The Pyramid of Power: The Firawn Formula That Still Rules the World Today
Understanding and Defeating Modern Day Tyranny Through the Qu'ran
We all love a bad boy, right?
The bad boy is cool, dangerous, exciting and sexy.
He doesn't play by the rules; he's the ultimate rebel, sticking a middle finger up at the system whilst riding his Harley Davidson into the sunset.
The opposite, the nice guy is boring, square, a nerd. Religious, perhaps. Maybe even the type you make fun of. A Ned Flanders, if you will.
What is it about bad boys we love so much?
We live in an age that glorifies the bad boy.
A bad boy, in its most extreme version, left untreated and unchecked, can descend into becoming a tyrant.
As the saying goes:
"Too many yeses can make anyone into a tyrant."
Tyranny as a theme is one as old as time. And it's one that merits further study, especially when looking at current events.
There's something about the subject of tyranny that has always captivated human attention. Right from the story of Adam (as), there's always been a good vs evil narrative.
But why should we bother understanding it? Is it simply a matter of morality, or is there something more profound that we should be aware of?
The greatest trick of modern tyrants isn't convincing the world they don't exist.
It's actually convincing the world they're necessary.
We live in an age where oppression wears the mask of protection. Where surveillance is sold as security. Where theft is rebranded as policy. Where genocide masquerades as self-defence.
Yet none of this is new.
The Quran - a book revealed 1,400 years ago - presents us with the archetypal tyrant, and it’s a blueprint so precise that it serves as both warning and weapon for those who understand it.
This is Firawn (Pharaoh), mentioned alongside Musa (as) (Moses) in 28 of the Quran's 30 chapters. And there's a reason why this story is the most frequently mentioned narrative in the Quran, referenced more than any other prophet's journey, including Muhammad's (saw).
It's because Firawn's era is the most similar to our time today and represents the constant struggle against tyranny that is eternally replayed throughout human history.
Understanding this model is not just academic or theory. In today’s world, it could even mean survival.
The Pyramid of Power: Understanding the Anatomy of Tyrannical Control
The Pharaonic model of control is symbolised perfectly by the pyramid - a structure with a human apex, represented by Firawn and his inner circle. The rest of society exists merely to support this structure.
In the Qur’anic narrative, this system has four essential components:
1. The Political Component (Firawn)
This is the arm that enforces and dictates laws to gain control over society. Firawn represents raw political power - the ability to command, decree, and decide the fate of millions with a word.
"Behold, Pharaoh exalted himself in the land and divided its people into castes. One group of them he deemed utterly low; he would slaughter their sons and spare (only) their women: for, behold, he was one of those who spread corruption [on earth]." (Quran 28:4)
Modern tyrants follow the same playbook - exalting themselves above law, dividing populations into manageable groups, and targeting the most vulnerable for control or elimination.
2. The Military-Industrial Component (Haman)
Haman was Firawn's chief architect and minister, representing the military-industrial complex. His role was to build the infrastructure for enforcement and control – the towers and monuments that projected power and enabled surveillance.
"And Firawn said: 'O Haman! Build me a tower that I might reach the ways...'" [Quran 40:36]
Today, this manifests as military establishments, surveillance infrastructure, security apparatus, and the systems that enforce the will of those in power. Haman represents not just construction, but the organising force that implements the tyrant's will through physical means, such as the police force and the military.
This military might gives both the political and economic systems the power to enforce their will. In the Quran, Allah deems all participants in this system as wrongdoers - which is a powerful reminder that "just following orders" is no excuse for enabling tyranny.
"Evil isn't spread by the order giver. It is spread by the order follower." Mark Passio
3. The Economic Component (Qaroon)
The third pillar is economic control, represented by Qaroon. Though from among the Children of Israel, he aligned himself with the oppressive system through his hoarding of wealth.
