RECORD OF THE DISCOVERY OF THE QABATS THAT THE CHILDREN OF ESRÂIL HAD DEPARTED; FARA’ÛN’S PRO­CEEDING WITH HIS ARMY IN PURSUIT OF THEM, AND HIS REACHING [WITH HIS ARMY] THE FIRE BY WAY OF WATER.

When the Qabats arose on the morning of the 9th of Muharram from their sleep, and perceived none of the children of Esrâil, they guessed what had taken place, and nearly went mad on account of the loss of their property. They shouted, lamented, hastened to the palace of Fara’ûn, and informed him of the event. He ordered his army to assemble and wished to march that very moment in pursuit of the children of Esrâil, but as an unexpected calamity had overtaken the families of the Qabats, in that most of their maidens and wives migrated to the abode of perdition, the intention could not be executed [on that day]. The next morning, which was the 10th of Muharram and the eve of the adversity [to come], Fara’ûn marched with an innumerable army in all haste after Mûsa.* When six hours of the day had elapsed, the vanguard of Fara’ûn’s army approached the left wing of Mûsa’s host; the children of Esrâil perceived the impending danger, and exclaimed: ‘O prophet of Allah, the enemy has arrived, and we shall undoubtedly be made prisoners.’

Distich:

In rear the sword’s fire, the sea’s water in front; With eyes behold, and pity with thy heart our evil fate.

Mûsa replied: ‘The Creator—whose name be exalted and sanctified—has announced to me success and victory, and His promises are true. Be not dismayed, for this moment we shall be rejoiced.’ Then Jebrâil the faithful descended and brought a revelation, saying: ‘Smite the sea with thy staff.’* Mûsa then raised his hands in prayer, and said: ‘My God! Thee we praise and to Thee we complain. Thou art our refuge. There is no power nor strength except with God the Most High and Great.’ After he had terminated this prayer, he struck his staff on the sea, exclaiming: ‘Be thou divided, O father of Khâled [sic], by the permission of Allah the Most High.’ That very moment the sea became divided into twelve streets, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Esrâil, having between them walls of water standing out in the air like twelve vaults. The breeze of grace blew, the sun of the favour of God shone, and the bottom of the sea became dry forthwith. The tribes entered their respective streets, and on account of the transparency of the partitions they were able to see each other. There is a tradition which informs us, that on account of the apprehensions entertained by the sons of Esrâil, because they could not see their clansmen, the waters between each tribe were, by the prayers of the Lord Mûsa, so reticulated that all the tribes had a mutual view of each other. Mûsa remained on the shore until some of the people of Esrâil had entered the sea, whereon he like­wise stepped in by order of Jebrâil, and within the time of four hours all the people of Mûsa had, through that dread­ful sea, crossed over to the shore of safety. When Fara’ûn had arrived and beheld the sea in that condition he began to tremble from the intensity of his terror, being amazed at the power of the Omniscient Sovereign, and at the prodigy of the Lord Mûsa. Plunged in astonishment at the sight of the passages through the water, he vacillated between the idea of returning to Egypt or adopting the religion of Mûsa, and began to consult Hâmân concerning these two points, but that accursed and unhallowed individual dis­suaded Fara’ûn from his [good] intention, and said: ‘As thou hast during four hundred years reigned over the inhabitants of the world as a god and sovereign, enjoying the rank of a deity and supreme ruler, wouldst thou not be ashamed to allow Mûsa and the sons of Esrâil to cross this water by sorcery, and wouldst thou retreat in order to allow them to escape, and to let thy shame become a matter of history unto all generations? After all, what else can we suppose but that this water has stood up for fear of thee, and has thus been split up on account of thy great wrath? Let us try to overtake the sons of Esrâil, and so revenge ourselves upon them.’ Fara’ûn succumbed to the deceit­ful words of Hâmân, and having been misled by the delirious suggestions of his wazir, transgressed the ways of reason, and alighting in his arrogance from his courser, he leapt into the sea and was followed by his entire army. Some assert that on the said day the number of Fara’ûn’s army amounted to one million and seven hundred thousand men. It is also related that on the above occasion Jebrâil preceded the vanguard of Fara’ûn’s army, mounted on a mare, the smell of which allured all the horses to follow her into the depths of the sea, whilst [the angel] Michael was in the rear of the misguided host, and kept the stragglers close to the army. When the vanguard of the Qabats had nearly reached the [opposite] shore, and the rearguard had likewise entered the sea, the particles of water united with each other by the mandate of God, and having become one volume they destroyed the obdurate and the rebellious.*

It is recorded in the ‘Labâb-ut-tafâsir’ that once upon a time the waters of the Nile had disappeared, and that the people went to Fara’ûn for the purpose of causing them to flow as before. Fara’ûn then ordered every one of his attendants and servants to mount a horse and to proceed to the plain, where the Amirs and notables of the kingdom also took their stations. Fara’ûn himself retired from the people, alighted from his horse in a secluded spot, prostrated himself on the ground, spread out the carpet of petition, represented his helplessness to the Lord of Magnificence, and forwarded the request of the Qabats to the Lord of lords. The Most High responded, and sent Jebrâil to Fara’ûn, to ask him the following question: ‘What will be the reward of that servant who has become great by the favour of his Omnipotent Nourisher, but has afterwards rebelled and sinned against Him, laying claims even to the grandeur of a deity?’ Fara’ûn then handed to Jebrâil a page, of which the following were the contents: ‘This is what Ab-ul-A’bbâs Alvalid, the son of Ma’sab, of the dynasty of Riân, says, “The reward of a slave who disobeys his Lord and becomes ungrateful to Him is to be drowned in the sea.”’ Jebrâil took the writing from him and returned, but when Fara’ûn was being drowned, he showed and read it out to him. Fara’ûn, who had become certain of his destruction, now exclaimed: ‘I believe that there is no God but He in whom the children of Esrâil believe.’ But as faith, extorted by terror, is not acceptable at the palace of monotheism, Jebrâil took up a handful of mud from the bottom of the sea, struck him therewith on the mouth and said: ‘Now [dost thou believe], though thou hast been hitherto rebellious and one of the wicked doers?’*

Distich:

An infidel slave showing faith Is, according to wisdom, far from God.