The magicians who stood up
In Pharaoh's Egypt, the most powerful man on earth called his best magicians to defeat Moses (peace be upon him) in front of the whole people. The Qur'an tells how they threw down their ropes and staffs, and how what Moses threw swallowed up everything they had made. The magicians knew their craft. They recognised at once that this was not a trick. They fell down in prostration and said: “We believe in the Lord of Aaron and Moses.”
Pharaoh was furious. He had not given them permission. He threatened them with the worst punishments a king could order.
Their answer is one of the bravest lines in the Qur'an: “They said: We choose thee not above the clear proofs that have come unto us, and above Him Who created us. So decree what thou wilt decree. Thou wilt end for us only this life of the world.” (20:72, Pickthall).
Muslim commentators loved this story because it shows what al-Qahhār means for ordinary people. The magicians had no army. But they had seen that Pharaoh's power had an edge, and that God's did not. The One, the Overwhelming, is the reason a tyrant's threats are not final.
And the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ (peace be upon him) taught that God wrote: “My mercy prevails over My anger” (Bukhari 3194).
What each faith says
Judaism
“That bringeth princes to nothing; He maketh the judges of the earth as a thing of nought.”
Isaiah 40:23 · JPS 1917
The Hebrew Bible says again and again that every human power gives way before God. Isaiah describes the One who “bringeth princes to nothing”. The Exodus story, retold every Passover, celebrates a God who broke the power of Pharaoh to free slaves.
After the crossing of the sea, the Song of Moses ends with a single line about whose reign lasts: “The LORD shall reign for ever and ever” (Exodus 15:18).
Every synagogue service ends with Aleinu, which looks to the day when “the LORD will be one, and his name one” (Zechariah 14:9). And at the Passover Seder, families spill a drop of wine for each of the ten plagues, so that no cup is full while others suffered, even the oppressors.
Christianity
“The last enemy that will be abolished is death.”
1 Corinthians 15:26 · WEB
Christianity speaks of God overcoming every power that harms His creatures, including the last and greatest: death. Christians believe Christ's resurrection was the first sign of that victory.
The book of Revelation ends with a picture not of domination but of healing: God wiping away every tear. For Christians, God's final victory is good news for those who suffer.
At Easter, Orthodox Christians greet each other with “Christ is risen!” and answer “Truly he is risen!” And enslaved Christians in America sang ‘Go down, Moses… let my people go’, finding in Pharaoh's fall a promise for themselves.
Islam
“If Allah had willed to choose a son, He could have chosen what He would of that which He hath created. Be He Glorified! He is Allah, the One, the Absolute.”
Qur'an 39:4 · Pickthall (1930)
Al-Qahhār appears six times in the Qur'an, and every time with another Name, usually al-Wāḥid, the One (13:16; 14:48; 38:65; 39:4; 40:16). Classical scholars explained it as the One to whom every creature, power and force is subject, and before whom every power reaches its end. Nothing in creation can resist Him or outlast its term.
Muslim teachers took care to keep this Name in balance. The Qur'an pairs His overwhelming power with wisdom and knowledge (6:18), and the Prophet taught that His mercy prevails over His anger. For believers, the Name is a reason for humility: never to dominate others.
Same and different
All three faiths teach that every earthly power gives way before God, and all three tell the Exodus story of a tyrant overcome and slaves set free. There is no exact Jewish or Christian Name for al-Qahhār; the nearest are the prophets' words about princes brought to nothing and the Christian hope of death defeated. Islam gives the idea a Name, always paired with God's oneness and set beside His mercy and wisdom. All three warn people not to imitate God's power by dominating others.
A moment to reflect
- Which powers in your life feel overwhelming? Do they have an edge?
- What gives you courage when someone more powerful tries to frighten you?
- Where have you seen someone powerless stand up to someone powerful?
Watch
The Environment Agency on how the Thames Barrier protects London: the ‘At our best’ rung.
A timelapse of how glaciers move and carve the land: the ‘In nature’ rung.
TED-Ed on entropy: why every engine, star and empire runs down.
Do it together
On a beach or in a sandpit, build the biggest sandcastle you can, then watch the tide or a watering can take it. Talk about empires, glaciers and barriers, and what it means that only One power never ends.
Visit the Thames Barrier Information Centre at Woolwich (check opening times first). Afterwards, read Isaiah 40:23 and Qur'an 6:18 and talk about the limits of human power over nature.
Try the Passover Seder custom with juice. As you name ten hard things in the world, each person dips a finger and lets one drop fall from their cup for each. Talk about why a celebration might keep room for other people's pain.
Learn the spiritual ‘Go down, Moses’, first sung by enslaved African Americans. Talk about how a story of Pharaoh brought low gave hope to people with no power at all.
Go deeper
- Environment Agency: the Thames Barrier · article
- British Geological Survey: the last ice age in Britain · article
- Qur'an 20:65-73 on Quran.com · scripture
- Isaiah 40 on Sefaria · scripture
- Exodus 15 on Sefaria: the Song at the Sea · scripture
- 1 Corinthians 15 (WEB): death, the last enemy · scripture
Sources (5)
- British Empire c.1920 covered about a quarter of the world's land and a fifth of its people: Encyclopaedia Britannica, British Empire
- Ice sheet up to about 1 km thick over Scotland at the Last Glacial Maximum: British Geological Survey
- Thames Barrier operational since 1982; closed over 200 times; protects about 1.4 million people: Environment Agency, GOV.UK
- Planning to replace the Barrier later this century (Thames Estuary 2100): Environment Agency, TE2100 Plan
- ‘My mercy prevails over My anger’: Sahih al-Bukhari 3194