except the Lord of the heavens and the earth as evidence, and indeed, O Pharaoh, I surely think you are destroyed." 17:103 So he intended to drive them out from the land, but We drowned him and all those who were with him.

(Verse 17:103 explicitly says that Pharaoh was drowned. A candidate for Pharaoh of Exodus is “Merneptah”. The article “Merneptah” in Wikipedia says, “Merneptah suffered from arthritis and atherosclerosis and died as an old man after a reign that lasted for nearly a decade”. So, an interpretation is that he was drowned, but survived after saying “I believe … I am of the Muslims (aka “those who submit (to God))”. Notice that only the “people of” Pharaoh is mentioned to be severely punished or destroyed (8:52, 8:54) in the Qur’an, while the sentence “O Pharaoh, I surely think you are destroyed”, in Verse 17:102, seems an opinion, rather than a fact)(Allah knows best)

43:55 So when they angered Us, We took retribution from them, and We drowned them all.

(Dr. Maurice Bucaille was allowed to examine the mummified body of Merneptah, son of Ramsses II, and probably the Pharaoh of the Exodus. According to Dr. Bucaille, he most probably died either from drowning, according to the Scriptural narrations, or from very violent shocks preceding the moment when he was drowned-or both at once. Some people find this source not reliable. But, according to the article “List of pharaons” in wikipedia, “the specific title “Pharaoh” was not used to address the kings of Egypt by their contemporaries until the rule of Merneptah in the 19th Dinasty, c. 1200 BC”)(Another candidate is Merneptah’s father: Ramesses II. The article “Ramesses II”, in “worldhistory(dot)org”, says, “He suffered from dental problems, severe arthritis, and hardening of the arteries and, most likely, died from old age or heart failure”)(But, the article “Is Ramses II the Pharaoh of Moses?”, by Mustafa Marie, says, “Ali Gomaa … announced on the program he presents on Egypt’s First Channel that when the tests were carried out on the body of Ramses II, they found that he died by suffocation” (aka “death caused by a lack of air or oxygen”). “Gomaa also stated that the scientists found seaweed inside his corpse, which indicates that this is the Pharaoh that lived during Moses’ era”. But, the same article also says that the Egyptian archeologist Hawass said that “It is not possible with CT scans to know whether the mummy died of drowning or not. The only thing that proves this is the lung, which is not found inside the mummy”)(Allah knows best)

40:36 And Pharaoh said, "O Haman, construct for me a tower that I may reach the ways,

(The word Haman is not a proper name, but a title of Egyptian origin, a contraction of Ham-Amon, meaning “servant of Amon”. According to the article “Bakenkhonsu” in Wikipedia, the high priest of Amun, Bakenkhonsu, was responsible for several building projects for Ramesses II)(Verse 40:36 of the Qur’an confirms that Haman was involved in building projects)(Allah knows best)

10:75 Then, after them, We sent Moses and Aaron to Pharaoh and his chiefs with Our Signs, but they were arrogant and were a criminal people.

(Thutmose II is another candidate for the Pharaoh of the Exodus, based on the fact that he had a brief, prosperous reign and then a sudden collapse with no son (except for Thutmose III) to succeed him. His widow Hatshepsut then became first Regent (for Thutmose III) then Pharaoh in her own right. Edersheim states that Thutmose II is the only Pharaoh’s mummy to display cysts, possible evidence of plagues that spread through the Egyptian and Hittite Empires at that time” (Source: article “Thutmose II” in Wikipedia))(The Qur’an confirms that after Pharaoh, the land was inherited by people who were considered weak (7:137). The wife of Pharaoh might be among those people, because, according to the Qur’an, she was a believer (66:11))(In addition, Exodus 4:22-23 says, “Then say to Pharaoh … I will kill your firstborn son” (This might also suggest that his successor, right after him was not his descendant). And the article “Thutmose III” in Wikipedia says, “Thutmose III was the son of Thutmose II by a secondary wife, Iset. His father’s great royal wife was Queen Hatshepsut. When Thutmose II died, Thutmose III was too young to rule. Hatshepsut became his regent, soon his co-regent, and shortly thereafter declared herself to be the pharaoh while never denying kingship to Thutmose III. Thutmose III had little power over the empire while Hatshepsut exercised the formal titulary of kingship”. The article “Thutmose II” in Wikipedia confirms that Hatshepsut and Thutmose II only had a female child, while the male Thutmose III is from a lesser wife named Iset. So, the sources confirm that Pharaoh’s wife inherited the land)(But, is there a “Haman” (High Priest of Amun), who is also architect, related to Thutmose II? I did not find any information about the High Priest at the time of Thutmose II, but it is known that when Thutmose II was succeeded by his wife (Hatshepsut), she had a High Priest, who was involved in building projects. So, it suggests that High Priests are also architect, or, at least, oversee building projects. According to the article “Hapuseneb” in Wikipedia, “Hapuseneb was the High Priest of Amun during the reign of Hatshepsut (Thutmose II’s wife). His titles are Hereditary Prince and Count, Treasurer of the King of Upper and Lower Egypt, First Prophet of Amun, Overseer of the Priest of Upper and Lower Egypt, and Overseer of All the Works of the King. Only a few “monuments” of Hapuseneb have survived”)(Allah knows best)