"Indeed, Qaroon was from the people of Moses, but he oppressed them. And We gave him treasures whose keys would burden a band of strong men." [Quran 28:76]
Qaroon embodied economic elitism – believing his wealth came from his superior knowledge and merit:
"He said, 'I was only given it because of knowledge I possess.'" [Quran 28:78]
In modern terms, Qaroon represents the billionaires accumulating wealth beyond reasonable need, financial institutions that create dependency through debt, the crippling interest-based system and other economic systems that concentrate resources in the hands of few while claiming this inequality is justified.
This economic component serves a crucial role in sustaining tyranny – funding the system, creating dependence, and providing the material incentives that keep people serving the regime even against their better judgment.
4. The Psychological Component (The Magicians)
Perhaps most relevant to our modern era are the "magicians" - those who bewitch people, creating illusions that hide reality. They make sticks appear as snakes. They convince people that falsehood is truth.
In today's world, these are the propagandists, the media conglomerates, the algorithm designers, and the narrative controllers who shape public perception. Hollywood. The music industry.
They perform their sorcery through screens rather than staffs, but the effect is the same - mass delusion.
The Netflix Guide to Tyranny vs. The Quranic Blueprint
There's actually a series on Netflix called 'How to Become a Tyrant'.
Narrated by Peter Dinklage, it's a tongue-in-cheek, pretty light-hearted look at some of the biggest dictators of the last century and discusses the strategy and the core steps required to emulate them.
In a nutshell, according to Netflix, the steps are to:
Seize Power - shown through a despotic Adolf Hitler rising from nowhere and winning hearts and minds.
Crush Your Rivals - shown through a ruthless Saddam Hussein killing off his political enemies.
Reign Through Terror - which looked at keeping control over the population through the example of Idi Amin.
Control the Truth - Joseph Stalin found controlling the truth through public relations and altering history to be useful in his tyrannical pursuits.
Create a New Society - This episode focused on Muammar Gaddafi who decided that civil liberties had to go when reshaping society.
Rule Forever - Seizing power is difficult, holding on to it is even more difficult; this episode looks at the lengths Kim in North Korea took to ensure he remained in place.
So if you want to be a tyrant in the world today, this is apparently the playbook as showcased by the leading examples from the recent past.
Or is it?
What else does the Qur'an have to say about the tyrants of the more distant past?
The Qur’anic model goes deeper, showing us that tyranny isn't just about tactical manoeuvres but about an entire worldview opposed to human dignity and divine purpose.
Firawn's strategies included:
Enslaving the believers
Killing men and boys (targeting lineage and leadership)
Using magic/illusion to control perception
Dividing society into sects
Claiming divinity ("I do not know of any god for you but myself." Quran 28:38)
Making everyone serve his system, not God's
The parallels to modern governance are frighteningly clear.
From surveillance states that monitor citizens' every move to educational systems that indoctrinate rather than liberate, from economic structures that ensure dependence to media ecosystems that manufacture consent - we are living in a global implementation of the Pharaonic model.
We too are enslaved and divided in every sphere. Men and boys were originally killed by wars and the modern day version has been to emasculate, imprison and kill their spirit through the rise of feminism, to glorify violence (and let them rot in jail) or to numb their attention through gaming, drugs and other addictions.
The fact we have a world which celebrates ‘secularism’ - i.e. the removal of spirituality from the state - is the essence of serving a system other than God’s.
Arundhati Roy's Masterclass on Tyranny
To truly understand how tyranny functions at a psychological level, consider this devastating breakdown from Arundhati Roy:
"To slow a beast, you break its limbs. To slow a nation, you break its people. You rob them of volition. You demonstrate your absolute command over their destiny. You make it clear that ultimately, it falls to you to decide who lives, who dies, who prospers, who doesn't. To exhibit your capability, you show off all that you can do and how easily you can do it. How easily you could press a button and annihilate the earth. How you can start a war or sue for peace. How you can snatch a river away from one and gift it to another. How you can green a desert or fell a forest and plant one somewhere else. You use Caprice to fracture a people's faith in ancient things, earth, forest, water, air. Once that's done, what do they have left? Only you. They will turn to you because you're all they have. They will love you even while they despise you. They will trust you, even though they know you well. They will vote for you even as you squeeze the very breath from their bodies. They will drink what you give them to drink. They will breathe, what you give them to breathe. They will live where you dump their belongings. They have to. What else can they do? There's no higher court of redress. You are their mother and their father. You are the judge and the jury. You are the World. You are God."
