VARIOUS AND SUCCESSIVE CALAMITIES

      The propagandistic system of Pharaoh interpreted the signs and miracles of Moses (AS) as sorcery and magic to common people in order to undervalue them: ``And they said: Whatever of signs you may bring to us for charming us with it, we will not believe.''

      God is very patient, and hastens not to seize His servants in the middle of the whirlpool of sinning suddenly and at once. His custom is to warn and give ultimatum and when the admonitions and gentle reproofs fail, then comes the turn of painful chastisement. So was the case with Pharaoh and his people:

      ``So We sent upon them the storm, locust, lice, frogs, and blood, but they scorned them.''

      The Arabic word, `TOOFطN' translated to, `STROM' means a widespread calamity that may cause a wholesale slaughter and destruction like flood, typhoon or epidemic diseases.

      Altogether nine clear signs have been ascribed to Moses in this chapter of Quran, as his miracles which follows: 1- the rod. 2- the radiant hand. 3- the year of drought 4- the year of short crops. 5- the storm. 6- the year of locust. 7- the year of lice. 8- the year of frogs and 9- the year of blood.

THE SAME MIRACLES IN THE BIBLE

      Some of the signs that are mentioned above have been also cited in the Old Testement as follows:

THE SNAKE (EXODUS- 7: 10)

      By the command of God, once again Moses and Aaron went to the king and asked for the release of Israelites, but the king refused.

      Moses threw his stick down in front of the king and his courtiers, and the stick turned into a snake! Then the king called for his wise men and magicians, and by their magic they did the same thing. They too threw down their sticks, but Moses' stick swallowed theirs. The king however remained stubborn and did not listen to Moses.

THE FROGS (EXODUS - 8: 6)

      God ordered Moses and he held his stick over the river, and frogs came out in millions and covered the land of Egypt.

      The king called Moses and said: ``Pray to thy Lord to take away these frogs, and I will let your people go with you.... Then Moses prayed to the Lord to take away the frogs, and the frogs died away. But again the king became stubborn and did not listen to Moses.''

THE BLOOD (EXODUS - 7: 20)

      In the presence of the king, Moses raised his stick and struck the surface of the river and all the water in it was turned into blood, and the fish in the river died, and the water smelt so bad that Egyptains could not drink, but still the king refused to listen to Moses and Aaron.   TRANSLATOR'S NOTE)