29:38 And Aad and Thamud, and verily, (it has) become clear to you from their dwellings. And Satan made fair-seeming to them their deeds and averted them from the Way, though they were endowed with insight. 29:39 And Qarun, and Pharaoh and Haman. And certainly, Moses came to them with clear evidences, but they were arrogant in the earth, and they could not outstrip Us. 29:40 So We seized each of them for his sin. Then of them was he upon whom We sent a violent storm, and of them was he who was seized by the awful cry, and of them was he whom We caused the earth to swallow him, and of them was he whom We drowned. It was not for Allah to wrong them, but they wronged themselves.

(This Verse suggests or is interpreted that Haman was drowned)(Allah knows best)

66:11 And Allah presents an example for those who believed - the wife of Pharaoh, when she said, "My Lord, build for me a house near You in Paradise, and save me from Pharaoh and his deeds and save me from the people, the wrongdoers."

(According the article “Thutmose II” in “ancient-egypt-online(dot)com”, “Thutmose II’s mummy was in poor shape when it was unwrapped in 1886 by Gaston Maspero. It had been severely damaged after his death by ancient tomb robbers. Thutmose II’s face and the shape of his head resembled Thutmose I’s very closely, indicating that he was the king’s son. Thutmose II died in his early 30’s. He had a skin disease that could not be covered by the act of embalming. His skin had patches and was covered in scars. The state of Thutmose II’s mummy revealed that he was a weak man. His thin body was shrunken and appeared to lack muscle. His skull was bald in patches. These conditions in addition to the condition of his skin were likely due to a disease that killed him”)(Notice that his disease is not specified or known, so he could have been drowned in the sea)(The article also says, “His reign period is disputed, due to Hatshepsut’s attempts to erase and replace his name with her own”. So, this might also suggest that his wife opposed him. That’s because she was a believer (66:11), while Pharaoh was a tyrant (10:83))(Allah knows best)

79:15 Has there come to you the story of Moses?

(Another point is that the name “Moses” (“Musa” in Arabic) might also suggest that “Thutmose II” was the Pharaoh of Exodus. According to the article “Moses (given name)” in Wikipedia, the infant Moses was given this name by Pharaoh’s daughter after she rescued him from the Nile (Exodus 2:10)(Thutmose II and Hatshepsut had a daughter: Neferure). After the deciphering of hieroglyphs and the beginning of Egyptology science it was postulated that the name of Moses, with a similar pronunciation as the Hebrew Moshe is the Egyptian word for Son, with the Pharaohs named Tutmose called so as the “son of Tut”. According to the article “Thutmose II” in “ancient-egypt-online(dot)com”, “Thutmose means “born of Thoth”. Whether “Moses” means “born” or “son”, it seems that “(Thut)mose”, “Moses” and “Musa” are related/same words)(Allah knows best)

2:50 And when We parted the sea for you, then We saved you, and We drowned the people of Pharaoh while you were looking.

(Another candidate for Pharaoh of Exodus is Thutmose III)(The article “List of pharaons” in wikipedia says that the title “Pharaoh” was not used to address the kings of Egypt by their contemporaries until the rule of Merneptah, but this information is contradicted by the article “New Kingdom of Egypt” in wikipedia, which says that during the reign of Thutmose III (circa 1479-1425 BCE), pharaoh, originally referring to the king’s palace, became a form of address for a person who was king)(According to the article “List of pharaohs” in wikipedia, Thutmose III’s reign is dated from 1458 to 1425 BC, and Merneptah’s reign is dated from 1213 to 1203 BC. The suggestions about the lifespan of Moses do not clarify who is the Pharaoh of Exodus, because they differ too much. According to the article “Moses” in Wikipedia, “Rabbinical Judaism calculated a lifespan of Moses corresponding to 1391-1271 BCE; Jerome suggested 1592 BCE, and James Ussher suggested 1571 BCE as his birth year)(According to the article “Thutmose III” in “mummipedia(dot)fandom(dot)com”, “the cause of death of Thutmose III is unknown”)(Allah knows best)

43:54 So he bluffed his people, and they obeyed him. Indeed, they were a defiantly disobedient people.