Let that sink in.
Arundhati Roy is a great writer but this isn't just creative poetic language. She absolutely hits the nail on the head with a precise dissection of how tyranny operates:
Physical control - Breaking the limbs, controlling movement
Psychological control - Robbing people of volition and agency
Demonstration of absolute power - Making arbitrary decisions about life and death
Destruction of traditional anchors - Breaking faith in anything beyond the tyrant
Creation of dependency - Becoming the only source of sustenance and direction
Replacing the divine - Positioning as the ultimate authority, even as "God"
This is the Pharaonic playbook laid bare.
It's how Firawn operated in ancient Egypt, and it's how tyrants operate today - whether in obvious dictatorships or in the subtle tyrannies of supposedly "free" societies.
The genius of this system is that it doesn't just control bodies; it colonises minds from a very young age.
It doesn't just take freedom; it makes people forget what freedom feels like.
Modern Manifestations of Tyranny
To understand how the Pharaonic model manifests today, we need look no further than the state of Israel - a case study in tyranny's evolution.
In 1898, the body of Firawn was discovered as a sign for future generations - those people to come after him who will live like he lived and die like he died.
“So, today (O Pharoah), We shall preserve your body, so that you may become a sign for those who will succeed you. And many of the people are heedless of Our signs.” Qur’an 10:92
Interestingly, just one year earlier, in 1897, leader Theodor Herzl convened the First Zionist Congress which within 50 years had gathered enough momentum and influence that it succeeded in its chief aim, to set up a Jewish State.
"At Basel I founded the Jewish State. If I said this out loud today, l would be greeted by universal laughter. In five years perhaps, and certainly in fifty years, everyone will perceive it." - (Theodor Herzl, 3 September 1897)
What began as terrorist organisations like Irgun, Lehi (the Stern Gang), and Haganah evolved into the military and political establishment of a nation-state. The leaders of yesterday's terrorist organisations became today's prime ministers and presidents.
As the research shows, these organisations were responsible for:
The Nakba of 1948, destroying 531 Palestinian towns and villages
The massacre of at least 15,000 Palestinians
The forced expulsion of 700,000 Palestinians from their homes
Not to mention the genocide we have all witnessed in Gaza this past 18 months.
These acts mirror Firawn's oppression of the Israelites - the ultimate historical irony that reminds us how easily the oppressed can eventually become oppressors when the Pharaonic model is embraced rather than rejected.
Are these the very people who the Qur’an mentioned Firawn’s mummified remains would be a sign to to who will succeed Firawn in ‘living like Firawn lived, and dying like he died?’
But this isn't about one nation or conflict. This is an entire system that is pervasive.
The Pharaonic model exists in varying degrees across the globe - in authoritarian regimes, corporate oligarchies, and even in the subtle tyrannies of social control that permeate the ‘free world’ as we know it today.
Why Tyrants Fear the Prophetic Model
What terrifies the Pharaonic system is simple truth, not armies or force.
Musa (as) after all, didn't come to Firawn with an army. He came with a message and a miracle. He exposed the fundamental lie at the heart of tyranny: that some humans have the right to rule over others as gods.
This is why the Prophetic element is so feared by modern tyrants. It tells people they were not created to serve human masters or to merely accumulate wealth, but to worship Allah. It reminds them of their innate dignity and divine purpose.
The confrontation between Musa and Firawn was more than just politics - it was a clash between two fundamentally opposed worldviews:
The Pharaonic worldview: Human beings exist to serve other human beings
The Prophetic worldview: Human beings exist to serve their Creator
These worldviews remain in eternal opposition.
One leads to slavery, the other to liberation.
What's particularly fascinating is that Musa was raised in Firawn's house.
The agent of the tyrant's downfall came from within his own system. This pattern repeats throughout history - the most effective resistance often emerges from within the structures of power.
Maybe this is a sign that the resistance to modern day tyranny could emerge from the West?
As the Quranic narrative shows, while the Pharaonic model can make sticks look like snakes (illusion), the Prophetic model's truth swallows up these falsehoods (reality).
This is why controlling the narrative is so essential to modern tyranny - and why speaking truth is the most revolutionary act possible.
The Prophetic Circle: A Blueprint for Liberation
If the Pharaonic model is represented by a pyramid with power concentrated at the top, the Prophetic model is better visualised as a circle - where guidance, responsibility, and service flow in multiple directions rather than just downward.
This is a practical blueprint for organising human society that directly counters each component of tyrannical control.
Tawhid (Divine Unity) at the Center
While the Pharaonic model places a human at the apex claiming godlike authority ("I do not know of any god for you but myself"), the Prophetic model places God alone at the center.
This fundamental principle prevents the deification of any person or institution.
In practical terms, this means no individual or group can claim ultimate, unquestionable authority. All are servants, even those in positions of leadership. As the Prophet Muhammad (saw) stated:
"The leader of a people is their servant."
Shura (Consultation) Instead of Dictation
Where Firawn issues commands without accountability, the Prophetic model emphasizes mutual consultation. The Quran itself commands:
"...and consult with them in affairs" (3:159).
This creates a system where decisions emerge from collective wisdom rather than individual whim. Leadership becomes stewardship rather than ownership—a trust (amanah) that will be accounted for.
Adl (Justice) Over Exploitation
Rather than concentrating wealth in the hands of the few, the Prophetic model establishes economic justice. This includes mechanisms that ensure wealth circulates rather than concentrates - zakat (mandatory charity), prohibition of riba (exploitative interest), and emphasis on fair trade.
The result is an economy that serves human needs rather than human greed. As Ali (ra) said,
"God has established the right of the poor in the wealth of the rich."
Rahmah (Mercy) Instead of Force
Where the Pharaonic model rules through fear and force, the Prophetic alternative operates through mercy and compassion. The Prophet Muhammad (saw) was described as "a mercy to all the worlds" (Quran 21:107) - his authority came from moral example rather than coercion.
This transforms the nature of power itself. Protection emerges from mutual care rather than threat of punishment. Community safety replaces state surveillance. We are interdependent creatures after all, and we have a duty of care to support one another.
Truth Over Illusion
Instead of magicians who distort reality, the Prophetic model values those who speak truth regardless of consequence. The concept of "bearing witness to truth" (the shahadah) is central to Islamic practice, after all.
In this system, education focuses on critical thinking rather than compliance. Media serves accountability rather than power. And individuals are encouraged to verify rather than simply consume information.
As they say, the truth shall set you free.
Throughout history, circular systems of mutual responsibility have consistently outperformed hierarchical systems of control in creating sustainable human flourishing.
Musa (as) himself wasn't just fighting against Pharaoh's system - he was implementing this alternative model that would eventually replace it. The liberation of his people wasn't just freedom from something, but freedom to something better.
This is why tyrants throughout history have feared prophetic movements more than military opposition. Armies challenge their forces, but prophets challenge their fundamental claim to authority by offering a better way to organise human society.
The question for us is not just how to resist modern Pharaohs, but how to build these circular systems of mutual responsibility and service in our communities, organisations, and relationships.
The Path to Victory: Becoming Modern-Day Musas
Understanding the Pharaonic model isn't enough. We must respond to it.