(Another point is that the body of Pharaoh was to be missed, because Egyptians did not have the technology to find and raise his body in the bottom of the sea. But God saved his body. According to the article “Pharaoh’s Mummy” in “miracles-of-quran(dot)com”, “The problem is that Pharaoh wore body armor that would have sunk his corpse to the bottom of the sea. But we already discovered all mummies of Pharaohs in the New Kingdom. There is no such thing as a missing Pharaoh’s mummy from the time of Moses. So if he really drowned then his body armor should have sunk his corpse to the bottom of the sea and his body should be missing today”)(According to the article “Defensive Equipment of the Egyptian Army” by “Jimmy Dunn writing as Troy Fox”, “Because the climate, very little armor was ever worn in Africa. In Egypt’s Old and Middle Kingdom, Egyptian soldiers never wore armor. … generally soldiers are depicted without any body protection. Again the pharaohs were, not surprisingly, the exception. Ramesses II fighting as a charioteer was portrayed wearing scale armor with sleeves, covering the whole torso. The scales were bronze, attached through holes to a skirt. His legs were of course protected by the chariot, etc.)(According to the article “Military of ancient Egypt” in wikipedia, “The pharaohs often wore scale armour with inlaid semi-precious stones, which offered better protection, the stones being harder than the metal used for arrow tips”)(Another point is that the Bible also confirms that Pharaoh was drowned. Psalm 136:15 says, “but swept Pharaoh and his army into the Red Sea”)(Allah knows best)

7:137 And We made inheritors, the people who were considered weak - the eastern (parts) of the land and the western (parts) of it, which We blessed. And the best word of your Lord was fulfilled for the Children of Israel because they were patient. And We destroyed what Pharaoh and his people used to make, and what they used to erect.

(Pharaoh’s wife (66:11) and the magicians (7:120-121) became believers, so they were not among “people of Pharaoh” anymore. So the land was inherited by the weak ones among the Egyptians themselves, who are not to be considered “people of Pharaoh”; Verse 10:83 confirms that people did not believe Moses for fear of Pharaoh and their chiefs, lest they would persecute them, because Pharaoh was a tyrant (10:83). On the other hand, Children of Israel was led across the sea (7:138)(rather than staying there))(Allah knows best)

51:38 And in Musa/(Moses), when We sent him to Firaun/(Pharaoh) with a clear authority. 51:39 But he turned away with his supporters and said, "A magician or a madman." 51:40 So We took him and his hosts and [We] threw them into the sea, while he (was) blameworthy.

73:16 But Firaun/(Pharaoh) disobeyed the Messenger, so We seized him (with) a ruinous seizure.

(Another (less likely) candidate for Pharaoh of the Exodus is “Akhenaten”. According to the article “akhenaten” in “discoveringegypt(dot)com”, he changed his name from Amenhotep (“Amun is Pleased”) to Akhenaten, or “Servant of the Aten” thus formally declaring his new religion”. The Qur’an suggests that Pharaoh did not deny the existence or possible existence of other deities. Likewise Akhenaten practiced “Henotheism” which is the worship of a single, supreme god that does not deny the existence or possible existence of other deities. But according to the Qur’an, Pharaoh (of the Exodus) believed himself to be a god, and the Verses do not suggest that he replaced Amun by Aten, because Haman (aka “servant of Amun”) kept his name)(In conclusion, I personally think that the Pharaoh of the Exodus was Thutmose II)(Allah knows best)

See also: Is there any contradiction in the Qur'an? (15) (Miscellaneous)

http://aqtthq.blogspot.com.es/2017/03/refutation-of-so-called-external.html

See also: Is there any contradiction in the Qur'an? (0) (Index)

https://aqtthq.blogspot.com.es/2017/03/refutation-of-so-called-internal.html

See also: Pharaoh or Pharaohs? Why was only one un-named Pharaoh narrated to be preserved, and as a sign, in the Qur’an, while many of them were usually and equally preserved?

http://aqtthq.blogspot.com.es/2017/01/pharaoh-or-pharaohs-why-was-only.html