The question is: can we be the Musas of our time? And if so, how?
1. Recognise the Enemy
Musa knew his enemy well, partly because he was raised in Firawn's palace. To effectively counteract tyranny, you have to understand it thoroughly. Whether it's political overreach, economic exploitation, or social injustice - knowing what you're up against is the first step toward dismantling it.
2. Unity in Community
One of Firawn's primary strategies was division - "Behold, Pharaoh exalted himself in the land and divided its people into castes." Musa's message was one of unity and equality. Build community around shared values to counteract the divisive tactics of modern Firawns. This is their first tactic - and one we always seem to fall for. Do not be divided, be like brothers and sisters.
3. Challenge the System with Truth
Musa didn't just pray for Firawn's downfall; he actively challenged the tyrant's oppressive rules. In today's context, this can translate to civic engagement, peaceful protest, and leveraging media to bring attention to injustice. But also with leverage - create alternative media, build collective wealth through adding huge value in technology and businesses.
Silence is a tyrant's best friend, so speak up and act accordingly. But with wisdom.
4. Self-Mastery: The Ultimate Weapon
Musa had an unwavering belief in the Divine and a mastery over his own abilities, leading him to confront Firawn fearlessly. Achieving similar mastery - whether over your skills, emotions, or spiritual state - gives you the personal power to face adversity.
This could be seen as the modern equivalent of Musa's staff - a tool that, when used correctly, can defeat the biggest of tyrants.
5. Break Dependencies on Tyrannical Systems
Firawn's system was built on dependence; he wanted people to rely solely on his governance for food, shelter, and basic necessities. Today, we can break free from similar systems by striving for self-sufficiency - whether that's growing your own food, developing community support networks, or learning essential life skills.
We have the world’s information at our fingertips - there really are no excuses.
6. Submit to the True Source of Power
The most powerful weapon against tyranny is recognising where true power resides. Tyranny's strength is ultimately an illusion - a mirage that dissipates when confronted with divine reality.
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.” 10:88
As Musa demonstrated, true submission to God is the ultimate liberation from human tyranny. There is no power except with Allah. This understanding doesn't make us passive - it makes us unstoppable.
"So when they had thrown, Moses said: 'What you have brought is sorcery. Allah will surely make it of no effect; verily Allah does not set right the work of mischief-makers.'" (Quran 10:81)
When you align yourself with truth, the illusions of power crumble. The truth indeed sets you free. Your job is to do what you need to do and leave the rest to God - trust in Allah, but tie your camel.
The Inevitable End of All Tyrants
The Quranic narrative offers one final, powerful lesson: every Firawn eventually meets his Red Sea.
"So, today (O Pharaoh), We shall preserve your body, so that you may become a sign for those who will succeed you. And many of the people are heedless of Our signs." (Quran 10:92)
The greatest empires fall. The mightiest dictators perish. The most elaborate systems of control eventually collapse under their own weight - no matter how ‘great’ they once were.
But the collapse of tyranny isn't automatic.
It requires those who recognise it to stand against it, to speak truth to power, and to offer an alternative vision of human organisation based on dignity, justice, and divine purpose.
Workplace Tyranny: The Corporate Pharaoh
This model of control is not just at the very top. It trickles down throughout society as we know it. Let’s take the workplace, as another example.
You spend more waking hours at work than anywhere else.
Did you ever stop to consider you might be serving a modern Pharaoh from 9 to 5?
In the toxic workplace, the Pharaonic model operates with frightening precision, often disguised as "management" or "corporate culture."
The toxic boss, whether a CEO, manager, or team leader, frequently deploys the same four-part system of control that Firawn perfected millennia ago.
The Political Component (Firawn)
"That's not your concern."
"We don't pay you to think."
"That decision has been made at a higher level."
Sound familiar?
The workplace Firawn creates an environment where authority is absolute and questioning is career suicide. They don't lead, they rule.
This manifests as arbitrary authority and decision-making power concentrated in the hands of leaders who demand unquestioning obedience.
This leader positions themselves as the ultimate authority, building systems where their approval is required for even minor decisions, creating bottlenecks that reinforce dependency on their judgment.
The "open door policy" exists alongside the unspoken knowledge that walking through that door with the wrong question means walking out without a future.
They've mastered the art of making arbitrary decisions seem like strategic brilliance, leaving you constantly adjusting to their whims while they position themselves as visionaries, and take all the credit for your slave labour.
The Military-Industrial Component (Haman)
The workplace Haman doesn't need to build monuments, because they build the all-important “systems.”
Productivity tracking software. Keystroke monitoring. Cameras. "Casual" check-ins. PDP’s. Performance metrics that measure activity rather than impact.
In the company handbook, there’s a policy for everything. An I.T. policy. The working from home policy. The sick leave and annual leave policy. Then they enforce through verbal and written warnings, or worse still, daily micro-aggressions that eventually cause the proverbial death by a thousand cuts.
Like Mao’s Red Book, these strict policies micromanage every aspect of behaviour, from bathroom breaks to dress codes. The message is clear: we don't trust you, so we must control you. This surveillance creates a climate of anxiety where employees perform compliance rather than engaging authentically with their work.
The modern work tyrant doesn't just watch what you do, it reshapes how you think. You eventually become your own prison guard, self-censoring and performing compliance even when nobody's watching.
The surveillance isn't about improving performance. It's about breaking your spirit until compliance becomes your default setting.
You don’t realise the damage, until years later, you’ve lost yourself, lost your confidence and have no idea how it all happened.
The Economic Component (Qaroon)
Money isn't just compensation in the toxic workplace, it's a control mechanism.
Just as Qaroon hoarded wealth in the Qur’anic narrative, the workplace tyrant weaponises financial control. They manipulate compensation, promotions, and resources as tools of compliance rather than rewards for contribution.
The implicit (or sometimes explicit) threat looms large: "Cross me, and you'll lose your livelihood." They may deliberately keep employees financially vulnerable, underpaid but overworked, living paycheck to paycheck - ensuring they can't afford to challenge authority or seek opportunities elsewhere.
The workplace Qaroon ensures you're paid just enough to survive but not enough to thrive. They dangle promotions like carrots, withhold raises as punishment, and make sure you're financially dependent enough that resignation feels impossible.
"We can't afford raises this year," they say, right before announcing record profits. "We're all making sacrifices," they explain from their luxury vehicles.
They weaponise your basic needs against you, knowing full well that mortgage payments and children's education make even the brave fall in line.
The Psychological Component (The Magicians)
"We're a family here."
"This is a growth opportunity."
"Your concerns aren't being expressed constructively."
The corporate magicians are masters of reality distortion. This is where they truly excel.
The toxic culture celebrates "hustle" while exploiting extra hours of free labour after hours, speaks of "family" while treating members as disposable, and promises "growth" while stunting development. Failures are blamed on individuals while successes are claimed by leadership. Legitimate concerns are dismissed as "negativity," and those who speak truth to power are labelled as "not team players."
Office politics become a form of sorcery, where perception matters more than performance, and where staying in favour requires constant vigilance.
We all know a brown-noser or two. This is what you need to become if you want to ‘play the game.’ Lose your opportunities or lose your integrity. Your choice.
Like Firawn's magicians, they make sticks appear as snakes, making you question your own perception until you can no longer distinguish between what's real and what's fabricated.
The stick: your legitimate grievance.
The snake: how they twist it to make you appear ungrateful, difficult, or incompetent.
The Toll of Workplace Tyranny
The result of all this chaos is a profoundly dysfunctional environment where:
Creativity is crushed under the weight of conformity
Innovation is sacrificed for predictability
Psychological safety is non-existent
Burnout becomes inevitable
Purpose is replaced with compliance
Employees in these environments develop the same trauma responses as those living under political dictatorships: hypervigilance, learned helplessness, Stockholm syndrome, and a diminished sense of self.
Breaking Free From the Corporate Pyramid
Your job might demand your labour, but it doesn't deserve your worship.
When you recognise the workplace pyramid for what it is - another manifestation of the same control system that has entrapped humanity for millennia - you gain the clarity to navigate it strategically.
The tragedy is this: the most innovative, profitable, and resilient organisations are precisely those that reject the Pharaonic model.
Companies that distribute authority, practice genuine consultation, share prosperity, trust their people, and value truth consistently outperform their tyrannical counterparts.
The data actually proves it:
McKinsey research found that companies in the top quartile for diversity and distributed leadership outperform their peers by 36% in profitability. A Gallup study revealed that companies with high employee engagement (where people feel valued, trusted and heard) show 23% higher profitability and 18% higher productivity. Google's Project Aristotle discovered that psychological safety - i.e. the freedom to speak truth without fear - was the number one predictor of successful teams.
But the workplace Pharaoh doesn't want effectiveness. They want control.
Like Musa, your liberation begins with recognising your true worth and purpose. You were not created to serve a corporate master's ego or bottom line.
You were made for something far greater.
Whether that means transforming your current environment, strategically exiting to something better, or building an alternative model yourself, the first step is seeing the pyramid for what it is.
Remember: Firawn couldn't keep his most valuable asset - Musa himself - in the palace once Musa recognised his true purpose.
What would happen if you discovered yours?
The Tyrant At Home: Pharaonic Control in Personal Relationships
We've examined tyranny at the global, societal and corporate levels, but perhaps the most insidious form is the one closest to home. The Pharaonic model doesn't just operate in palaces and parliaments - it infiltrates personal relationships, creating domestic dictatorships that mirror national ones.
The household tyrant - often labelled a "narcissist" in modern psychology - follows the same playbook as history's most notorious despots, just on a smaller scale.
Consider the parallels:
The Political Component (Firawn)
In the home, this manifests as absolute control over decisions and movements. The domestic tyrant demands complete submission, creating arbitrary rules that shift to ensure you can never fully comply. They position themselves as the ultimate authority - "my house, my rules" - while systematically dismantling your independence.
The Military-Industrial Component (Haman)
Whilst obviously rarely employing actual soldiers, the household tyrant enforces compliance through intimidation, threats, or outright violence. They might install surveillance systems ostensibly for "security," monitor phone calls, track movements, and create an atmosphere where punishment for disobedience is always imminent. This component builds and maintains the infrastructure of control - setting up the systems that restrict freedom of movement and enforce the tyrant's will.
The Economic Component (Qaroon)
Financial abuse is a cornerstone of domestic tyranny. The controller may restrict access to money, monitor every purchase, or force dependence by sabotaging career opportunities. Like Qaroon, they believe their control of resources is justified by their supposed superior knowledge or abilities. They might lavish gifts when pleased, then withhold necessities when displeased - creating the economic equivalent of feast and famine to maintain control. They make you believe that without them, you couldn't survive financially.
The Psychological Component (The Magicians)
Here's where gaslighting enters - perhaps the most potent tool in the domestic tyrant's arsenal. They distort reality, deny your experiences, and rewrite history to make you question your own sanity. "That never happened." "You're too sensitive." "You're imagining things." These modern incantations are as powerful as any ancient sorcery in maintaining control. Like Firawn's magicians who made sticks appear as snakes, they manipulate perceptions until you can no longer trust your own judgment.
The result is you become a prisoner in your own home - trapped not just by physical barriers but by psychological ones that can take years to dismantle even after you've physically escaped.
Like their national counterparts, domestic tyrants fear nothing more than your awakening to purpose. They dread the moment you realize you were created for more than servitude to their ego, the instant you reconnect with your divine worth and refuse to worship at the altar of their fragile authority.
This is why understanding the Pharaonic model is so vital - not just for analysing world events but for recognising the patterns of control that might be operating in our most intimate spaces. Whether the tyranny unfolds on the world stage or in the privacy of a bedroom, the mechanics remain chillingly consistent.
The macro and micro are often interchangeable. Things work in patterns.
Liberation begins with recognition. When you see the staff for what it is - not a snake, but an illusion designed to provoke fear - its power over you diminishes. When you realise that the one demanding your worship is merely a created being like yourself, the spell is broken.
And this, perhaps, is the most personal implementation of Musa's eternal message:
No human deserves your worship.
No person has the right to position themselves between you and your Creator. Your submission belongs to Allah alone.
The Hope in Divine Promise
In our current age of digital surveillance, global economic control, and mass psychological manipulation, the Pharaonic model may seem more entrenched than ever.
But the story of Musa offers eternal hope.
Just as the staff transformed into a snake that consumed the illusions of Firawn's magicians, truth ultimately consumes falsehood. Just as the sea parted for those fleeing oppression, paths open for those committed to justice. That is Allah’s promise to us, cast-iron in the Qu’ran:
“Allah has promised those of you who believe and do good that He will certainly make them successors in the land, as He did with those before them; and will surely establish for them their faith which He has chosen for them; and will indeed change their fear into security—˹provided that˺ they worship Me, associating nothing with Me. But whoever disbelieves after this ˹promise˺, it is they who will be the rebellious.” 24:55
The question isn't whether tyranny can be defeated - it's whether we have the courage to play our part in defeating it.
As Israeli scholar Yeshayahu Leibowitz once noted:
"Pharaoh is not just a character in a story; Pharaoh is a historical principle."
I agree. So too is Musa - the principle of speaking truth to power, of standing firm against oppression, of believing in divine justice when human justice fails.
"When a heart is forced into things it does not want, it slowly dies."- Ali ibn Abi Talib
Our hearts were not made for tyranny. They were made for freedom - true freedom that comes not from the absence of constraints but from submission to our Creator rather than to created beings.
Ironically, in a system built around Firawn’s rules, Musa was the original “bad boy.”
He was the rebel who defied the system.
The outlaw who challenged the throne.
The disruptor who refused to kneel.
If Firawn was the so-called "order," Musa was the beautiful chaos that shattered illusion and brought the truth.
And maybe that’s exactly who we need to become today.
Not rebels without a cause.
But rebels WITH a divine mission.
Because the world doesn’t need more people who comply with falsehood.
It needs more Musa’s who disrupt, expose, and liberate. Who add value in the RIGHT way.
This is the eternal message of Musa, and it remains our path forward today.
The ultimate antidote to tyranny begins with purpose.
When you discover what you were created for - your divine calling - you gain the will, resilience, belief, focus, and drive to overcome logic traps, fear, and naysayers. Your purpose becomes your unshakable foundation that you can build upon.
If enough of us live aligned with our true purpose, connecting to that divine spark within, there is no tyrannical system on earth that can withstand our collective awakening. This isn't just about resistance - it's about renaissance.
The Pharaonic model thrives on purposeless people. The Prophetic model thrives on purpose-driven believers.
Which will you choose to be?
If this article has awakened something in you - a desire to discover your purpose and join the struggle against modern tyranny - I invite you to take the next step. Apply to work with us (limited discounted slots available) and join our community of purpose-driven Muslims committed to standing against oppression through self-development, community building, and strategic action. Take action; the time to rise is now.
It can all start with manipulation and brainwashing. Get many people as possible to believe absurdities so that you can carry out atrocities. Physical and psychological attacks on people's capacity to feel and think are intense in these times. What is "artificial, intelligence"!?
Mashallah, what a great article. The structure of tyranny is laid out in its totality and with such simplicity. This erases the myth of the "complexity" of power.